When Holly Nichols sets her wedding date, trendy L.A. party-planner Madeline Bean decides to throw her top assistant the hippest and most lavish bridal shower on the planet. The guests embark on a "destination" party to a fabulous and exclusive spa/resort in Hawaii. The salt-rubs! The paraffin pedicures! The dead body in the mud bath! Ew.
It doesn't help matters when Holly confesses to Maddie that she can't really go through with the upcoming wedding after all. In her effort to smooth the matrimonial path for her dear friend, Madeline must track down the mystery man Holly may have married ten years earlier and never actually got around to divorcing. How hard can that be?
Well, with the elusive gentleman in question running from a gang of rare vegetable smugglers, the bridal shower guests imbibing in one "Bridesmaid Mojito" too many, the current fianc? developing an allergy to scandal, and a murderer on the loose, it looks like anything but clear sailing down the aisle for one of Mad Bean's best employees.
From Publishers Weekly
Magnum PI meets The Bachelorette in Farmer's zany eighth adventure (after 2004's Perfect Sax) starring Madeleine Bean, the L.A. party-organizing whiz who attracts murder and mayhem as much as she does glamorous clients. Maddie is planning a surprise, all-expenses-paid bridal shower at the Four Heavens Resort on Hawaii's big island for her friend and assistant, Holly Nichols. Only problem is, Holly, who's "a magnet for weird males," confesses before departure that she might still be Holly Dubinsky, the wife of geeky Marvin Dubinsky, whom she married while drunk in Vegas after their high school prom. Of course, that's no reason to cancel a partyβso Maddie and business partner Wesley Wescott decide to grab Holly, her sisters, best friend and go, even if Holly has also begun receiving ominous e-mails (e.g., "Give us Marvin and we'll leave you alone"). And sure enough, upon arrival, Holly's accosted by a mysterious Hawaiian male who later turns up dead, and the bridesmaids' beauty weekend begins to spin out of control with dangerous luaus, weird dolphin connections, scary Japanese mobsters and hot wasabi moments. Fans of lighter mystery fare will be in heaven.
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From Booklist
The title of this latest Maddie Bean novel should provide a major clue that this is a series that doesn't take itself too seriously. This time, Maddie, a madcap Hollywood caterer, and her partner, Wes, are throwing a "destination" bridal shower for their assistant, Holly. Gathering up blond-bombshell Holly and her entourage, Maddie and Wes cart the whole group off to a spa resort on Hawaii's Big Island. While there, Holly continues to receive threats from someone connected to her husband--yes, it turns out Holly is still legally married to her high-school prom date. The one perfunctory murder barely interferes with the crazy antics, and along the way, Farmer manages to sneak in interesting tidbits of Hawaii history along with little-known facts about wasabi. For those who like comic mysteries light on the mystery and long on the fun, this series is a party waiting to happen, what with the fail-safe combination of copious drink, delicious food, and the highly enjoyable company of Maddie Bean. Jenny McLarin
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