A Killer Wedding by Joan O’Leary
William Morrow/September 23, 2025
Joan O’Leary’s solid debut, A Killer Wedding, is a fun whodunnit as light as the champagne guzzled by its (many) narrators.
Christine Taylor has clawed her way to senior editor status at Bespoke, a glamorous magazine reporting on the weddings of the filthy rich within its glossy pages. Now, Christina’s looking at the brass ring: she’s been chosen by billionaire Gloria Beaufort, founder of beauty empire Glo, to cover her grandson’s wedding at an Irish castle converted into a five-star hotel. If Christine pulls this off, it’s a career-making feat. if she doesn’t, she’ll probably end up living with her mother back in Cleveland.
Christine arrives in Ireland to be greeted by Elliot, the neurotic wedding planner, who makes it clear he’s watching her every move. Then there’s the rest of the family, who aren’t thrilled at Gloria’s decision to have Bespokecover this affair. Glo has been under the media microscope, and they don’t want anything from Christine other than a fluff piece that gushes about the fabulous, fairy tale wedding between doctor Graham and his schoolteacher bride, Jane.
Christine’s still trying to navigate the labyrinth-like castle surroundings and get a handle on the different personalities of this dysfunctional group when Gloria turns up dead. Incredibly, even though it looks like murder, the family doesn’t want a word breathed to anyone until the wedding goes off with a hitch. No one needs to know Gloria was murdered. They’re rich, and money can make a scandal go away.
Christine resists jumping the first flight home. She’s worked too hard to get here; she can still salvage this opportunity. But then she begins receiving cryptic notes that hint at the family’s dirty laundry and Gloria’s killer. With the help of a sexy bartender, Christine begins to unravel the mystery of the beauty tycoon’s demise while doing her best to stay alive.
A Killer Wedding is a fun romp, making use of its dungeon-like, castle setting complete with secret passageways. While Christine is the anchor in present time as the primary narrator, O’Leary utilizes a multiple-POV format that often jumps back in time to provide backstory via a select family member. This can slow down the pacing at times, but the tradeoff is insight and depth to the family’s dysfunction: Gloria Beaufort has built an empire, but her family members have spent the last few decades chipping away at it via bad decisions, laziness, and a feeling of entitlement.
To further elaborate might spoil a few twists and turns, but one might say that Gloria’s character has much in common with Knives Out’s Harlan Thrombey. Read this colorful mystery and see if you agree.
Sarah Reida only reviews books she overall recommends. A writer of dark comedy thrillers, she is in the process of revising her sophomore novel. Her debut, Neighborhood Watch, received a Kirkus Star and was honored as an Amazon editorial pick as one of the Best Books of the Year So Far 2024. Join Sarah’s elite group of Instagram followers here.
