'Poor woman, how she must wish she had never come!'

Prophetic words, if ever I heard any.

The actress Tessa Crichton's cousin Ellen is engaged - but to someone she has known only a fortnight. The man appears rich, presentable and mad about Ellen, but Tessa is worried about the reaction of his former amoureuse, and indeed about that of Ellen's own ex-boyfriend, a bibulous and self-pitying actor.

Plans go ahead for a splendid white wedding, and the scene is set for a gathering of various eccentric and tiresome relations - foremost in tiresomeness the bride's mother.Just before the speeches one of the guests collapses and dies; and a host of clues, suspects and possible motives appear. The elegant Tessa investigates with her usual mixture of observation and intuition, helped by her Scotland Yard detective husband Robin. Another murder is in the offing before we reach the surprising yet plausible conclusion to an entertaining matrimonial whodunnit.

Death of a Wedding Guest was originally published in 1976. This new edition features an introduction and afterword by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

'As always, a bright and amusing style . . . a general air of sophisticated writing.' New York Times

'Relaxing, polished entertainment of high order.' Daily Telegraph