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In the days leading up to a wedding, things can sometimes get a little out of control. But when a crime-solving outsider finds herself in the middle of the chaos of a society wedding in The Bridesmaid by Cate Quinn, she ends up dealing with more than just a frantic bride.
The story finds forensic attorney Holly Stone called in to investigate the death of a high-profile bridesmaid just days before she was supposed to participate in the Wedding of the Year. The bridesmaid, Simone, also just happens to be Holly’s former boss—and she was deeply involved in investigating the kidnapping of the bride-to-be, Adrianna Kensington, three years ago. When Holly tries to dig for information, though, she finds herself going undercover as a replacement bridesmaid, dealing with staged events and photo shoots while trying to figure out which bridesmaid is a killer.
As soon as Holly is brought into Adrianna’s inner circle, she realizes that there’s nothing normal about this wedding—and The Bridesmaid offers readers a front-row seat for all of the tabloid-worthy drama of this high-profile event. More than just a ceremony and celebration for close friends and family, the Kensington wedding is a business venture. It’s about sponsorship deals and photo ops and partnerships. The bridesmaids weren’t chosen because of their relationship with the bride; Adrianna’s father, Leopold, chose each one based on what they bring to the table—from legal counsel to floral arrangements to connections with the press. Everything here is carefully curated, which means that no one will be completely honest—because the truth isn’t good for PR.
While all of the wedding drama plays out, though, there’s also a murder to solve—and a kidnapping, too—and as Holly sneaks away from the festivities to follow the clues that Simone left behind while also digging up her own evidence, she uncovers a lot of things that the Kensingtons and their friends would like to keep hidden. With each new discovery, the tension builds—and Holly seems to be in more and more danger. And though the conclusion feels rather abrupt, it does make for a suspenseful read.
The Bridesmaid offers a fascinating mix of murder, kidnapping, wedding festivities, high-society drama, and a whole lot of dark secrets to make for a novel that never really slows down. It’s a suspenseful thriller with a whole lot of suspects—and it’ll keep readers guessing until the end.
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