MARRIAGE IS PURE MURDER

Nearly-married Dana Lewis digs into small-town gossip to find a killer in her sixth escapade in scenic California.

Dana (Murder Most Wholesome, 2016, etc.) is happily putting the final touches on her pastoral wedding to local reporter Jason Forrester, which will be held at the organic farm and spa where she works. But when she arrives for a consultation with Bethany Lancaster at the Don’t Dilly Dahlia flower shop, Dana finds her dead. At first glance, Bethany didn’t seem to have any enemies, so suspicion falls on Dana as first on the scene. To clear her name, Dana pokes around the shop and asks questions. She learns that Violet, the daughter who stands to inherit the business, may have resented her mother too much to accept it. She discovers that the owner of the Get the Scoop ice cream parlor next door has been looking to expand and didn’t welcome Bethany’s opposition to his plans. And she can’t help seeing that Bethany was nosy about everyone’s secrets. Could she have known enough, or just been irritating enough, to get herself killed? With the help of her supportive mother, her party-girl sister, and her loyal fiance, Dana manages to enjoy her bridal shower, track down the killer, and float into her dream wedding after all.

The characters are one-dimensional, the dialogue stilted, the romance bland, and the villain all too obvious. Basic and forgettable.