Given how important mystery is to a “whodunit” thriller like “A Killer Wedding” by Joan O’Leary, it is ironic how familiar these stories can be. The details around the tragic inciting incident are open questions, yet any fan of the genre will find this debut novel hitting all the expected beats. That’s not a bad thing.

Big twists, sudden-yet-inevitable betrayals, deep secrets, and shady, unlikeable characters are all vital ingredients for this storytelling formula. “A Killer Wedding” may not be a stunning shocker that reinvents the form, but it doesn’t need to be. Rather it excels because it reminds readers that the answer to the big question or questions is often less important than the journey that uncovers them.

The setting is a grand castle in the Irish countryside, rented for a wedd

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