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EM Kaplan
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The Bride Wore Dead: An Un-Cozy Un-Culinary Josie Tucker Mystery (Josie Tucker Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by EM Kaplan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 481 ratings
See all formats and editions
Snarky food critic Josie Tucker is facing the ultimate career hiccup. With her testy stomach betraying her, she can barely hold on to her lunch, never mind her job. The last thing she needs is having to be a replacement bridesmaid at a society wedding…

But an uncomfortable dress and awkward small talk turn out to be the least of Josie’s worries when the demure bride fails to survive the honeymoon. Now entangled in the groom’s sordid family, Josie finds herself the target of the rich and dangerous.

A tragic death. A desperate mother. A predatory ex. All the ingredients for an unsavory mystery…
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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Josie Tucker Mysteries
  2. Print length
    321 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    November 18, 2013
  6. File size
    1244 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Library Journal SELF-e Best Books of 2016 "Josie shines as a funny and sympathetic heroine whose amateur detective work is just as enjoyable as her complicated personal life."--Teva Hutchinson, Atlanta Univ. Center Robert W. Woodruff Lib. BRAG Medallion Honoree
"The Bride Wore Dead has everything a readerexpects from modern crime fiction - sharp writing, an unpredictable plot,quirky characters. But it also holds surprisesfor the reader. As one of the new breedof indie authors, Kaplan has broken many of the rules of crime fiction - withpanache - and created something refreshingly different. Her characterisation has depth. The Bride Wore Dead is populated by peoplewho are not only quirky but real. JosieTucker herself as a woman with a Thai mother and an American G.I. father bringsa blend of old soul and naïve innocence to her amateur sleuthing. The reader relates to her personal issueswith life and love. But Josie'scharacter is never static and Kaplan brings moments of self-discovery into herrelationships with both suspects and friends.Minor characters also keep the reader guessing as their personalitiestake unexpected but plausible turns. Theother real strength of The Bride Wore Dead is the plot. There's a social issue behind the crimes whichanchors the story in contemporary reality but the solution follows its owntrajectory, with unusual but satisfying results. At the end, the loose ends are tied up butthe way is laid for a very interesting future for Josie as the series unfolds."

-Virginia King, former prize-winningpublisher, author of "The First Lie" (BRAG Medallion Honoree)

About the Author

EM Kaplan was an 80s kid, spoonfed on six channels of a VHF dial TV. She grew up reading Agatha Christie and Edgar Rice Burroughs in rural Arizona where there were no sidewalks but plenty of tumbleweeds. A former wannabe spy, trombonist, toilet-cleaner, beginner ninja, and subversive marketeer, she currently lives in the frozen north with her husband, author JD Kaplan, kids, and dog. Where to find her: blog: www.JustTheEmWords.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/emkaplan.author Twitter: www.twitter.com/meilaan Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/emkaplan Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/emkaplan Email: JustTheEmWords@gmail.com

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00GW9I1ZO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ E.M. Kaplan (November 18, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 18, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1244 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 481 ratings

About the author

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EM Kaplan

EM Kaplan

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While all the other school kids moaned about homework, Emily scribbled satires of her least favorite classes, redrawing teachers as evil alien overlords. She is the living embodiment of the axiom, "It's always the quiet ones."

Publisher's Weekly BookLife Prize Quarter Finalist (for Full Slab Dead)

Biblioboard SELF-e Honoree (for The Bride Wore Dead)

B.R.A.G. Medallion (for The Bride Wore Dead)

I.A.N. Book of the Year Finalist (for Dim Sum, Dead Some)

Illinois Soon-To-Be-Famous Finalist (Unmasked)

Illinois Soon-To-Be-Famous Semi-Finalist (Full Slab Dead)

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
481 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mike Billington author of Murder in the Rainy Season
5.0 out of 5 stars 'The Bride Wore Dead' is a tasty, and thoroughly enjoyable, mystery
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
Josie Tucker is, perhaps, the most unlikely amateur detective you're ever going to meet.
She's a journalist by profession.
But she's not a reporter who covers the mean streets and rubs elbows with cops at crime scenes.
No, the sometimes cranky, generally acerbic Ms. Tucker is a food writer.
With stomach problems.
Roped into being a bridesmaid at the wedding of a woman she barely knows, she 's also going broke trying to pay for the dress and the shoes and... well, you get the picture: Josie Tucker is not a happy camper. Her main goal at the beginning of EM Kaplan's 'The Bride Wore Dead' is a simple one: She simply wants to survive the summertime wedding and reception without dying of heat stroke.
She does manage to survive it, but only barely, and thinks that she can finally put a truly dreadful day behind her.
Turns out, however, that she can't.
Why not?
Because the bride turns up dead on her honeymoon and, for reasons that are not immediately clear to her, she's asked to look into what has been ruled an accidental death. Despite the fact she has virtually no skills as an investigator she agrees to do that because, well because it means spending some time at a very fancy desert resort with some cash thrown in to sweeten the deal.
And, besides, she's curious.
In the meantime, she's trying to balance her love life - what there is of it - and she's trying really hard not to fall victim to the same people who killed the blushing (and somewhat bruised) bride.
That's all I'm going to tell you about the plot because to write anything else about it might just allow you to figure out the ending without reading the book and that would be a shame because Kaplan is a very fine writer with a nice light touch when the occasion calls for it. She has a nice narrative sense and, as a result, 'The Bride Wore Dead' moves right along with none of those little bumps in the road that slow a reader down.
(I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of the food that Josie would love to eat more of but can't because there really is something wrong with her stomach... which is a problem for someone who earns her daily bread writing about, well, bread and a lot of other things you'd find on the table.)
The action is fast paced and Ms. Tucker finds herself the object of some unwanted attention by suspects in the case but Kaplan doesn't make the mistake of trying to turn Josie into some kind of Amazon warrior. Josie is a petite heroine who is out of her depth as an investigator and when she gets in trouble she doesn't lay anyone out with a roundhouse kick and a karate chop. Instead, she manages to get out of that trouble in a believable way and that adds credibility to the narrative.
I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Bride Wore Dead' and highly recommend it.
14 people found this helpful
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Reader of the Pack
4.0 out of 5 stars Introducing Josie Tucker
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
Josie Tucker is a force to be reckoned with, as she is introduced in this story. I was pleased to see I have her second book and now I know I will enjoy reading that one as well.

It's not easy being a food critic when your stomach is in revolt. Josie had a job writing for a Boston paper but was out on sick leave due to her undiagnosed stomach pains when her boss called and told her that she could no longer afford to pay her.

Josie's doctor and longtime friend, Drew, worried about her stomach pain and weight loss,books her into a swanky rehab/spa in Arizona. Prior to her trip to Arizona Josie has agreed to be a last-minute stand in bridesmaid at the wedding of LeAnn and Peter. There is a certain amount of humor as Josie complains to her friend Susan just how much she hates being a bridesmaid for people she is only knows thru Susan.

The real mystery begins when Josie gets to Arizona. She is shocked to find out LeAnn is dead and even more surprised when she is asked to look into the death by the vroom mother who seems to know something's not right about the supposed accident. There is murder and mayhem and gossip about the poor treatment of Leanne by her new husband.

It's hard not to like Josie. The author has given life to her characters who care for one another and yet there is a certain amount of sexual attraction among some of the four friends who have known each other for years. Josie turns out to be a pretty good investigator, perhaps too good as she is the target of a hit and run that leaves one woman in the hospital.

As you may be able see, there is a lot going on in this book. Sorry if the review was a bit scattered. I liked the book enough to give it four stars.

.
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Michael D. Durkota
5.0 out of 5 stars The Bride Wore Dead is an enthralling mystery fueled by an extraordinary heroine.
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2015
Verified Purchase
I was engrossed within the first few pages. The story, the character, the dialogue, and Kaplan’s balanced and witty prose were quickly addictive. I am rarely guilty of binge reading; I generally read slowly and I stick to a fairly strict regime of reading for thirty minutes to an hour each day. That said, The Bride Wore Dead wrecked my daily routine. I didn’t want to wrap presents anyway, so it was a joyful distraction.bride-wore-dead

Josie Tucker is a quintessential protagonist. She is cynical and savvy. She is flawed but self-aware. She is highly skilled in many ways, yet humble. Taken out of her quiet, reclusive comfort-zone she stumbles and makes mistakes, but manages to find her way. The unplanned desert expedition is allegorical; I read it so fast and feverishly the first time through that I had to go back and re-read it after I caught my breath. There is so much depth to the character and her story that I may have to go back and re-read from page one. When you see references to Immanuel Kant, Holden Caulfield, and bodhisattvas it’s difficult to resist digging deeper.

I delighted in several moments, character descriptions, and subtle ironies, but here are a few of my favorites:

“The Latin incantations reminded her of a horror movie…” [Passage describing a wedding]
“Greta Williams seemed like a person who rarely, if ever, was pleased about how things were going.”
“Josie brimmed with fermented good wishes.”
“A few drops of red wine stained the place in front of her, the red liquid spreading through the cloth so that she could see the crisscross pattern of the fibers.”
“You paged me this morning at 4:30. You said you were dying and you told me to bring a priest.”
“His silver crew cut hinted at a former police or military career or the desire to have had one.”
“The pleated skirt and tight sweater might still fit, but there was something indecent about her world outlook.”
“He shot her a look that made her feel like she’d forgotten some of her clothing. Like her shirt.”
“Other than the beatings, and the anxiety, I enjoyed myself. For the most part.”

Bottom line: The Bride Wore Dead is an enthralling mystery fueled by an extraordinary heroine. I’m looking forward to the second in the series, Dim Sum, Dead Some.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Sharon E. Leighton
5.0 out of 5 stars A good traditional mystery with good non-traditional characters
Reviewed in Canada on November 26, 2015
Verified Purchase
Beginning with a reluctant Josie acting as a replacement for a bridesmaid who dropped out of a big society wedding, and going on to explore the meaning of family, community, identity, and love, this is a top-notch mystery. It faces some tough questions on the way to whodunit, and does it with charm and excitement. Josie herself is a likeable character, generally intelligent, although she does make one rather dumb move when she returns to the place where her prime suspect is staying "because it's safe". Yeah, right. The author covers this mistake in judgment by suggesting that that was an excuse to go where she wouldn't bother anyone, and this fits with her personal insecurity. The whole plot hangs together logically, which is always refreshing. I'll probably read more Josie Tuckers.
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nanamama777
1.0 out of 5 stars selten so gelangweilt, selten so eine unsympathische Hauptfigur...
Reviewed in Germany on November 25, 2015
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ich verstehe nicht, dass alle bisherigen Rezensionen so positiv ausgefallen sind. Die Hauptfigur ist weinerlich bis mürrisch aber in keiner Weise sympathisch, der Schreibstil ist überhaupt nicht flüssig und schon auf den ersten 17 Seiten häufen sich die Fehler, und wir reden hier nicht von vergessenen Kommata oder ähnlichem. Wenn es um einen Pulli geht, den er trägt, aber anstelle von "he" ein "she" benutzt wird, frage ich mich ernsthaft, ob hier jemals Korrektur gelesen wurde. Die ersten 17 Seiten waren schon eine Qual, es wird auch nicht wirklich besser und ich glaube kaum, dass ich es noch bis zum Ende schaffen werde.
Bei cozy mysteries erwarte ich sicherlich keine tiefsinnige Literatur, aber hier ist selbst der geringe Preis von 2,99 noch zu viel. Von entspannter und leichter Lektüre erwarte ich zumindest dennoch, dass die Autorin die Personalpronomen nicht durcheinander wirft.
Fazit: no go.
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Paul Ian Chaplin
5.0 out of 5 stars Fallen in Love with Josie Tucker
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2015
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I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful book and couldn't put it down until I had finished it. The writing is fantastic and the story sucks you in completely! The characters are brilliantly created and delightfully described and I personally was in love with Josie Tucker before I reached Chapter 2. A fantastic plot that had some lovely touches that set it apart from any other book which was a joy. I loved the humour and dialogue they kept the story moving at a good pace. I will be asking the Author for some advice on my own writing because she is obviously a genius!
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Gus
5.0 out of 5 stars The prickly Josie Tucker food writer, becomes super sleuth.
Reviewed in Australia on August 20, 2015
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Josie Tucker is a journalist, no sorry, a food writer with tummy issues. Ms Tucker gets caught in a murder where she is bridesmaid.
Well that's how it all starts. She turns herself into a amateur detective and tries her hardest to solve the case. I won't go into anymore
of the story line and give away what happens. EM Kaplan has done a wonderful job in creating the characters, good and bad. A good solid read which gets the grey matter working overtime. I'm giving this book a 4.8 Star read
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Ben
5.0 out of 5 stars A fun ride
Reviewed in Canada on September 8, 2020
Verified Purchase
I'm astonished by the quality of writing in this book.
The writer goes out of her way to make it fun and it's a success.
Josie is a strong protagonist that I quickly grew attached to, to me she's now a friend.
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