The Wedding Crasher by Nikki Stern
Book 1: A Sam Tate Mystery
Publisher: Ruthenia Press
Publication Date: April 15, 2019
Format: Paperback - 341 pages
Kindle - 343 pages / 1055 KB
Nook - 342 pages / 2 MB
ISBN: 978-0999548738
ASIN: B07QRV7H38BNID: 978-0999548721
Genre: Mystery
Buy The Book:
A Sam Tate Mystery Series
Book 1: The Wedding Crasher
Book 2: Bird In Hand (Publication Date: 2020)
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.
Book Description:
Samantha Tate is Picket County’s yoga-loving, poker-playing new sheriff, a former Nashville homicide detective who struggles with her inner demons. To catch the meticulous murderer, Sam will have to follow her instincts and ignore her worst impulses. Can she stop the Wedding Crasher before another bride-to-be dies?
Book Excerpt:
The dead woman lay in the clearing like a macabre version of Sleeping Beauty. She was dressed in a long-sleeved, high-necked ivory gown, set off by luminescent pearl drop earrings and a matching necklace that almost hid the dried blood around her throat. Her head rested on a satin pillow, her silky walnut hair spread behind her like a fan. The right hand held a bouquet of wilted flowers and rested on her chest underneath the left, absent the fourth finger. The ring finger.
Sheriff Sam Tate stood to one side of the grim tableau, arms folded, and took it all in: the victim; the tall white-haired man who knelt by the body; the deputy who walked the scene in throwaway boots, snapping pictures; the pale young man in running gear sitting on a rock, head almost to his knees; the uniformed officer who squatted beside him.
Sam had dressed in her standard uniform of pressed black slacks and a spotless white shirt. A shaft of early-morning sun bounced off the polished badge at her left breast pocket. On her right wrist, she wore a utilitarian watch. Three small studs twinkled along one earlobe, her single visible concession to a rebellious streak. She’d pulled her unruly dark locks into a tight braid. Ray-Bans shielded her green eyes, though not the line that formed between her brows.
One of the victim’s low-heeled white pumps had dropped off to reveal a slim ankle in hosiery. Stockings, not pantyhose, held up by an old-fashioned garter. Sam didn’t need to look.
He’s back, she thought, adding a curse for good measure.
Sheriff Sam Tate stood to one side of the grim tableau, arms folded, and took it all in: the victim; the tall white-haired man who knelt by the body; the deputy who walked the scene in throwaway boots, snapping pictures; the pale young man in running gear sitting on a rock, head almost to his knees; the uniformed officer who squatted beside him.
Sam had dressed in her standard uniform of pressed black slacks and a spotless white shirt. A shaft of early-morning sun bounced off the polished badge at her left breast pocket. On her right wrist, she wore a utilitarian watch. Three small studs twinkled along one earlobe, her single visible concession to a rebellious streak. She’d pulled her unruly dark locks into a tight braid. Ray-Bans shielded her green eyes, though not the line that formed between her brows.
One of the victim’s low-heeled white pumps had dropped off to reveal a slim ankle in hosiery. Stockings, not pantyhose, held up by an old-fashioned garter. Sam didn’t need to look.
He’s back, she thought, adding a curse for good measure.
My Book Review:
In The Wedding Crasher, author Nikki Stern weaves a riveting mystery/police procedural tale that follows Pickett County, Tennessee Sheriff Samantha Tate and FBI Special Agent Terry Sloan as they investigate the serial murders of brides-to-be by a serial killer dubbed the Wedding Crasher.
Author Nikki Stern provides a multi-layered storyline that has enough mystery, suspense, drama, treachery, secrets, dark traumatic pasts, and intriguing twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing, while weaving an intricate and complicated web of what the motive of the bridal ritual murders could have been, and the spectrum of possible participants who could have been involved in committing them. And if that isn't enough to captivate the reader, the author adds a wonderful touch of humor, wit, grit, and a bit of a complicated deep connection and star-crossed romance between two broken people, Sam and Terry, into the mix to keep them entertained.
The Wedding Crasher is an exciting mystery story intertwined with enough police procedural aspects and realistic characters; witty dialogue and interactions; and rich descriptions of the setting that transports the reader to Byrdstown, Tennessee and Miami, Florida. This fascinating multi-layered storyline draws the reader into the interconnection between Sam and Terry and the slow revelation of their traumatic pasts, while they engage in a frustrating cat-n-mouse game with the Wedding Crasher serial killer, until the pieces of the serial murder investigation puzzle comes together and is dramatically solved. But alas, just when you think Sam and Terry's investigative adventure is over, the author leaves the reader with a cliffhanger ending that will keep them in limbo until Bird In Hand, the second book in the Sam Tate Mystery Series is published in 2020.
The Wedding Crasher is the kind of mystery that easily keeps the reader captivated, guessing, on their toes, and wanting more!
RATING: 5 STARS
About The Author
Nikki is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.
Author Website
Amazon Author Page
BookBub
Goodreads
Contest Giveaway
Win a $15 Amazon Gift Card
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Nikki Stern. There will be two (2) giveaway winners. Each winner will receive one (1) Amazon Gift Card. The giveaway begins on June 1, 2019 and runs through July 2, 2019. Void where prohibited.
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Virtual Book Tour
Tour Schedule:
06/01 Review @ From the TBR Pile
06/02 Showcase @ Eclectic Moods
06/03 Review @ Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
06/03 Review @ Nesie's Place
06/04 Showcase @ Celtic Lady's Reviews
06/05 Showcase @ Books Direct
06/06 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
06/07 Showcase @ The Bookworm Lodge
06/08 Showcase @ Read and Review
06/09 Review @ EienCafe
06/10 Interview @ Books Chatter
06/11 Review @ Wall-to-wall books
06/12 Review @ Books with Bircky
06/12 Review @ Brooke’s Library
06/13 Review @ Cheryl's Book Nook
06/13 Showcase @ Loris Reading Corner
06/14 Showcase @ Reading a Page Turner
06/17 Review @ Bless their hearts mom blog
06/18 Showcase @ The Pulp and Mystery Shelf
06/19 Interview @ CMash Reads
06/19 Showcase @ The Reading Frenzy
06/20 Interview @ Reading a Page Turner
06/20 Review @ Cassandra M’s Place
06/21 Review @ Buried Under Books
06/22 Review @ Jessica Rachow
06/23 Review @ Cy Wyss, Author and Artist
06/24 Review @ Simply Kelina
06/25 Review @ Quiet Fury Books
06/26 Review @ The Magic Of Wor(l)ds
06/28 Review @ Jersey Girl Book Reviews
06/30 Showcase @ Teatime and Books
Wow! From reading your review, this is a great book and will be putting it on my lsit.
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl! I really enjoyed reading this book, it kept me guessing the whole way through.
DeleteThanks for the kudos. Hope your readers enjoy the book as much as you did!
ReplyDeleteHi Nikki! Loved reading the book, and I look forward to reading Sam's next adventure. :)
Delete