Murder Walks the Plank : A Death on Demand Mystery

Death on Demand #15

by Carolyn G. Hart

It's "Corpse ahoy!" when death takes a pleasure cruise -- as we set sail once more with that incomparable, crime-solving duo, the Darlings. Annie Darling, popular proprietress of the Death on Demand bookstore, has done it again! Her murder-mystery cruise in the waters off her not-always-idyllic isle of Broward's Rock is sure to be a roaring success, with every participant dressing up as a favorite fictional sleuth. And sure enough, everything goes swimmingly -- until one of the revelers plunges overboard. And despite hubby Max Darling's courageous rescue attempt, faux murder turns all too quickly into real-life death. Over the next few days, the body count rises and Annie strongly suspects that all the victims were murdered most foully and that they are all connected in some unknown way. The trick now will be to prove it, with the able assistance of investigator-spouse Max, best friend and best customer Henny Brawley, local bestselling superstar Emma Lloyd, and even (surprise!) Annie's normally ditsy mother-in-law, Laurel. But what the intrepid crime solvers do not realize is that the killer they seek is more ingeniously efficient than most -- and the puzzle they wish to solve is, in reality, a time bomb packed with an explosive mix of arson, assault, kidnapping, robbery . . . and homicide, of course. One false step and Annie and her canny cohorts will be blown off Broward's Rock for good . . . and they'll sink like stones into the cold, briny deep.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Audiobook, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Also writing as Carolyn Hart.

An accomplished master of mystery with 46 published books, Carolyn Hart is the creator of the highly acclaimed Henrie O,Death on Demand, and Bailey Ruth Raeburn series. Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Letter from Home (2003), her standalone mystery set in Oklahoma, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest book is Dead by Midnight (William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2007). She is one of the founders of Sisters in Crime, an organization for women who write mysteries. She lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma."
New Books: Dead By Midnight Carolyn Hart


DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart On Sale March 29

The police say suicide. Annie Darling suspects murder. Max is unconvinced until Annie follows a trail behind the dead woman's house.

Annie unravels the mystery of a towel hidden at midnight in a gazebo, the interesting lack of fingerprints on a crystal mug, blood on a teenager's blue shirt, and the secret of a lovers' tryst. Max plunges deep into the woods to find incriminating evidence.

Annie sets the perfect trap for a merciless killer, but her cell phone rings and Death is on the line.

www.CarolynHart.com

And for cat lovers:

DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart

I love to have fun when writing a mystery. If I laugh, I think a reader will laugh. In the Death on Demand series, I especially enjoy writing about Annie Darling's ditzy mother-in-law, Laurel Roethke. Laurel is usually excited about a new interest, something that surprises and often confounds Annie.

In Dead by Midnight, Laurel creates Cat Truth Posters, which she wants Annie to hang in the bookstore. Annie thinks books should be the store's focus, but the posters enchant her.

Each poster features a cat's photograph with a caption. Here are three of the Cat Truth posters;

. . . a silky furred, mitted, and bicolored Ragdoll stretched out on a red silk cushion, looking as comfy as Eva Longoria in a Hanes ad: Go with the Flow.

A rectangular-muzzled, green-eyed, cholocolate colored cat appeared as brooding as a Gothic hero: Always Say Yes to Adventure.

. . . a thick-furred, piebald Siberian forest cat, its white front a brilliant contrast to a charcoal back and head. Its face appeared almost angelic: Always try a Smile First.

And yes, one of the posters points to a killer.

Fun for me and fun, I hope for readers

Reviews

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolyn Hart never fails to entertain me while keeping me sleuthing right alongside her protagonist Annie Darling. This is one cozy mystery, published in 2004, that I can't believe I hadn't read before now. Definitely one of my favourites!

Annie Darling has planned another exciting event, this time aboard a ship in the waters near Broward Rock, South Carolina. (fictional island). Annie is pleased to see so many in costumes of popular book sleuths and all is going well when there's a scream and someone is overboard. Is it a suicide attempt or attempted murder? Shortly thereafter another murder occurs, a car is missing and a wealthy senior is dead, presumably another suicide attempt. Things just don't seem to be as cut and dry to Annie who proceeds, with the enlistment of her husband and some local friends, to uncover the mystery of these occurrences.

I did begin to suspect who the murderer was, but it was about the same time that Annie did though it wasn't revealed until later in the story. Another magnificent example of superb writing, Murder Walks the Plank doesn't fail!

[Scilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy this series, but the plots are getting a little far fetched. In this book, a woman falls off the deck of a Mystery cruise sponsored by Death on Demand bookstore. She is a woman with no enemies, and even though it is discovered that she was probably unconcious when she went flying over the rails, the police consider it accidental. Another murder then keeps Annie busy trying to discover the murderer on the island. The next to last chapter has the brief scary encounter with the murderer trying to execute one more murder with a family member in danger.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best stories of the series.

[katie ⋆⭒˚.⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was cute (idk how a mystery was cute but anyway-) but not spectacular. a good transition book.💚

[Nancy Zorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author has a couple habits that annoy the crap outta me and made it difficult to enjoy the story.

First, she frequently breaks a character's dialog mid-sentence to interject some trivial b.s. Once you've completely forgotten how the sentence began, she then decides to complete the character's dialog. This is done in such a way that I regularly had to go back, re-read the beginning of the quote, and eliminate the interjection just to make sense of what was being said. Really? Page 291, "Anyway, I was in line for a Pepsi-" Insert six, yes, SIX LONG sentences concerning the main character thinking about Pepsi. blah, blah, blah, Pepsi. blah, blah, blah, fizzy. It's hot. I want a Pepsi. On and on. "-when all the commotion started." Huh? What? Annoying.

The other thing that annoyed me was the constant mystery author/book/quote name dropping. Page 312: "I love all these books-Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn, Masquerade by Walter Satterthwaite, Death by Misadventure by Kerry Greenwood, The Cincinnati Red Stalkings by Troy Soos, and Our Man in Washington by Roy Hoopes." Is this shameless plugging? Or just a display of your encyclopedic knowledge of the genre? Whatever. Annoying.

And, clearly, the little island where the main character and her husband reside is inhabited entirely by people who don't swear. Not that I need swearing in a book but the gosh-golly-jeepers kind of dialog took everything out of the realm of realistic. I'm sorry, but someone is about to murder my kid. I think there might be some swearin'. Just sayin'

Yeah, I know, everyone's a critic. Eh, this book was OK in A-Murder-She-Wrote kind of way.

[Alannah Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent addition to Carolyn Hart's "Death on Demand" series of cozy mysteries. In this one, Annie Laurance Darling hosts a murder mystery cruise on a local boat just off the island on which she lives. One of the guests plunges overboard.

The mystery surrounding this was one of the most fascinating that has ever been brought up by any mystery author I've ever read. Who would want to kill someone who followed all the rules, had a genuinely good heart, and truly had no enemies in the world...and no secret background of intrigue/adultery/or any other naughtiness? Who would want to kill a truly good person like Pamela Potts?

As a lifelong mystery buff, I found the answer to be - strangely - both satisfying and irritating. Satisfying because I thought it was a good answer for the victim/character, and irritating because I thought it was an easy out for the author.

This being said, I found it difficult to put this book down. The characters here are strong and ndividual. The love story between Annie and husband Max could have been sappy in the hands of a lesser writer, but I totally believe Hart's characters.

Overall, a great page-turner and a mystery than made me want to know exactly who did it. I highly recommend it for "Death on Demand" fans, as well as for mystery lovers who haven't read the series before. Laurel (Annie's ever-ethereal mother-in-law) will cause a new reader to go "Huh?!" but otherwise, it is a good stand-alone mystery.

[FangirlNation · Rating 5 out of 5]

To raise money for the literacy program, Death on Demand is sponsoring an evening mystery cruise, complete with dinner, a murder play, and a treasure hunt in Murder Walks the Plank, the 15th book in the Death on Demand series by Carolyn G. Hart. Everything is going splendidly until the cry of "Man Overboard!" Max dives into the water and saves Pamela, the community do-gooder, whom Annie and her cohort are convinced was pushed in a murder attempt.

Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder Walks the Plank by Carolyn G. Hart is the 15th book in the Death on Demand Mystery series. A murder mystery cruise organised by Annie Darling, owner of Death on Demand bookstore, sees one of the participants pushed deliberately overboard and Annie and her friends are once again investigating. An interesting mystery with plenty of references to fictional sleuths and mystery books. I particularly enjoy trying to guess the mystery paintings. I love that Annie and Max have a supportive relationship and make a terrific team. An enjoyable and charming cozy mystery.

[Kitty Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent plotting with a tongue in cheek sense of humor. I particularly enjoyed the way the characters came to life, flawed but sincere and good hearted. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good cozy.

Excellent, characters are funny,flawed, and sincere. Plot is good with just enough twists to keep you guessing. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good cozy.

[Barbara Blindauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. I liked how everyone pulled together that two people did not commit suicide or have accidental deaths. I did find that some details were left unanswered but they were minor and the character I liked the least was no whom they seemed.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

the book was OK for something to read while on break at work but other than that had too many annoying characters to read for fun. the biggest turn off was all the mentioning of turning off cell phones, even in 2004 phones weren't turned off as frequently as they do in the book.

[Chanel Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh boy this one had some of the most "cozy" feels, and that might just be because Pamela is a very cozy person. This made mom long for reading a more cozy mystery book that have more of a firm foot in the coy mystery genre. There is the one scene where they are in Pamela's house and it just sounds so beautiful and warm, and happy made mom so joyous.
Anyway this mystery starts with Annie and Max, along with the rest of the gang planning a mystery cruise. (Not a long one, just a night long one). Pamela is also helping Annie to plan the cruise, and just as they are putting the last touches on the cruise Pamela calls Annie to thank her for the free ticket for the cruise. She hangs up before Annie can tell her that she did not give her a ticket. Annie shrugs it off thinking that some nice person was just thank Pamela for all her help. However evil strikes on the cruise when Pamela "falls" over the side of the ship. Stopping the cruise and leaving Annie one of the only people, besides her female sleuthing team, that someone was trying to murder Pamela. Annie and the gang set out to figure out why someone would try to hurt Pamela.

[Julienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder Walks The Plank is a mystery novel following amateur sleuths in investigating the death of the presumed death of a woman with a good heart and follows all the rules. But the story did not end there. There are more deaths to follow. But the police dismissed those as suicide and robbery. Annie Darling with her husband Max and her friend Emma put it in themselves to solve the mystery of these murders. To their surprise, there is a bigger picture at stake.

This book is a page-turner and anyone can easily follow through the story since the author makes sure to set the readers in knowing the characters, their possible motives and their relationship with each other. The author also made sure that main characters are with depth and personality. In addition to this, the author did not take away information just to keep us guessing, she openly put it down there for its reader to be fully immersed in the story. And that's the reason why, near the end, I have figured out the culprit.

This book will make you want to be a detective while warming your heart and making you laugh.


All in all, it is a nice and easy read

[Mark Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annie Darling has been plotting a harbor cruise to raise funds for a local charity. But the mystery themed event turns real life mystery when someone falls overboard. While everyone thinks it was an accident, Annie is sure it was murder. But can she figure out what happened before another tragedy strikes?

I’ve been looking forward to this book since the title is so fun. I’m glad to say it lived up to my expectations. Yes, I’m tired of law enforcement not taking Annie seriously, but on the whole, I enjoyed seeing the characters again. The mystery is very well done with plenty of good suspects, twists, and red herrings. Yet things made sense at the end. Since we are now in the era when I was reading mysteries, I enjoy seeing some of those books pop up in the references to real mysteries this series is famous for. If you are a fan of this series, you’ll be glad you picked this one up.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't believe I read this before, it was barely familiar. (Although it was more than 10 years ago, well before I'd read any of the earlier books in the series.)

I'm not surprised that Pamela wasn't actually dead- I was probably just as surprised as Annie when she learns that the would-be murder victim was secreted away to a cabin on an island to try and keep the murderer from harming her again. The whole weird thing with Annie's sister and her classmate Cole was boring, though, and as other reviews have pointed out, the most unlikable character (the lawyer) turns out to be the killer. (Which I'm still kind of confused about - he stole money from his client Meg's trust and then killed her because she was going to find out - and that was because she finds out her first husband was still alive? A bit hard to follow.)

I would totally love to be on that mystery cruise otherwise and solve the mystery of who took the jewels!

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't care for this one too much.

In addition to being frustrated in books that magnify police ineptitude while normal citizens solve the murder, I just couldn't get into it.

I absolutely believe that part of my struggle to embrace the book was that I was starting on number 15 so I don't have the benefit of 14 other stories to learn to love the characters. That was a big part of my problem; I didn't know who anyone was and this book left out most backstory (which is a complaint for a different day) and character development.

As soon as Annie and Max learned what happened Sunday morning, I figured it out. So it was mildly predictable.

Mostly this was just an "eh" kind of book. I stuck it out to learn the motive more than the killer.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regular readers will probably know the name of Pamela Potts. She's the slightly annoying do-gooder who seems to volunteer (and recruit volunteers) for every single good cause on the island. But that's no reason someone should want to chuck her off the boat where Annie's hosting a charity mystery cruise. Yet, she's in the water and it's up to Max Darling to jump in and save her. And it's up to his wife, Annie, to figure out who done the deed when the police determine it to be suicide.
Nice to see a B-level character brought to the fore. I hope that Pamela does not stay there as I find her to be as annoying as Annie does.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking for a fun, easy entertaining read? There is no better place to start than with Annie and Max Darling on Broward's Rock.

Annie, owner of the Death on Demand bookstore, puts on a mystery cruise but the mystery is not the one she planned when a friend of her's goes overboard. The local police think it's an accident or suicide but the Darlings know that it's decidedly a crime, especially as the body count starts to climb. It's just one of the challenges facing this loving duo who are determined to get to the answers necessary to solve the murderous happenings on the South Carolina island.

[Rachel N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the 15th installment of the Death on Demand mysteries Annie Darling is throwing a mystery cruise to benefit the local literacy society. The cruise is cut short when someone falls off the boat, or were they pushed, and is saved by Max. Soon a definite murder occurs and Annie is convinced the two are connected. The mystery was pretty easy to solve in this one but having read this far into the series I'm half reading because I like the characters. Some of the characters get to be a bit too much for me if I read the books to close together but I will continue on with the series.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this may be my favorite in this series so far. The deaths occur early on so you have the whole book to figure out who done it. The characters and the setting are beautifully described. The story develops quickly but each chapter seems to bring a new suspect. You think you know who the killer is but, you are wrong! Well, I was wrong anyway. I do not like to post the plot or give the story to you, you just have to read it yourself.

[Tommie Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to read Carolyn Hart religiously, but stumbled on this one at the thrift store and couldn't recall reading it. It was okay. Didn't really grab me at first, but held out until the end, and didn't really feel surprised about the murderer, but it seems to me that he wasn't exactly fleshed out as a character didn't really make much sense, but so it goes

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annie Darling plans a murder mystery cruise and a guest falls overboard. Annie doesn't believe it was an accident and the police don't believe her. Then there is another mysterious death in which the police believe to be accidental and Annie believes they are connected. Many twists and turns to keep you guessing.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun, escape fiction mystery. I like this series!

[Paige Kuether · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, well written but the murderer is someone you don't know anything about till the very end of the book.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Death on Demand murder mystery. Good story line. Enjoyed.

[Gail Nebl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always a fun series. Great summer reading.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent mystery and excellent reader.

[Lyn Soulia-Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess i expected more on the water, I couldn't get into this book

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A killer whose motives are all about money and saving their own skin, but aren't those the reasons for most murders?

[Bridget Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

too precious for me