This is strictly a guilty pleasure book, if your pleasure is a good murder. We begin at a wedding reception when the power cuts out, and there is a scream of terror. The author cuts back quickly to the beginning of the weekend, and starts the engine on this runaway train, leading inevitably to what caused that scream. Wonderful atmospheric elements are in place— a very posh wedding taking place on a remote rock of a mostly uninhabited island off the western coast of Ireland, a castle-like, renovated structure known as the Folly, and a church ruins with old cemetery, surrounded by marsh and bogs that are slowly reclaiming the bodies of the cemetery. All of this is perched on a high rock with perilous drop-off cliffs, and some sandy beaches below. The setting can turn inviting, exciting, to ominous and fearful, dependent on the weather, as Atlantic storms bear their full brunt here, protecting the mainland.

A trendsetting wedding for an up-and-coming, successful couple, Will Slater, public school and “uni” educated, star of a popular television series, “Survive the Night”, a golden boy who women adore and men love to despise; and Jules Keegan, beautiful, intelligent, and wildly ambitious, creator and driving force of “The Download”, an popular online magazine that has made her a fortune. Bringing their family and friends together in this isolated, wild setting will no doubt resurrect old grievances, lead to revelations of past dirty deeds and betrayals, demanding reckoning. It becomes apparent pretty quickly who our victim will be, which I won’t reveal. The grievances pile on with increasing speed from the intimate dinner of family and wedding party the night before, to the wedding ceremony in the morning, and the final, raucous reception, when damaged parties can no longer hold back long-overdue rage and vengeance. The funny part is, who will accomplish the deed first? It is only a matter of opportunity and timing at that point. The bride, an usher’s wife, the wedding planner, the best man, and the bridesmaid— all have more than enough motive. Even the means is delightfully revealed at a critical moment. This is a crime of passion and opportunity, and one can imagine the aforementioned tripping over each other to have their chance at justice.

If you enjoy the building tension of resentments, crimes gone unpunished, ruined lives, all leading to an inevitable violent summation, this is the book for you. A top shelf wedding in a romantic, evocative location, a time for unsettled scores to arise and demand payment—this is some reader’s idea of a fun weekend. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!