Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Honeymoon Homicides: A Provincetown Mystery (Sydney Riley Series) by Jeannette de Beauvoir. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
The Honeymoon Homicides: A Provincetown Mystery (Sydney Riley Series)
by Jeannette de Beauvoir
The Honeymoon Homicides: A Provincetown Mystery (Sydney Riley Series)
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Setting – Provincetown, Massachusetts, is a resort town on the tip of Cape Cod.
Publisher : Homeport Press (June 15, 2024)
Paperback : 290 pages
Despite an unforeseen disaster ruining her carefully planned wedding reception, hotelier Sydney Riley is undaunted as she and her brand-new husband Ali leave for their honeymoon in the dunes of Cape Cod’s National Seashore. But even in this deserted location, Sydney uncovers clues that might have a bearing on the wedding fiasco. Despite hoping for a new life, she’s drawn into yet another murder investigation—this time to protect Ali, who’s been called away on a secret and dangerous assignment.
Can Sydney find the murderer(s) before Ali is harmed, or will a joyous week in the dunes be her only memory of their married life?
Character Guest Post
When The Most Carefully Planned Wedding… Goes Awry!
(Character guest post: Sydney Riley)
You’d think I could put together a wedding.
After all, that’s what I’ve done for a living for the past eight years or so, as the events/wedding planner at Provincetown’s Race Point Inn. And we do a lot of weddings. Partly because Provincetown is so picturesque—and it really is beautiful here, you should come visit—and also because we’re also seen as a gay destination (we were the first in the country to recognize and celebrate marriage equality), which brings a lot of same-sex couples here to tie the knot.
And I’ve been here for all of them. I’ve fielded bizarre requests, looked after little dogs in tuxedos while their owners said “I do,” talked people out of releasing birds or balloons (inhumane and bad for the environment, respectively), sat with weeping over-medicated brides, and settled family disputes in our Michelin-rated restaurant. If you can imagine it, I’ve seen it.
And the moment my boyfriend, Ali, asked me to marry him, I knew this was going to be a ceremony I’d have to … well, shall we say, finesse? That’s mostly due to my mother, who has, from the moment I was born, talked endlessly about every detail of every wedding she’s ever attended or imagined (including several on soap operas), kept me up-to-date on the weddings of all her friends’ offspring, tried to set me up on dates with all the single offspring of said friends, and generally bemoaned the fact that in my mid-thirties I was divorced and spending all my time planning other people’s weddings.
She always said that darkly, with clear capital letters: Other People’s Weddings. I don’t think she ever actually came out and asked me what was wrong with me, but it was there, an undercurrent beneath every phone call, lurking somewhere behind every visit. “Always a wedding planner, never a bride…”
Of course, Ali and I were together for a good long time, but that never stopped her from continuing to mention other eligible young men. I wouldn’t say that my mother is prejudiced, exactly… just that she had concerns about “that man” being Muslim. And not an emergency surgeon, as my former husband had been.
He was, of course, amazingly patient. It helped that he wasn’t subjected to my mother’s presence as regularly as I was; up until about a year before we got married, we’d maintained separate residences. As he’d lived primarily in Boston and was frequently “in the field,” as they say, working in human trafficking for the Department of Homeland Security, he wasn’t always privy to my mother’s regular attempts to find me someone who would walk me down the aisle, properly, and preferably ensconce me in a neighborhood not unlike the one where my parents lived. Or perhaps exactly where my parents lived. I wouldn’t have put it past her.
I think she also had this idea that I’d stop finding dead bodies and helping the police investigate murders if I were safely “off the market” and paying attention to issues more domestic. As if! Ever since my friend and boss’ body was found floating in the pool at the Race Point Inn, I’ve taken murders in my little town very personally, and probably wouldn’t step back from being involved even if I could.
And they were real adventures, too. Because of being around for many of the murders and all of the investigations, I’ve learned about Provincetown as a fishing village and art colony, imagined the bad storm that sank a pirate ship on our coast, learned that we were a stop on the Underground Railroad, discovered hidden passageways under famous buildings and explored others… and all while putting the world to rights. The head of detectives has other choice words for it, of course. And so does my mother.
Which brings us back to the wedding. I was super, super-careful. We had a ceremony that included both Catholic and Muslim components, no small feat. We gave our parents time to get to know each other. We had Adrienne the diva chef who earned the Race Point its Michelin rating plan our reception dinner. We were out on the terrace where I’ve supervised so many ceremonies and had just managed to say “I do” when someone several floors up in the inn chose that moment to be defenestrated… and fall to his death.
In the middle of my wedding.
So you see, it just goes to show that you can’t ever be sure of anything. If someone feels that there’s no other option for them, that the only way they can solve their problem is by killing someone else, a little thing like a celebration isn’t going to stand in the way.
At least—at least!—we managed to get official before everything broke into chaos. As I tell the story in The Honeymoon Homicides, “The victim generously waited to be murdered until the final vows had been spoken and we were officially declared married. And that’s pretty much the best thing I can say about my wedding.”
About Jeannette de Beauvoir
Jeannette de Beauvoir is an award-winning author of historical and mystery fiction and poetry, whose work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. Her Provincetown mystery series is now on its 10th book, and she’s a member of the Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Historical Novels Society. She’s also a local theatre critic and hosts an arts-related program on WOMR, a Pacifica Radio affiliate. She lives and works in a seaside cottage on Cape Cod.
Author Links
Purchase Links – Amazon – Bookshop.org – B&N
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The Honeymoon Homicides TOUR PARTICIPANTS
June 14 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
June 15 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 16 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 17 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read! – REVIEW
June 18 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 19 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 20 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 21 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
June 22 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
June 23 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
June 24 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – AUTHOR GUEST POST
June 25 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 26 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST
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Thanks so much for reading this post written by my protagonist, Sydney! When you think of all the things that can go wrong at a wedding, *generally* they don’t include the arrival of a body in the midst of it… but she perseveres!
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing her with us!
Sounds like a good story.
Looking forward to reading and learning if Ali becomes a victim. Great title.
Thanks for sharing!
Looks fantastic
looks like a fun one
Really enjoyed the character guest post. Sydney sounds like an interesting character. Adding this to my to-read list!