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Death on Demand #8
Southern Ghost
Annie Darling, owner of the Death on Demand bookstore, is shocked to hear talk about her husband, Max, and a beautiful blonde. By the time she’s faced down a hostile police chief and bailed Max out of the Chastain, South Carolina, jail, the lady has vanished and Max is the prime suspect in an unspecified crime. The baffling, bloodstained trail leads straight to the doorstep of Tarrant House, home of the venerable Southern family with a violent history dating back to the Revolution—and ghosts of a far more recent vintage.
Annie and Max find that the dignified façade of Tarrant House hides a hotbed of deadly passions as the family turns on itself in a mayhem of murderous motives and angry accusations. But in the end Annie must summon all her sleuthing skills to stop a desperate killer who is ready to strike again to keep the secrets that haunt the Tarrants from the light of day. . . .
Praise for Southern Ghost
“Tantalizing . . . keep[s] the reader guessing all the way.” —The Denver Post
“Pleasing . . . chillingly effective…remarkably satisfying.” —Publishers Weekly
“[Annie and Max] make one of the most attractive pairs of sleuths since Dashiell Hammett’s Nick and Nora Charles.” —Chicago Sun-Times
Annie and Max find that the dignified façade of Tarrant House hides a hotbed of deadly passions as the family turns on itself in a mayhem of murderous motives and angry accusations. But in the end Annie must summon all her sleuthing skills to stop a desperate killer who is ready to strike again to keep the secrets that haunt the Tarrants from the light of day. . . .
Praise for Southern Ghost
“Tantalizing . . . keep[s] the reader guessing all the way.” —The Denver Post
“Pleasing . . . chillingly effective…remarkably satisfying.” —Publishers Weekly
“[Annie and Max] make one of the most attractive pairs of sleuths since Dashiell Hammett’s Nick and Nora Charles.” —Chicago Sun-Times
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1992
75 people are currently reading
728 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 63 reviews
September 9, 2015
This was the first of the Death on Demand books I've read. Of course, I had to start in the middle of the series. The first few were not in at the time, but I wanted to see if I would like the characters and the storyline. It wasn't bad and I had heard her writing was different in this one than the others so I will stay with the series for a few more books. To really make up my mind.
April 15, 2018
Max Darling is working on a case and not sharing many details with his wife Annie. When he ends up in jail, Annie goes to bail him out although the police had insinuated that Max was seeing a beautiful blond. Now the blond is missing and Max and Annie are asked to help sort out a decades old murder.
This was a first time author for me. I liked the story and the plot but it tended to get bogged down a bit for my taste.
This was a first time author for me. I liked the story and the plot but it tended to get bogged down a bit for my taste.
November 3, 2019
Mom and I are starting to find that some books in the series can be hit or miss for her. Some set ups seem to turn mom off well other seem to be right up her alley. This one was right up mom’s alley.
First if we got more of our favorite mystery couple. Mom feels if your going to do a mystery couple than use that to your advantage. As much as we love the other characters, it is beyond frustrating having this amazing couple and not using them as the author did in the previous book. Mom will admit that our other characters were missing a little more from the book, and mom would have been fine see a bit more, it was still not bad where they stood in this book; which leaves up with one more anorable mention mom wanted to write. Nettie was away in this book; but the author did a very good job keeping her a part of this book by having her send letters to Annie and Max, and having them reading them constantly through out the book.
As for the setting of the book. Mom just loves a family murder and it was so fun watching all the family drama unfold. It was also fun to see Dora again.
It was a great mystery and can’t wait to see where the next mystery takes us.
First if we got more of our favorite mystery couple. Mom feels if your going to do a mystery couple than use that to your advantage. As much as we love the other characters, it is beyond frustrating having this amazing couple and not using them as the author did in the previous book. Mom will admit that our other characters were missing a little more from the book, and mom would have been fine see a bit more, it was still not bad where they stood in this book; which leaves up with one more anorable mention mom wanted to write. Nettie was away in this book; but the author did a very good job keeping her a part of this book by having her send letters to Annie and Max, and having them reading them constantly through out the book.
As for the setting of the book. Mom just loves a family murder and it was so fun watching all the family drama unfold. It was also fun to see Dora again.
It was a great mystery and can’t wait to see where the next mystery takes us.
February 9, 2010
Wasn't as wowed by this book as I was with by the first couple books in this series. It seems as the series goes on, the books get less interesting. Which really saddens me, because I LOVED this series at first.
July 12, 2011
A little slow, a distinct lack of references to other mystery novels and writers (one of Hart's calling cards), and an unnecessarily convoluted family history. My least favorite of Hart's "Death on Demand" series so far.
July 3, 2019
An old southern family has more skeletons in the closet than I have bookcases. Yep, that many.
June 5, 2020
As is often the case at mystery bookstores, Annie stocked a good many cat titles at Death on Demand. After all, reading mysteries and loving cats seem to go hand in paw.
As always with Hart's Death on Demand books, I had a hard time getting into this but once I did, it was enjoyable. I think part of why I struggle is that I don't really love Hart's starting (and very short) chapters - I usually forget about them, and they don't usually have relevance to the rest of the book. There are usually 5 and we meet supporting characters doing various things. Often they are victims in the book. Here, we meet Ross Tarrant in Chapter 1, and it seems like it's happening in the present - but as we learn later, he actually died 22 years ago.
This revolves around a wealthy family in Chastain, and Miss Dora Brevard is related to them. She has reopened the case of the deaths of Augustus and Ross Tarrant, a father and son who died on the same day. Allegedly, Ross killed himself and Augustus died of a heart attack after hearing the news. But is that actually what happened?
Thankfully, Henny and Laurel are both out of town in this one. I don't not like them, but these are two characters where I don't need a lot of them. (It's kind of like too much Grandma in Stephanie Plum books... a little goes a long way.) Henny is traveling in England and sends postcards to Annie, and Laurel is researching ghosts in Charleston. The references to other mysteries are actually not rampant in this book, which is actually fine with me. Many times they are shoe-horned in, and since Annie isn't at the bookstore much, instead staying in Chastain while she and Max work the case, there really isn't much of a place for them.
I love how Hart actually refers to herself in this book, too. ("If an idea strikes one author, why, it will strike another...There was the year Joan Hess, Marian Babson and Carolyn G Hart all did murder weekends.") I did actually look up what book she wrote that was about a murder weekend! And I do like that her mysteries are done a little differently every time.
As always with Hart's Death on Demand books, I had a hard time getting into this but once I did, it was enjoyable. I think part of why I struggle is that I don't really love Hart's starting (and very short) chapters - I usually forget about them, and they don't usually have relevance to the rest of the book. There are usually 5 and we meet supporting characters doing various things. Often they are victims in the book. Here, we meet Ross Tarrant in Chapter 1, and it seems like it's happening in the present - but as we learn later, he actually died 22 years ago.
This revolves around a wealthy family in Chastain, and Miss Dora Brevard is related to them. She has reopened the case of the deaths of Augustus and Ross Tarrant, a father and son who died on the same day. Allegedly, Ross killed himself and Augustus died of a heart attack after hearing the news. But is that actually what happened?
Thankfully, Henny and Laurel are both out of town in this one. I don't not like them, but these are two characters where I don't need a lot of them. (It's kind of like too much Grandma in Stephanie Plum books... a little goes a long way.) Henny is traveling in England and sends postcards to Annie, and Laurel is researching ghosts in Charleston. The references to other mysteries are actually not rampant in this book, which is actually fine with me. Many times they are shoe-horned in, and since Annie isn't at the bookstore much, instead staying in Chastain while she and Max work the case, there really isn't much of a place for them.
I love how Hart actually refers to herself in this book, too. ("If an idea strikes one author, why, it will strike another...There was the year Joan Hess, Marian Babson and Carolyn G Hart all did murder weekends.") I did actually look up what book she wrote that was about a murder weekend! And I do like that her mysteries are done a little differently every time.
July 11, 2022
Outstanding story! I was doubtful about this series when I first started reading it. I wasn't sure if I was enjoying the books as much as I should. I quickly changed my mind and have become a huge fan. This was my favorite one by far. The characters are well written, the moving back and forth in time seamless, and the story riveting. You have a guess as to who you think did it and how it is going to come out, but you aren't quite sure until the end. The way a mystery is meant to be enjoyed.
January 28, 2018
This was a very intense cozy mystery. I loved the characters and the plot. The setting was so wonderfully described that it seemed like another character. The only drawback was the length of the chapters. I felt they were too long.
September 24, 2018
A young woman engages Max to find out the details of the deaths of her birth father and his father but disappears after a panicky phone call. The woman's grandaunt then enlists Max and Annie to unravel the mysteries, as long hidden, murderous threads begin to unravel.
April 11, 2018
Same issue; except this storyline was lacking my attention. The constant listing is still too much for my taste anymore. Hoping to find a good balance between good and research reporting,l.
June 27, 2020
Took a bit to get to the end. Usually love this series
February 27, 2021
This was a really good book. I could live forever without the character of Laurel, but otherwise this was solid and engaging. 3+ stars.
Read
May 3, 2021October 2012, Robin B, Fiction
June 15, 2021
Who kept killing off the Tarrant family?
Sybil did not know her child had lived until 20+ years after her birth, so how/why did she have Courtney's photos at different ages through the years?
Sybil did not know her child had lived until 20+ years after her birth, so how/why did she have Courtney's photos at different ages through the years?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2022
Laurel is so annoying but I’m still in this series, I guess
May 18, 2022
Best of this series so far.
June 21, 2025
2.5 stars. Deaths from decades ago come back to haunt an influential family in the South when a young woman shows up asking questions.
April 20, 2025
Max and Annie are summoned to find about two deaths that occurred twenty years ago. Lots of twists and turns to keep you reading.
September 24, 2016
This series frustrates me. I like the stories, the plot and the characters but I don't care much for the Author's style. I thought this particular story was a bit below par with the central characters mostly watching events unfold around them. The mystery was fun but I struggled with the way it was presented.
February 22, 2017
Southern Ghost, the eighth book in the Death on Demand series by Carolyn G. Hart is a much-deserving winner the 1992 Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards for Hart, then-president of Sisters in Crime. In this book, Max takes the lead from Annie, who usually gets the pair embroiled in their mystery cases. Max starts investigating a 22 year old death, reaching back to 1970.
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
October 9, 2021
A few weeks ago I was listening to "Book Club Girl's" BlogTalk Radio show and she was interviewing Emily Gray Tedrowe about her book "Commuters". I book I've read and reviewed earlier.
Well, in the course of the interview Emily mentioned how she found it odd more author's didn't write about their characters reading and I believe she also talked about how they didn't talk about other books or authors in their books. I had to agree with her. I always find it weird that characters don't read or talk about books and authors they like. Sometimes I think they may be afraid readers may think "Holy Cow, that sounds like a better book" and run back to the books store to exchange the book they're reading for the book mentioned in the novel. Now, I'm sure that is not really the case. (Well, maybe it is in some cases) But gosh, come on you're a writer shouldn't some of you characters read?
I think on of the things I like best about Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series is not only does her main character read (after all she does run a mystery book store) she mentions authors, book titles, and even characters in the books. I will admit I'm caught off guard when she mentions herself but it does make sense since she's a pretty popular mystery author and she would be a big seller in a mystery book store.
Anyway "Southern Ghost" was one of her middling Annie and Max Darling mysteries. The set up of a missing girl didn't work for me. While the main mystery - a murder and suicide that occurred 20+ years earlier was a good one - the solution came together rather quickly and seemed a bit disconnected from the investigation they had done. Really it was solved by another character in the story which I didn't mind but you missed her investigation so the conclusion was a little forced. But I do really like these characters and the location of the story so I really did enjoy the book overall.
Well, in the course of the interview Emily mentioned how she found it odd more author's didn't write about their characters reading and I believe she also talked about how they didn't talk about other books or authors in their books. I had to agree with her. I always find it weird that characters don't read or talk about books and authors they like. Sometimes I think they may be afraid readers may think "Holy Cow, that sounds like a better book" and run back to the books store to exchange the book they're reading for the book mentioned in the novel. Now, I'm sure that is not really the case. (Well, maybe it is in some cases) But gosh, come on you're a writer shouldn't some of you characters read?
I think on of the things I like best about Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series is not only does her main character read (after all she does run a mystery book store) she mentions authors, book titles, and even characters in the books. I will admit I'm caught off guard when she mentions herself but it does make sense since she's a pretty popular mystery author and she would be a big seller in a mystery book store.
Anyway "Southern Ghost" was one of her middling Annie and Max Darling mysteries. The set up of a missing girl didn't work for me. While the main mystery - a murder and suicide that occurred 20+ years earlier was a good one - the solution came together rather quickly and seemed a bit disconnected from the investigation they had done. Really it was solved by another character in the story which I didn't mind but you missed her investigation so the conclusion was a little forced. But I do really like these characters and the location of the story so I really did enjoy the book overall.
December 31, 2023
Max Darling has taken on a new client he’s been keeping secret from his wife, Annie, owner of the mystery bookstore Death on Demand. However, that changes when the client, a beautiful young woman, disappears and Max is arrested for the crime. Annie doesn’t believe it, and together, the two of them work to figure out what really happened. The key appears to be tied to something that happened twenty years ago, the case that Max was hired to investigate. Is there more to figure out than the official story? If so, can Annie and Max figure out what happened then and find his client in time?
The plot really does focus on the mystery from the past, but I’m not complaining. It was a strong mystery with lots of motives and twists to keep me engaged. The suspects are all strong, and I appreciated that we got to know them a bit before we got their full backgrounds. Annie’s temper wasn’t as strong as in other books, and it had more of a comedic effect here. Speaking of comedy, the sub-plot with Max’s mom and her research project on ghosts of the south was wonderful. The references to other mystery books are still here but are more subdued, making them a fun bonus. If you want to see why this series is so beloved, this is a good one to pick up.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
The plot really does focus on the mystery from the past, but I’m not complaining. It was a strong mystery with lots of motives and twists to keep me engaged. The suspects are all strong, and I appreciated that we got to know them a bit before we got their full backgrounds. Annie’s temper wasn’t as strong as in other books, and it had more of a comedic effect here. Speaking of comedy, the sub-plot with Max’s mom and her research project on ghosts of the south was wonderful. The references to other mystery books are still here but are more subdued, making them a fun bonus. If you want to see why this series is so beloved, this is a good one to pick up.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
November 13, 2014
"Annie Darling, owner of the Death on Demand bookstore, is shocked to hear talk about her husband, Max, and a beautiful blonde. By the time she's faced down a hostile police chief and bailed Max out of the Chastain, South Carolina, jail, the lady has vanished and Max is the prime suspect in an unspecified crime. The baffline, bloodstained trail leads straight to the doorstep of Tarrant House, home of a venerable Southern family with a violent history dating back to the Revolution -- and ghosts of a far more recent vintage.
"Annie and Max find that the dignified facade of Tarrant House hides a hotbed of deadly passions as the family turns on itself in a mayhem of murderous motives and angry accusations. But in the end Annie must summon all her sleuthing skills to stop a desperate killer who is ready to strike again to keep the secrets that haunt the Tarrants from the light of day ..."
~~back cover
Five short enticing chapters start this one. But this one felt more boilerplate to me, and not as enjoyable as some of the previous books.
"Annie and Max find that the dignified facade of Tarrant House hides a hotbed of deadly passions as the family turns on itself in a mayhem of murderous motives and angry accusations. But in the end Annie must summon all her sleuthing skills to stop a desperate killer who is ready to strike again to keep the secrets that haunt the Tarrants from the light of day ..."
~~back cover
Five short enticing chapters start this one. But this one felt more boilerplate to me, and not as enjoyable as some of the previous books.
July 3, 2013
I thought we had turned a corner. I truly believed that we'd gotten past the everyone-realted-to-the-heroine-is-accused-of-murder stage in this 8th book in the series, but no. At least this time the suspicion was fairly short lived.
It could have been wonderful, I'm not certain. There are two timelines in one, intertwined plot line in _Southern Ghost_. It might be that if I read this again some other time flipping back and forth between the two time lines would be cool. But in this read they felt odd. Also troubling is the fact that maybe I come from a boring family, but really can any family be *this* dysfunctional?
I suppose the best parts of this for me was coming to appreciate Miss Dora, and being glad I'm part of a far more functional family than the one in this book.
As I leave this book behind, I have one wish: please can the murder suspect in book 9 be someone we don't know for a change? Pretty please.
It could have been wonderful, I'm not certain. There are two timelines in one, intertwined plot line in _Southern Ghost_. It might be that if I read this again some other time flipping back and forth between the two time lines would be cool. But in this read they felt odd. Also troubling is the fact that maybe I come from a boring family, but really can any family be *this* dysfunctional?
I suppose the best parts of this for me was coming to appreciate Miss Dora, and being glad I'm part of a far more functional family than the one in this book.
As I leave this book behind, I have one wish: please can the murder suspect in book 9 be someone we don't know for a change? Pretty please.
December 5, 2017
Two cases for Annie and Max to solve, in mainland Chastain, SC.
A beautiful blonde, last seen in the company of Max, has disappeared, and is presumed murdered. Max is in jail for the alleged crime, but Annie is certain he's innocent.
While Max and Annie are looking for the missing woman, they're also carrying out what she hired Max to do - find out what really happened 22 years ago when her father and grandfather died.
A beautiful blonde, last seen in the company of Max, has disappeared, and is presumed murdered. Max is in jail for the alleged crime, but Annie is certain he's innocent.
While Max and Annie are looking for the missing woman, they're also carrying out what she hired Max to do - find out what really happened 22 years ago when her father and grandfather died.
July 27, 2015
#8 in the Max and Annie Darling mystery series set on Broward's Rock off the South Caroline coast. Max is hired by a young woman to discover what actually happened 22 years ago with the deaths of her grandfather and father. The action takes place in a small town on the "mainland" near Broward's Rock. The town is dominated by two interconnected wealthy families who settled there in the 18th Century.
The woman quickly disappears under mysterious circumstance leaving Max as a suspect in the eyes of the local police chief. This is mostly Max's story with taking the lead as opposed to Annie leading, though she does identify the murderer before Max does.
The secondary leading character, Miss Dora, the dowager of both families, really steals the story.
The woman quickly disappears under mysterious circumstance leaving Max as a suspect in the eyes of the local police chief. This is mostly Max's story with taking the lead as opposed to Annie leading, though she does identify the murderer before Max does.
The secondary leading character, Miss Dora, the dowager of both families, really steals the story.
February 7, 2016
Really enjoyed this charming cozy mystery set in South Carolina. I haven't read Carolyn Hart's Annie and Max Darling "Death on Demand" series in quite a while but as I was reading I caught up rather quickly with the spirit of the series. Annie owns a mystery bookstore called Death on Demand in South Carolina. She has two adorable cats (Agatha and Dorothy L) and a new gorgeous husband named Max. Invariably, someone is dead and Annie gets involved in a spitited way to help solve the crime. This story involves a suicide/death from 22 years ago that may not be what it is proported to be. The book is also filled with southern ghost stories and disappearing heiresses and quite a few strange characters, all involved in solving the mystery. Quite a good read. Enjoy.
October 4, 2011
Its true that this particular book from the series doesn't follow her usual narrative, but that's okay. She still gives you a great mystery. Ms Hart is fabulous at throwing all of these "clues" to you, so that you can try to figure it out on your own- that's half the fun of reading mysteries! The red herrings, the important ones all a mishmash, and again that's what makes a really great author great... Some of the reviews discuss the family history, well, yea, there have been murders IN THE FAMILY and to find out any potential MOTIVE or possible perpetrators, you have to get to the history, the WHY of it all.
If she keeps writing, I'll be there reading!
If she keeps writing, I'll be there reading!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews