Dead by Midnight
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

When Pat Merridew, the newest employee at the Death on Demand Bookstore in Broward's Rock, South Carolina, supposedly commits suicide, Annie Darling, the store's owner, finds it very difficult to believe. Although Annie provides evidence that contradicts the suicide verdict, Merridew's murder is pushed aside when prominent lawyer Glen Jamison is found shot in his study. There is a wealth of suspects in Jamison's murder: his young wife, his soon-to-be-laid-off employee, his cousin, his children, and his sister Elaine, whom Annie saw disposing of something in the swamp by the Jamison mansion at the time of the murder. Annie believes the Merridew and Jamison murders are connected, but as the police chief doesn't agree, Annie and her husband, Max, investigate, leading to Annie's bold plan to trap a killer on her own. Annie's mother-in-law, Laurel, adds humor along the way, and, as usual, mystery fans will enjoy the bookstore ambience and the numerous writers, characters, and titles that are woven into the story.--O'Brien, Sue Copyright 2010 Booklist

In Hart's engaging 21st Death on Demand mystery (after 2010's Laughed 'Til He Died), Annie Darling, proprietor of the Death on Demand mystery bookstore in South Carolina's Lowcountry, believes that the official conclusion of suicide of one of her employees, Pat Merridew, doesn't add up. Recently fired from her longtime position as receptionist for the law firm of Jamison, Jamison, & Brewster, Pat was taking odd, late-night excursions, and had planned an expensive cruise to Alaska that her economic situation wouldn't support. With the help of her husband, Max, Annie begins to nose around among lawyer Glen Jamison's family and associates. When Glen is shot dead, the evidence points to his sister, Elaine, but Annie and Max think that Elaine is protecting someone else and that the two deaths are connected. Expert pacing and a tense climax distinguish this intriguing variation on the locked room mystery. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling (Laughed 'Til He Died) puts her puzzle-solving skills to work and almost traps herself. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

When Pat Merridew, the newest employee at the Death on Demand Bookstore in Broward's Rock, South Carolina, supposedly commits suicide, Annie Darling, the store's owner, finds it very difficult to believe. Although Annie provides evidence that contradicts the suicide verdict, Merridew's murder is pushed aside when prominent lawyer Glen Jamison is found shot in his study. There is a wealth of suspects in Jamison's murder: his young wife, his soon-to-be-laid-off employee, his cousin, his children, and his sister Elaine, whom Annie saw disposing of something in the swamp by the Jamison mansion at the time of the murder. Annie believes the Merridew and Jamison murders are connected, but as the police chief doesn't agree, Annie and her husband, Max, investigate, leading to Annie's bold plan to trap a killer on her own. Annie's mother-in-law, Laurel, adds humor along the way, and, as usual, mystery fans will enjoy the bookstore ambience and the numerous writers, characters, and titles that are woven into the story. Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews.

Mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling (Laughed 'Til He Died) puts her puzzle-solving skills to work and almost traps herself.

In Hart's engaging 21st Death on Demand mystery (after 2010's Laughed 'Til He Died), Annie Darling, proprietor of the Death on Demand mystery bookstore in South Carolina's Lowcountry, believes that the official conclusion of suicide of one of her employees, Pat Merridew, doesn't add up. Recently fired from her longtime position as receptionist for the law firm of Jamison, Jamison, & Brewster, Pat was taking odd, late-night excursions, and had planned an expensive cruise to Alaska that her economic situation wouldn't support. With the help of her husband, Max, Annie begins to nose around among lawyer Glen Jamison's family and associates. When Glen is shot dead, the evidence points to his sister, Elaine, but Annie and Max think that Elaine is protecting someone else and that the two deaths are connected. Expert pacing and a tense climax distinguish this intriguing variation on the locked room mystery. (Apr.)