Hello—I’m Rayne McGrath and this year I turned thirty.

I had huge plans for the big 3-0. That was my first mistake. There is a saying somewhere that humans plan and the fates laugh.

If you hadn’t heard the news back in June when my ex Landon Short robbed me blind, on my birthday, and ended up in jail for a white-collar crime, then let me bring you up to speed: I am a high-end bridalwear designer with a shop on Rodeo Drive and I thought to celebrate my birthday with Landon and some top execs from a major department store for a contract to showcase my gowns. Like a fool, I let Landon handle everything, including the finances. We had a joint business account that I naively believed needed to look plump and had over a hundred grand sitting in it from my efforts. Instead of a power lunch, I discovered he’d emptied the accounts, cleared the storefront of designer gowns—some for clients who had paid, which really made me mad—and split, not leaving so much as a dust bunny in his LA bungalow.

I felt so betrayed. I’d loved him. Gotta say that nothing kills the L word like egg on your face.

Well, that wasn’t even the worst to happen on that fateful day. My Uncle Nevin, in Ireland, had died and I had to leave the LA crime scene in my mother’s capable hands to listen to the will. Turns out I have a cousin I’d never known about, and I’d inherited a failing castle. Stipulations of the will? Ciara and I had one year to turn the village around, or there would be Armageddon. Generations of dead McGraths are relying on us to save the day. They all think I’m this successful businesswoman on Rodeo Drive, and I couldn’t trust anyone with the truth.

It’s now September, and we’ve ironed out a lot of the kinks to make this new castle wedding venue an answer to all of our prayers. Yet, a member of the Mongomery-Anderson wedding party is killed and one of our villagers is a suspect. Things are not looking good for me, Ciara, or Grathton Village.

Bring on Armageddon!

Death at an Irish Wedding, An Irish Castle Mystery Book #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: December 2024
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

Bridal wear designer-turned-entrepreneur Rayne McGrath remains in the Irish countryside ready for some wedding mayhem in this charming and colorful cozy, perfect for fans of Carlene O’Connor and Sheila Connolly.

Rayne McGrath’s efforts to save the rundown family castle she inherited were an epic failure after she accidentally set fire to the tower and tanked the budget. Is the castle haunted, or is she just unlucky? Meanwhile, her cousin, Ciara Smith, is anxiously booking their joint calendar with special events in the hopes of bringing the property around before they lose everything.

When a bridalwear client from LA asks Rayne for help as her guest list spirals out of control, Rayne nabs the answer to her prayers. McGrath Castle is the perfect destination for the exclusive and intimate wedding party of heiress Tori Montgomery and her fiancé, heartthrob actor Jake Anderson. But this white veil occasion turns into a nightmare when Tori’s best friend’s assistant, Tiffany Quick, is found dead.

It’s feared Tiffany jumped from the tower but that theory is quickly put in doubt as secrets within the wedding party come to light. And as the villagers protest this new wedding venue venture, Rayne begins to wonder if she will succeed in her endeavor, or lose it all.

About the author
Ellie Brannigan is the pseudonym for Traci Hall. She chose this to honor her ninety-five-year-old grandmother, Elsie Brannigan, who has passed her love of reading down through five generations to her great-great-granddaughter, Kennedi. We are a family of readers, starting with Gigi!