Sugarplum Dead

Death on Demand #12

by Carolyn G. Hart

Carolyn Hart's Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Award-winning mystery series, Death on Demand, has long been a readers' favorite, with its richly evoked Southern atmosphere, ticklish wit, wildly eccentric characters, perplexing puzzles, and the most endearing pair of married sleuths since Nick and Nora Charles. Now the investigative efforts of Annie and Max Darling soar to a breathtaking new level, with a delightfully unexpected whodunit that's as sumptuous as a holiday dessert.

Sugarplum Dead

It's getting to look a lot like Christmas on the sea island of Broward's Rock, South Carolina. At the popular Death on Demand mystery bookstore, owner Annie Darling's energetic Yuletide preparations have to be put on hold thanks to several rather inconvenient distractions--including a slew of family woes ... and murder.

Annie's mother-in-law Laurel -- not normally the straightest of arrows anyway -- has taken to chatting up ghosts in the local graveyard. Across the island in a spacious, spooky mansion, ancient onetime movie star Marguerite Dumaney Ladson has called together all her living kin and their multitude of exes for her gala combination Xmas/birthday bash. Among the honored guests are two that Annie could well do without: her errant father, whom she hasn't seen in twenty five years, and Dr. Emory Swanson, Laurel's guide down "The Golden Path."

Like Laurel, wealthy old Rita Dumaney Ladson has fallen for Swanson's new-age-pseudo-occult gobbledygook. The question is: how are the gathered relatives going to react to the grande dame's announcement that she's leaving her fortune to the charismatic charlatan's Evermore Foundation? Not well, apparently, since a murder follows right on the heels of Rita's shocking revelation. And the finger of suspicion seems to be pointing straight at Annie Darling's recently arrived deadbeat dad.

Annie can feel no loyalty toward the father she's never really known, but she doesn't believe for a minute he's guilty. And when a second murder puts her conflicted emotions into an even more chaotic tailspin, Annie realizes that she will need all the help her easy-going PI. husband Max can offer to solve a related pair of homicides. Because, in this season of giving, fate is giving her more major headaches -- and a killer is giving her more corpses -- than even the normally unflappable Annie Darling may be able to handle.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Christmas, Cozy, Fiction, Holiday, Audiobook

294 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

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

[Mark Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annie gets a surprise this Christmas when her father, Pudge, walks into her store. He’s on the island because his ex-sister-in-law has summoned the family together. Annie winds up on hand when she makes an announcement that upsets everyone. The next night, someone dies and Pudge becomes the prime suspect. But Annie doesn’t think he’s the killer. Is she right?

This book seemed to wander a bit with the set up, and I was wondering when it was going to get to the point. But when it did, it was great with several twists that surprised me and an ending that wrapped everything up well. We didn’t see as much of many of the regulars, but Laurel has some fantastic scenes. We also get to know some of the suspects better than is often the case. The Christmas element was subdued, but the references to other mystery authors and books was toned down, which was great. This is another book that fans of cozy mysteries will love.

Read my full review Carstairs Considers.

[Ruth York · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable mystery. Easy to read, and I wasn't quite sure "who done it" until near the end. While it is a part of a series, I haven't read the others, so it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first in this series and by this author. I picked it up at the library book sale right before the holidays. I chose it because of the Christmas theme. It took me weeks to finish, and I confess I do not take weeks to read a book. It was almost halfway thru before the first murder occurred. I am not of fan of waiting that long for the crime. I like to get to it quick and spend the rest of the book figuring out "who done it". The background of all the characters and their relationships wasn't worth 100 plus pages. The ending then comes to quick! The crescendo build up was lacking.
The story had promise-just not the story for me.

[Amy Gonzalez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good murder mystery, but this one was a little too cluttered with names and gossip about the many names. The twist at the end was pretty good, but a little predictable.

Still, if you love a good, southern murder mystery (and some good gossip), then this might be the book for you!

[Lyn Soulia-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annie and Max are always in the middle of things. They make a good pair

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would like to preface this by saying that it was an enjoyable enough read and I kept going to see what would happen next. The story flowed well. However, I felt the whole time that this book didn't have an editor. There is almost no versatility in the author's word choice. Every other page appears the word damn as if there aren't any other cuss words available to the people on the island and things are described "as hell" pretty often (mad as hell, worried as hell, etc). Likewise, the fashion sense appears to only be slacks and sweaters, and the material of choice is either silk or slacks.

It is a slow moving book and I felt there were a lot of things that could have been cut. There's a lot of time spent describing the gardens or sentences where the character is sa prong their food, to which doesn't add anything to the story except to show that our characters enjoy eating.

It's not a bad book, I just felt that the author was writing her fantasy world instead of a decent story and if it had a good critique process it would have been a lot better.

[Janet Mahlum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed puzzling this mystery out. This is book #12 in a series, and the only one I have read, but it was easy to follow. There were some references to previous murders, but they really don't have anything to do with the current plot. (The thing about a mystery series that always gets me is, e.g., in this series, how can a book store owner in a small community be involved in so many murders? I'm an old lady and have never even known anyone involved in one.) In one review I read, the reviewer complained about being half way through the book before the murder actually took place and was unhappy with that because wanted to have more time to spend solving the mystery. Forewarned being forearmed, I took that time to puzzle out who the first murder victim would be. Actually, I would say the murder took place after the first third of the book. That left 2/3 to try and solve that murder and try to guess who the second victim would be and then solve that one. Everyone seems in agreement that there was only one murderer. (We know from the blurb there are 2 victims.) The first victim was easy, but the murderer was harder to figure out. My goodness! And the police were so stupid! First of all they arrest one of the obvious suspects and put that person in jail. I didn't keep a close track on the timeline, but I think that suspect was jailed more than 24 hours without really enough evidence to support a charge, which is illegal. Then a second suspect came into focus and was going to be charged in just a few days, meanwhile the first is still languishing in jail. The suspecting that second person was totally ludicrous. How could that person possibly be guilty of such a vicious attack? The author did minisculely address this point, but the police hung on anyway. The farther into the book I got, the more characters had to be eliminated. In the end, I was left with 2 - one had to be the second victim and one had to be the murderer. I vascilated between the 2 and had to stay up till the wee small morning hours to find out which was which because I knew if I put the book down and tried to go to sleep, sleep would elude me. I did guess right, but the ending was twisty turny and I couldn't be sure till the very end. I had the wrong motive entirely, but the motive in the book was perfectly logical, made total sense, and I'll be there are a number of readers out there that cottoned on to it. The very ending was a fairy tale, happily-ever-after ending which was a little schmaltzy, but every now and then we deserve a book with some schmaltz and feel-good.

[Chanel Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why do some of her best books have characters or topics that drive mom a little insane and because of her drive me insane too.
Annie and Max are getting ready to celebrate Christmas, and movie star that Annie and Max have an acquaintanceship with is going to throw a Christmas party for all her family, including her ex's. One of those ex's is Annie dad, and lets just say Annie does not have warm feelings toward her dad. This is the part where mom got a little upset. Annie does not want to forgive her dad and; yet everyone in the book is telling her she should because of the one lowing fact that he his her dad, now this point of view may have changed in little in modern times as families are being made up less and less of blood related people and more and more by a menagerie of people we pick and choose to become are family. Mom however has to friends whose have a parent who has and will always treat them terrible. Meaning they are not good people who they should always have in her lives, yet her friends get told constantly by other people, no her, that they should forgive there parents because they are there parents. Mom does not believe this and thinks for people to say one should just for give there ones parents because they are their parents and except them in their lives no matter what is a very poor advice if not setting some up for abusive situations and unhappy lives. (Mom would like to state here that she knows she is lucky to have such good parents and loves both her parents very much. I would also like to state here the I love my mom very much too.)
Mom says she gets that Annie's Dad is a bad guy, just that Annie should be given the free will to choose to have her father in her life and not given the stink eye, for not excepting him, by everyone around her.
Any way they are invited to the Christmas party and well there their host makes a shocking announcement that get her murdered not long after. Annie dad is under suspicion and to clear his name Annie and Max must solve the case.
The ending was spectacular and made the book a hit for mom and me.

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Residents of Broward's Rock, South Carolina are industriously preparing for the Christmas season but two families are in for a tremendous surprise. Annie Darling is festooning her bookstore with all manner of holiday cheer when in walks the last person on earth she'd ever expect to see...her father, who left her and her mother when she was young. On the other side of the island, Marguerite Dumaney is getting ready to host her birthday/Christmas party. She's invited, well commanded, her family be there for a big announcement. Then a murder stuns Dumaney house and the accused is none other than Annie Darling's recently returned father. Despite past hurts and some misleading evidence, Annie knows her father's not a murderer. She and her husband follow various trails to see what they can uncover. To add to the confusion is a so-called spiritual guru, Dr. Emory Swanson, who is leading Rita Dumaney Ladson to the 'golden path' so she can reconnect with her love. With more questions than answers, and with a sense of foreboding and threat, Annie becomes embroiled even further when she discovers a step-sibling amongst the Dumaney house occupants.

This cozy murder mystery took over 150 pages before I was even slightly interested in the story. But my rule to read at least 1/3 of a book saved it. While interminably slow-paced, it has a fantastic twist ending. It also has several false-starts, faux suspects, and dead ends. Not a particularly festive Christmas book but a great diversion from the sugary-sweet romances and family stories customary to this season.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sugarplum Dead by Carolyn Hart is book 12 of the Death on Demand mystery series set in contemporary Broward's Rock, South Carolina. It's Christmastime and mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling is decorating with pleasure, when she meets her father. The man who abandoned her and her mother 25 years ago. Annie refuses to 'make friends'; she has tried all her life to get over the hurt. Meanwhile Annie's mother-in-law Laurel seems to be about to cash all her assets and give them away to a shady character, Dr. Emory Swanson. Annie is determined to stop Laurel from being cheated out of her wealth. To Annie's annoyance, her husband Max does not worry about it (he knows his mother is eccentric, but she can take care of herself)...and Max wants Annie to reconcile with her father. So Annie faces conflict all around, including a confrontation with her half-sister. In a spooky mansion on the island, an aging movie star and all her descendants gather to celebrate her birthday. The group includes ex-spouses, such as Annie's dad; all are there for the money they hope to inherit, certainly not out of affection. Homicides at the mansion point directly to Annie's dad. Annie feels no loyalty, but believes him to be innocent. So of course she must solve the crimes to clear his name. Light entertainment, with the usual name-dropping of other mystery titles/authors.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cosy mystery to me, rightly or wrongly, means quirky & eccentric characters & while there's a wealth of characters here, I was sadly unimpressed with any of them - all of them lacked a plausible personality. Even the stars of the series, Annie & Max weren't any better. I couldn't work them out - how old are they supposed to be? At times they seemed to be 20-30 somethings but at others more like septuagenarians!

The storyline should have been okay but the descriptions of Marguerite's "spacious, spooky, mansion" - which quite frankly I found ridiculous - the poor, often cheesy dialogue & lack of anything to grip me, had me skimming more often than reading. It was quite repetitive at times, too long (by a good 100 pages!) IMHO for this type of tale & it was quite repetitive at times (haha)

As book 12 maybe its suffering from that slipping in standards syndrome that often afflicts many long running series. Maybe the earlier books have a bit more about them but I won't be bothering to find out.

1.5 stars from me.

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this one, Annie meets her father who had left her and her mother twenty-five years ago. He claims to have tried to keep in touch but Annie is skeptical. It turns out that her father had re-married after Annie's mother had died. That second wife, Happy, had contacted him saying that something was very wrong and she needed his help. Because of his protective feelings for Happy's daughter Rachel, Annie's father, known to his friends as Pudge, agreed to come. Happy was living in a strange mansion owned by her retired famous actress sister, Marguerite. Marguerite had become involved with a guru and was planning to donate all of her millions to his organization. Soon enough, Happy gets murdered and first Pudge and then Rachel are in turn accused. Of course Annie and her husband Max get involved.

[Christine Lucia Asha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really sure what to think about this one....hard to get into...ending that caused more confusion than acceptance. I liked the characters but there was much going on that made me think twice.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the setting is in a (to my mind) hideous and rather Gothic house on Browards Island, South Carolina. This gives the mystery a kind of creepy feel. There are both characters you love to hate as well as characters you like a lot and can sympathize and identify with. The last are in the most jeopardy of being accused of murder--if they are not murdered first. Annie Laurence and Max Darling make a good and supportive detective team, each bringing different skills to finding solutions, aided by Max's supremely confident and intelligent mother, Laurel.

Annie runs a bookstore called Death on Demand. One of the things I enjoy about a Hart mystery is the inclusion of the names of other mystery writers and their book titles, many of which I have bought and read with great pleasure.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Christmas time and Annie Darling is mostly just thinking about decorating for the holidays. She's not expecting her long-lost father to come out of the woodwork. Or that the reason for him being on the island is a command performance with his wife's family. One that includes a fifteen-year-old step-sister for Annie.
This book was fairly clued which was very nice and I liked the addition of some new characters. Laurel was actually used very well in this book (usually she just feels like a grown-up plot moppet) which was nice. I didn't get why Annie was so quickly forgiving of her father but it is one of the more enjoyable Death on Demand books.

[Karen Hufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute, easy to read. Annie is getting ready for Christmas when her absent father shows up and throws her world into turmoil. I kind of felt that more should have been done to explain why her mom hid from him, that part of the story was rather murky. Pudge's official reason for visiting the island was a call from his ex-wife who lived on Broward's Rock with her sister, Marguerite (an aging film actress) and a number of motley family members. Marguerite is preparing to sign over her fortune to an organization that focuses on bringing people close to loved ones who have passed away. A murder occurs, Pudge is blamed and only Max and Annie can help.

[Zermeena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable installment of Death on Demand. Annie's father returns after he and her mother separated when she was a child. When she was ready to hear his story, she learned that he was not the villain that she had made him in her mind. The mystery was good. It centered around an aging self-centered actress and her extended family. Marguerite had been taken in by smooth talking con artist who claimed to be able to help her contact her late husband.

Annie and Max were instrumental in solving the mystery. I missed spending time in the bookstore, but the book had a satisfying ending.

[FangirlNation · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annie Laurance Darling is in the midst of decorating her mystery bookstore, Death on Demand, when a man walks into the store and declares himself to be the father Annie has not seen since she was small in Sugarplum Dead, the 12th book in the Death on Demand series by Carolyn G. Hart. Angry at having been abandoned at such a young age, Annie shuns the man, who turns to Max for help with Annie.

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

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annie and Max get drawn into the Ladson family drama when Max's mother, Laurel is being scammed by a psychic who is also trying to scam the retired actress, Marguerite Dumaney Ladson, money holder of her family. The connection to the family is deepened by the fact that Annie's long lost father, Pudge, is ex-husband of the actress's sister, the murder victim. This actual murder mystery was OK but a clique in plot. The side story dealing with Annie's relationship to her father and step-sister was the more interesting part of the story that kept me reading.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Death on Demand novel. Annie's mother-in-law is acting more strange than usual and Annie receives phone calls from all over the island about her weird behavior. At the same time a onetime move star has invited all her kin, along with exes, to her mansion to celebrate Christmas/birthday. One of the guests is Annie's errant father and another is Dr. Emory Swanson, the mother-in-law's spiritual guide. One of the best in this series. Recommend

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed this series, but for some reason this one was particularly enjoyable for me. It was nice getting a bit more background on Annie's life, and to meet her long lost father. And the setting in a big weirdly designed house with a houseful of relatives was classic cozy. There were a number of twists and red herrings, but I have to admit I guessed the ending, although not long before the denouement.

[Sara 'capelle' parke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did anyone else find it strange that Annie’s ‘stepsister’ lived on the island and was so important to Annie’s father yet he never made it out to the island to visit her until now? If the island is so small and everyone knows each other how did Annie not know Mike from the gas station? It seems like as the series goes on more characters appear that have lived on the island for years yet nobody knows them.

[Cathie Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed feelings on this book. The beginning was slow. Rather boring and confusing. By the time I was about 1/2 way through, it started getting interesting. I'm glad I stuck with it. Good twists and turns. Characters were interesting. The thing that I didn't enjoy about the book was the long diatribes and the excessive descriptions. There was just too much stuff that bordered on boring or uninteresting. Recommend.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love these characters, I love their island, and I love Annie’s book store. Usually Carolyn Hart’s books bring you right into the store and make it a fun adventure that never stops. This time I felt the story dragged and never really picked up. There are definitely great points to the overall series that come from the book, but this has definitely been my least favorite book in the series.

[Ryan Barretto · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow and slightly tense murder mystery.

I wish the other characters who stayed at the house were given more lines and back story. They seemed too good to be true. The surprise at the end was ok, but not shattering. Also the lead character not as interesting as I thought at the start of the book.

It's a one time read only.

[Mishael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful series that I’m revisiting after several years (read several of these in the mid to late 1990s). Annie and Max are just adorable, and I love all the mentions of other mystery novels. I’m going to have to go back and catch up on the whole series now!

[Gloria Mccracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little better than some in this series. Not so much dithering and insecurity on the part of the protagonist.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series...and talk about crazy people and what they will do for attention.....and what they will do for money....and what the won't.....

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the motive for the murder/s in this story is contrived. A bit disappointing and not quite up to the standard I expect from Hart.

[Lori Wademan-Rodrigue · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit drawn out for me and I usually.....almost always.....love Carolyn Hart's books....