Dead Days of Summer

Proprietor of the Death on Demand mystery bookstore Annie Darling is preoccupied with a secret: the surprise party she is planning her husband Max’s 29th birthday. Max is killing time at his office one afternoon when a new client walks in asking for his assistance in locating her missing brother. Max agrees to go with her to a seedy bar which is the last place the brother was seen but after doing so he wakes up in a strange cottage with no memory of the previous night’s events. The woman, who he was seen with my several witnesses, has been found dead and Max is covered in her blood. When he is arrested things look bleak but Annie and their circle of friends soon rally around to clear his name.

I’ve read quite a lot of the books in this series, the last being Death of the Party which I read last year and did not enjoy very much. However I needed something light that I could read while distracted* and picked this one from the bottom of my large TBR. Happily it turned out to be a much better read than the last book in the series. The romance element is still present but it was held in check this time round because Annie and Max spent most of the book separated from each other so there was a limit to the schmaltzy dialogue between the pair. I don’t mind seeing a couple in love but sometimes the way these two talk is a bit much.

The story kept up a good pace too and I am a bit of a sucker for a wronged-man yarn. I live in mortal fear of going to prison for something I didn’t do (for some people it’s heights for me it’s being locked up) and am always inclined to an emotional interest in stories that involve this kind of scenario. Max’s feelings of helplessness while incarcerated (even if only for a few days) were quite well depicted. The rallying of Max and Annie’s friends is charming but unrealistic and the resolution is quite predictable but if you’re in the mood for a well-paced and upbeat story you could do a lot worse than Dead Days of Summer. ( )

I would have liked the story better if the main characters hadn't been a pair of "madly in love" 20 - somethings who were millionaires. Many other good books are on my shelf so I won't go tracking down another book by Carolyn Hart. ( )

Annie Darling is devastated when husband Max is jailed for the murder of a young woman, Vanessa Taylor. Evidence points to Max’s dalliance with the comely Ms. Taylor, but Annie is convinced Max is a faithful husband who was framed for the murder. Thank goodness Annie has a loyal group of friends, the local police chief and Max’s mother Laurel who agree with her. The chief is away at a conference, and both the prosecutor and mayor are convinced of Max’s guilt – so it falls to Annie and her pals to prove Max is innocent.

The murder victim worked for Lillian Dodd and lived in a cottage on the grounds of the wealthy matron’s estate. It seems Vanessa’s social circle was limited to the Dodd family -- Lillian’s husband Jon, Lillian’s daughter Heather and Heather’s fiancée Kyle – and their neighbors. The Dodd compound is tough to penetrate, but Annie is convinced she must learn all she can about the family to determine who really killed Vanessa.

I’ve been reading this series since its start in 1987. One of the things that shocked me in Dead Days of Summer is that Max is celebrating his 30th birthday – having read the Death on Demand series for almost two decades, it was only natural to believe that Annie and Max have aged as much as I have in that time. But, of course, there are years; then there are mystery years.

Carolyn Hart is in top form with Dead Days of Summer. It’s amazing how she can continue to make the Death on Demand series fresh and new with every book. This 17th entry in the series is reminiscent of the first book, when Annie was single and conducting murder investigations on her own. With Max in jail, she has no choice but to take off solo – or so she thinks -- on a dangerous plan to prove the man she loves is innocent. Like all Carolyn Hart’s books, Dead Days of Summer crackles with good writing, boasts a plot that is both tight and fast moving, and is brimming with great characters. Only one question remained unanswered: Why Max?

By Diana. First published in the Cozy Library. May 3, 2006. ( )