Dead by Midnight

Pat Merridew has only been working in Annie Darling's bookshop, "Death on Demand", for a few days when she suddenly dies. The police suspect suicide but Annie isn't convinced and turns up evidence that suggests murder. The police are soon occupied when another murder happens - while they try to solve that murder, Annie tries to prove the two deaths are connected. The police soon narrow in on one suspect, but again Annie isn't convinced that the police are on the right track. Annie has a large list of suspects to investigate and she wants to solve the crime before the wrong person is jailed.

"Dead by Midnight" is another nice entry in Carolyn Hart's "Death on Demand" cozy mystery series. I love my visits to "Death on Demand", a mystery book store owned and visited but people who love reading mysteries. Hart uses this to full advantage - constantly mentioning fellow mystery writers and books. I love the fact that each book features paintings that reference other mystery novels - readers get to try to figure out which novels Hart is referring to just like Annie's customers do (and I fail dismally each and every time). Annie and her husband Max have grown on me as a couple and I love their relationship and the way they work together as a couple (even if Annie does put herself in danger far too often). As for the mystery elements - they reminded me a lot of an Agatha Christie novel. The book is intricately plotted with plenty of suspects (one should have been developed a bit more as he shows up early in the book and then disappears for quite some time only to end up playing a major role in the book), many twists and turns, with a few red herrings. The family dynamics of the second murder victim play an important part in this book and are well done. The solution to the murders is brilliant if a bit implausible - again this reminded me of Dame Agatha at her best.

"Dead by Midnight" is another nicely done cozy mystery by Carolyn Hart. ( )

"Annie had always loved mystery packages with unknown contents."

When a prominent lawyer from an old-money family is found shot in his study, all eyes turn to the relative who has been acting suspiciously. It falls to Annie, owner of mystery bookshop Death on Demand, to clear her name and track down the real killer, as well as solving an apparently unrelated suicide...

This is very much a cozy crime novel, set on an island in southern USA. i loved this idea of a set of murders in a town where everyone knows each other - finding the culprit seems all the more impossible because of all the built-up trust. Somewhat like M. C. Beaton's Death of a Perfect Wife.

The culprit is really obvious, but deviously, Hart shifts suspicion and compromising circumstances onto a succession of others and keeps killing off key witnesses. In the end, I was right and it was satisfying, but I didn't feel that I had worked it out too early.

I enjoyed Hart's cast as well - craft old dowager Henny who makes the first connection; Annie, who just won't let go of her mission to solve the crime, in the face of scepticism from the sheriff and unwanted inundations of cat-based artwork from her mother-in-law; Annie's husband Max, who is a bit lazy and a bit over-privileged but is still pretty smart and clearly worships Annie; Cleo Jackson, who plays the evil stepmother role perfectly.

A very easy read (I raced through this on the trip to and from Henley) but fun and clever. I'll have to look out for more Death on Demand novels (this is the 21st in the series). ( )

Normally, I love settling in with an installment in the Death on Demand series by Carolyn Hart. This time, not so much. It seemed to me that the plot elements were stretched to the extreme in order to fulfill the 200+ page usual length of a book of this type. While I love the references to Annie Darling's mystery bookstore and mystery books and authors, I was driven to distraction by the cat paintings with cute sayings done by Annie's mother-in-law, Laurel---and I love cats!!! ( )

This is Annie and Max's 21st book. I like this series of cozy mysteries because the clues are all there for the smart reader to figure out. Unfortunately, I can't figure them out. But the solution was clear and elegant when it arrived. The case concerns the purported death by suicide of a fired law firm receptionist, the shooting death of the head of the law firm, and the death of the yard boy. There are so many suspects. I also like the fact that Annie owns a mystery bookstore and drops in references to other mystery books and authors. I also like the lovely sea island setting for the stories. ( )

I always quite enjoy a new "Death on Demand" book and this one was no exception. We have another ruthless killer on Broward's Rock and it's up to Annie and her husband Max to unmask the killer. Three people have died by the time Annie figures it out and she is front and centre in preventing another murder. Ms. Hart is an accomplished writer of contemporary cozies and she has two long-running series to prove this. I always enjoy her characters and her puzzles are always not that easy to figure out. Reading a Death on Demand book is a good way to spend a "reading day". Looking forward for the next one as always. ( )