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White Lotus meets The Guest List in international bestselling author S. C. Lalli’s next thrilling novel, where two business moguls were set to be married in the biggest event of the year—until they’re both found murdered the day before the wedding—and a social outsider must unravel the mystery before her own hidden agenda is revealed. The wedding of Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi, a weeklong affair at a luxury resort in Cabos, isn’t just going to be the event of the season—it will also mark the union of two highly influential and wealthy Indian-American families. No expense will be spared for what Radhika and Raj have coined “R&R,” a week of rest, relaxation, and celebrating their love. Shaylee “Shay” Kapoor is just an outsider, but she just so happens to be dating Raj’s best friend, Caleb Prescott III, and is sucked into this world of wealth and excess. But on the morning the wedding festivities are supposed to begin, the resort’s wedding coordinator Daniela makes a frightening Raj and Radhika are dead, gunshots to the head. Chaos descends on the hotel as the guests are turned away or sent home. Shay stays by Caleb’s side as the investigation starts to unfold, family and close friends grieve, and accusations run wild. The police believe the murders are a drug cartel hit. But even if it was a cartel hit, even if the murderer somehow got past the resort’s security, the hotel room doors have state-of-the-art locks. There was no way for the murderer to slip into the room without a key. And only the sister of the bride, Zara; the best men, Caleb and Sean; and the wedding coordinator, Daniela, have keys. Shay may be an outsider—and she definitely has secrets of her own—but she may be the only person with enough perspective to untangle everyone’s lies, and discover why anyone would want the bride and groom dead. . .
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A corporate intrigue-ridden murder mystery couched in a lavish Indian wedding
When both bride and groom are found murdered just before their lavish destination wedding, the best man's plus one takes up the investigation.
Based on the synopsis, I expected this to be in the same "Crazy Rich Asians but MURDER" vein as You're Invited by Amanda Jayatissa. But I was very pleasantly surprised by an early twist that took the emphasis off the wildly over-the-top wedding and instead sweeps readers into a whirl of cartels and corporate corruption.
The whodunnit by itself is fairly tame and a little slow paced given the limited number of suspects, but it's not super predictable either. The real interest lies in the broader trappings of the story and the WHY-dunnit amid all the juicy relationship dynamics of two family-run business empires set to unite. The final resolution is very satisfying and leaves just the right hint that there may be more to come.
Thank you to publisher William Morrow for my advance copy, provided in exchange for an honest review. This book will be on shelves on August 13, 2024.
My ebook is full of annotations like "girl why are you so stupid" so, you know.