Customer Reviews

Death of the Party (Death on Demand Mysteries, No. 16)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Carolyn Hart follows the pattern set by Agatha Christie in this latest in her Death on Demand series. The main characters are introduced in short vignettes at the beginning of the book. They are then put in a "closed room" setting where one of them must be the murderer. In this instance, they are all on a private island owned by Britt Barlow, who has invited all of the people who were on the island the night that her brother-in-law, Jeremiah Addison, was killed. She is determined to find the killer, and she invites Max and Annie Darling to help her do so. There are lots of red herrings, as usual, but this book was spoiled a bit for me because I guessed the murderer right from the beginning. Nevertheless, author Hart creates a group of interesting characters and she orchestrates their actions in a plot which should be pleasing to her many fans.

Far from Annie Darling's Death on Demand Bookstore, Carolyn Hart's latest mystery invades the quiet of a remote island. Darling's husband, Max, a private investigator, is hired to uncover background tidbits about hostess Brit Barlow's guests.

She's chosen them carefully, with one common thread. Each one was present the weekend when her sister's husband, Jeremiah Addison, had fallen down the staircase to his death. When Cissy Addison died, Britt inherited the island resort.

Golden Silk offers quiet, good food, generous hospitality and an ambiance of eerie calm. Accessible only by ferry from the mainland, guests receive benefit of creature comfort without the distractions of modern communication, save for radio in emergencies. One by one, they disembark on the island, unaware that each must help solve a year-old murder. Confidential Commissions, Max's business, must compile resume sheets for all.

Hart's descriptive phrases well personify all the guests. But she leaves the reader fuzzy when it comes to Annie's true colors. Annie comes off as curious, beyond the norm. But her nature may well inhibit the forward progress of her husband's investigation. She's anxious to solve the mystery and plunges full throttle ahead, especially when one of the guests, Everett Crenshaw, comes up dead. A journalist, Crenshaw had dredged enough mud on all the guests assembled to bury each in murderous motivation.

The disappearance of the resort's handyman, along with the motorboat --- the sole mode of transportation to the mainland --- provides suspense. Fear is evident when all assembled realize that, despite personal guilt or innocence, they've been denied a means of escape. Harry Lyle is not forthcoming about his sketchy background when Max meets up with him earlier at the water's edge. The hired man has an attic full of secrets to hide from the curious, making him an automatic target for the investigators.

Evidence builds when the Darlings work to piece the accusations together in a solution to the two crimes. Both sons of the murdered Addison had reason to commit the homicide, as well as their wives, a celebrity political figure and her husband, the maid, the handyman, and the hostess. Much conversation, a small bit of action, much conjecture, and numerous innuendoes are the tools of the author. DEATH OF THE PARTY is a quick weekend read that is entertaining, although predictable.

The plot pattern works well for Hart. She has produced a stable of Death on Demand mysteries, keeping her faithful followers well-supplied with Annie Darling's adventures. Annie finds herself in precarious circumstances once again but manages to teeter at the brink of extinction until the reader breathes easy when she escapes.

--- Reviewed by Judy Gigstad

This was a great read and the ending had me totally shocked! But I was a little disappointed because we didn't get to really see any other of our normal characters except Annie and Max. Otherwise, though, this is well worth the read!

Great addition to the Death on Demand series. Although I missed the normal characters the different setting was a refreshing change, and I was very surprised by the ending.

This whodunit which is the next tale of Annie and Max Darling, amateur sleuths, in Hart's Death on Demand Mystery series quickly sets the scene introducing all of the possible suspects of a murder that happened over a year and a half ago. Britt Barlow knew that her arrogant, media tycoon brother-in-law, Jeremiah Addison's deadly tumble down the marble staircase was no accident. But when she is blackmailed for her coverup of the murder by one of the nine guests who was on the island that fateful weekend, she is determined to find the true murderer and entices all the possible suspects back to the scene of the crime, Golden Silk Island off the South Carolina coast.

Britt, now owner of the private island/resort, also invites Max and Annie Darling for the weekend to help uncover Jeremiah's murderer. Max and Annie quickly learn that all of the suspects had ample motive for doing in the overbearing Jeremiah. The plot heats up as all communication to anyone off the island disappears with the island handyman along with the boats and another murder occurs. Stranded on the island until the charter is due to arrive at the end of the weekend, Max and Annie feverishly set about to reveal the murderer before the murderer strikes again.

***** This is a wonderfully plotted whodunit reminiscent of the crafty Agatha Christie style. With the intriguing plot twists involving all of the suspects, Hart keeps the reader constantly guessing who the real murderer is and cleverly keeps the secret until the very end of this murder mystery. The quick dialog of the very likable Annie and Max has the reader feverishly turning the pages as this couple goes about their sleuthing. This is the first Death on Demand Mystery book that I have read, but I now want to read them all! Anyone who is an Agatha Christie fan would enjoy this cleverly plotted mystery. *****

Reviewed by Barbara Stabler.

Britt Barlow lives on Golden Silk Island, a private place belonging to billionaire Jeremiah Addison, taking care of her sister who is dying of cancer. In the early morning hours, she hears a thump and sees Jeremiah at the bottom of the stairs, dead after falling over a trip wire. Someone on the island murdered him but with her sister dying she covers up the crime making it look like an accident so her sibling wouldn't be disturbed by the police or the media.

A year later, Jeremiah's will has gone through probate and through her sister Britt inherits the island and a lot of money. She receives a letter in which someone claims they saw her cover up the murder. Rather than give in to blackmail, Britt invites everyone who was on the island a year ago to return so the murder can finally be resolved. She hires Max Darling of Confidential Commissions to help her. He and his wife Annie go to the island not realizing that before the perpetrator is revealed one person will leave taking the only transportation and communication with the mainland with him, a guest will be murdered, and Annie will be held hostage.

Max Darling might like living a life of leisure but when he works, he lets nobody get in his way, even his beloved wife Annie. Carolyn Hart has written another exciting mystery with a cast of characters that are memorable because they each had a motive to murder Jeremiah. Readers will never guess who the real killer is and that is why Ms. Hart is such a popular mystery writer. Fans will be pleased with the latest DEATH ON DEMAND mystery.

Harriet Klausner

I love Carolyn Hart; own almost all her books. However, I was disappointed in this one. I figured out 'who-dun-it' almost from the beginning. Plus, I prefer Annie and Max on Broward's Rock. I like the supporting, zany characters, relations, friends, etc. and Annie's resultant frustration with them. Still, it's not a bad read and if I run across it secondhand, I'd buy it.

I am not a mystery reader, but saw this one and decided to try it. I see that this author has written numerous books, so perhaps I just picked the wrong book. The premise of the book was not very original - let's get all the murder suspects in one place - and find out the murderer's identity and I found it hard to believe that most of these characters were in their 20's and 30's. They all spoke as if they were characters in an Audrey Hepburn movie. I don't know anyone in that age range who would tell someone else that they were "swell" or use the adjectives "glorious" and "lovely". There was not much character development, even with the husband and wife who were the main characters and they never seemed real to me. The book was too slow and I never finished reading it or cared enough to find out who killed Jeremiah.

Carolyn Hart's DEATH OF THE PARTY has Anne and Max Darling invited to investigate a murder that occurred a year before. All the people who were present at the time of the crime have been invited to "help" solve the crime.
A plantation house on a private island that has been turned into a B&B is the scene of the mystery. No one can leave the island or communicate with the mainland until the crime is solved.
A new twist on Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. The story with Anne and a new persona Max on the hunt is a fun read for fans of the series.
Nash Black, author of QUALIFYING LAPS.

Hart's latest addition to the Death on Demand series is a closed setting mystery. Annie and Max have been invited to a private island called Golden Silk to unmask a murderer from a crime that had been committed a year and a half ago. The current proprietess of the island has engaged Max to help her find a murder that she had kept quiet about. She has invited everyone for the weekend that had been on the island when the murder was committed. Max and Annie end up stranded on the island as the murderer gets closer. The atmosphere for this book is wonderful - a remote island off the coast of South Carolina. Max and Annie are on their own here. We don't see any of the other Broward's Rock regulars in this book, but that does not deter from the book at all. The suspense is built up relentlessly, and Ms. Hart gives us a nice little twist at the end. I really do love this series. Ms. Hart knows her stuff.