Actual Rating: 3.5 StarsThis was another quick, entertaining read in the Death on Demand series.I actually liked Annie much better in this one than the previous one. She didn't seem to be quite as abrasive or clueless as she was in the first book. Max also endeared himself to me even more--I loved his charming, laid-back personality and how he handled the sometimes prickly, stubborn Annie. The fact that he is handsome, sexy and filthy rich doesn't hurt, either!There was a rich cast of interesting characters, although many of them were the typical people you would find in a small-town setting...the overbearing, obnoxious rich woman who wants to control and dominate everyone and everything, the meek, downtrodden relative (in this case, a niece) who wants desperately to wriggle out from under the domineering woman's thumb, the boyfriend who is considered unsuitable by the aunt, the so-called friends of the murder victim who have at some point in the past been grievously wronged and insulted by her, etc. It seemed that pretty well all of the people in Chastain who knew Corinne Webster had more than ample motive for hating the woman and wanting her dead. And, it was up to Annie and Max to find out whodunnit, namely because Annie herself was a prime suspect due to her own run-ins with the horrible Corinne.Which brings me to the issue of the hard-nosed, narrow-minded sheriff, who once again zeroed in on Annie as the murderess simply because she was an outsider. He practically ignored and excluded all the locals in the town who had even more overriding and plausible motives than Annie. This is one aspect of this series that tends to annoy me greatly. Could all the law enforcement officers in the communities around Broward's Rock really be that stupid and incompetent?Another issue I had with this book was the overly-excessive descriptions of the buildings, gardens and clothing of the citizens of Chastain. While the history and buildings were interesting for the most part, the extensive descriptions of them did slow the pace somewhat. And, also, the name-dropping of various mystery writers and books became a little tedious after a while.With all of that being said, I will probably continue on with the series. I just hope that Annie isn't accused of murder every single time someone dies around her! That could quickly become very boring and annoying.
This is Book two in the Death on Demand series. The setting takes place in coastal South Carolina. Annie Laurence is putting on a mystery program where the guest try to solve a pretend murder. Annie who is a "mystery expert" is asked to run a mystery nights program for the Chastain Historical Preservation Society.This involves developing a victim, the suspects, motives, alibis, clues and scripts. The only problem is one of the Board of Directors is murdered and the cops want to pin the murder on "murder expert" Annie, who happens to be a stranger in town. IT takes all of Annie skills, and those of her humorous fiance, Max Darling, to solve the murder and free Annie.A good read.
What do You think about Design For Murder (1988)?
I really think this one was the weakest of her books that I have read. Nothing happened until halfway through the book. She got too caught up in little descriptions about the gardens and people's clothing and it it took awhile to get into it. I am really glad that I have already read others by her so I know that they are not always so slow. If this had been the first by her that I had picked up I likely would not have read anymore of hers which would have been sad since I have enjoyed most of her books.
—Debbie
"When mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance is invited to stage a Mystery Night for the annual antebellum house tour of the Historical Preservation Society of Chastain, South Carolina, she instead finds herself the leading lady in a flesh-and-blood drama. The play's the thing wherein the curtain falls on mean-spirited grande dame Corinne Webster. While jeweled fingers point, accusing Annie of murder, the perpetrator lurks within the genteel cast of Murder-Most-Make-Believe ... and the murder weapon is one of the props."In the tight-laced society of Chastain, Annie is guilty until proven innocent. With her fiance, Max Darling, Annie pieces together evidence to clear her name -- until her chief witness is murdered. Now it will take all her sleuthing skills to discover the evil in the heart of Chastain's Beautiful People."~~back coverNormally I don't care for mysteries with the plot of "I will be found guilty of this murder unless I find out who the killer really is myself", but this series is rather amusing. I find the relationship between Annie & Max a bit of a stretch, but the developing character of Henrietta Brawley is quite amusing.
—Kate
