Engaged in Death

Mallory Shepard and her fiance, Keith Pierce, are lawyers who work at different law firms in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Mallory's trying to keep her cool as Keith's mother, Helene Pierce takes over the wedding planning and suddenly it’s no longer the wedding that Mallory wanted or even wants. When Mallory receives an envelope with compromising photographs of Keith and co-worker, Becca Cunningham she dumps Keith and packs an overnight bag. She is devastated and angry, she hides out in a hotel and calls off the wedding with her sister Rachel's help they call the guests and anyone hired for wedding to let them know the wedding is canceled, and dodges phone calls from Keith and Helene. Mallory learns that Keith’s grandmother, Sylvia, show more whom she adored, had recently changed her will, and had deeded her home, Thistle Park, in Port Quincy, Pennsylvania to her with the request that she never allow fracking anywhere on the property. Even though the house has been vacant since Sylvia was put in the nursing home and the property and mansion are in disrepair, Mallory and Rachel decide to move in. On the first day there, Shane Hartley, a representative for Lonestar Energy, approaches Mallory about letting Lonestar lease some of her land for fracking, an argument ensues between the two of them, and Mallory pushes Shane. The following morning, Rachel finds Shane's dead body laying in the front yard. At first, the sisters plan on cleaning up the mansion and selling it, but soon they start to fantasize about fixing the mansion up, opening a B&B, and hosting special events and weddings, the only problem is they don’t have the funds to make that happen. Helene and Keith are angry that they didn’t inherit the house as they had planned on, since Helene had already agreed to let Lonestar lease the property from her for the purpose of fracking. Believing that the police aren’t moving fast enough to find out who killed Shane, Mallory starts investigating on her own. Someone is tries to scare Mallory and Rachel away from the house, by leaving threatening messages on their walls, sabotaging their car, and the senior partners at the law firm Mallory works at try to intimate her.

The mystery has several twists and turns with a few interesting red herrings thrown in to keep you guessing about who the killer is until the surprising reveal at the end of the book. The characters are well developed and well rounded which makes them seem lifelike. The subplots of the story were woven nicely together so that they were all tied up at the end of the book. The way the author described the town and people made it possible to picture them in your head. I did like the relationship between Mallory and Rachel the way they interacted with each other. I did like that Mallory decided to give a relationship with Garret )who was Sylvia's lawyer, Mallory's new neighbor, and Summer's dad) a chance since there were some sparks between the two of them. I really didn't like Keith or Helene and how they treated Mallory, so I was glad that the plans for Thistle Park didn't go as planned. show less

Engaged in Death by Stephanie Blackmoore is the first book in A Wedding Planner Mystery series. Mallory Shepard is engaged to Keith Pierce and busy planning her wedding with the “help” from Keith’s overbearing mother, Helene. Mallory may not love Helene, but she does adore Keith’s grandmother, Sylvia. Sylvia is 99 years old and has lived a full life (Mallory visits her frequently). One day Mallory receives an envelope (sent anonymously). When she opens it, she finds pictures of Keith in a compromising position with another woman. Mallory breaks off her engagement to Keith (talk about a lucky break). Then Sylvia passes away. Sylvia’s attorney, Garrett Davies asks to speak with Mallory. Sylvia cared for Mallory as much as show more Mallory cared for Sylvia and had deeded (instead of leaving it to her in her will) Mallory her home Thistle Park in Port Quincy, Pennsylvania. Thistle Park is in bad shape, but the home has great potential. This really puts Helene’s nose out of joint. Helene was counting on inheriting this home to sell the fracking rights (Sylvia was against it). Shane Harley of Lonestar Energy immediately approaches Mallory (she was just moving in) about selling the fracking rights on the property. Mallory refuses since it was not what Sylvia wanted. The next morning Mallory and her sister, Rachel (who moved into the house with her) finds Shane dead on the front lawn. Can anything else go wrong for Mallory? Well, it turns out that it is too late to cancel all aspects of her wedding reception (with all the hoopla that Helene wanted and Mallory did not). Mallory works to find someone that would like to use her reception (because Mallory was paying for the wedding even though Keith’s family has money). Helene is not done with Mallory. Helene is determined to get her hands on Thistle Park and is going out of her way to make Mallory’s life miserable (in her private and professional life). Mallory is going to have a busy time trying to get her name off the suspect list, find someone to take over her reception, and decide what to do with Thistle Park. Will she succeed? You will have to read Engaged in Death to get the answer.

Engaged in Death was a good cozy mystery. There are actually two mysteries going on in the book. They are both interesting, complex, and fun to solve. I liked the characters and the home of Thistle Park. There is also some romance in Engaged in Death. I look forward to seeing how it develops during the course of the series. I will be curious to see what happens with Thistle Park. Engaged in Death drew me in right from the beginning and I did not want it to end. I give Engaged in Death 4.5 out of 5 stars (I loved it but downgraded since I did solve the mysteries). I cannot wait (but I know I have to) to read the next book in A Wedding Planner Mystery series.

I received a complimentary copy of Engaged in Death from NetGalley (and Kensington) in exchange for an honest and fair evaluation of the novel. show less

Mallory is weeks away from marrying Keith when her future Grandmother-in-law, Sybil, passes away and at the same time she receives a batch of photos showing her fiancée cheating on her with his assistant. Calling off the wedding and going into "hiding" she is finally rescued by her sister, Rachel, and when they discover that Sybil left her home to Mallory instead of her grandson, things start to take an unusual turn.

Finding a dead body on the lawn, trying to cancel all the wedding arrangements or give them away, Mallory has to find a way to get her life back on track as well as help her sister find her own path.

I loved the characters, they were great to meet or love to hate (Keith and his mother), Just wish Sybil could have stayed show more around - she sounded like a nifty lady.

Looking forward to the next one! show less

Mallory Shepard and her fiancé Keith are both attorneys planning their wedding. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be fairly simple is now over-the-top thanks his interfering social-climbing mother Helene, who has hijacked it. After leaving the country club where the reception is to be, she thinks they're going to visit his grandmother Sylvia, the only member of the family she truly likes and who adores her, but Keith has other plans: he takes her to a vacant plot of land that Helene has purchased in Port Quincy, an hour away from Pittsburgh, where both she and Keith work, to build them a home. Naturally, she's becoming more and more upset by the way things are turning out.

But when they get home there's a call from the nursing home show more that Sylvia lives in stating she's passed away, and Mallory is more than saddened that they didn't visit her that day. To make things even more depressing, she opens a manila envelope that has come in the mail and inside are pictures of Keith and a young woman from his office - doing things he only should be doing with Mallory.

She immediately leaves and holes up in a motel room, not returning calls and not leaving until her younger sister Rachel shows up at the place, forcing her to reenter life again. In doing so, she realizes she needs to return phone calls, especially many left by Sylvia's attorney. When she finally goes to see the man, Garrett Davies, she discovers that Sylvia has deeded her home to her - free and clear. Stunned, Rachel and Mallory go to the home in an old stately area of Port Quincy.

While the house is dilapidated, Rachel sees possibilities, and Mallory sees a headache that she'll need to get rid of. But what she doesn't expect is the man who shows up on her doorstep wanting to buy the house - now. He wants the land to frack, and Mallory knows that Sylvia was totally against that, and tells him no, getting into a confrontation before sending him on his way. But just when she thinks things can't get any worse, the next morning Rachel wakes her telling her that the man is dead on their front lawn.

Though Mallory insists she's going to stay out of the investigation and allow the police to handle things, it becomes difficult when it's obvious someone wants her out of the way. Now she's involved in trying to keep her head above water financially, and altogether trying to keep the rest of her from being killed...

This is the first in a new series and I found it delightful. While there were a couple of things that bothered me, I didn't allow it to spoil my enjoyment of the book. I may as well list them and get it out of the way. I felt that for an attorney - even a corporate one - Mallory had very little backbone. She couldn't make decisions and allowed her younger sister to run roughshod over her. She even allowed Helene to take over her wedding, though she was paying for it. I would have told her if she wanted the wedding her way, then she could pay for it.

I also didn't care for how selfish and self-centered Rachel was. She seemed more of a spoiled child than an adult who could come in and take charge of the situation. Below are spoilers (one to a crucial point of the book), but they grated on me a bit:

You can see the spoilers here: https://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/2019/02/engaged-in-death-wedding-planner.html

Anyway, aside from those two things, I think the mystery was written well. I felt there was enough intrigue to keep the story interesting, and there was a surprise to the ending, which made it all the more pleasurable to read. Just when you think you've put it all together (and pretty much have), there was something else coming. All in all, a very satisfying ending to a decent mystery.

I do like the idea of them opening a B&B; there are a lot of possibilities for future books, which I look forward to reading. Also included are a few recipes in the back which sound delicious. Recommended. show less

This is a great debut novel and I hope a long series! I loved meeting Mallory Shepard and her sister Rachel.

Mallory is engaged to Keith, but it seems he is ruled by his overbearing mother Helene. Their small quaint wedding changed into an event for Helene to show off. Mallory decided to go with the flow. The one member of Keith's family that Mallory had a wonderful relationship was his grandmother Sybil. Unfortunately Sybil dies weeks before the wedding. Shortly after her death, Mallory received a brown envelop with pictures showing her fiancé with another woman. She calls off the wedding and goes into hiding. When her sister shows up to drag her back to the land of the living, she finds out that the lawyer that had been calling her show more was trying to inform her that she had inherited, Sybil's house, Thistle Park. The mansion needed many repairs and updates, but Rachel and Mallory have dreams of turning it into a Bed & Breakfast as well as a Wedding Venue. Sybil had also been against the gas companies fracking on the property. The day they arrive at the home, they are met by the face of the local company offering them a lucrative deal to lease the land. Mallory refuses and tells him to leave. They move in and after only one night at Thistle Park, they find a dead body in the front yard. When Mallory thinks she is a suspect, she decides to do some investigating of her own. There are so many people in town that have an issue with the murdered man, that the suspect pool is huge. Could her ex have been involved? What about his mother? The local environmental group were not happy with him, neither were several townspeople whose land was ruined by the fracking?

So much happens in this story besides the initial murder, that I read this book in one day. The house that Mallory inherited could be amazing in the hands of the right person, but after being fired from her legal firm, can she possibly afford to fix it up and renovate? What do you do when your wedding is cancelled and the venue refuses to return your huge deposit? There is a little bit of romance brewing and the neighbour's daughter is a real sweetheart who I hope we see more of in future stories.

Mallory starts out as a go with the flow, people pleasing type of woman, but you know the saying about a woman scorned? She is a lawyer who is smart and organized and she realizes that she does not need a man in her life right now. She begins to make decisions based on what she wants, not someone else. Her sister, Rachel, doesn't know what she wants out of life. She has several skills because she has tried so many different jobs, but has not been able to stick with anything. She has been living with, and is dependent on her mother and step-father, but would like to make a go of the business (Bed & Breakfast) with Mallory. They each bring something different to the relationship and will make a fantastic team.

Even the secondary characters are fleshed out, real and believable. Keith, the ex and his mother Helene, are great villians and easy to dislike. The neighbors were an integral part of the story. The Chief of Police just happens to live in the house behind Thistle Park, with his son and granddaughter. I loved the way the Chief changed from the beginning of the story to the end. We say the human side of him, even though his exasperation with Mallory was evident.

I recommend this book to any cozy mystery lovers, the recipes look amazing and the story is great. I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

Three weeks before her wedding to Keith, Mallory Shepard finds out about his cheating and calls it off. Then Keith's grandmother, Sylvia 99, whom Mallory had grown close to, dies and leaves her house to Mallory. Mallory plans on selling but wants to honor Sylvia's desire to keep the land from oil fracking company. Keith and his mother, Helene want the house and do all they can to threaten her including getting her fired. When the oil company rep is found in her front yard dead and her sister arrives ready to help turn the place into a B & B, Mallory is torn in many directions. Can she turn her paid-for reception into someone else's dream wedding, find money to renovate, solve the murder and get her life on track? Very good mystery; show more believable, good secondary characters, hostile ex-future-in-laws, a potential romantic interest and recipes. show less

Mallory Shepard and her fiance, Keith Pierce, are lawyers who work at different law firms in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Mallory's trying to keep her cool as Keith's mother, Helene Pierce takes over the wedding planning and suddenly it’s no longer the wedding that Mallory wanted or even wants. When Mallory receives an envelope with compromising photographs of Keith and co-worker, Becca Cunningham she dumps Keith and packs an overnight bag. She is devastated and angry, she hides out in a hotel and calls off the wedding with her sister Rachel's help they call the guests and anyone hired for wedding to let them know the wedding is canceled, and dodges phone calls from Keith and Helene. Mallory learns that Keith’s grandmother, Sylvia, show more whom she adored, had recently changed her will, and had deeded her home, Thistle Park, in Port Quincy, Pennsylvania to her with the request that she never allow fracking anywhere on the property. Even though the house has been vacant since Sylvia was put in the nursing home and the property and mansion are in disrepair, Mallory and Rachel decide to move in. On the first day there, Shane Hartley, a representative for Lonestar Energy, approaches Mallory about letting Lonestar lease some of her land for fracking, an argument ensues between the two of them, and Mallory pushes Shane. The following morning, Rachel finds Shane's dead body laying in the front yard. At first, the sisters plan on cleaning up the mansion and selling it, but soon they start to fantasize about fixing the mansion up, opening a B&B, and hosting special events and weddings, the only problem is they don’t have the funds to make that happen. Helene and Keith are angry that they didn’t inherit the house as they had planned on, since Helene had already agreed to let Lonestar lease the property from her for the purpose of fracking. Believing that the police aren’t moving fast enough to find out who killed Shane, Mallory starts investigating on her own. Someone is tries to scare Mallory and Rachel away from the house, by leaving threatening messages on their walls, sabotaging their car, and the senior partners at the law firm Mallory works at try to intimate her.

The mystery has several twists and turns with a few interesting red herrings thrown in to keep you guessing about who the killer is until the surprising reveal at the end of the book. The characters are well developed and well rounded which makes them seem lifelike. The subplots of the story were woven nicely together so that they were all tied up at the end of the book. The way the author described the town and people made it possible to picture them in your head. I did like the relationship between Mallory and Rachel the way they interacted with each other. I did like that Mallory decided to give a relationship with Garret )who was Sylvia's lawyer, Mallory's new neighbor, and Summer's dad) a chance since there were some sparks between the two of them. I really didn't like Keith or Helene and how they treated Mallory, so I was glad that the plans for Thistle Park didn't go as planned. show less