Widow’s Wreath: A Martha’s Vineyard Mystery

Victoria Trumbull is back in this all new mystery! Victoria’s distant cousin Penny has made an unexpected arrival, insisting for her extravagant wedding to be on Victoria’s property. Penny’s dream wedding quickly derails when a body is found in the cellar. It’s quickly revealed the groom has not only been disowned by his dad, but there’s a long list of people who want him dead. As the groom goes into hiding, Victoria is pulled into the middle of the mystery and meets an interesting assortment of characters, including an autistic savant with knowledge in weapons, three “friends” of the groom, his drunk brother, and his ex-fiancee.

Cynthia Riggs weaves a complex mystery with several perspectives and a wide range of characters. The body in the cellar starts the story, but the real mystery is who wants to kill the groom, which is explored through various perspectives, allowing for a chance to sympathize with them and understand their motives against the groom. The small island community of Martha’s Vineyard is shown throughout as a place where everybody knows who you are and gossip spreads like wildfire through the island. Several scenes are included of locals gossiping about the wedding and what’s happening, which weaves in the suspects and drives forward the mystery. Riggs opens up important topics in a thought-provoking mystery.

Widow’s Wreath is the fourteenth book in the Martha’s Vineyard Mystery series.