Death of the Party

March 7, 2005
That comfy crime-solving couple, bookstore owner Annie Darling and her devoted husband, Max, investigate the murder of media magnate Jeremiah Addison in Hart's feel-good 16th Death on Demand mystery (after 2004's Murder Walks the Plank
). Addison apparently fell by accident down the marble staircase inside his mansion on his private South Carolina island, Golden Silk, but his sister-in-law, Britt Barlow, knows better, because immediately afterward she removed the trip wire she found strung at the head of the stairs. Britt had her reasons for not informing the police, but now, some six months later, she wants Max, who runs Confidential Commissions, to attend a reunion of the people present on Golden Silk at the time of the murder in order to unmask the killer. Hart provides plenty of suspects—including troubled sons and their wives, a sexy reporter, a pompous politician and her husband—then plants intriguing clues, another murder and just enough red herrings to keep readers guessing until the denouement. Those looking for a change of pace from more street-smart crime fiction will enjoy this cozy whodunit in the Agatha Christie tradition. Agent, Deborah Schneider. 8-city author tour. (On sale Mar. 29)

FYI:
Hart has won multiple Agatha, Anthony and Macavity awards.