Author’s Note: Originally released by Minotaur Books, the Destination Wedding Mysteries are getting a reboot! Read Dru’s original Musing on Terror in Taffeta here. Okay, I’ll stop talking and let Kelsey take it from here!

Kelsey:

I have a confession to make. I love wedding drama. Of course I want everything to go smoothly whenever I plan a wedding. But I also love a good challenge. Because you know what? When things get a little messy, that’s my time to shine.

Let’s just say the bride comes in knowing what she wants and everyone is on their best behavior. She already has a color-coded binder and she just needs me to make a few calls. Where’s the fun in that? At this point, I hand those weddings over to my assistant Laurel.

But I love being able to put my people skills to work. I do my best work when there’s friction between the bride and her future in-laws, or one of the bridesmaids “accidentally” sleeps with someone’s boyfriend, or there’s an all-out brawl over the seating chart. That’s where I get to use my skills at problem solving, outside-of-the-box thinking, and diplomacy (in other words, not blurting out what I’m really thinking).

Of course, that can also backfire. When things go really wrong — like, say, a bridesmaid collapsing into a flower arrangement in the middle of the wedding, and the bride’s sister getting arrested for murder — my clients still expect me to fix things. Is it reasonable? No. But do I do it anyway? Of course.

Not all of my weddings include a fatality… but in the interest of full disclosure, it’s happened more than once. I’m starting to think a PI license might be a good addition to my wedding planner credentials!

TERROR IN TAFFETA
Series: A Destination Wedding Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Cozy Mystery / Humorous Amateur Sleuth
Release: March 2026
Format: Paperback, Digital
Purchase Link

Wedding planner Kelsey McKenna is just a few hours away from wrapping up her latest job: a destination wedding in the charming, colonial Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende. The reception is all set up, the tequila donkey is waiting outside, and the bride and groom are standing on the altar, pledging their eternal love. But just as the priest is about to pronounce them husband and wife, one of the bridesmaids upstages the couple by collapsing into a floral arrangement… a definite wedding “don’t.” Kelsey soon discovers that the girl hasn’t just fainted—she’s dead.

Losing a bridesmaid is bad enough, but when the bride’s sister is arrested for murder, the demanding mother of the bride insists that Kelsey fix the matter at once. And although Kelsey is pretty sure investigating a murder isn’t in her contract, crossing the well-connected Mrs. Abernathy could be a career-killer. Before she can leave Mexico and get back to planning weddings, Kelsey must deal with stubborn detectives, a rekindled romance, and guests who didn’t even RSVP.

About the author
MARLA COOPER is the author of the Kelsey McKenna Destination Wedding Mysteries, a humorous cozy mystery series with a destination wedding planner turned amateur sleuth. Marla is currently living in Austin, where she’s Vice President of the Heart of Texas chapter of Sisters in Crime and wrangling an ever-increasing number of rescue cats. For a free copy of Welcome to Cozy Town, an absurdly cozy mystery short, sign up for Marla Cooper’s newsletter at www.marlacooper.com.