Laughed 'Til He Died

March 1, 2010
In Anthony-winner Hart's lively 20th Death on Demand mystery (after 2009's Dare to Die
), more than one death in Broward's Rock, S.C., engages Annie Darling and her husband, Max. First, Click Silvester, a black teenager who hung out at the Haven, a teen activity center, apparently falls to his death from a wooden viewing platform in the woods. Later, someone shoots obnoxious Haven board member Booth Wagner on stage during an outdoor evening benefit for the center. Many had motives for killing Booth, including his stepson, Tim Talbot, who feared and hated him; his wife, Neva, who's curiously unmoved by his death; his former mistress, Jean Hughes, who was terrified of being fired as the Haven's director and becomes police chief Billy Cameron's prime suspect. A group of local ladies, led by mystery writer Emma Clyde, assist Annie and Max in the hunt for the real killer. Well-developed characters and a complex, fast-moving plot make for a satisfying read.

September 15, 2011
Annie and Max Darling are right in the middle of the action when Jean, the director of the island's youth center, appears to be the epicenter of three murders. The Darlings are certain that the evidence is both circumstantial and coincidental, but Jean has an excellent motive for one of the murders. Were the others merely collateral damage, as the police suggest? It's a complicated investigation, and narrator Kate Reading is put through her paces having to voice a variety of Southern and Northern accents, male and female, and an endless variety of ages. Reading has narrated the entire series and is comfortable with the characters, particularly with the cast who hang out in Murder on Demand. The well-plotted story makes up for the whining of some of the "guest" players.—Jodi L. Israel, MLS, Birmingham, AL

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