Customer Reviews

Something Wicked

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the third book in the Death on Demand series. The later books in the series are stronger but I read this one to find out about the development of the continuing characters - Max, Annie, and Henny. I've now read all of Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series except for the Mint Julep Murder. I love the setting, an island off the coast of Georgia, and the characters and the constant literary allusions to famous mysteries. I never figure out the mysteries the paintings are based on. Like the Miss Marple books, I wonder what the murder rate is on Broward's Island? Awfully high

This third offering in Hart's DEATH ON DEMAND series has fully received the advantage of repeated features building upon themselves and establishing immediate reader intimacy. I was anticipating (and not disappointed) the repetition of key elements, one of which was the first couple chapters (prior to the entrance of Annie and Agatha) being crisp, brief, chilling dips to the murderous "footprints" in the novel. I don't know if it was because I've come to expect this type of sly entry into Hart's Annie & Max series, or if it's because the author's style has leap-frogged itself, solidifying into better and better types of seasoning... but, the initiating chapters seemed to have zapped up a few levels in mood and intrigue, as chilling stage setters for Annie's warm and perky entrance, which seemed even warmer and perkier than the prior 2 books which were already at what seemed to be peaks of performance.

The anticipated Annie and Max personality mixes moved quickly into cozy entertainment, possibly due to the decrease of tension from earlier struggles toward (and away from) a serious relationship. Sometimes the fun fizzles after the fish is caught. But, in this case, I felt heightened entertainment from the interplay between these two formally engaged characters heading toward a marriage ceremony. It was warming to observe the couple's dance into win/win scenarios, their balancing of each others' foibles, though Max, from my perspective has few if any flaws. If God were to Himself descend to visit the planet, I'd imagine Him in the attitude of Max's easy going nature. The Max Gestalt would fit like a Divine Glove. He not only has confidence, class, and pizzazz; he has endearing vulnerabilities (and no guilt over being wealthy).

I relished Annie's growth into a periodic ability to relax with Max, as it began sinking in that she was no longer fighting their inevitable connection. The drive to "The Great Gatsby Party" at the Petree's was sheer reader luxury, settling into savoring the environmental elegance of Broward's Rock, through Annie's eyes. (Beauty doesn't descend well into the atmosphere of a pushy/shovey cranky mood, though that mood has it's own appeal.) I wondered if, prior to allowing Max into her life as he was destined, as her everything partner, Annie ever fully allowed herself to wallow in the silent beauty of a sunset before it had set, to register a pleasant summer breeze studded with Jasmine and Gardenia, to study puffy clouds drifting in a pale blue sky. Max was so good at loosening Annie's uptight laces, it was easy to miss some of the nuances of his technique.

On the other hand, I enjoyed Annie's ability to easily, even gracefully, sidestep Max's head-for-the-bedroom overtures, and "get to the party on time." I loved the way Annie avoided taking the typical romantic road-fork of not showing up at the party, due to diving onto the mattress, and heating up the sheets. Both Annie and Max relished her gentle (uncommonly) nudge out of the house and into the glorious evening of a gorgeously staged world settled cozily into a rangy resort island.

Unfortunately, or fortunately as the case may be taken, the party didn't end in divine delight. Hey. This is a mystery, right? Gotta have the "bloody" scene... this time with a false taint slurred at Annie, which made me want to spit fire for her.

The subplot/plot weaving provided more style contrast and mood swing in this third DOD novel:

- We had the dreaded (but humorous) phone calls from Max's mother, Laurel, with attempts to design Annie & Max's wedding into an International, New Age carnival.

- We had the additions of name, title, and plot dropping of Annie's well stocked mystery repertoire, which will be even more interesting to me as I continue reading mysteries and reread this series (at the moment I recognize about 3% of them, yet I continue to appreciate the opportunity to expand my mystery vocab).

- We had the clue conversations over coffee or meals at DOD and Annie or Max's homes.

- We had the more active scenes of getting out there and gathering clues, at risk.

- And we had the ongoing ambiance around rehearsals of the play (Arsenic and Old Lace, which came across very well even to a reader like me, who hasn't read it yet).

Then, of course we had the delight of Henny's shenanigans of acting out various characters in various mysteries, via phone calls, zips through town on her flashy red bicycle, and personal drop-ins to visit Annie at Death on Demand. Through all this, Henny's character was surged (almost to nova) into a zany superwoman. By the end of the book, Henny had turbo-charged out of the muck of being basically an unlikeable but intriguing dud (in the first two books Henny entertained the plot as an irritant adding a bit of spice at her own expense).

Yup. As listed above, this third offering in the DOD series has definitely kicked up a few notches (speaking of which, note the lawyer hilariously toting cliches in his wake) in various types of "zap," mood/scene contrast, action, and intrigue.

The whole shebang heated up nicely as Annie began the chicken-sans-head rush, spinning wheels around Broward Rock in multiple mad dashes to save Max from the evidence frame-up and from the railroading attempt by the dark-cartoon-buffoon, horrifying imitation of Perry Mason (circuit solicitor Brice Willard Posey) attempting to wrap bars around Max's freedom. In this heated spinning, Annie sloughed off Laurel's phone calls, allowing the wedding ceremony's pre-planning acrobatics to get out of hand by way of Laurel's heavenly convolutions (which were Annie's unadulterated nightmares).

Then we also had the sad surprise of the species of the first murder victim, whereas the second corpse was no surprise, and the third murder was ...

The final scene, apres the culprit discovery and apprehension, was truly a bang of a bash, reminding me of Annie's thought about midway into the book, during a pleasant part of a rehearsal scene, about how great she felt being part of "something good." Of course I flashed on the contrast parallel to the title of this mystery, and was reminded of Laurel's off-base comment that Love on Demand would be a better name for Annie's bookstore.

There's LOTS going on in this novel, but it all plays together perfectly through the ongoing reading, and ties together lusciously in the ending chapters. Cheers & stamping feet. Yes!

Definitely a book to buy and read, more than once.

Linda G. Shelnutt

Annie and Max's wedding plans are moving forward with the help of Max's mother, Laural. But the footlights beckon as Max takes the roll of Mortimer Brewster in the classic ARSENCI AND OLD LACE.
Rehearsals are rough as actors refuse to learn the lines, torn curtains, and when Max is scheduled to find a body in the window seat -- the corpse's place has been taken by a dead cat. Someone is out to sabotage the production.
SOMETHING WICKED by Carolyn G. Hart brings all the favorite character to center stage and provides an interesting backdrop of some of the most famous authors, titles, and characters in the mystery genre.
A great cozy for a midnight read.
HaintsWriting as a Small Business

Annie Laurance and Max Darling take part in a summer stock production of "Arsenic and Old Lace". They enjoy it until someone starts sabatoging the rehearsals and the ego of Shane, a former player in surfer movies, begins to grate on all of the cast members. When a murder occurs, Max seems to be the most likely perpetrator and Annie has to do some fast detective work to convince the local police that Max is innocent. Comic relief is provided by Max's mother, who keeps coming up with "creative" ideas for Max and Annie's wedding. This is another enjoyable cozy by Carolyn Hart.

I agree with other reviewers that this is not her best work to date. There are other Death on Demand mysteries out there that are much more enjoyable. However, this is still an enjoyable read.

Annie is a typical woman running her own business. She has many problems of her own and many issues she is working out for herself through out this series. Max is a rich man who doesn't need to work, but who loves Annie enough to do what she would like him to do. (To a degree!) While they work out their own lives together, they also happen to solve mysteries.

The setting is nice and the characters are fun. The plot is convoluted. I enjoyed this book, but did find it hard to follow everything that was going on at times.

Enjoy.

Annie and Max are a very busy engaged couple. In addition to dealing with Max's mother's increasingly bizarre suggestions for the wedding, they're acting in the summer rep production of Arsenic and Old Lace. The sluething starts with page one as the play is plagued by numerous pranks and mischief. In addition, there are problems with the "star" of the play - an aging surfer movie star who is chasing everything female on the island. Things turn serious about half way through the book when surfer boy turns up dead. The prosecutor sets his sights on Max as prime suspect and Annie is on the case. The ending is a bit of a curve ball but it worked for me.

This was a good, but not great, read. The high school Thespian in my past enjoyed all the theater stuff. I found the prosecutor, Posey, so overblown as to be uncredible. Indeed, most of the new characters seemed rather two dimensional. I continue to enjoy Annie and Henny's references to fictional characters but some of the references were really obscure. The pacing is pretty solid as Annie is one the case virtually every waking hour.

Bottom-line: Not quite sure why this won an Agatha but a good read. Readers new to the Death on Demand series are encouraged to start at the beginning -- "Death on Demand."

Awards:
Agatha for Best Novel, 1988
Anthony for Best Paperback Original, 1989

Third in the Death on Demand mystery series set in a bookstore specializing in mysteries and run by Annie Laurence.

My Take
There is a very Agatha Christie feel to this mystery so it's understandable that it won an Agatha award. I have to confess that Annie was very annoying in this story. She takes everything so seriously. Part of me wanted to either smack Annie and tell her to lighten up while another part wanted Annie to smack Max for his being so very amused by the situation. If Annie would simply remember that it's a) her wedding and b) Laurel can't do much without her permission, she'd have a much easier time of it--as would Max. It would probably help if Annie were to actually do something about planning her wedding instead of leaving it up in the air.

It's too funny that Henny keeps running around helping Annie detect by assuming the costume and manner of a different fictional lady detective every day. I'm really impressed that she puts so much effort into the costuming and speech. Where does she find the time?

As always, Hart pulls in comparisons with a multitude of mystery authors, their primary themes, and the characters in their individual series. I've certainly been making my own list of new authors to read.

The Story
Laurel is driving Annie nuts with her suggestions about the wedding. One day it's the Chinese tradition of wearing red and another day it's the Korean custom of the "groom riding a donkey to the bride's house carrying a goose and a gander as a symbol of fidelity" or the Fijian custom of giving a whale's tooth or holding the wedding on top of a pyramid or...

Meanwhile, the Broward's Rock Players are desperate for a financially successful season. After their playhouse burned down in January, the land's owner, Harley Jenkins is threatening to lease the land to a retail shop. The players have to finish the season in the black if they want Jenkins to rebuild the theater.

Doubt reigns over the first play of the season when they're stuck with Shane Petree. His wife has promised to cover all the expenses for the play if Shane plays Teddy in Arsenic and Old Lace. And Shane is blowing their efforts with his lack of application. No one, however, can decide if it's one of the players or Jenkins who is sabotaging the rehearsals as well.

But it's the party at Sheridan's house that puts Max in the frame as the killer and the sheriff is putting off Annie's efforts to free him.

The Characters
Annie Laurance runs Death on Demand, a bookstore specializing in mysteries and based on Broward's Rock. She has a preference for fast food while Max wants healthy. Guess who'll be doin' the cookin' in this household! Annie is playing Elaine in the play.

Max Darling is a wealthy lawyer playing at detective while his mother Laurel terrorizes Annie about their upcoming September wedding. Max is playing Mortimer in the play. Laurel is a wealthy globe-trotting woman who finds a new cultural tradition every other day that she wants Annie to incorporate into her simple, small wedding. A very touchy-feely, woo-woo kind of woman.

Harley Edward Jenkins III is the CEO of Halcyon Development, owner of the land on which the theater stood. Burt Conroy is president of the Broward Rock Players and stage manager. He made a deal with Sheridan Petree to cast her husband Shane as Teddy Roosevelt. A decision about which almost everyone is fuming. Well, who can blame them when Shane is consistently late to rehearsal and can't be bothered to learn his lines. Carla Fontaine runs an art gallery in town and is the set designer and chief carpenter. Arthur Killeen is the local druggist playing Dr. Einstein. Henny Brawley is one of Annie's best customers and plays Aunt Abby. Sam Haznine is the director desperate for a hit back to the top; his current sweetie is not at all happy to be stuck on Broward's Rock. Hugo Wolf plays Jonathan; a heavy hitter with a presence currently retired from his law career. Feel bad for T.K. Horton as he has to cope with both of his women's obsessions: his cheating wife Janet who plays Aunt Martha, a good actress but too obsessed with her affair with Shane as well as intensely jealous over their daughter Cindy`s affair with...Shane. Eugene Ferramond should have played Teddy; he's perfect physically and obsessed with every detail about this Roosevelt's life. Instead Eugene is playing Officer O'Hara.

Chief Saulter is on Annie and Max's side but he does have to abide by Posey's rulings. Publicly. Brice Willard Posey is an idiot more impressed with his own grandstanding than actually finding out the truth. I do wish that Hart had given us some enjoyment at his "downfall". Jed McClanahan is the lawyer Annie found for Max. I am so grateful that his services weren't actually needed. Sue Kay
Conrad provides a major clue in the case although it's Mrs. Harriet MacKenzie who provides the pivotal break.

The Cover
The cover is spooky with the red velvet theatre curtains parted exposing the trumpet, a playbook, a lit candelabra, and the floating veiled skull grinning out at us! Eeek! The label pinned to the drapery certainly doesn't help!

The title does indeed herald Something Wicked about this group of people.

Carolyn G. hart is definately one of the best mystery authors out there. Her stories are very captivating and interesting and a fun easy read. If you like a cozy mystery give Hart a try with her Annie Darling mysteries. Annie is a great charcter and she is always surrounded by a cast of crazy characters that make her life more exciting. She is a bookshop owner... so a few murders are obviously constantly popping up on her doorstep.

This is the third in the Death on Demand series. In it we have Annie and Max involved in summer theatre. They are part of the cast in "Arsenic and Old Lace". Weird things seem to be happening on the set of the rehersal stage, and then someone turns up dead. Annie is even more motivated to solve the case herself because her fiance has been accused of the crime. The book was pretty good, and it kept me turning pages, but I must admit that the characterization of the Circuit Court Judge, Posey, was a bit over the top. I don't think anyone could be as obtuse and objectionable as Ms. Hart portrayed him to be. It was overdone, and I think the idea of Annie and now Max being accused of murdering someone has been over-worked. Hopefully in the next book there are other suspects besides this precious pair.

I went along reading this book just fine...until the twisted ending which may delight some readers but left me feeling totally disgusted. Carolyn Hart likes to compare her work to "grown-up" Nancy Drew mysteries (heroine with wealthy, handsome boyfriend) but this is not wholesome reading.

I give this book 1 star for the numerous literary references which will lead me to better reading material.