Dare to Die-Carolyn Hart

Dare to Die
Carolyn Hart
Morrow, Mar 31 2009, $24.99
ISBN: 9780061453038

In Broward's Rock, South Carolina Max and Annie Darling are staying at the Nightingale Courts while their antebellum mansion is being renovated. The couple plans to host a picnic with their island neighbors celebrating the renovation. At the motel, they meet former islander Iris Tilford, a recovering drug and alcohol addict tied to a local overdose death and a suicide when she was a teen. Annie invites Iris to the party.

However the Darling gala abruptly ends when Iris’ corpse is found; someone strangled her to death. Police Chief Billy Cameron demands a promise from Annie that she will stay out of the investigation that he (and his team) is conducting; she agrees. However, eccentric islander mystery writer Emma Clyde sees a novel coming from the Tilford homicide so investigates until she is knocked out of the game. When the unknown culprit appears to target the Darling duet, Death on Demand bookstore owner Annie and private investigator Max break their pledge to Cameron and begin snooping.

As always with the wonderful Death on Demand series (see DEATH WALKED IN), fans receive an engaging whodunit with many interwoven references to other mystery authors and their titles. The story line has an Agatha Christie feel to it in which almost any moment Inspector Poirot (instead of Annie and Max) will gather the suspects together and challenge each of their alibis in a group interrogation that brings out the past and present. Fans will enjoy the latest cozy as the Darlings try to prevent further killings especially their own.

Harriet Klausner