First Come Marriage . . . Then Comes Murder by Donna Mumma Review

 

Oh, I absolutely loved First Comes Marriage . . . Then Comes Murder by Donna Mumma. This is the second book in her Women of Wynton's series and I was so excited to get to read more about Miss Vivien, Gigi, Mary Jo, Audrey, and Mirette.

Another mystery is unfolding in Wynton's Department Store in Levy City, Florida. Why are ladies who once wore Miss Vivien's wedding dresses being killed? Why does it appear someone is trying to harm Miss Vivien's reputation when all she wants to do is make her brides' special day a wonderful, memorable event? 

I enjoyed getting to read this story from the points of view of the four main ladies. While the murder mystery is a main plot point in the story, we also get to see each of these ladies' lives and how they are doing since the last book. We see the struggles they are going through and their triumphs in their private and work lives. And we get to see their friendship with each other growing stronger even though they are so different from each other. 

When it comes to the mystery, I will say I had my suspicions and I wasn't completely caught off guard by the big reveal. However, the author did a wonderful job of including other suspects that could have been the guilty party. As the author slowly revealed clues it was intriguing to read along and see if my thoughts were going the same direction as those of the ladies. 

Getting to learn more details about bridal salons in the 1950s was awesome. And it was so frustrating to read about the struggles that "colored" people had in regards to racism and segragation. Of course what kept me zinging through the pages was needing to know that Miss Vivien was going to get her reputation back. The author did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life for me and made me care about each of them. I hope the author plans more books in this series because I'm not ready to let them go. Most highly recommended. You'll want to read the first book, The Women of Wynton's first. Even though the mystery of each book is a stand alone with no cliff hangers, I'd say it is important to get to know the ladies from the first book and then continue their journey. 

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.