April Fool Dead: A Death on Demand Mystery

I have to say that Carolyn G. Hart is one of the few authors writing two series, almost concurrently, about which I would be hard pressed to say which I enjoy more. Usually, I have a clear preference. Her other series, the Henry O. books, has a main character that is tougher than either of the stars of these, the Death On Demand mysteries - Annie & Max Darling, but these books tend to have more humor and light heartedness that I find enjoyable.In this entry, Annie is preparing her store for a signing party for the new book by local author, Emma Clyde. Someone uses her technique of advertising the signing, however, to drudge up some old mysteries on the island and creates some hard feelings in the villagers. When a teacher is killed and is implicated as the person behind the fake flyers, Annie and Max attempt to straighten the situation out. All in all, a great book, just what you expect from Ms. Hart.

This was yet again another great Darling mystery in the Death on Demand series. Never is there a time in this book where the reader gets bored by the ongoings of the characters. Carolyn Hart keeps the clues coming with each page you turn so that the reader can also try to figure out WHODUNIT! In this part of the series Hart throws you off of what truly is going on the small Broward's Rock Island. Once you begin the Death on Demand series you will fall in love with the many characters and simply have to read more.

Beside the fact that Carolyn Hart is great, this book was one of her best. It get's you from the beginning & has you guessing all the way to the end. I was really surprised to find out who the killer was. But it was fun trying to guess. Very good book.

Annie and Max Darling have taken charge of Annie's stepsister Rachel while Pudge is off traveling. One of the local high school teachers is found shot to death at her home. She happens to be one of Henny Brawley's best friends. In her hallway, the police find boxes of bogus flyers meant to upstage the ingenious promotion Annie's Death on Demand is sponsoring to celebrate the newest Emma Clyde mystery. Henny is convinced that Kay (the deceased) had nothing to do with the flyers, and Annie and Max promise to help find out who killed her. In addition to this mystery, Laurel is in search of drug dealers,scandalous doings are going on among the faculty and students at the high school,and retired police chief Frank Saulter is being stalked by a killer from the past. It seems that Annie and Max have gotten themselves into more than they bargained for this time.This is among the best of the series so far. The story lines merge well into each other, and even though the author gives you all the clues, it is still difficult to solve the mystery. It is especially hard to separate the different plot lines, but alot of fun to read and try to figure it all out!

Max and Annie Darling live on the island of Broward's Rock off the coast of South Carolina. Annie is a type A personality who believes in the work ethic while Max is a charming and rich individual whose definition of work is golf, tennis and sex. In the case of this husband and wife team opposites attract and work together well especially when they are involved in a homicide investigation as they have been a dozen times in the past. Murder is the furthermost thing from Annie's mind as she gets ready for a book-signing event at her store Death on Demand. She is doing a lot of promotion for this occasion, but becomes furious when somebody steals her ideas to stir up gossip about old crimes and scandal by distributing a flyer that looks like it came from her bookstore. When a local resident is murdered and the flyers are found at her home, Anne feels like she has an obligation to find out who the killer is (with a little help from Max of course). April Fool Dead is the quintessential amateur sleuth novel starring two delightful protagonists. Part of their charm resides in the fact that they are happily married and not afraid to show it. The mystery itself is intricate, complex and multi-layered and it's only when the audience reaches the end does the reader finally understand how cleverly the sub plots tie back to the main story line. Ms. Hart pens another winner.Harriet Klausner