“Adrianna, heir to the multimillion dollar Kensington nightclub empire, is planning her dream wedding – a lavish ceremony funded by exclusive sponsors, on the Kensington’s private tropical island Elysium.

There’s only one flaw in her perfect plans. Elysium holds traumatic memories as the place where she was kidnapped and held hostage for three days on her 21st birthday – a case that was never solved…

When a bridesmaid is murdered the night before the dress fitting, it soon becomes clear that Adrianna won’t be able to get hitched without a hitch. The body is staged in a gruesome display, chillingly reminiscent of Adrianna’s kidnapping.

When forensic expert Holly becomes embroiled in this alien world, the secrets that have dogged the bride and her bridesmaids since childhood start to come out. The answers lie on Elysium, if Holly can find her way into this playground of the rich and famous – and more importantly, if she can get out of it alive…”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Bridesmaid by Cate Quinn. The Bridesmaid is published by Orion Books today (that’s Thursday 16th January 2025) and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow later this year. I chose to read a free eARC of The Bridesmaid but that has in no way influenced my review.

Cate Quinn has, in a fairly short space of time, become a favourite author of mine. It all started with the incredible Black Widows. Closely followed by the The Clinic. Confession time: I haven’t read Blood Sisters yet but it will happen very soon (this is the whole ‘books I purchased versus books I have for review’ thing – review books take priority above everything else which is why I still haven’t read a book published in 2023 but I’m about to share my review of a book published this very day!). I saw Cate Quinn’s new release – The Bridesmaid – on NetGalley and it would have been impossible for me to ignore. Why? Because I love the way the author tells a story. Cate Quinn’s thrillers are engrossing, unexpected and always full of twists. The Bridesmaid was no different.

Adrianna Kensington, heiress to the Kensington Nightclub empire, is set to marry her tech billionaire fiancé, Mark Li, within a matter of days on her family’s private island. The night before the dress fitting a shocking discovery is made. One of the bridesmaids’ has been slaughtered. Her bloody corpse suspended from the ceiling in one of Adriana’s exclusive, designer wedding dresses. The wedding must go on though and so, with a healthy mistrust of the police, Mark asks forensic specialist Holly Stone for help. Everything needs to run to schedule with as little disruption as possible, otherwise the Kensington brand could be tarnished forever. Can Holly, completely out of her depth with the privileged Kensingtons, discover the reasons behind the bridesmaid’s brutal death and ensure, with the help of New York detective Fitzwilliam, the safety of those attending the three day long ceremony on the private island? Or will Adriana’s long-held family secrets finally come to light, destroying her picture perfect life once and for all…?

The Bridesmaid is a book with a heck of a lot going on within the pages. Sitting here now, writing (as I always do) my own brief synopsis of the book (⬆️), looking back at what I’ve written, I don’t feel I’ve really done the book justice. If you compare the official blurb to what I’ve written in the paragraph above, you *could* think they were two similar but different books. There are two main threads in this story. One I’ve covered, the other I’ve barely touched on, but it all comes together perfectly in the end. The part I haven’t really mentioned is Elysium, the private island. Whilst staying on the island for her 21st birthday celebrations three years previously, Adriana was kidnapped. Unaware she was still on the island and at the family home, she was taken to the panic room and kept hostage for three days before finally escaping. Her kidnapper was never caught and Adriana only managed to get away after dislocating her wrist and escaping the handcuffs. This is the bit that ties it all together. Could the kidnapper have returned? And, in the three years since Adriana went missing, has kidnap escalated to murder? So yes, there is a lot going on in this book but I do feel, now I’ve added a little about the island and Adriana’s traumatic experience whilst there, that you’re getting a much clearer idea of what the book is about. Holly Stone, master of forensics, is the main character in The Bridesmaid. She is a wonderful lead and I would love to see more of her in the future (her own series perhaps?). Holly is thrown head first into the circus that is the Kensington family, secretly acting on behalf of Mark Li, whilst also, somehow, now acting as replacement bridesmaid. She is so out of her depth she is drowning!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Bridesmaid is a thoroughly entertaining, twisty read from a favourite author of mine. It’s a little bit bonkers in places and, as I’ve already mentioned, quite busy at times but I enjoyed the time I spent in Holly’s company. The story is told from three points of view; Holly, Adriana and one of the bridesmaids, Petra. I did enjoy seeing how the story was unfolding from the different perspectives but I always looked forward to hearing from Holly the most. Although the simmering chemistry between Holly and Detective Fitzwilliam didn’t really add anything to the story for me. I’m not one for romance in a crime thriller. However, I know others feel differently. The ending was explosive and fast paced. I was able to predict a couple of things which happened but I still enjoyed the book and look forward to more from this author in the future (I’ll hopefully get Blood Sisters read and reviewed before Quinn’s next book comes out!). Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Bridesmaid. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Bridesmaid by Cate Quinn was published in the UK by Orion Books on 16th January 2025 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Cate Quinn is a former journalist for The Guardian, The Times and The Mirror alongside many travel and lifestyle magazines. She grew up with fundamental Christianity and Mormonism in the family and has always been fascinated by the relationships and schisms strong beliefs cause. Coming from a background in postgraduate historic research she has previously authored the bestselling historical Thief Taker series and the Revolution Spy series as CS Quinn.

A travel journalist for ten years, Cate has called many countries home, but currently lives in Devon, England, with her beloved partner and two children.