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    Death on Demand
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    Death on Demand
    Unavailable
    Death on Demand
    Audiobook7 hours

    Death on Demand

    Written by Carolyn Hart

    Narrated by Kate Reading

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    At Annie Laurance's Death on Demand bookstore on Broward's Rock Island, South Carolina, murder suddenly isn't confined to the well-stocked shelves. Author Elliot Morgan's abrupt demise during a weekly gathering of famous mystery writers called the Sunday Night Regulars is proof positive that a bloody sword is sometimes mightier than a brilliant pen. With Annie in the unenviable position of primary police suspect, the pretty young mystery maven and her wealthy paramour, Max Darling, embark on an investigation into a classic locked-room mystery with high stakes. Failing to unmask a brutal and ingenious killer could mean prison for Ms. Laurance. Success could mean her death. Who could plot a murder better than a mystery writer?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 8, 2012
    ISBN9780449807385
    Unavailable
    Death on Demand
    Author

    Carolyn Hart

    An accomplished master of mystery, Carolyn Hart is the author of twenty previous Death on Demand novels. Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. She is also the creator of the Henrie O series, featuring a retired reporter, and the Bailey Ruth series, starring an impetuous, redheaded ghost. One of the founders of Sisters in Crime, Hart lives in Oklahoma City.

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    Reviews for Death on Demand

    3.5/5

    223 ratings18 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      This was a cute and quick read, I like mysteries, though I figured it out pretty early in the book and waited for Max and Annie to figure it out.
    • 3/5
      This first book in the series was basically, to me, an introduction to the characters, the island and the premise. I enjoyed the story, but would like to see more in the future books. I had heard a lot about how good this series was, so hope I am not disappointed in the next one. The nice thing about the book is the name dropping of great Mystery books and Authors that I will be able to investigate as well.

      Annie has inherited her Uncle's Bookstore, Death on Demand. She has renovated it, started new promotions and is building on the Mystery appeal. The island is home to several Mystery Writers who get together at the store every Sunday night. At one of the meetings, one of them is murdered. Annie is suspected of the crime and the Police Chief also thinks she may have killed her uncle. Along comes an old boyfriend, Max, who wants to marry her. Together they solve the mystery and Max decides to stay on the island and open a detective agency. More to come in that relationship I am sure.
    • 3/5
      A little break from the intensity of [The Sea, the Sea] was needed, and I had picked up this recommendation, so I tried it. It's very light, somewhat unrealistic even for the genre, I think. An amateur detective makes all the wrong moves, accompanied b her rich lawyer non-boyfriend who has followed her to a tiny island community in the south. When I went to catalog this, I found the original date was 1987, which makes perfect sense to me. It does feel a little dated.
    • 4/5
      This is a lovely mystery book, very light and enjoyable.
      SPOILER:
      One of the problems I had with the book was that when she reached the harbor and asked someone to call for the sherif she didn’t ask for help for the deputy (who was injured).
      There were a lot of more than amateur mistakes or awkward behaviors, which were a bit far fetched, but if you remind yourself this is a light mystery and you’re looking for an enjoyable book, this one is for you.
    • 3/5
      Solid start to the long running series.
    • 5/5
      This is my first experience reading a novel by Carolyn G. Hart and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

      "Death on Demand" is the name of the bookshop which caters to my first choice of reading selections ~ Mystery and Detective Stories. With the numerous references to mystery titles and mystery authors throughout the story, I could now go back and savor exploration of those I did not recognize. I also appreciated the descriptive language used by Carolyn G. Hart that captured my attention and added to my visualizations as I was reading. Here are a few examples:
      “Saulter's ulcer burned like melting tar in August.”
      “…pointing out the constellations that glittered in the southern sky like diamonds against black velvet.”
      “The only sounds were the occasional rustle as squirrels scampered from limb to limb, the soft thud of falling cones, and the tap of fragrant pine needles against the pitched roof of the house.”
      Closing the novel there remains one question which is quite perplexing to me. What is the purpose of the dog being shown on the front cover?
    • 3/5
      Audio book performed by Kate Reading.

      Annie Laurence inherited her uncle’s estate on Broward’s Rock Island, South Carolina, including the mystery bookshop Death on Demand. She’s made a success of it, partly because the quiet island is home to several successful authors, who regularly meet at her store on Sunday evenings for coffee and an informal presentation about writing mysteries. But tonight one of them – Elliot Morgan – is planning to reveal the other authors’ secrets, and Annie would just as soon not have a scene in the store. When the presentation is interrupted by a power failure she is momentarily relieved, only to find that while the lights were off Elliot was murdered. Before long she is the target of the police chief’s suspicions regarding not only Elliot’s murder, but her uncle’s untimely death, and the deaths of several other island residents. Her dear friend Max Darling lends a hand to help clear her name and find the true culprit.

      This is a fun cozy made more enjoyable by the many references to mystery writers, books and famous literary sleuths (Mrs Pollifax, Hercule Poirot, etc). If the murderer is a tad too prolific (and successful at killing) in such a short time frame, well that can be forgiven. Hart keeps the plot moving and the interest level high. The romantic tension is mostly in the background but adds a nice touch of spice to the mix. Kate Reading does a fine job on the audio, with a good pace and enough changes in inflection to differentiate the characters.
    • 4/5
      What a wonderful setting and main character!
    • 3/5
      Interesting setting and premise, but heroine acted immaturely. Got tired of her putting herself in danger to one-up her boyfriend.
    • 4/5
      I read a bunch of books by this author and then I stopped reading them. Don't remember why and I don't remember this book. This one was early in the series and probably one of the ones I liked enough to pick up later ones in the library.
    • 3/5
      A "cozy mystery" and first in a series set in an island off South Carolina. Annie Laurance owns a mystery bookshop there, Death on Demand popular with a bunch of mystery writers who regularly meet there. Soon after one odious author among them threatens to tell their secrets, he's killed and Annie finds herself a suspect. She's helped by Max Darling, an old flame who comes to visit her from New York City. A lot of the fun of this book is all the references to classic mysteries and writers, but it wasn't enough to make me want to read more of the series. Mostly, that's because of Annie herself. She's more in the too-stupid-to-live category than the super-sleuth category and the police chief determined to suspect her denser than lead. I also thought the identity of the murderer rather obvious from the beginning, so as a whodunnit this didn't impress me, but it was a light, quick read featuring an appealing romance.
    • 3/5
      An owner of a bookstore specializing in mystery books holds weekly Saturday evening meetings with the island's mystery writers. At one of these meetings,the power goes off, a thud and a scream ring out in the darkness. When the lights come on, one of their own is found dead on the floor, a poisoned dart in his throat.The island's rather ineffective police chief wants to pin the murder on Annie, the owner of the bookstore. But she knows she didn't do it, and so does her boyfriend, Max. If the police aren't going to search too hard for the murderer, then they'll have to do something about it themselves.And so their investigations begin. What did Elliot, the dead man have on all of those gathered at the meeting? He had said that he was going to be announcing all the nasty secrets of them all. Is that what caused his death? It does seem that none of the Saturday evening attendees had a spotless past. But which was it that was enough to kill? And what connection, if any, did this murder have to do with the murder of a vet just the night before, and a 3rd murder the day after? And was the accidental death of Annie's uncle really a murder?Annie and Max are pressed for time trying to tie all these questions before the killer strikes again or before Annie is arrested for murders she did not commit.Lots of references to titles of mystery books throughout.
    • 3/5
      Death On Demand is about a woman who lives on an island and owns a mystery bookstore. She is accused of a triple homicide and it's up to her and her ex-boyfriend to figure out who did it. I kept guessing at who the guilty party was but was wrong. It was a good enough book that I'm looking into the series.
    • 3/5
      Annie has recently found herself owner of her late uncle's mystery bookstore named Death on Demand. Every Sunday she has a group of mystery writers in as a group to discuss whatever it is mystery writers talk about. This Sunday goes a little different than past ones. One of the writers, Elliot, is speaking on all the dirt he's managed to dig up on all the other group members. But just as Elliot gets started something happens, he ends up dead, and Annie end up the prime suspect.As Annie and her friend Max rush around the island to find clues to clear her name, several more end up dead. This is where I started losing interest. I have read further books into the series, and enjoyed them. I just could not get into anyone here and the solution seemed somewhat thrown together at the last second. It just wasn't quite my cup of tea.2.5/3
    • 4/5
      On a whim I plucked this book off my mystery shelves, and I am so glad that I did. I read one book in the Death on Demand series long ago, and bought some others to try out, including this one, the first in the series. Then they were put on my shelves and forgotten, which is a shame, because this book was so much fun. The main character, Annie Laurance, runs a mystery book store, and there are references galore to other mystery books and series. In fact, the only down side to reading this was that it made me want to read a ton of other mysteries right afterward. As for the story itself, it was nothing new - a member of her mystery writers club is murdered, and everyone else is a suspect - but the characters were fun, the setting was evocative, and the romantic tension between Annie and Max was wonderful. I'm definitely returning to this series.
    • 5/5
      LOVE this series. Death on demand is the first in the Death on Demand series. It is a great story. Annie Laurence, proprietor of Death on Demand mystery bookstore is the main suspect in the murder of a hated local author. The murdered guy was really hateful, and there was a slew of people who wanted him dead. Great cozy mystery. I also love how Annie has a plethora of mystery knowledge.
    • 5/5
      February 12, 2000Death on DemandCarolyn HartThis has been one of my favorite cozy mystery series’ for some time now – the Annie Laurance Darling “Death on Demand” series, as it’s called. This is the very first book in the series, and I had never read it because it’s never in the library. I bought the paperback at Barnes & Noble.Death on Demand is the name of a bookstore. Annie Laurance, originally from TX, is a failed NY actress who inherits the bookstore, which is located in the moss-dripping, fern-covered island town of Broward’s Rock, South Carolina. She’s inherited the store from her beloved Uncle Ambrose, with whom she spent many summers as a child, working and playing at the bookstore. So now Annie’s in Broward’s Rock permanently, and close behind is Max Darling, her love interest from NY. They had broken up shortly before, primarily because they’re so different. Max is extremely rich, lazy, and pleasure-seeking, and Annie is hard-working, poor and honest. Max has followed her to SC, so almost from the start they’re a team (they get back together, naturally).I love the fictional bookstore. There’s a stuffed raven named Poe perched by the inside of the door, and a local artist paints scenes from mystery novels for the walls for a monthly contest.This first story centers around a group of local writers who gather every Sunday night at the bookstore. One of them, a trash-writer named Elliott Morgan, unwisely reveals that his new book will reveal secret dirt about all of the others. Of course he ends up dead shortly thereafter, and everyone has a motive. Even Annie has a motive, because he actually owned the building her shop is in and was threatening to raise her rent to an impossible point. I plan to buy the others in the series and read them in order (not all at once, but over time).
    • 3/5
      This is the first book I've read in this series. Mystery book store owner is accused of murder. It was okay but I didn't like the 80s feel to the romantic angle of the story.I prefer Marianne MacDonald's heroine in her Dido Hare antique bookstore series.