Nothing stops a upcoming wedding faster than finding the groom with a pair of scissors embedded in his back. When they turn out to be Selene’s hairdressing shears, stolen from her workspace at the salon, she is arrested as the primary suspect. Now Athena, assisted by her friend Case, is determined to prove her sister’s innocence. The author does an excellent job with dropping clues along the way as well as some quite well-written red herrings. This second installment in the series continues the story of this dynamic Greek family, so be sure to read the first book before you start this one. I appreciate all the Greek flavor in the stories, and I’m not just talking about the food, although it all sounds delicious. The ending really entices me to read the next book. It sounds like some upheaval may be in store in Athena’s personal life. ( )

Athena's family owns a garden center and a restaurant called the Parthenon. When her hairstylist sister Selene is asked to be a bridesmaid for her friend Mandy, she agrees. The rehearsal dinner is at the restaurant, and everyone is waiting for Brady, the groom, to show up. But he never does. And when Mandy's brother goes looking for him, they find that Brady has been murdered. But things get worse when the police discover Selene's scissors in his back, and she can't give a solid alibi, they arrest her for the murder. Now Athena and her friend Case are determined to find evidence to get Selene off the hook. But between dodging Mama's attempts to get Athena married, and a rich woman's attempts to get Case, things aren't going to be as easy as Athena wants. She just hopes she can find the evidence before Selene is formally charged and brought to trial...

This is the second book in the series and I did like it a bit better than the first. Unfortunately, I really don't like Athena's mama. She's a nag, and even with a daughter in jail for a murder she didn't commit, she's still trying to get Athena married off. How much sense does that make? She sets her up on blind dates knowing Athena doesn't want anything to do with it. I also don't care for the 'evil nemesis' in the form of Lila; I really abhor those in books and wish she'd disappear.

While I thought the plot was done well, and the writing was very good, there were parts that were slow-going, and I just didn't understand Mitchell's obsession about Mandy. It was almost unhealthy, if you know what I mean.

But other than this, the plot flowed and kept me interested in the book and I did like the interactions between Athena and her father. They are very close, and it shows. I also liked the fact that her relationship with Case is moving forward.

The way Athena and Case went about asking questions was never invasive, and I liked that they shared the information with police officer Bob McGuire. It's always nice to have a police officer who's helpful and not nasty to you.

In the end, I did enjoy how everything was resolved; when the murderer is discovered, it was both sad and yet done in such a way that you couldn't hate the killer. I felt everything was done nicely while giving us a touch of what is going to happen in the next book. Recommended. ( )

Athena Spencer works at her family's garden center keeping the books. She also helps out at the family diner on occasion. When a wedding rehearsal dinner is booked at short notice (her sister, Selene, is an emergency bridesmaid) Athena jumps in to help. But nothing can help the fact that the groom is a no-show and later found stabbed to death with her sister's hair shears. Athena is positive that Selene is innocent even as circumstantial evidence continues to point Selene's way. Enlisting the help of Case Donnelly, Athena is definite they can find the evidence unmasking the real killer.

The mystery was good, but I felt like the characters needed a bit more definition, more dimension. - right now they seem a might two dimensional. Maybe next book ( )

A Big Fat Greek Wedding is the second book of the A Goddess of Greene Street Mystery series.

Athena Spencer has returned to her hometown of Sequoia, MI, along with her ten-year-old son. Her family owns a garden center, and Athena works there. Her grandparents own a nearby restaurant, The Parthenon, where this story begins.

The Parthenon is hosting Mandy and Brady’s wedding rehearsal dinner and Athena’s sister, Selene, is a bridesmaid. The dinner is about to be served when and the groom hasn’t arrived yet. Calls to his phone go unanswered, and soon the groomsmen leave for his apartment. A short time later, the party will learn that Brady has been found dead. Soon, Mandy is accusing Selene of having an affair with Brady and of murdering him. When the police determine that the scissors used to kill Brady were Selene’s hairdressing scissors and that Selene had had a bad experience with Brady, the police will arrest her for his murder.

Athena knows that her sister isn’t a killer, and she will team up with Case Donnelly, who has returned to town, to hunt down the killer.

Like all of Ms. Collins’s books, the story is well-written and plotted. The characters are well developed and believable. I particularly liked Athena’s sister Delphi, who claims to have psychic abilities; whether she is or not, her readings are enjoyable. And the pet raccoon is a special edition.

Delicious sounding recipes are also included in the book.

I will be watching for the next book in this delightful series. ( )

small-business, small-town, cozy-mystery, family-dynamics, friendship, amateur-sleuth, cultural-heritage, situational-humor, verbal-humor*****

Athena’s sister Selene is the chief suspect in the murder of her friend's groom-to-be due to the fact that her salon shears were stuck in his back and she has no alibi. The victim was a sleaze who worked in a gym and had a history with women, but Selene had ratted him out to management some time before so the local law added that to the physical evidence. Athena is part of a large Greek family in Sequoia, Michigan and has had some experience as an amateur sleuth, so she takes it all on with the help of a friend. Good sleuthing, interesting red herrings and plot twists, and some really good laughs. I really enjoyed it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley, Thank you! ( )