** Agatha Award-winning Series**She makes wedding dreams come true. But when a dead body crashes the ceremony, she’ll show off a whole new set of skills… drag queen officiant is found strangled to death with her own boa, even Annabelle admits there are some things not even wedding planners can prevent.
Determined to sniff out the killer, she attends the memorial service to probe for clues and catwalk rivalries. After a second queen drops dead and Annabelle’s go-to hairstylist is named the prime suspect, she fears there’s something more dangerous at play than a dressing room feud. With her officiant friends in jeopardy, Annabelle must track down the murderer before another queen struts her stuff for the last time.
Groomed for Murder is the eighth standalone book in the hilarious Annabelle Archer Wedding Planner Mystery series. If you like larger-than-life characters, hare-brained whodunits, and an insider’s look at glamorous high-society weddings, then you’ll love Laura Durham’s award-winning series.
Buy Groomed for Murder to RSVP for a glamorous, hilarious whodunit today!
Interview with the Author
Q – So, what makes the Annabelle Archer series special?
A – The Annabelle Archer wedding planner mysteries are based on my 20 plus years of planning society weddings in Washington, DC. That means I’ve seen tons of crazy things happen, and I’ve worked with lots of colorful characters. I bring that light-hearted sense of fun and zany characters into the novels. A lot of the humorous details I include in my books actually happened at my weddings! And since the books are about weddings, there is plenty of food, décor, and behind the scenes details.
The Annabelle Archer books are fast-paced cozy mysteries featuring a female protagonist with a little romance and comedy thrown in. You’ll find the series focuses on the murder mystery and amateur sleuth genre, with a jewelry heist caper and ghost story in the mix to keep things interesting. Plus, Richard acquired a Yorkie in Review To A Kill, so the latest books are also for fans of animal or dog mysteries.
Q – What is the order of books?
A –
– Better Off Wed
– For Better Or Hearse
– Dead Ringer—A Novella
– Review To A Kill
– Death on the Aisle
– Night of the Living Wed—A Novella
– Eat, Prey, Love
-Groomed for Murder
-Wed or Alive
Q – So, why should readers give these books a try?
A – Because the Annabelle Archer cozy mystery series is fun, light, and the perfect escape or beach reading. Better Off Wed has hit number one in the Kindle store and the series has hit the top ten bestsellers list on Kindle for Cozy Mysteries, Amateur Sleuths, and Women Sleuths. Plus, the first book in the series won the Agatha Award for the Best First Novel.
Thanks for reading!
Praise for the Annabelle Archer Series:
“A delightfully witty blend of murder and matrimony”- Donna Andrews, author of “Gone Gull”
“Cozy mystery lovers should briskly march up their bookstore aisles to grab a copy of Better Off Wed.”– Susan McBride, author of “Come Helen High Water”
“Laura Durham has given her readers a reason to celebrate.”– Elaine Viets, author of “The Art of Murder”
“Delightful mystery . . . Cozy readers will love this invitation to a wedding to die for.”– Nancy Martin, author of “Bye Bye Blackbird”
“Laura Durham has succeeded in crafting a series featuring a thoroughly believable and lovable set of characters, much akin to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum and her motley crew.”
-Roundtable Reviews
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Love this series!
I always enjoy when Debbie and Darla are in the story line! This series continues to be a great combination of mystery and hilarity. These books are a great escape — the cast of characters never ceases to entertain!
Always a good time when you hangout with Annabelle and the gang. If you like this series you will not be disappointed.
Love this entire series!
In the current entry in Laura Durham’s excellent wedding-planner series, her protagonist, Annabelle, is asked to arrange a gay wedding at a rented mansion. The officiant is a well-known drag queen who is murdered shortly before performing the ceremony and is replaced by a conservative Rabbi. As usual, Ms Durham’s authorial voice is so lively and engaging the reader is immediately caught up in the outlandish complications. Of course, Annabelle’s crew is on hand, including her assistant Kate, who continues to spout laugh-out-loud malapropisms, each one more outrageous than the one before. Also making welcome appearances are ultra-flamboyant Fern (hairdresser), hysterically neurotic Richard (caterer), septuagenarian amateur-detective, Leatrice (the world’s most intrusive neighbor), and police detective Reece (Ammabelle’s very hot boyfriend). From this description, the book may sound like a parody, but Durham somehow brings it off as a mainstream, and very funny, mystery novel.
MAYHEM, Murder & MARRIAGE!!
Groomed for Murder (An Annabelle Archer Mystery Book 8) is filled to the brim with mayhem, murder and marriage! Annabelle Archer owns Wedding Belles, one of the highest rated DC Wedding Planners. She is always joined by her assistant Kate, her favorite caterer Richard, favorite hairstylist Fern, favorite florists Buster and Mack. Together they manage to pull off every Bride & Groom’s Dream Wedding. They also have a knack for stumbling across crime scenes and dead bodies. Good thing Annabelle dates the hottest detective in town, Reese, who wishes she would stay far away from the mayhem and murder and just stick to the marriages! This installment features a new twist – two grooms! The descriptions of the decorations, the bridal party and the officiant are hysterical! Durham is at her best in describing all the hi jinx the crew find themselves in and the many plans they concoct to try to get themselves out of sticky situations without detection. There are many new characters that readers will find interesting and entertaining. The mystery is one of the author’s best yet! I was provided an ARC of this book by the author. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.
Annabelle and her sidekick Kate have a big wedding with 2 grooms, 1 of whom is a groomzilla. During setup Annabelle discovers a body. Fortunately they can move the venue quickly. But who killed the officiant?
I enjoy the characters in this series. They’re unique and amusing but hard workers. I proofed and read an early copy of the book.
I received a free book for an honest review.
Annabelle had almost finished setting up for an elaborate wedding when a body necessitated a quick move – to the mansion next door. The body belonged to the drag queen officiant for the wedding. Boy did they move quickly to keep the wedding from dissolving into tears and tantrums. Join Annabelle and her zany crew as they try to solve the murder before too many more bodies pile up. This book will NOT DISAPPOINT if you are looking for light reading and more than a few laughs.
Loved it! Was very surprised at the ending!
Durham pulls through again with what I think is her best book so far! This laugh out loud mystery takes you on a wedding to die for that you would never could imagine! She truly surpassed my expectations in every way! Thank you Laura for the hours of entertainment!
Yet another adventure of Annabelle and the gang. Witty, funny, with a few twists to keep the pace going. Attention to detail and an inside view into the event planning business really makes it yet another winner.
The characters are engaging and continue to be true to form as in previous books. The humor is quite welcome – since murders are piling up.
A very nice cozy!
Great story. I love this series. Such a fun read. There is always drama and excitement. I have a hard time putting the books down. I don’t like to give anything away in the plot. I will just say start with the first and enjoy your way through all of them. Eagerly awaiting the next book. Amazing writing.
STORY-LNE:
Annabelle Archer, the wedding planner to the rich, latest wedding, includes a gay groomzilla who would put the worse bridezilla to shame; as well as groomsmaids, and a drag queen officiant. Finding the officiant strangled just tops off her day. When the deaths keep coming, Annabelle and friends must try to solve the mystery before the next body falls. My book reviews follow.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT
As always Laura Durham created an intriguing storyline, fascinating characters, and a unique “whodunit.” Her characters are wonderfully original and interesting as she gives us a glimpse into the world of wedding planning, murder solving, and the gay and drag queen world. Annabelle’s gang of friends reappear in each novel as Laura Durham enlarges their personalities and traits. I think it would be a toss up to name my favorite character; they are all “over the top” and hoots.
Durham‘s plotting is excellent, and as always, the storyline has a lot of action from a gay wedding, suspense, the drag scene, to Annabelle’s romance with the “hunky hot cop.” She had me continuously laughing as I raced through this tale. With scenes which transition smoothly and writing which flowed well, Durham created an entertaining storyline. By holding the identity of the culprit close to her chest, Durham‘s dramatic ending to this hilarious tale is a huge surprise.
MY OPINION:
Anytime I pick up an Annabelle Archer novel, I know I am in store for snarky comments, a fast pace, laughs galore, and a mystery which will keep me enthralled from start to finish. Each book keeps getting better and better as Durham creates the story of Annabelle and her gay friends solving murder after murder. Annabelle’s love life has expanded as have the storylines. I love each character; I feel I have come to know them personally as I become involved in their lives. I look forward to the next Annabelle Archer mystery novel and would not hesitate to buy this tale of murder and mayhem for myself or a friend.
GROOMED FOR MURDER RECOMMENDATION: STARS 4
ALSO, PLEASE NOTE:
Additionally, I received a copy from the author. I chose to review with honest romance book reviews voluntarily. Lastly, reviews of any novel are dependent on the author’s opinion. Consequently, all book reviews online and under my name, are my opinions.
Another fun and entertaining wedding biz adventure with Annabelle and gang! This story opens with a same-sex wedding complete with a “Groomzilla”, a “Cher” drag queen officiant, and “groomsmaids” in gold dresses – with the author’s lush, descriptive writing style, I can totally picture that in my mind! Unfortunately, the officiant is murdered before the ceremony even starts and one of Annabelle’s best friends is a person of interest. Only one problem – Annabelle has sworn off getting involved in investigating any more crimes. But once another drag queen is murdered, she can’t help but get involved…and just when you thought the killer had been caught – wrong! Great twist in this one.
I like the author’s sense of humor – the reference to the movie “Weekend at Bernie’s” cracked me up – as well as Annabelle’s assistant Kate and her malpropisms, which always make me laugh! The author also usually includes some food-related wedding detail in her books – the one in this story was servers wearing long skirts that had tiers holding food and drink – ingenious and very unique! I find the author’s choice of cover art fabulous – very unique and eye-catching. I loved the title of this book and found the storyline interesting and engaging.