Is it June? It must be, because this week we have a limited-edition collection of 25 wedding stories! Some of them are cozy mysteries and others are crime fiction, so something for everyone! I love these collections and have been a part of many anthologies. So let’s find our place in the church, pick your side, bride or groom, and let’s get going with Malice, Matrimony and Murder.
About Malice, Matrimony, and Murder
Â
Cozy Mystery
Marla Bradeen (November 13, 2023)
Paperback â : â 478 pages
The bride wore an orange jumpsuit…
Everyone loves a good wedding–and a good mystery. Combine the two and what do you get? Malice, Matrimony, and Murder!
Over two dozen authors have teamed up to offer you this wedding-themed collection of brand-new cozy mystery and cozy crime fiction stories that will keep you wondering whodunit and what’s next from the first page to the last. Between bad bridesmaids, conniving caterers, greedy guests, ill-mannered in-laws, savvy sleuths, and vengeful villains, this anthology has it all! All of the stories are clean and fun, with a general feel-good tone. If you read to be entertained, surprised, and uplifted, then this collection is for you!
Plus, the anthology as a whole contains an overarching wedding whodunit woven throughout. As you’re reading, collect the clues, identify whodunit, and access a special ebook filled with bonuses and extras. Inside you’ll find recipes, character interviews, bonus stories, and more!
If you’re drawn to shorter mysteries that are light on gore and language, and high on humor, entertainment, and happy endings, then you don’t want to miss out on Malice, Matrimony, and Murder. But this collection is only available for a limited-time, so grab it now before it’s gone forever!
Our stories:
– “The Groom’s Club” by Joslyn Chase.
– “A Wedding Planner’s Nightmare: A Persimmon Worthing Mystery” by Charlotte Morganti.
– “Cinderella at Midnight” by P.M. Raymond.
– “Ring Robbery: A Cozy Cat Caper Mystery Short” by Paige Sleuth.
– “What’s a Little Murder Between Friends” by Teresa Inge.
– “Icing on the Cake” by Sally Milliken.
– “Love and Death in Madison, Georgia” by Rebecca Olmstead.
– “Second Chances Are…Murder: A Vermont Radio Mystery” by Nikki Knight.
– “Wedding Vows & Vipers” by Shari Held.
– “The Bride Wore Death” by Barbara Howard.
– “Chill: A Naomi Sinclair Short Story” by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier.
– “A Bit of a Do” by KD Sherrinford.
– “Goes Around” by Stephen D. Rogers.
– “Jilted” by Elaine Togneri.
– “Sabotage and a Murder Mystery” by Lynn Hesse.
– “Til Death Do Us Part” by Margaret S. Hamilton.
– “A Wedding Most Bitter: A Lara’s Detective Agency Series” by Stella Oni.
– “Better Late Than Murdered” by Robert Petyo.
– “Charm City Wedding” by Pamela Kyel.
– “The Other Wedding Crasher” by Karen McCullough.
– “Marriage, Neighbors and Best Friends: A Wally and Ollie Series” by Wil A. Emerson.
– “The Wedding Dress in the Middle of the Road” by Jack Bates.
– “Death, the Unwanted Wedding Guest” by J. Aquino.
– “We Haven’t Had Cake” by Sharyn Kolberg.
– “To Have and To Scold” by Becky Clark.

Excerpts from The Wedding Dress in the Middle of the Road, and Till Death Do Us Part
(Excerpt: 693 words)
by Jack Bates
Bix gunned the engine, taking the serpentine curves at a higher speed than I felt comfortable. I slapped my hands on the dash above the glove box to brace myself, squeezed my eyes shut, and demanded he slow down. Instead, he abruptly stopped. The inertia jerked me forward in my seat. My stretched-out arms locked in the same instant the safety belt locked over my chest.
âBix! Who taught you how to drive like that?â
âGet out.â
I clearly didnât have whiplash as I could turn my head to face him.
âIs this about what I think itâs about because if it is this isnât the time or the placeââ
âNo, Cori, you donât understand. Get out and look at the front of the car.â
âDid we hit something?â
âI donât think so. Let me back up a little.â
Bix dropped the gear shift into reverse, eased up on the brakes then gently stopped, putting the car in park.
âOkay. Now you can get out.â
âSo help me, Bix. If this is some kind of prankââ
âCori. Go look.â
I sat back and undid my safety belt. My lungs quickly responded to being freed from the tight restraint. I opened the door. Long, rutty, puddles of wet stone and mud loomed outside the car. An afternoon of showers left the washboard road a mucky mess.
âAre you getting out?â Bix asked.
I looked at my shoes. My âwonderfully perfect for the weddingâ shoes. For once my toes would not be pinched. My arches would not be punished. My dogs would not be barking at me on the dance floor.
âFor a private detective, Cori, you calculate risk in a strange way. Iâve seen you get blood on your hands but now youâre backing away from a little mud.â
âYou donât understand. These are Nola Abernathy pumps.â
Bix capitulated. He sacrificed his own pair of nondescript, discount store loafers to retrieve the mysterious obstacle in front of the car. He bent down to pick up whatever he had stopped hard not to hit. When he stood straight, he held the item so I could see it.
He held the dress.
The dress designed by Christian Asaro exclusively for our client, Miriam Cavanaugh. The dress that had gone missing. The dress that connected the murder of Asaroâs assistant, Kelly Short, to an unfortunate incident from the past. There, in the glow of the headlights, Miriam Cavanaughâs wedding dress drooped in Bixâs grasp, no longer able to bask in its celebrity.
âBehold the Miriam,â Bix said.
âPut it in the trunk and letâs go.â
âOh, so now I can drive fast.â Bix flung the verbal jab at me as he bent inside the car to lift the rear door release. He straightened the dress over the recessed spare wheel and closed the hatch.
âSorry about your shoes,â I said.
He shrugged. âIâm just glad the floormats are Rubber-Shields.â
âTaking the win where you can get it, as always.â
âItâs the little things.â He winked. âBuckle up.â
Rocks and mud ricocheted and spattered against the wheel well as the rear tires spun. The car fishtailed as it dug into the rain softened road. For an instant I feared weâd be stuck, and my lovely shoes would not be seen that afternoon. Bixâs skillful handling of the vehicle helped it find some traction. We were off to the Pine Shadow Country Club for the reception of the decade. Mr. Donald Bracken and Miss Miriam Cavanaugh had cordially invited friends, family, and giants in commerce and industry to celebrate their nuptials.
Bix and I were about to crash the festivities.
Iâm certain more than one guest quietly shared the thought that Donald Bracken should have taken Miriamâs name seeing as how her side of the aisle accused him of marrying her simply to advance his career within her fatherâs automotive empire. Quite possibly Brackenâs side of the guest list thought the same.
And someone didnât think they should be married at all.
Maybe that was the crack in the windshield, as my grandfather used to say, that shattered under the weight of so many secrets and lies.
* * *
Till Death Do Us Part
by Margaret S. Hamilton
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
In the early hours of Sunday morning, Poppy Matherâs cell phone chimed. She squinted at the screenâLou Weller, her favorite wedding planner. Poppy growled a response. âThis had better be a compliment about my fabulous wedding cake.â
Lou gabbled an incomprehensible reply.
âGet a grip.â Poppy yawned. âWhat happened?â
âYour wedding cake poisoned all but one of the two hundred guests at the reception.â
âWhat?â Poppy sat up, her head pounding, regretting the last round of shots with her friends a few hours earlier. âHow do you know it was my cake and not something elseâraw oysters or cantaloupe?â
âFlowers were stuck in all the layers, with remnants of a small bouquet inserted on top. Poison Control told the EMTs toxins from the plant stems probably poisoned all the guests. Everyone started to vomit, and some of the elderly guests experienced a drop in their heart rates. We called the EMS and a fleet of taxis to take everybody to the emergency room. Fortunately, all the guests will recover.â
âThatâs a relief.â Poppy sank against the pillows. âLou, I delivered what the bride ordered, a four-tier cake covered with fondant icing with a decorative trellis design, plus a sugar flower topper. No fresh flowers of any kind. Sounds like they served a toxic substitute.â
Lou sniffled. âThe cake I found in the kitchen had buttercream icing decorated with little fresh flowers. Though it didnât resemble one of your cakes, I assumed the bride had changed her mind at the last minute. A member of the catering staff removed the flowers before serving it.â
Poppy climbed out of bed. âAre you still at the reception venue?â
âThe police have interviewed me, and Iâm headed to the ER to do damage control.â
âBefore you leave, tell the police Iâll drive over with the original contract and photos of my completed cake.â
Poppy pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt and grabbed the cake contract the venue manager had initialed as a completed order. On her way out the door, she zapped a mug of cold coffee in the microwave. Taking a cautious sip, she added milk and poured the mixture into a travel mug.
She made the five-minute drive to the gray cedar-shingled sea captainâs home converted into a wedding venue and parked next to the hydrangea hedge. After identifying herself as the wedding cake baker, Poppy entered the commercial kitchen.
Officer Jess Taylor sat on a stool questioning a member of the catering staff. Poppy waved and leaned against the wall sipping her coffee. Jess acknowledged her and mouthed âfive minutes.â
Soon, it was Poppyâs turn to tell her story. She showed Jess, her lifelong friend, the original cake contract and her photos.
âWhat do you think happened?â Jess asked, taking rapid notes.
âSomeone must have switched the cakes. May I see what was served?â
Jess pointed to the other end of the kitchen. âHurry up, before we bag it as evidence. Look, donât touch.â
Poppy made her way through the kitchen and sniffed what was left of the cake. âButtercream icing.â She wrinkled her nose. âNot made with butter and cream.â She circled around the cake. âAnd remnants of fresh lilies of the valley.â Poppy rejoined Jess. âThis isnât the cake I provided. Lou Weller told me someone stuffed fresh flower stems into all the layers. Toxic lilies of the valley. No wonder everyone who ate the cake became ill.â Poppy sagged onto a stool. âEvery baker has unique ways of baking and decorating a cake. I donât recognize the signature of the baker who made this cake. In my opinion, sheâs not a professional.â
âHow so?â Jess flipped to a clean page.
âThe buttercream icing is disgusting. Itâs not safe to taste, but I can tell it was made with cheap ingredients, not unsalted butter and heavy cream. The crumb textureâs off, and the layers arenât properly constructed.â Poppy took a final gulp of coffee. âThe short version of fresh flowers on a wedding cake is to use only certified, edible, organic flowers, free of pesticides. Not toxic lilies of the valley from someoneâs garden.â Drumming her fingers on the counter, she asked, âMind if I snoop around?â

Author Websites
Joslyn Chase: https://joslynchase.com/
Charlotte Morganti: https://charlottemorganti.com/
P.M. Raymond: http://www.pmraymond.com/
Paige Sleuth: https://www.marlabradeen.com/
Teresa Inge: http://www.teresainge.com/
Sally Milliken: http://www.sallymillikenauthor.com/
Rebecca Olmstead: https://www.rebeccaolmstead.com/
Nikki Knight: https://kathleenmarplekalb.com/nikki-knight
Shari Held: http://www.shariheld.com/
Barbara Howard: http://www.authorbarbarahoward.com/
Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier: http://ashleyruthbernier.com/
KD Sherrinford: http://www.kdsherrinford.co.uk/
Stephen D. Rogers: http://www.StephenDRogers.com/
Elaine Togneri: http://www.elainetogneri.com/
Lynn Hesse: https://www.lynnhesse.com/
Margaret S. Hamilton: https://margaretshamilton.wordpress.com/
Stella Oni: https://stellaonithewriter.com/
Pamela Kyel: http://pamelakyel.com/
Karen McCullough: https://kmccullough.com/
Wil A. Emerson: https://www.wilemerson.com/
Becky Clark: https://beckyclarkbooks.com/
Publisher Links
Publisher Website: https://www.marlabradeen.com/
Publisher Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marlabradeenauthor
Publisher Twitter: https://twitter.com/marlabradeen
Purchase Links
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