Laughed 'Til He Died

Death on Demand #20

by Carolyn G. Hart

“Carolyn Hart is one of the most popular practitioners of the traditional mystery.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer Return to Broward’s Rock in Laughed ’Til He Died , Carolyn Hart’s landmark 20th novel in her much loved and critically acclaimed Death on Demand mystery series. Island sleuths Annie and Max Darling must solve three related local murders in this wonderful new whodunit by the multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Award-winner—a must for fans of Diane Mott Davidson and Lillian Jackson Braun.

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

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

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

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love the Death on Demand mysteries and being with my island friends again. This one twisted and turned and came to a chilling conclusion.

[Una Tiers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea due to too much repetition.

[Kate McDougall Sackler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this is number twenty in a series, and to be fair, I have not read any of the others. It was meh for me. Too many characters to keep track of, and people behaving in ways that seemed unrealistic. Ugh.
Nursery rhyme challenge-laughed

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd forgotten how much I enjoy this series. This is the latest book. Always some humor, romance, and lots of mystery with plots, sub-plots and more!

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely complicated descriptions of coffee and meal concoctions, way too many characters, plus a mystery thrown in to hopefully pique interest. Didn’t work.

[Olivia Geers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just was not my favorite. It was a classic mystery but I often times found the writing awkward. I finished it though!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series has been a favorite cozy series of mine for many years. Annie Darling owns a mystery bookstore (Death on Demand, obviously) and mystery is the main theme throughout the series, both up front with the murders and in the background through the books Annie sells. The novels are full of mystery references which is sure to delight fans of the genre.

In Laughed 'Til He Died, the 20th installment of the series, Hart offers up a mystery that boggles the mind in the best way possible. By the middle of the novel, I was utterly convinced of the killer's identity. I was off base, but looking back, the clues were right there. I have read all the previous books in the Death on Demand series and feel rather acquainted with Hart's style, so it was a fantastic surprise to find myself so far off base.

The prime suspect in the murder comes to Max, Annie's husband, for help on another matter before the victim was killed. I loved how Annie and Max had a legitimate reason to be as involved in the investigation as they were. The island's famous mystery author, Death on Demand's best customer and Max's mom were all there to lend their specialized viewpoints as well.

Oh, how I wish there was a real Death on Demand close to home. A store full of nothing but mysteries, the coffee in mugs adorned with mystery titles, a big stuffed raven; the image sound like a place I would never want to leave. A scene where Annie was setting up themed displays, mentioning both famous and new to me authors and titles made me want to be Annie. What fun it would be to own Death on Demand (you know, without all the murders.)

Laughed 'Til He Died contains a great mystery surrounded by mysteries and was great fun. Actually, it was one of the very best in the series and if Carolyn Hart can entertain this well after 20 books, I would love to read at least 20 more.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was happy to visit with Max and Annie and see what they were up to, the only thing I hate about it is that I read too fast and now I have to wait AGAIN for the next episode. The only thing that I have to say about the Death on Demand series and I am probably in the minority here but I think Max is the sleuth and Annie just seems to stumble into trouble of which Max then has to rescue her. Yes, you can usually figure out who the murderer is before the end of the book but so can you in a lot of mystery series. I was pretty sure I knew who did the dastardly deed but I think that Hart keeps the story moving along and throws in a few curve balls so you just might have a little bit of a doubt. There is a nice surprise at the end of the book. I have commented in the Cozy Mystery group that I feel that it is time that Max and Annie add a new little "Darling" to the mix, we will have to see if Carolyn Hart agrees.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a Carolyn Hart for many years and I was happy to rediscover her at the library. This novel was just plain fun; I enjoyed all the characters except the police chief. This was #20 in the series so I assume the police have had experience with Annie and Max's sleuthing capabilities in previous cases. Since I also assume they were always successful in unmasking the killer, the police chief's open animosity and disregard for their information seemed too contrived. The "idiot" cop is a card too often played and does a disservice to the men and women who serve and protect.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about a 'Death on Demand' book? It was as good as she gets. I love the characters and would love to have them as neighbors. I want to own the bookstore and eat lunch each day with them.

The mystery was solid and I was confused which is just what I want in a mystery. I do not want to know who did it at the beginning.

Now, I have to await her next book...I'm waiting...

[Betty Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read but the good guys are too good and the bad guys just a little cardboardy . . . island life . . . characters who have nothing to do and enough money to lounge around doing whatever they want to . . . power . . . evil . . . money . . . wives . . .ex-wives . . . children . . . stepchildren . . . one asshole man in the middle of it . . .

[Chanel Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max and Annie are back at it again. A woman is blamed for the murder of her boss/lover because he had gotten tired of her a decided to get read of her. Max and Annie said they could help her keep her job, but she said that was in possible because her grandmother was in a house that could be taken away if she fought for her job. If she didn't she could keep the house until her mother passes; so when her boss/ ex-lover turns up dead everyone believes it is her. Annie and Max don't believe she could have done it and start to look around for the killer, but as they do they start to find how far reaching the boss nasty grasp was and how it was hurting everyone.
Over all this was a good book and excites us to keep reading the series.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely enjoyed it. When I started this book I didn’t realize it was twentieth in a series. It just looked interesting when it came across the desk, so I checked it out and took it home to read. I didn’t have any trouble following the characters or the storyline. I am sure there are some backstory details I don’t know, but it read just fine as a stand alone and was intriguing right up to the end.

I also liked all the reading suggestions. I made an entire list of authors to investigate!

[Deborah Lind · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know that I read some of the earlier books in the series, but I do not remember them that well.
I liked the characters in the story, which makes me come back to a series time and time again.

However, the author likes going into details about some of her suspects, but not all. In the end, the culprit is easy to pick out, but not a very good way to wrap up the story.

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this one, there is to be a talent show at the youth center and the children and youths are excited. However, the fun is spoiled when after the lights go out at the outdoor venue, a prominent citizen is murdered. Of course Annie and Max become involved.

[Hali Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

great mystery until the end

[Rachelle Ayala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was not so obvious and had me guessing until the end. Very clever. And as always, I enjoyed the antics of Emma, Henny, and Laurel. The police chief was a dunderhead, of course.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite mystery series. A crime occurs within the confines of a youth center on Broward's Rock. Annie and Max have to find out who the killer is before any more youth are murdered.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me a while to get into author's style, but once I did book picked up. will read others by her.

[Carol K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story. Interesting series with good characters.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A complicated murder investigation. I didn't particular like the main characters so probably won't read more in this series.

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I had to make myself finish this one. I used to really enjoy this series but this one moves soooo slowly and the solution was not particularly interesting.

[Nancy Parisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never read anything by this author before. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

bit of a slow start but a good mystery, Reliable characters and believable mystery.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! A good clean story with no vulgarity or coarse language. Kept one in suspense as to the murderer.

[Kimberly Blanchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not particularly fond of the book or writer. Very hard to follow and not written very clearly.

[Barb Czz]

These novels are so relaxing. I'm only jealous that I do not live on a beach island and the fish meals make me so hungry. Keep these coming.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

So poorly written I could hardly finish it. It seemed like this book was called in.

[Sally Brooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad story line but I would probably not read anymore of this series.

[Tomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of corny, but okay for a quick read.