I recently read that Mignon Eberhart was known as America's Agatha Christie. I love Agatha Christie, yet had never read anything by Mignon Eberhart. I decided that oversight had to be dealt with, and started looking for one of her books. Hasty Wedding was the first one I ran across.
Hasty Wedding was published in 1938, a time with different expectations for men and women, different views about sex, and not as many of the tools that are available to the police now. Keeping that in mind, I enjoyed the book.
Dorcus, young and inexperienced, wealthy, and a member of Chicago's high society, falls in love with Ronald, thought to be an undesirable suitor by her family. The family manage to come between Dorcus and Ronald, and just a few weeks later Dorcus is about to be married to Jevan, a man she has known since childhood, who is in her social circle. The night before the wedding Ronald wants to meet with her one last time, and she agrees, ending up at his apartment. After fighting him off, she returns home, with no one realizing she's left.
The next morning she discovers Ronald was killed the night before. Jevan forces her to go through with the wedding, and after the ceremony the police come because Dorcus is the main suspect.
Throughout this story Dorcus seems to be pushed and pulled by others through life. She breaks up with Ronald because her mother wants her to. She married Jevan because he insists she go through with the ceremony. She lets Jevan protect her from the police. And to add to the whole tone of women must be taken care of, she and everyone else try to protect her mother from all of the nastiness of a murder.
I found Dorcus a little annoying, even keeping in mind that it was a different era. I enjoyed the storyline, and the mystery kept me guessing, although I had my suspicions before the villian was revealed. I wouldn't say the book was great, but it was pretty good, and if I come across any more Eberhart books I will probably read them.
This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO--Golden--O--an author I've never read before.
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