Five Golden Wings by Donna Andrews ~ a Review

by MK French

Two of Meg’s cousins, members of Mother’s vast Hollingsworth clan, are getting married, and both have chosen Caerphilly for their Christmas destination wedding . . on the same day, in the same venues. But while they’re cousins they’re also lifelong enemies. Mother’s efforts to keep the peace are wearing her down, and the battling brides (and their mothers) are making the holiday season miserable for everyone. So Meg steps in to keep the peace. And it was going badly even before she stumbles over the murdered body of the wedding photographer.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.

October 2025; Macmillan Audio; 9781250417619
audio (9h 26m), ebook, print; cozy mystery

I love listening to this series; it is so good as an audiobook. Bernadette Dunne does a great job as the narrator. I'm still relatively new to the series. Five Golden Wings is book 38 in the series, but as I just started the series 3 years ago I haven't read too many of them. But it is an easy series to jump right into.

What I love most about this series is the characters. The murder doesn't happen until almost a third of the way into the story. All that time is just spent with the characters. I almost forgot that there is supposed to be a murder as I'm having so much fun catching up with everyone.

The book is set at Christmas, but I don't really feel like it is a Christmas book. The focus is on the weddings. Yes, weddings plural, but the brides are very clear that it isn't a double wedding. With so much of Meg's family in town for the weddings, I was worried that one of them was going to be the victim. 

As far as the murder mystery goes, there isn't as much time spent looking for clues. It is a pretty straightforward investigation with the sheriff interviewing wedding party members at Meg's house. A few other crimes were uncovered, but nothing points to the murderer. I have to say, I didn't even know who to suspect for most of the book, but there was a scene towards the end that finally had me suspicious, which was gratifying when I was right in the end.

If you are looking for a light mystery or just want to hang out with some great characters, then you should pick up this book.

Buy Five Golden Wings at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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