Death Throws a Bouquet: A Rev and Rye Mystery

"Rev and Rye are strong, sympathetic 'Marples-in-training' who never disappoint."

-Amy Patricia Meade, author of the Tish Tarragon Mysteries

Everyone believes their wedding day is special, but a reverend's June calendar is filled with more than a few "special" days. The Rev. Wanda Duff has to juggle her officiant duties alongside caring for her beloved teenage nephew, the impending arrival of her sister with her Scottish fiancé for their wedding (which Wanda soon realizes she is expected to plan), and a new houseguest in the form of her future brother-in-law's son, who's happy to show her nephew a little more summer adventure than Wanda's strictly comfortable with. Oh, and there's her favorite retired sheriff, who wants her to look into the accidental slip-and-fall death of a high school teacher well-known for ruffling feathers. Because what Wanda needed was to fit in a good sleuthing between rehearsal dinners and family drama?

High school vice principal Prudence Rye also has plenty of good reasons to pass on another small-town mystery, not the least of which is her own family drama in the form of her resurfaced long-lost sister, a student in crisis, and an enormous helping of unrequited feelings for (oh no) both of her best friends. But when the investigation involves students at her high school who live at the apartments where the teacher died, Rye is compelled to partner with the Rev to get to the bottom of an accident that doesn't seem so accidental.

It turns out that a murder investigation is a lot like planning a wedding. It requires discretion, the ability to pivot, and an instinct for trouble. The Rev and Rye have all three, plus friends and new family willing to help. Will it be enough to catch a killer and pull off the wedding of the season?

"The newest Rev and Rye mystery delivers the goods and goes beyond the brief to shine a needed light on the power of friendship and the persistence of love, in all its forms."

-Darrow Woods, author of the Rev. Thomas Book Mysteries

After teaching and working in early education for a decade, Maria Mankin has published six books with Pilgrim Press, in addition to first three Rev and Rye mysteries with Brain Mill Press, and she has contributed essays to several anthologies. She is also a coauthor of Circ, a mystery set in Skegness, England, published by Pigeon Park Press, and Pitching Our Tents: Poetry of Hospitality. She is a regular contributor to Living Psalms, a collection in which the Psalms are reinterpreted in poetry and art as a reflection of God's work of justice and compassion. In 2024, Maria received an Impact on Education Award for her work with elementary grade students and staff.

Maren C. Tirabassi's forty-five years' experience in mainline ministry shape Wanda Duff's professional life (but not her personality). In addition to the three previous Rev and Rye mysteries, Maren has published twenty-two nonfiction titles, one book of short stories, and two books of poetry, as well as poetry and short stories in fifteen anthologies. She is a former Poet Laureate of the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the recipient of the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Hampshire Humanities Council.