Title: Death on the Aisle (A Molly Higgins Cozy Mystery #3)
Author: Kate Johnson
Published on: 22 Feb 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Death on the Aisle is the third book in Kate Johnson’s Molly Higgins Cozy Mystery series.
Molly Higgins is getting married but nothing’s going as planned! Conor, her fiancé, is an actor. The couple sign a deal with the TV program to film a wedding documentary. Celebrity wedding planner Kiranda Kell is probably the most annoying person in Molly’s life right now but a deal is a deal, right?
From flashy wedding dresses to peacocks on the Aisle, Molly has a tough time accepting the celebrity wedding deal. But when Kiranda is found dead by Molly’s estranged sister, Tansy, Molly is left on her own to plan her wedding. Who among the wedding guests, friends and family is the killer? Molly has to solve the mystery before she walks down the aisle…
A café owner, a Cornish village setting, TV crew and celebrities, a wedding and a murder mystery, what else does a cozy mystery lover need?
Death on the Aisle can be read as a standalone. I haven’t read the previous two books of this series but I did not have any trouble following the story. Molly’s previous sleuthing adventures do get a mention or two. Since this is the third in the series, there’s a significant amount of character development – which one might see if they have followed the series from start. Like how Kitty and Ned met – something to do with one of Molly’s previous ‘cases’; Molly and Conor love story so far.
The spotlight is on the wedding preparations. Molly and Conor are tying the knot and the festivities have begun… or not! The vicar and Tansy find the wedding planner’s body in the church (the wedding venue). We also have a side-story here: Tansy left home years ago and is back for some reason. Tansy’s wary of her ex and his advances towards her. Sam, the local pub owner, has always liked Tansy. Will Sam finally confess his feelings to her?
The mystery behind the murder is well-maintained until the end. The murder weapon – which, in the second half of the book, is used to commit another crime – seems to be the famous ‘Kiranda Kell knife’. Conor is an up-and-coming actor who would be shooting for a movie until a day before the wedding. We also get to ‘see’ parts of the shooting – from an uncomfy nude scene to Conor’s attention-seeking co-actor.
The ending seemed a little cliched. The clues were all there and yet Molly had some trouble connecting the dots. Having said that, I loved the denouement. I really loved how Molly finally gets to do her wedding speech – a part of which is dedicated to… um, the killer. *wink wink*
Death on the Aisle by Kate Johnson is an engrossing and entertaining cozy mystery. If you love mysteries set in Cornwall, you might want to give this book a try.
The Book Decoder 
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