ARC Review: Rich People’s Crimes

A Killer Wedding by Joan O’Leary

Publication Date; September 23, 2025

Summary from NetGalley:

Wildly witty and wickedly fun, A Killer Wedding is an escapist mystery that proves you’ll never forget your wedding day…especially if it starts with a murder.

Christine can’t believe her luck. The iconic Gloria Beaufort, founder of the billion-dollar beauty empire Glo, has personally chosen her to cover her grandson’s wedding for Bespoke, the cult fashion magazine that every A-list bride dreams of being featured in. A career-making scoop and a free trip to a castle turned five-star hotel on the Emerald Isle? It feels too good to be true…

Because it is.

Gloria is found dead on the very first morning of the celebratory weekend, and her entire family wants to keep her death a secret and for the wedding to march on. When Gloria’s heirs issue a chilling warning to Christine to keep things quiet, she can’t help but wonder if one of them is guilty. There’s the son who’s hiding a damaging lawsuit; the resentful daughter-in-law; the grandson who’s had a few too many run-ins with the law; his ambitious wife who’s hiding more than one secret; and Gloria’s favorite grandchild, the picture-perfect groom. As Christine navigates a world where glamour masks grimy secrets and everyone she meets is a suspect, she realizes that among this glitzy elite, nothing is as it seems.

Set against the dazzling backdrop of ultimate luxury and an endless reveal of surprises, A Killer Wedding is a fast-paced, humorous mystery the pulls back the curtain on toxic family dynamics hidden beneath the surface of billionaire-level wealth.

ARC provided by William Morrow via Netgalley for an honest review.

Confession:

I started off liking this debut novel about the wedding of the century, but there were some elements towards the end that just sort of didn’t make sense to me. This didn’t ruin the book for me, but it just sort of knocked down my opinion a bit. Otherwise this was a pretty solid murder mystery debut with a cast of characters that aren’t exactly likable, but they all have a reason to murder.

The story is told from many perspectives, almost all of the family members as well as Christine’s point of view. Christine’s chapters do carry the bulk of the story and show what is going on in the present. The chapters told by the family take place mostly in the past and show their various motives for murder.

I did like Christine. I thought she was a very ambitious young lady who just wants to make it in her career. She is willing to go to great lengths to get there, but she is smart and talented and knows how to deal with difficult people. It was interesting to see the wedding through her point of view, and to see that view change as the events of the weekend unfold. She does begin to realize that the rich and famous can be just as horrible as the rest of us. I would have liked a little bit more about what happened to her after the weekend’s events, but her character arc was for the most part satisfying.

For the most part the rest of the characters were not very likable, although I did have some sympathy for Lyle. She was the sister in law to the groom, and she did struggle with her role in the family. I was also a little sympathetic to the bride’s part in the murder, and could totally understand why she did the things she needed to survive. But the rest of them were pretty despicable.

The story itself was pretty good. I really liked the castle setting, and the weather played a part as well. The writing and descriptions of the wedding were well done as well as the characters being fleshed out just enough to understand their motives. I did struggle a bit with one character’s role towards the end, that I just found a little on the unbelievable side and unfortunately that character was the one responsible for Gloria’s death. So the resolution of the murder was a bit disappointing. Otherwise I thought the story was pretty good.

If you like mysteries or stories about the rich getting what they deserve, than you might want to give this one a chance. But be aware that there are very few likable characters and the ending is a bit on the weak side, but otherwise a pretty decent debut. I would consider picking up the next book by this author and giving her another chance.