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Death on Demand #7
Buon compleanno, Agatha Christie
Quale luogo migliore per un delitto che un raduno di fan di Agatha Christie? E quale migliore autore per un giallo tradizionale di Carolyn Hart? Annie Darling si è buttata anima e corpo nei preparativi del convegno per festeggiare il centenario della nascita della sua adorata Agatha Christie. Ma quando uno spietato e odiatissimo critico letterario annuncia al club degli ammiratori della Christie che sta per scrivere la storia dei loschi retroscena della vita e delle opere della più grande scrittrice di gialli, Annie teme una catastrofe.
Infatti cominciano a succedere eventi strani... due persone muoiono e una di queste è proprio il critico che si lancia dal balcone della sua camera d'albergo per il folle terrore provocatogli da un raro esemplare di serpente che qualcuno gli ha recapitato. Tocca ad Annie risolvere un mistero molto britannico, nel più puro stile "christiano", prima che l'assassino colpisca ancora.
Infatti cominciano a succedere eventi strani... due persone muoiono e una di queste è proprio il critico che si lancia dal balcone della sua camera d'albergo per il folle terrore provocatogli da un raro esemplare di serpente che qualcuno gli ha recapitato. Tocca ad Annie risolvere un mistero molto britannico, nel più puro stile "christiano", prima che l'assassino colpisca ancora.
238 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
276 people are currently reading
937 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn G. Hart
126 books944 followersAlso 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
November 16, 2015
This is book #7 in the Death on Demand series, featuring mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling. She has organized a week-long conference in honor of the 100-year anniversary of Agatha Christie’s birth. But her plans for a wonderful event are threatened when a mean-spirited (okay, downright evil) attendee takes over with his blustering and loud demands. Neil Bledsoe seems to have made a career out of making enemies, and his plans to issue a “tell-all” biography of Christie that will shatter her many fans’ beliefs has everyone riled up. It’s no wonder someone takes a shot at him (though misses)! But the first death isn’t Bledsoe’s …
This is so over-written and poorly plotted that it would be laughable if it wasn’t so painful to read. The main reason I read mysteries (even cozy mysteries) is for the plot and suspense. I like to try to figure it out using my own “little gray cells” and love it when all the puzzle pieces fall into place. But there isn’t enough action here to keep me interested. Hart fills pages with snippets of conversation heard at the conference. She describes every outfit worn in detail - “a lemon blazer, a cream blouse and daffodil skirt.” And if I wanted to know more about Agatha Christie, I’d read a biography; giving facts on Dame Christie’s life in this mystery novel is just filler.
I had read the first in the series several years ago and enjoyed the references to many mysteries, authors and literary sleuths. But Hart seemed to go overboard using various Christie titles and plots in this book. I felt like I was being force-fed facts and that Hart was trying to impress with her extensive knowledge of Christie and her works. This technique did little to further the plot.
Hart apparently needed all that filler or she’d have only a couple of pages in the book. About the only technique she seems to have to build suspense is to regale us with scenes of Annie in a panic over what will go wrong next.
I’ll give her this … I didn’t figure it out much ahead of Annie.
This is so over-written and poorly plotted that it would be laughable if it wasn’t so painful to read. The main reason I read mysteries (even cozy mysteries) is for the plot and suspense. I like to try to figure it out using my own “little gray cells” and love it when all the puzzle pieces fall into place. But there isn’t enough action here to keep me interested. Hart fills pages with snippets of conversation heard at the conference. She describes every outfit worn in detail - “a lemon blazer, a cream blouse and daffodil skirt.” And if I wanted to know more about Agatha Christie, I’d read a biography; giving facts on Dame Christie’s life in this mystery novel is just filler.
I had read the first in the series several years ago and enjoyed the references to many mysteries, authors and literary sleuths. But Hart seemed to go overboard using various Christie titles and plots in this book. I felt like I was being force-fed facts and that Hart was trying to impress with her extensive knowledge of Christie and her works. This technique did little to further the plot.
Hart apparently needed all that filler or she’d have only a couple of pages in the book. About the only technique she seems to have to build suspense is to regale us with scenes of Annie in a panic over what will go wrong next.
I’ll give her this … I didn’t figure it out much ahead of Annie.
August 17, 2011
This was a really cute and relaxed mystery. Such a good commuting book. Plus Agatha Christie makes everything awesome by proxy. But I wasn't really super invested in any of the characters. I liked them and I disliked them. They seemed awfully stereotypical. The feisty one, the calm one, the sharp old lady, the annoying mother-in-law (and WOW was she annoying. Almost stopped reading), the obvious villain, the sweet but vulnerable woman, etc. And even though I enjoyed the story, there were 3 things about Hart's writing that specifically bothered me:
1. Hart's use of parentheses and asides. Some of the parentheses didn't need to be there since they were just a continuation of the previous sentence, and also, the asides were kinda dumb.
2. If I read one more thing about how adorable and perfect and handsome the main character's husband was, I was going to kill someone. I can see two people in love. That's great. Bully for you both. But she just FAWNED over him constantly. Every time she looked at him it was like she was 16.
And 3. She title and name dropped like cuh-RAY-zee. It got really obnoxious after the first 50 pages. The book's about a mystery bookstore owner who solves mysteries that crop up in her town. Great. I love bookstores. It just seemed like every paragraph had a mention of this author, or this specific sleuth or this book. And I'm sure Hart has read all of those and absorbed them. But it felt like she was just showing off all the things she knew about mystery fiction. And I hate that.
But I love mysteries and series. So I'll keep reading her books. Oh, this one is in the middle of the series, Death on Demand. I got so caught up with the Christie in the title, I forgot to check before I started reading. Bad Dominique! Anyway, read it. It's nice.
1. Hart's use of parentheses and asides. Some of the parentheses didn't need to be there since they were just a continuation of the previous sentence, and also, the asides were kinda dumb.
2. If I read one more thing about how adorable and perfect and handsome the main character's husband was, I was going to kill someone. I can see two people in love. That's great. Bully for you both. But she just FAWNED over him constantly. Every time she looked at him it was like she was 16.
And 3. She title and name dropped like cuh-RAY-zee. It got really obnoxious after the first 50 pages. The book's about a mystery bookstore owner who solves mysteries that crop up in her town. Great. I love bookstores. It just seemed like every paragraph had a mention of this author, or this specific sleuth or this book. And I'm sure Hart has read all of those and absorbed them. But it felt like she was just showing off all the things she knew about mystery fiction. And I hate that.
But I love mysteries and series. So I'll keep reading her books. Oh, this one is in the middle of the series, Death on Demand. I got so caught up with the Christie in the title, I forgot to check before I started reading. Bad Dominique! Anyway, read it. It's nice.
November 18, 2009
The BEST in the series. If you love Agatha Christie, or just enjoy mysteries, you will adore this book. You don't even have to read the previous works in the series to be able to follow the story. Annie, with the help of her family and friends, puts on a week long celebration of Agatha Christie. Her conference is booked and murder abound. Wonderful use of Christie's works interwoven throughout the story. Excellent mystery. It kept me guessing until the end. I could not put this one down.
August 31, 2019
Annie Laurence Darling, bookstore owner and amateur detective, has set up an elegantly extravagant mystery convention for writer, publishers, agents, editors, readers and fans to celebrate the 100th birthday of Agatha Christie. Amidst the conference fun, beautiful island setting, and charming and eccentric characters, murder rears its ugly head. Somewhat contrived plot.
February 21, 2022
This book is a love letter to Agatha Christie and mystery fans. In honor of Agatha Christie's 100th birthday Death On Demand mystery store owner Annie Darling plans a week long celebration of games, quizzes, food, and more. Authors, booksellers, editors, and fans from all over will flock to the small town of Broward's Rock Island. One of them will be a despised book critic. Soon after his arrival crazy things begin to happen including an attempt on his life. Will Annie be able to stop a murder?
There was so much going on in this book, in a good way. There are a lot of interesting and crazy characters. We get to see the whole festival play out and the details are amazing. It really felt like a convention that I want to go to. There may be some slight spoilers due to all the talk about Agatha Christie books so I didn't pay a lot of attention to information about books of hers I haven't read. Other mystery authors and books are also mentioned. It's a lot of fun seeing it all together.
The mystery was very interesting because it takes a while for a dead body to show up. There is a lot of action in the meantime. The more stuff that happens the more things don't make sense. But then as multiple characters try to figure things out, remember who all the characters are there for. Things aren't as simple as they seem. It's not an Agatha Christie novel but you should expect a twist.
I had a lot of fun reading this. There's actually a sense of fun with the book and many of the characters. It's a little bit longer than typical mysteries but every scene is worth it.
There was so much going on in this book, in a good way. There are a lot of interesting and crazy characters. We get to see the whole festival play out and the details are amazing. It really felt like a convention that I want to go to. There may be some slight spoilers due to all the talk about Agatha Christie books so I didn't pay a lot of attention to information about books of hers I haven't read. Other mystery authors and books are also mentioned. It's a lot of fun seeing it all together.
The mystery was very interesting because it takes a while for a dead body to show up. There is a lot of action in the meantime. The more stuff that happens the more things don't make sense. But then as multiple characters try to figure things out, remember who all the characters are there for. Things aren't as simple as they seem. It's not an Agatha Christie novel but you should expect a twist.
I had a lot of fun reading this. There's actually a sense of fun with the book and many of the characters. It's a little bit longer than typical mysteries but every scene is worth it.
December 8, 2020
so not only do we get a book that takes place at an actual Agatha Christie Centennial Book Retreat, we get an original and highly enjoyable mystery from Hart. Annie Laurence Darling, the very peppery protagonist, is hosting a book retreat celebrating the one hundredth birthday of famed mystery writer, Agatha Christie. we get to see many of our favorite reoccurring characters that we love because of the fullness of Hart's writing. they are very real people to us readers and so we are even more invested in their stories. the plot seems so straight forward...but is it? find out and see why I highly recommend this cozy mystery!
July 27, 2016
I shouldn't have even bothered to finish this book, but by the time I decided it was hopeless I'd read half of it, so I went ahead. Trying to make an Agatha Christi inspired mystery was obviously too much for this author. The plot was tedious and forced. The conclusion was convoluted.
November 8, 2014
I didn't finish it. A chore to get even part way through.
March 27, 2019
This is about my 5th time of reading this title. love the series and the characters. Should be a must read for Agatha Christie fans.
August 16, 2019
A decent murder mystery and 7th book in the "Death on Demand" series. "Death on Remand" is a bookshop for mystery lovers run by A couple, Annie and Max.
The story is set on September, 1990. Annie and Max arranged an Agatha Christie convention and invited contemporary mystery writers all over USA and their fans to celebrate the 100 years anniversary of Agatha Christie’s birthday. It not only brought the fans but also a vicious enemy in the form of Neil Bledsoe who was the strictest and vilest critic of Agatha Christie and Neil wanted to promote his own agenda, to publicize his own book which he is writing criticizing Agatha Christie.
From the beginning of the convention weird things started happening, Neil Bledsoe narrowly survived some weird ‘accidents’ as he also managed to start verbal fight with many people in the convention. Obviously many people dislike him and some have personal hatred and vendetta. Those funny accidents continues until the first murder happens, surprisingly it was not Neil who got murdered and this will not be the only murder, if the clever, cunning murderer is not stopped.
The writing is pretty good, very jolly and first paced. There were tons of Agatha Christie reference and trivia about the life of Queen of Crime. The solution was Christie-like, unexpected and surprising.
The story is set on September, 1990. Annie and Max arranged an Agatha Christie convention and invited contemporary mystery writers all over USA and their fans to celebrate the 100 years anniversary of Agatha Christie’s birthday. It not only brought the fans but also a vicious enemy in the form of Neil Bledsoe who was the strictest and vilest critic of Agatha Christie and Neil wanted to promote his own agenda, to publicize his own book which he is writing criticizing Agatha Christie.
From the beginning of the convention weird things started happening, Neil Bledsoe narrowly survived some weird ‘accidents’ as he also managed to start verbal fight with many people in the convention. Obviously many people dislike him and some have personal hatred and vendetta. Those funny accidents continues until the first murder happens, surprisingly it was not Neil who got murdered and this will not be the only murder, if the clever, cunning murderer is not stopped.
The writing is pretty good, very jolly and first paced. There were tons of Agatha Christie reference and trivia about the life of Queen of Crime. The solution was Christie-like, unexpected and surprising.
February 3, 2023
Probably one of my favorites so far from Carolyn G. Hart. I love Agatha Christie books and having a mystery that involves mention of her life and books was a fun read. Definitely made you think and kept me on the edge of my seat.
September 27, 2017
Not Kindle Unlimited, read this, hardback btw, quite a while back {before I was reviewing books on any sort of regular basis if at all}, and while it was more a 4 1/2 I remember, I do remember it {and still have the copy in with my Agatha Christie's of which have omnibuses as well as individual stories}. I liked it enough was happy to see a name actually remembered {horrible at names and titles} but unfortunately no on ku, and with as many as I read a day/week/month just no way could afford to get that many {including ones she co-wrote} but it was a nice blast from the past to the days when my eyes could still {speed read} instead of the computer having to somewhat robotic ally read to me {using kindle for pc, with audio plug in plus narrator and speakonia}, but I do remember it and the fact I kept it during all the various moves says something.
A group of Christie buffs. . .In honor of Agatha Christie's one hundredth birthday, mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance Darling plans a week-long celebration of mystery, treasure hunts, title clues, and Christie trivia. Yet even as the champagne is chilling and the happy guests begin arriving on Broward's Rock Island, Annie feels a niggling sense of doom. But the last thing she or her guests expect is that the scheduled fun and mayhem will include a real-life murder. The unexpected arrival of Neil Bledsoe, the most despised book critic in America, was sure to raise a few hackles. An advocate of hard-boiled detection and gory true crime, Bledsoe drops a bombshell on the devoted Christie assemblage: He's penning a scurrilous biography of the grand dame of suspense herself. Before the first title clue is solved, no less than two attempts are made on Bledsoe's life. Now Annie and her unflappable husband, Max Darling, find themselves trying to stop a murder in the making-only the first corpse isn't the one they're expecting. . .and it isn't the last.
A group of Christie buffs. . .In honor of Agatha Christie's one hundredth birthday, mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance Darling plans a week-long celebration of mystery, treasure hunts, title clues, and Christie trivia. Yet even as the champagne is chilling and the happy guests begin arriving on Broward's Rock Island, Annie feels a niggling sense of doom. But the last thing she or her guests expect is that the scheduled fun and mayhem will include a real-life murder. The unexpected arrival of Neil Bledsoe, the most despised book critic in America, was sure to raise a few hackles. An advocate of hard-boiled detection and gory true crime, Bledsoe drops a bombshell on the devoted Christie assemblage: He's penning a scurrilous biography of the grand dame of suspense herself. Before the first title clue is solved, no less than two attempts are made on Bledsoe's life. Now Annie and her unflappable husband, Max Darling, find themselves trying to stop a murder in the making-only the first corpse isn't the one they're expecting. . .and it isn't the last.
October 27, 2018
In honor of Agatha Christie's one hundredth birthday, mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance Darling plans a week-long celebration of mystery, treasure hunts, title clues, and Christie trivia. Yet even as the champagne is chilling and the happy guests begin arriving on Broward's Rock Island, Annie feels a niggling sense of doom. But the last thing she or her guests expect is that the scheduled fun and mayhem will include a real-life murder. The unexpected arrival of Neil Bledsoe, the most despised book critic in America, was sure to raise a few hackles. An advocate of hard-boiled detection and gory true crime, Bledsoe drops a bombshell on the devoted Christie assemblage: He's penning a scurrilous biography of the grand dame of suspense herself. Before the first title clue is solved, no less than two attempts are made on Bledsoe's life. Now Annie and her unflappable husband, Max Darling, find themselves trying to stop a murder in the making-only the first corpse isn't the one they're expecting. . .and it isn't the last.
April 19, 2023
Annie is hosting an author & book lover conference at the Palmetto House Hotel
in Broward’s Rock in a few days, so everything must be perfect. As the guests
start to arrive a “dark cloud” moves in over the hotel causing Annie to fear
that the conference will turn into chaos. As deaths start to occur Annie, Max & their
friends must find the killer(s) before everything she’s worked for falls apart.
in Broward’s Rock in a few days, so everything must be perfect. As the guests
start to arrive a “dark cloud” moves in over the hotel causing Annie to fear
that the conference will turn into chaos. As deaths start to occur Annie, Max & their
friends must find the killer(s) before everything she’s worked for falls apart.
March 10, 2015
I haven't read any Agatha Christie lately, but this book took me back to when I was a teen, and gobbled down Agatha's mysteries. Carloyn isn't quite as good as Dame Agatha, but who is?
This was great fun to read, and I enjoyed immensely. It makes we want to to back and read all of Agatha's mysteries one more time. Highly recommend if you're a mystery lover.
This was great fun to read, and I enjoyed immensely. It makes we want to to back and read all of Agatha's mysteries one more time. Highly recommend if you're a mystery lover.
August 20, 2016
Interesting Christie Connection
I'm a longtime Christie fan. I loved the references to her books. My only complaint is that the book was very long with multiple characters to keep up with. Also, the first murder didn't take place until the 50 percent mark. Still an interesting read.
I'm a longtime Christie fan. I loved the references to her books. My only complaint is that the book was very long with multiple characters to keep up with. Also, the first murder didn't take place until the 50 percent mark. Still an interesting read.
March 7, 2013
I have read this entire series up to date and this by far is my favorite. Good mystery that also introduces the reader to other mystery authors. Love the characters especially Max Darling(wish he were mine).
October 17, 2016
Just as another reviewer stated, the author seems intent on showing off her literary knowledge and especially in the audible version this was MORE than annoying....so life is short, and I put the book away.
I used to like this series, and now I wonder why?
I used to like this series, and now I wonder why?
November 27, 2017
This book is my favorite in the Death on Demand series. It is packed with Christie trivia. The premise is fun. I enjoyed attending the Christie Caper along with the characters. This is a must-read book for all Christie fans.
October 25, 2021
This is the best book written by Ms Hart. I would have loved to be at the the Christie conference. The story is well told and the characters are great. A lot of her books are very good, but this one has the most amusing plot and the worst villain of any of her books.
June 15, 2019
great plot
October 2, 2017
Too many characters. Too many suspects. Too convoluted a plot. Too much repetition of scenarios and plot points without any resolution until the 95% mark. Too much of a let down. Too stars.
March 15, 2018
Loved this chapter in the series, better plot and more interesting characters than earlier ones.
March 11, 2023
My third time reading this. It is one of my “ comfort “ books.
September 20, 2020
And in the end... justice is served.
I like to see justice meted out to bullies. That's what I enjoyed most about this book.
I like to see justice meted out to bullies. That's what I enjoyed most about this book.
May 23, 2020
3.5 stars, and the 0.5 star is for the ending. But, as Hart says through her writer character Emma Cylde, this is a "light, charming kind of mystery that provides a golden circle of peace...to readers who seek respite, readers who are in pain." I think that sums up why I've been reading so many cozy mysteries the past few months - they are comforting and nostalgic to me.
This was (according to Kindle pages at least) about 50 pages longer than the series' predecessors. And I'm not sure it was any better, the plot was kind of buried beneath Hart's celebration of Agatha Christie. I love Agatha Christie more than the average reader (I remember buying one of her books when I was probably 12 or 13 at the old Library Ltd. in St. Louis) but a lot of the conference didn't ring true to me. Like the featured speaker, Lady Gwendolyn, is giving a presentation that is supposed to be one of the main events of the week, and her talk is basically a biography of Agatha. That wouldn't be the case at a real Christie convention, where the basics are already known (heck, if I know about it, all the people who would pay for this would also know it).
And the mystery is lost underneath all of the Christie Clues in the scavenger hunt and the Christie costumes that people wear and the Christie titles that are referenced (I realized how many of them I haven't read, although I've read several twice). Also, I didn't really care whodunnit because the person in the crosshairs of the guns and mischief, Neil Bledsoe, is so awful that
Hart includes a cast of characters for the first time I can remember, in homage to Christie, I'm sure, but so many of the characters listed barely have a role - like Duane Webb is in there, and he has maybe one line in the whole book? Also who is running Death on Demand while Ingrid and Annie run the conference? And my other quibble is with the poster, just like the paintings in the bookstore. One poster features, "[an] angry young woman [who] yanks a pistol from her lap and shoots the athletic blond man." How can this be portrayed in a poster - we can't see the yanking of the pistol AND the shooting of the man in one frame?
I liked the ending but it wasn't enough to save the rest of the book - did Hart really need to include snippets of conversation from conference goers?? I don't think it added anything.
This was (according to Kindle pages at least) about 50 pages longer than the series' predecessors. And I'm not sure it was any better, the plot was kind of buried beneath Hart's celebration of Agatha Christie. I love Agatha Christie more than the average reader (I remember buying one of her books when I was probably 12 or 13 at the old Library Ltd. in St. Louis) but a lot of the conference didn't ring true to me. Like the featured speaker, Lady Gwendolyn, is giving a presentation that is supposed to be one of the main events of the week, and her talk is basically a biography of Agatha. That wouldn't be the case at a real Christie convention, where the basics are already known (heck, if I know about it, all the people who would pay for this would also know it).
And the mystery is lost underneath all of the Christie Clues in the scavenger hunt and the Christie costumes that people wear and the Christie titles that are referenced (I realized how many of them I haven't read, although I've read several twice). Also, I didn't really care whodunnit because the person in the crosshairs of the guns and mischief, Neil Bledsoe, is so awful that
Hart includes a cast of characters for the first time I can remember, in homage to Christie, I'm sure, but so many of the characters listed barely have a role - like Duane Webb is in there, and he has maybe one line in the whole book? Also who is running Death on Demand while Ingrid and Annie run the conference? And my other quibble is with the poster, just like the paintings in the bookstore. One poster features, "[an] angry young woman [who] yanks a pistol from her lap and shoots the athletic blond man." How can this be portrayed in a poster - we can't see the yanking of the pistol AND the shooting of the man in one frame?
I liked the ending but it wasn't enough to save the rest of the book - did Hart really need to include snippets of conversation from conference goers?? I don't think it added anything.
March 25, 2023
Annie Laurence Darling is hosting The Christie Caper, a week-long tribute to the queen of crime on her one hundredth birthday. But the event is being crashed by Neil Bledsoe, a reviewer who hates all but the most hard boiled mysteries and has made lots of enemies. Things have hardly started before the attacks on Neil begin, but he still goes ahead with tearing down Agatha Christie. Can Annie figure out what he is up to and stop him before someone stops him permanently?
Obviously, this book came out quite a few years ago since it was tied to Agatha Christie’s centennial. But that hardly matters since this is a great puzzle worth of Christie herself. I did find the pacing a little slow as it neared the middle of the book, but things picked up again not too long after that. All the characters we know and love are here once again, and they are fantastic. I do find Annie’s temper a little annoying, and hope it tones down as the series progresses. The suspects are strong as well. We get a great dose of humor as the book goes along. As with the others in the series, there is more foul language than I would expect for the genre. All told, this is another fine addition to a well-loved series. Fans of Christie will also enjoy it.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Obviously, this book came out quite a few years ago since it was tied to Agatha Christie’s centennial. But that hardly matters since this is a great puzzle worth of Christie herself. I did find the pacing a little slow as it neared the middle of the book, but things picked up again not too long after that. All the characters we know and love are here once again, and they are fantastic. I do find Annie’s temper a little annoying, and hope it tones down as the series progresses. The suspects are strong as well. We get a great dose of humor as the book goes along. As with the others in the series, there is more foul language than I would expect for the genre. All told, this is another fine addition to a well-loved series. Fans of Christie will also enjoy it.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
October 4, 2018
Annie Darling with the help of her husband Max (cute as a grown up Hardy Boy) and her mother-in-law, Laurel (goes off on wild tangents in a wacky way) have planned a mystery convention to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Agatha Christie. Annie's book store, Death on Demand, is the best bookshop "this side of Atlanta," and since she lives on Broward's Island off the coast of South Carolina is somewhat of a misnomer. But, it is the kind of bookshop I would love to have in my neighborhood! Before the official start of the convention, Annie hosts an open house party complete with champagne. Into this happy occasion comes Neil Bledsoe, tall, muscular, handsome, but obnoxious and begins hurling insults around. He is a critic/editor/writer who spreads hate and destruction wherever he goes. He belittles Christie, saying he knows the truth about her that has been hidden for years by those who thinks she's a marvelous author, and of course whom he hates. (He loves only hard-boiled mysteries with heroes much like himself. That night there are gunshots, which break a picture window at Death on Demand.
The mystery convention sounds like fun with it's treasure hunt, panels with famous authors, trivia contest and come as your favorite Chrisite character dance. Unfortunately for all concerned it is plagued by various non-fatal but frightening accidents and two deaths!
The mystery convention sounds like fun with it's treasure hunt, panels with famous authors, trivia contest and come as your favorite Chrisite character dance. Unfortunately for all concerned it is plagued by various non-fatal but frightening accidents and two deaths!
March 8, 2018
In many ways, I struggled with this book - it took me a long time to complete it. There were some positive aspects to it, but also some negatives.
Positives: I loved the tributes to Agatha Christie - these were scattered throughout the book and were a pleasure to read. The main characters were likable and I enjoyed reading some of their exploits. The ending was quite satisfactory and solvable (I know, because I had a pretty good idea whodunit from about half-way through, if you are a fan of Mrs Christie, you too should see the parallels). The villain of the piece was a despicable person (at time, almost a pantomime villain).
Negatives: The plot moved far too slowly in places and I kept losing interest. Parts of the story are too dark for this to be a truly cosy mystery. Some of the extra characters lacked depth.
All-in-all, this isn't a bad book, but I can't say it is anywhere near one of my best reads this year. I gave it 3 stars because of the AC links - without them, I probably would have given up before the end. I will, however, try others in this series.
Positives: I loved the tributes to Agatha Christie - these were scattered throughout the book and were a pleasure to read. The main characters were likable and I enjoyed reading some of their exploits. The ending was quite satisfactory and solvable (I know, because I had a pretty good idea whodunit from about half-way through, if you are a fan of Mrs Christie, you too should see the parallels). The villain of the piece was a despicable person (at time, almost a pantomime villain).
Negatives: The plot moved far too slowly in places and I kept losing interest. Parts of the story are too dark for this to be a truly cosy mystery. Some of the extra characters lacked depth.
All-in-all, this isn't a bad book, but I can't say it is anywhere near one of my best reads this year. I gave it 3 stars because of the AC links - without them, I probably would have given up before the end. I will, however, try others in this series.
May 20, 2022
This is a really fun novel in this series. As a mystery and as a tribute to Christie it is a wonderful success. Though the plot is no Christie plot, it plays an admirable homage to her and so many of her colourful characters. It is a fun, easy read with the usual scattering of mystery pop-culture references, this time heavy on Christie (obviously) but with enough other references to keep the most diehard mystery fan happy. If you enjoy Hart and her allusions to famous (and not so famous) works of literary mystery and her penchant for peppering her writing with oblique (and no so oblique) characters from other mystery writers' characters, then this is a fun read.
An aside to everyone who picks up a Death on Demand novel (especially one midstream in the series) and complains about all the mystery character references, that's kind of like reading Black Beauty and being annoyed about all the horse stuff. It's kind of the point, folks. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
An aside to everyone who picks up a Death on Demand novel (especially one midstream in the series) and complains about all the mystery character references, that's kind of like reading Black Beauty and being annoyed about all the horse stuff. It's kind of the point, folks. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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