Murder Walks the Plank (Death on Demand Mysteries, No. 15) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Carolyn G. Hart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 9, 2004

An Agatha, Anthony and Macavity Award-winning Author

Annie Darling, owner of the Death on Demand bookstore, has organized a murder-mystery cruise in the waters off Broward's Rock, with every participant dressing up as a favorite fictional sleuth. Sure enough, everything goes swimmingly - until one of the revelers plunges overboard. Despite hubby Max's rescue attempt, faux murder turns all too quickly into real-life death.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Hart's winning 15th outing featuring Death on Demand Mystery Bookstore owner Annie Darling (after 2003's Engaged to Die), Annie is excited about the benefit cruise she's planned that will offer food, fun and prizes as well as relief from the sultry heat of August on the Low Country island of Broward's Rock, S.C. The evening's festivities, however, are shattered when the town's favorite volunteer, Pamela Potts, falls overboard. Rescued by Annie's husband, Max, Pamela is taken to the hospital unconscious. Only Emma Clyde, the island's celebrated mystery author, shares Annie's suspicions of foul play. When another party guest is found dead in her home the next morning, Annie and Max join forces to pursue the killer. In the process, they uncover some heart-wrenching truths and dark secrets that affect prominent townspeople and even their own family. In addition to a compelling puzzle and a fast-paced plot, fans will enjoy the realistic dynamics among characters who develop from book to book. The author includes all the usual amusing extras: the cryptic telephone messages from Max's mother, the mystery picture contest held each month at Death on Demand and the many references to real-life crime writers. This latest can only reinforce Hart's high standing among the cozy mystery cognoscenti.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Annie and Max Darling return in their fifteenth Death on Demand novel. This time mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling plans a mystery cruise as a benefit for the Island Literacy Council of Broward's Rock, South Carolina. Unfortunately, before the mystery is solved, one of the guests falls overboard. Or was she pushed? Annie believes she was pushed and becomes even more convinced when a suspicious death occurs soon after the cruise. Max and Acting Police Chief Cameron believe the two incidents are either accidents or suicides and are unconnected, leaving Annie, Emma Clyde (Broward's Rock's own mystery author), and mystery reader extraordinaire Henny Brawley no choice but to solve the crimes themselves. While investigating, Annie must also deal with her father's new romance, her stepsister's unhappiness, and her mother-in-law's cryptic messages. A good story boasting quirky characters, a fine sense of place, and, of course, plenty of clever literary references to mystery books and authors. Great fun for cozy fans. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 399 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (July 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078626506X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786265060
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,803,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carolyn Hart talks about mysteries and writing in a new interview on Oklahoma public tv. Please visit www.CarolynHart.com and click on the link in the upper right hand column.

In April Berkley Prime Crime will publish DEATH COMES SILENTLY, the 22nd Death on Demand title. Coming in October is WHAT THE CAT SAW, a novel of suspense.

Carolyn writes the Death on Demand series set in a mystery bookstore on a South Carolina sea island and the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series featuring a lively redheaded ghost.

Carolyn is also the author of several WWII novels, including ESCAPE FROM PARIS which is now available for the first time in its complete uncut version. Escape from Paris is the story of two sisters who defy the Gestapo to help British fliers avoid capture.

In Ghost at Work, Bailey Ruth returns to earth to help someone in trouble. She moves a body, investigates a murder, saves a marriage, prevents a suicide, and--in a fiery finale--rescues a child who knows too much. In Merry, Merry Ghost, Bailey Ruth protects a little boy from danger. In Ghost in Trouble, Bailey Ruth tries to corral a wilful woman determined to play hunt-the-killer. Coming in 2013 is HIJACKED GHOST which puts Bailey Ruth at risk of ever returning to Heaven.

Letter from Home, a WWII novel set on the home front, received the Agatha Award for Best Mystery of 2003. It was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize by the Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers. Thirteen-year-old Gretchen Gilman is working for the small-town newspaper during the hot summer of 1944. Murder occurs on the street where she lives, forever changing her life and the lives of those involved.

Hart was one of 10 mystery authors featured at the National Book Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC, in 2003 for Letter from Home and again in 2007 for Set Sail for Murder, 7th in the Henrie O series. In Set Sail for Murder (new in paperback March 2008), Henrie O joins a troubled family on a Baltic cruise and death is an unwelcome passenger.

Hart has been nominated 9 times for the Agatha Award for Best Novel and has won 3 times. In 2007 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at Malice Domestic. She will be the International Guest of Honor at Bloody Words in Toronto on June 6-8, 2008.

Hart is a native of Oklahoma City, a journalism graduate of the University of Oklahoma, and a former president of Sisters in Crime. She is also a member of Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, and American Crime Writers League.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars entertaning and intriguing, March 17, 2004

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder Walks the Plank (Death on Demand Mysteries, No. 15) (Hardcover)

Looking for a quick and light read, yet one that is still compelling and intriguing? Look no further: Carolyn Hart's latest Death on Demand mystery novel is just the ticket and is a worthy installment to this wonderful series.

Annie Darling is very excited about her latest project: Broward Rock's very first mystery cruise, a one evening event that will take place in the waters just off the island. She's written a mystery play, where participants will try and figure out who the culprit is, a treasure hunt (complete with maps) and provided the prizes. And with good food and a group of people dressed up as their favourite detectives, determined to have fun and enjoy themselves, the night should be a guaranteed success. But halfway through the festivities, sweet natured, kindly and local do-gooder, Pamela Potts, falls overboard. She is quickly rescued but fails to regain consciousness. Annie is sure that her friend was pushed; unfortunately, the acting chief of police does not share Annie's conviction, and writes off Pamela as a jumper. So Anne decides that it is up to her to discover who tried to kill poor, harmless Pamela,a nd why. And together with friends Emma Clyde and Henny Brawley (and of course husband, Max), Annie is determined to find out all...

One of the better installment in the Death on Demand mystery series, "Death Walks the Plank" was just what I needed to unwind with -- it was a light and swiftly paced read, intriguing and yet incredibly amusing as well. While the motive for all the deaths seemed fairly obvious, the identity of the murderer took some time to work out (which kept me happy). The plot twists were ingenious and Carolyn Hart does her bit to provide readers with enough red herring suspects to keep things humming. All in all, a very enjoyable and entertaining read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Part of an Ongoing Series But Also a Great Stand Alone, May 12, 2004

By 

FictionAddiction.NET - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder Walks the Plank (Death on Demand Mysteries, No. 15) (Hardcover)

Mystery book store owner Annie Darling and the Death on Demand crew are back to brainstorm over a new whodunit that once again puts their fiction-obsessed minds to real use.

Annie has arranged a mystery cruise complete with hidden treasure and an interactive play meant to entertain and maybe even drum up some extra business. The evening takes a nosedive, however, when a well-loved guest plunges off the deck into the waters below.

Annie and her cohorts are unconvinced by the ruling that the fall was an accident. And when it's followed by the apparent suicide of a woman who is found to be acquainted not only with the unfortunate cruise guest, but also a recently murdered man, it seems that the police chief may have to pay closer attention to Annie's ideas.

In an almost competitive partnership, the small group of amateur sleuths "take over" the investigation, determined to prove something more sinister is going on than mere coincidence. If the clues aren't pulled together in time, the next victim(s) might be closer than Annie can handle.

While Murder Walks the Plank is part of an ongoing series, it has the capability of standing alone at the same time that it awakens curiosity toward, what may be for some, previously unexplored tomes. Characters such as the indomitable Annie with a mind that holds an eternal fount of mystery-book-garnered knowledge, her doting and indulgent husband, and her author friend whose attitude is just as overly-confident, demanding and often-annoying as the protagonist in her own novels pull the reader inexorably into the depths of don`t-stop-`til-the-last-page readability. With the delightful cast and steadily-rising suspense that explodes in a climactic scene, Carolyn Hart's fifteenth "Death on Demand" novel holds firmly to its footing on the "plank" of success.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It was a fun read, September 5, 2004

By 

K. Hoffman "I love mysteries" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder Walks the Plank (Death on Demand Mysteries, No. 15) (Hardcover)

I am a great fan of Carolyn Hart. I read this book while I was on vacation at the beach. From the minute the first person was pushed off the boat until the end, this book held your interest. Max and Annie Darling are once again solving mysteries. Of course, Henny and Lauren are involved and once again driving Annie crazy. If you are a fan of Death on Demand mysteries, then I would definitely say that this book will not disappoint you. My mother and I love this series, and both of us agree that this was one of Carolyn Hart's finest.