You May Now Kill the Bride

by Kate Weston

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

You May Now Kill the Bride is an engaging standalone mystery thriller by Kate Weston. Released 23rd May 2024 by Penguin Random House on their trade paperback imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

This is a very dark and sardonic "mean girls" thriller murder mystery. It's written in alternating third person PoV with alternating voices from the main characters (a group of "friends" who are together for a wedding getaway where the bride gets killed). The narrative is choppy and unclear in places with respect to *which* of the suspects (it's a closed circle) is speaking. 

-All- of them are narcissistic, jealous, neurotic, and unpleasant. On the plus side, it is snort-out-loud funny in some places, and the prose is well polished and quite finished.

Three and a half stars (mostly for the few over-the-top laughs and the well rendered prose - there are some technical issues with rapidly changing PoVs, but otherwise it's well written). 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.