Description
From Booklist It’s the Fourth of July on Broward’s Rock, the sea island off the coast of South Carolina that is home to Death on Demand, the mystery bookstore run by Annie Darling, and to Confidential Commissions, the problem-solving agency run by her husband, Max. At a dance at the club that holiday night, it seems that Max and Annie are the only happy couple. Most notably, Shell, the younger, second wife of Wesley Hurst, is making things miserable for him, his first wife, her lover, his kids, and her blackmailer. Several days after the dance, Wesley’s daughter comes to Confidential Commissions to ask Max for help in finding Shell, who is missing along with her new green Porsche. Also missing is a waiter at the club. Annie and Max suspect a connection, but, until a body is found, others assume both Shell and the waiter are just away. As always, Annie and Max use conversations and subterfuge to seek out the truth. Fans of this series will enjoy the twists on the monthly store contest and the involvement in the case of Max’s mother, local author Emma Clyde. --Karen Muller Review Praise for Carolyn Hart:“Carolyn Hart’s work is both utterly reliable and utterly unpredictable.” —Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author “One of the most popular practitioners of the traditional mystery.” — The Cleveland Plain Dealer “The Annie Darling books are masterpieces of construction and characterization, with a perfect balance between a puzzle mystery that keeps a reader happily turning pages and well-drawn characters that are as full of surprises as the people in our own lives.” — Connecticut Post “Hart’s latest cozy puzzler casts a net that will ensnare a wide audience.” — Kirkus Reviews “Well-developed characters and a complex, fast-moving plot make for a satisfying read.” — Publishers Weekly About the Author An accomplished master of mystery, Carolyn Hart is the author of twenty-two previous Death on Demand Mysteries. Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. One of the founders of Sisters in Crime, Hart lives in Oklahoma. Read more
Features & Highlights
- Summer is a hectic time of the year for Annie Darling. Sun and scorching temperatures never fail to bring swarms of tourists to her mystery bookstore, Death on Demand, for the latest beach reads. But Annie still finds time to enjoy herself. The Browards Rock Fourth of July dance is just around the corner, and the island is buzzing with excitementShell Hurst included... Shell is the kind of woman wives hatefor good reasonand most of them wish she would just disappear. But when she does, and a teenage girl is the only one who seems to notice, Annie cant help but feel like someone should be looking for her. Last seen walking into the pine trees at the Fourth of July fireworks display, Shell has seemingly vanished without a trace. The residents of Browards Rock grow uneasy when a second islander mysteriously disappears. Annie and her husband, Max, know something dangerous is brewing. They soon find themselves following a twisted trail marked by blackmail, betrayal, and adultery, winding from the corridors of the islands lovely inn to a pier lashed by pelting rain, to a gathering on the terrace of a country club where a trap is set for a calculating killer
