A Killer Wedding is a smart, stylish mystery set in a historic Irish castle. Secrets unravel through flashbacks, revealing a tangled web behind a glamorous facade. With a large cast and plenty of twists, it’s a perfect vacation read for fans of suspense and high-society drama.

A Killer Wedding by Joan O’Leary weaves a tangled web of deceit and deception on multiple levels as the Ripton family gathers at a castle in Ireland to celebrate the wedding of beauty conglomerate Glo’s founder Gloria Beaufort’s grandson. The company is in financial trouble and desperately needs the publicity coverage of the wedding will bring. So when Gloria is found shot the family decides to act as if nothing has happened and proceed with the celebration. Ms. O’Leary has written a unique often humorous whodunit full of family secrets and suspects. The ending was a total surprise! I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. Highly recommend.

Wow oh wow. This one will keep you on your toes till the very end. Beautiful wedding full of tragic twists and turns! Who to trust? Who to shy away from? Buckle lads!

First thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy of A Killer Wedding. I found the book a quick read, great as the proverbial “beach read”. The mysteries of who is the killer, who are these people underneath their carefully maintained personas and how will this all end kept me happily reading. The characters are all flawed and it was interesting to see the “real” person come to light in some cases. Other characters were so stereotypical but I can say no more for fear of revealing too much. I liked the ending very much s the author did a good job of wrapping up multiple story lines in ways that did not seem far fetched.
This book will not be in the running for any awards but it is a nicely written, fast paced, light mystery and we can certainly use one of them these days!

This was an interesting book. I can’t say I really liked any of the characters. Most of all of them lie and cheat. The ending was surprising. It had a little suspense it flowed pretty well. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of A Killer Wedding by Joan O'Leary. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a fun read - perfect for my vacation at the beach. The ultimate wedding is happening between Graham Ripton and Jane Murphy at an ancient Irish castle. Christine Russo, part of the Bespoke magazine wedding staff grabs herself an invite at the hands of none other that Gloria Beaufort, the matriarch and the name behind the billion dollar conglomerate that is Glo.

There are a lot of characters to remember, but O'Leary gives us little bites into everyone's backstory which is helpful.

After Gloria is found dead, the game is on to figure out who had the most stake in her death. Meanwhile, the show... ahem, wedding, must go on. Christine finds herself in the middle of the action trying to figure out whodunit.

The beginning is a bit too much product endorsements but once we get into the meat of the story it is much better paced. Has a lot of White Lotus type intrigue which made it fun.

This book was full of drama, glitz, and glamour. I loved the setting in the Scottish castle, the author did a wonderful job of setting the scene of the wedding. The pacing was a little slow for me, I felt like it was telling me a lot in the first half about the character dynamics and I kind of got bored.it was a little predictable but still a good mystery to enjoy.

I really enjoyed this book! I struggled with all the characters at the beginning and had to make a reference guide, but once I figured it out, all was good. I liked how fast paced the story was even with the flashbacks. The author was able to keep me guessing until the very end.

The perfect summer mystery read -- full of intrigue and twists and turns, all set in a beautiful castle in Ireland amongst the billionaire set. I loved this book and sped right through it. Christine, a journalist for a Vogue-like magazine, is scrappy and convinced her way into covering *the* wedding of the year. But a number of big surprises turn up, and Christine is no longer focused on floral arrangements and canapes - instead, she is focused on solving a murder and staying safe in teh process.

Christine can’t believe her luck. The iconic Gloria Beaufort, founder of the billion-dollar beauty empire Glo, has personally chosen her to cover her grandson’s wedding for Bespoke, the cult fashion magazine that every A-list bride dreams of being featured in. A career-making scoop and a free trip to a castle turned five-star hotel on the Emerald Isle? It feels too good to be true…. Because it is! Good book! This book was funny at times but also had great suspense, mystery, murder, intrigue, and a few shocking twists! The story was very interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

C.S. O'Leary’s first mystery novel totally caught me off guard in the best way! It’s set at a fancy wedding in an Irish castle, where Christine Russo, a clever fashion journalist for Bespoke magazine, is covering the Ripton family’s over-the-top nuptials. Things get wild when Gloria Beaufort, the big-shot matriarch of Glo Cosmetics, is found dead, and the family decides to stash her body in a freezer to keep the party going. O'Leary’s writing is super straightforward with just enough detail to paint the scene, and the pacing is spot-on for a mystery, giving you that Knives Out vibe with a high-society twist that’s pure fun.

What I loved most was how every character gets a moment to shine, from the snobby Riptons to the stressed-out wedding planner and even the cute bartender who’s not what he seems. Getting everyone’s point of view, including some flashbacks, lets you piece the puzzle together, which is something a lot of mysteries miss. The castle setting, with its stormy nights and hidden staircases, feels alive and adds to the drama. Sure, the middle drags a tiny bit, and some parts are a tad extra, but it’s such a blast that I didn’t mind.

If you’re into classic whodunits with a modern, glam edge, this book’s for you. Christine’s sharp wit and nosy streak keep things lively as she digs into the family’s secrets, and the final twist totally delivers. I was hooked from start to finish, barely able to put it down, and I’m already stoked to see what O'Leary writes next. This is a juicy, entertaining read that’s perfect for curling up with!

4.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley, author Joan O'Leary, and William Morrow for this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Killer Wedding is a sharp, stylish mystery, and Joan O’Leary delivers a fast-paced whodunit set in a luxurious Irish castle! What more could you want?!

Thank you to Net Galley, Joan O’Leary, and the publishers for this arc!

At first, the pace of this mystery/thriller was a little slow for me, but once it got into the heart of the story I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the layers to this novel will the different time lines and characters stories layered on top of each other. The progression of the current timeline with the various flashbacks, added to my desires to try and figure out whodunnit…and I was still wrong! Which I love in this genre, I want to be surprised and not guess the twists, and I didn’t here.

I enjoyed that our “main” POV (although all written in 3rd person) Christine almost at times felt like she could be unreliable. Christine is a fashion magazine writer, not a detective, so she is just as in over her head as we are ours. But we also learn that maybe she is/or can be just as manipulative and conniving as the family in question hosting this murderous wedding weekend.

Probably my favorite part though was the setting. This story brought me right back to being in Ireland with the beautiful descriptions of the castle, weather, etc. Overall 4.5 stars - one of the funnest mysteries I’ve read in a while!

A Killer Wedding is a fun debut, and perfect for fans of Knives Out and Glass Onion! It's got family drama in spades and extremes, all coming to light during the wedding of golden-boy-and-heir to the Glow empire, Graham Ripton's wedding. The book starts off a bit slow, and there are a LOT of characters to be introduced to, but once I hit the 30% mark of the book, I couldn't put it down. O'Leary layered the drama and motives well, hiding red herrings amongst the chapters and in a largely convincing manner at that. The 3rd person narration in the present tense took a bit of time to get used to for me, it felt like it was keeping the reader at a distance from actually connecting to the characters, even if I eventually decided that it helped with the reliability of the story. Overall though, this was a solid debut and I'm looking forward to seeing what O'Leary's next project is!

3.5 stars! For a debut mystery novel, this took me by surprise in a great way! The flow of this writing was phenomenal, and the pacing was perfect for this genre. The vibes that you think you will get from this book are definitely delivered.

One thing that stood out ot me in regards to O'Leary's writing was the straight-forwardness with just the right amount of detail. This is the main reason why I am excited to see what else this author can do in the literary world.

From the beginning, the writing had me hooked. The characters had depth, and we got to learn a lot of information from each and every one of them. I am glad the author gave us a point of view from EVERYONE. We even got a point of view from side characters that I would have never expected. This allowed me to slowly piece everything together, which a lot of mystery books lack.

If you are looking for a classic, whodunit mystery novel, this is it! My head was turning the entire time, and I could not fully commit to one theory about the murder.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Joan O'Leary, and William Morrow for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review. This debut comes out September, 23, 2025!

I generally have the “who done it” figured out in most books about 1/3rd of the way through… NOT THIS BOOK! I would start having an idea… AND THEN MORE SUSPECTS would come up! It kept me guessing until almost the very end!!! Also I really enjoyed the way this was written! I hated when I had to put this book down and am already recommending it to my mystery/thriller loving friends and family! I don’t give 5 ⭐️lightly or often but this book deserved it!

Thank you for the ARC! I really enjoyed this book - the alternative POVs, the characters, the spookiness and the scenery set quite the stage for a can't-put-down book! I loved the twists and turns, and diving more into the Ripton family and Christine. Can't wait to recommend this book to others!

Christine is the lucky recipient of the plum assignment from Bespoke, the top bridal magazine and her present employer. But luck actually has nothing to do with it. She earned that opportunity by buttering up the head honcho of the Ripton clan, and to the victor go the spoils. So here she is, in a converted old castle in Ireland, for the wedding weekend of the century, and all she has to do is report it out.
 The first item on the gala destination wedding agenda is the Friday night welcome dinner where she is placed at the head table alongside Gloria Beaufort, the founder of the Glo Cosmetics corporation. Before Gloria joins the dinner, Christine is introduced to the family dynasty-Gloria's son and his wife, their two sons, their daughter-in-law, and the bride-to -be, Jane, and her mother.  With the exception of Jane and her mom, the rest of the bridal party is as entitled and snotty as one might expect. Christine sympathizes greatly with the wedding planner whose task it is to produce the most lavish and over-the-top wedding production that money can buy.  As the hors d'oeuvres are cleared and dinner is served, Gloria makes her entrance and waves away the food in favor of glass after glass of French champagne. She is thrilled at the raging storm outside the castle and guarantees a wedding spectacle-right before a flaming brick bursts through a window and sets fire to the tablecloth, signaling the end of dinner.
The next morning Christine wakes early and makes herself a coffee at her room's coffee machine. As she brings the cup into bed, she hears a blood-curdling scream coming from down the hall. She runs in the direction of the sound as the other wedding party guests run with her-right to Gloria's suite where Jane has discovered Gloria lying in a pool of her own blood.  The family consensus is to not report this to the police, and carry on with the wedding festivities as they try to solve the crime themselves and tamp down any bad publicity. The family brand is a little tarnished now and even the wedding planner and the family priest concur that an expensive wedding could solve a lot of problems. After hiding the body in a basement freezer, the Riptons are prepared to greet and entertain their rich and influential guests as if nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. What could possibly go wrong?
This was an amazing read. What started out as a Kevin Kwan-like portrait of the rich and beastly quickly morphed into an atmospheric who- dunnit, complete with shady characters, hidden staircases, and wedding mayhem. Everyone was a suspect and Christine could only put her trust in the cute bartender, who also was not what he seemed. Will she be able to tell the true story of the wedding of the century without being fired? Will Gloria's death be solved (or at least revealed?) This is a novel you have to read to believe!

This book was packed with way more humor than I expected because the cover makes it seem like it’s going to be a bit more serious and potentially bold and witty, but I did not expect the humor to be so clever and fresh.

I also did not expect to be pulled in by the suspense immediately - between the author making fun of these characters and the actual events that go on - this book is incredibly entertaining, but also makes you nervous for the characters because there is an actual conflict going on that makes their lives at risk. The conflict is definitely serious enough to keep attention.

This book just does not stop and does not give you a break and there’s enough characters involved to where there’s always something happening but you don’t have to be so caught up in the characters to know what’s happening, but it’s also easy to keep up with them if that makes any amount of sense?
Usually, I struggle because I find that the author does not balance giving the characters enough time for the story and I end up getting really confused as to who is talking when and why and who is doing what and I had no issues with this book despite there being multiple POV’s and I think that’s so well executed. It’s a skill that’s really hard to do and so the fact that the author pulled this off is incredibly impressive.

I also need this book on my shelf immediately because there’s a couple of quotes in here that I needed to highlight like 50 different times.
It’s very clear that this author spent time, poured their heart and soul into this book, and I immediately wanted to read more of this author’s work - and this might be their debut, which is even more impressive.

I am extremely picky with thrillers and horror and spooky books in general and this one was phenomenal and I would heavily recommend recommended to anyone who’s looking for a good thriller.

Again, love this one, you do not want to miss this one. Also it’s red so I need it for my color-coded shelves now.

Thank you for this ARC! I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

A young reporter goes to a flashy wedding for the ultra-wealthy and gets caught up in a web of mystery, murder and deceit. Interesting characters and you never know who to believe!