Book Review: There Goes the Bride by M. C. Beaton (2009)

Synopsis: Even though she has convinced herself she no longer has feelings for her ex-husband, James Lacey, Agatha Raisin is not looking forward to attending his wedding, especially after learning he is having second thoughts about marrying the beautiful and much younger Felicity Bross-Tilkington.

The wedding, however, doesn't happen because the bride-to-be is killed while getting ready. After initially being considered a suspect until a hat purchase helped clear her name, Agatha is hired by Felicity's mom to find the killer. She agrees and gets help from her protege/rival Toni but, as the case progresses self-doubt and multiple attempts on her life have Agatha considering retirement.

Review: While I have never been a big fan of the Agatha Raisin/James Lacey saga, the past few books from this series had me optimistic about There Goes the Bride when I checked it out from the library. As it turns out, it was a book I would consider a let-down.

On the surface, the book has an intriguing mystery. Felicity is beautiful. She has a wealthy family and, according to multiple sources, everyone loved her - in no small part because she liked having sex. This opened the door to a wide range of possibilities about who murdered her, anyone from a jealous ex-lover to possibly even James himself, as a way of getting out of the marriage. 

The problem is the book really fails to execute and take advantage of it.

First, there was no secret who the main villain was. The second Sylvan Dubois was introduced in the last book, I knew he wasn't a good person (mostly because of Agatha's history with men) and, while he may not necessarily be the murderer, was likely connected in some way. Then, as other potential suspects were quickly added to the kill list, it wasn't too hard to point the finger at the person who killed James' fiancée.

The other problem is the murder itself has almost no importance to the book. Agatha's investigation reveals a completely different and, ultimately, unrelated crime that puts her life in danger and Felicity's death ends up being more of a MacGuffin with a throw-away motive that didn't seem well-thought-out. This was a bit disappointing because, for a while, it seemed as though the book was trying to add a bit more depth by creating a question about who Felicity's real biological parents were but then just dropped it.

In fact, there is so little to the mystery, the book relies heavily on filler just to get to book-size. This includes things like Agatha's multiple failed attempts at finding love through a dating site, her attempt to end Toni's relationship with an older man, a search for a missing teenager that had nothing to do with the case, a narrative about how a smoking ban was hurting businesses and of course, Agatha's self-doubt, jealousy and possible new romance with Charles Fraith. Without that, I don't know if this book would have even made 100 pages.

Final Opinion: It was a mystery with unfilled potential and in desperate need of a surprise twist. It wasn't bad enough for me to give up on the series but is an installment that is very forgettable.

My Grade: D

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Here are some reviews of other M. C. Beaton books:

Book Review: The Skeleton in the Closet by M. C. Beaton (2001)

Book Review: Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam by M. C. Beaton (2000)

Book Review: Death of a Traveling Man by M. C. Beaton (1993)

Book Review: The Deadly Dance by M. C. Beaton (2004)