The Witness at the Wedding: 7

I've now read about five books in this series. I like Mr. Brett's style of writing. One can actually figure out the mysteries (no red herrings thrown in). There's not alot of repeating as in other series. I highly recommend this series. They are easy to read and the characters are always likeable.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting and the characters are different. Simon Brett has created two women neighbors/friends/sleuths who completely different from one another, and I enjoy reading about them.

The premise for this story is what makes it worth reading: Carole Seddon's son, Stephen, is marrying into a rather odd family. Pascale's (Gaby's) parents don't even want there to be a wedding announcement . . . and they definitely don't want to be involved in the wedding planning. Stephen has also let drop that there's a history of murder in the family. Most authors would stop at this point by having chilled us a bit with thoughts about whom our children might marry. Simon Brett charges gleefully forward by making the wedding preparations into a murderers' playground. As a result, you'll find yourself much more emotionally involved than in the typical Fethering mystery. The mystery itself isn't all that hard to unravel, but the book's premise will keep your attention throughout. It's a dandy way to overturn the conventions of wedding stories. With the wedding plans taking center stage, there's less than the usual byplay and interaction between Carole and Jude. They operate pretty independently of one another in this book, in part because Jude has a depressed friend (Gita) visiting who is pressed into the investigation. I thought that many of the wedding preparation sequences were pretty funny, especially the engagement party hosted by Gaby's parents. If you've ever felt awkward at such an event, you'll roar when you read some of these scenes.

I love this series and eagerly grabbed this book as soon as it became available. Carole's son Stephen is getting married. Carole is surprised and a little annoyed at first (after all, she's happy being a recluse and isn't thrilled at the prospect of being the Mother of the Groom and the wedding duties that she'll inevitably have to be involved in). But once she meets Stephen's lovely girlfriend Gaby and grows closer to Stephen, she finds herself acquiring the maternal instinct she never had before. (Wow, is Carole actually thawing out??) It's that maternal instinct that prompts her - along with trusty sidekick and New Age neighbor Jude - to find out why Gaby seems so distracted and why her family is being elusive and jumpy. The mystery itself is interesting and well planned, and there are a few heart stopping moments towards the end. Overall, this is a great installment in the series.

The sublime joy of reading another well written and absolutely riveting British "cozy" should never ever be underestimated -- and I really cannot fully express what a joy it was to read Simon Brett's latest Fethering installment, "The Witness at the Wedding." While Carole Seddon is pleased about the approaching wedding of her son, Stephen, to the effervescent and capable Gaby Martin, she's not too terribly keen on their notion to marry in Fethering. And her feelings of reservation and disquiet grow even larger when she finally meets Gaby's parents, the reserved and drab Howard and Marie Martin, who have eschewed all involvement in planning Gaby's wedding and who seem absolutely horrified about Stephen's desire to place an announcement about the upcoming wedding in the newspapers. What are the Martins so afraid of? But when Howard Martin is found murdered in a manner reminiscent of one committed 30 years ago, Carole is sure that there is something in the Martins' past that is haunting them and may have set off a dangerous chain of events. The Martins, however, are good at guarding their secrets, and Carole senses that it is not going to be easy to get them to open up. Determined to help Stephen and Gaby achieve their happily ever-after ending, Carole decides to do some sleuthing of her own -- of course with the help of her friend and neighbour, the inestimable Jude... Fan though I am of this series, I will admit that not every installment has been an absolutely riveting read. Which was why I found "The Witness at the Wedding" to be such a pleasure. To being with the storyline was a truly tantalising one -- a murder that had been committed about 30 years ago and that's still affecting those concerned. And then there was the pacing -- Simon Brett did a fantastic job of subtly layering on the suspense, even as he maintained the even pacing. And then of course there was the well developed and defined characters -- I especially liked that Carole is still the same prickly and slightly prejudiced character that she was when the series first started. Of course she has changed slightly for the better, but in essentials she's still very much the same Carole Seddon here as she was in the first Fethering mystery, "The Body on the Beach." In all I spent a wonderful afternoon wrapped up in this book, and would recommend to anyone who's looking for a nice British "cozy" to sit down and curl up with.