Product Description

Annie Darling, owner of the Death on Demand mystery bookstore, is understandably upset. It isn't like her p.i. husband Max to abruptly disappear—and homicide is definitely not his style. But when his car is found abandoned on a remote road with a brutally slain, once-beautiful young woman nearby and the murder weapon stashed in the trunk, Annie's worst fears seem justified.

The police have Max all but tried and convicted—except for Chief Billy Cameron, whose unshakable belief in his friend's innocence prompts his removal from the case. And as a media circus descends on tiny Broward's Rock, Annie will have to place her own life in jeopardy to clear her husband's name. But time is running out—and she has only one slim chance to unmask a killer who just may have committed the perfect crime.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31754 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-01
• Released on: 2007-03-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 336 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780060724047
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Hart pulls out all the stops in the fast-paced 17th installment of her acclaimed Death on Demand cozy series (after 2005's Death of the Party), set on the South Carolina island of Broward's Rock. When bookstore owner Annie Darling's PI husband, Max, accepts a new case and fails to come home, she's frantic and calls in all her friends, including the police. The authorities organize an effective search that leads to the body of an attractive woman near Max's abandoned car; in the trunk is the murder weapon. Portrayed by the press as an unfaithful husband and killer, Max is arrested as soon as he surfaces. Annie goes undercover, determined to clear Max's name even if it means putting herself in a cunning murderer's path. Lovable supporting characters, notably Emma Clyde, resident mystery author and Annie's best friend, help make this one of Hart's finest offerings. Hart has won multiple Agatha, Anthony and Macavity awards. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Hart has written 38 mysteries and has been awarded multiple Agatha and Anthony awards. The seventeenth entry in her long-running Death on Demand series shows the plot muscle that has made Hart's reputation. Her plan of attack is similar to that employed by many spy novelists: start with a dizzying series of short scenes introducing characters, zero in on one person in particular trouble, and spend the rest of the novel spellbinding the reader with plot intersections. This time out, Hart concocts a thriller revolving around an innocent man suspected of a crime. A private detective's car is found with a murder weapon in the trunk. A young woman, whom the detective had been seeing, is found dead in a nearby cabin. Despite the evidence seeming to point in only one way, the detective's wife, convinced of her husband's innocence, decides to solve the case herself. Top-notch plotting but very melodramatic language and skimpy characterization. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

An accomplished master of mystery, Carolyn Hart is the author of nineteen Death on Demand novels and the creator of the highly praised Henrie O series. She has won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards, and received the Lifetime Achievement award from Malice Domestic. Her first Bailey Ruth mystery, Ghost at Work, was named one of the best mysteries of 2008 by Publishers Weekly. She is one of the founders of Sisters in Crime, and lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful!
Maxwell "Max" Darling's business is called "Confidential Commissions". It is much like a private investigator business. He gets a new client who is searching for her brother. Knowing his wife, Annie, would worry unless he let her know he'd be late, Max calls.

Annie Darling gets worried when Max never gets home that night. A search party begins. The police locates a dead woman that same night. The murder weapon is found in the trunk of Max's nearby Jag. The lady had been seen by many witnesses at a bar the night before. Max and the lady looked to be having an affair. But no one knows where Max is.

The police finally locate Max stumbling down a road. All the evidence, and there is quite a bit, points to Max begin the killer. But Annie refuses to believe it. Annie finally takes matters into her own hands and goes undercover to catch a killer.

***** It is no wonder this author has won several Agathas and Anthonys. Carolyn Hart's writing talent is still taking the Mystery world by storm and looks as though it may continue to do so for a long time. This novel is but one example of her awesome creativity skills. One thing is certain: I look forward to many more books in this mystery series. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Max is missing!
Max Darling starts a new case helping a young woman look for her brother. But when he doesn't come home, his wife Annie starts searching for him. In her search, she encounters someone in his office in the dark. Annie is certain something has gone wrong. Max just doesn't disappear like that.

When a young woman is found murdered in a cabin, Max becomes the number one suspect. But he's still missing.

Annie and her friends step up the search. Finally he is found walking along a road and taken to the police station for questioning.

Max doesn't remember much. What he does remember isn't helpful. He is arrested. Annie decides she has to do something to help free Max. There is too much circumstantial evidence against him. But, can she get the information in time without putting herself in danger?

I really enjoy this series. I like series set in the south, and Broward's Rock, SC, is a great island setting. It has been a while since I had gotten to read one of these. I think that's part of the reason I had a little trouble getting into the beginning of the story. Once it got going, I fully enjoyed it. I liked the way Annie went undercover to help find the truth to free Max. Having the help of all her friends really made the difference.

Annie is such a likeable character. I think the fact that she owns a mystery bookstore helps me like her a lot, too. Max is a fun character. The way he and Annie interact is wonderful. This book really let us see the strength of all their friends and that was great.

I highly recommend this book!

www.mysteryloverscorner.com
[...]

Excellent, even for someone who doesn't read murder mysteries
It has been a couple of decades since I last picked up a murder mystery novel. I stopped reading them because I found most too predictable. However, I recently received Dead Days of Summer as a gift. I tucked it into my briefcase for a trip to Paris, and on my long, coach-class flight home I pulled out the book and dug into it. Before I knew it, we were descending into Dallas/Fort Worth.

Carolyn Hart has blessed us with a wonderful page turner (I use that term very stingily), allowing us to peer into small-town life and a murder that had me trying to discern the culprit throughout most of the 280 pages. Given its beach community setting, it's the perfect summertime read.

An enthusiastic thumbs up from this reader.