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book_concierge's review against another edition
1.0
This is book #7 in the Death on Demand series, featuring mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling. She has organized a week-long conference in honor of the 100-year anniversary of Agatha Christie’s birth. But her plans for a wonderful event are threatened when a mean-spirited (okay, downright evil) attendee takes over with his blustering and loud demands. Neil Bledsoe seems to have made a career out of making enemies, and his plans to issue a “tell-all” biography of Christie that will shatter her many fans’ beliefs has everyone riled up. It’s no wonder someone takes a shot at him (though misses)! But the first death isn’t Bledsoe’s …
This is so over-written and poorly plotted that it would be laughable if it wasn’t so painful to read. The main reason I read mysteries (even cozy mysteries) is for the plot and suspense. I like to try to figure it out using my own “little gray cells” and love it when all the puzzle pieces fall into place. But there isn’t enough action here to keep me interested. Hart fills pages with snippets of conversation heard at the conference. She describes every outfit worn in detail - “a lemon blazer, a cream blouse and daffodil skirt.” And if I wanted to know more about Agatha Christie, I’d read a biography; giving facts on Dame Christie’s life in this mystery novel is just filler.
I had read the first in the series several years ago and enjoyed the references to many mysteries, authors and literary sleuths. But Hart seemed to go overboard using various Christie titles and plots in this book. I felt like I was being force-fed facts and that Hart was trying to impress with her extensive knowledge of Christie and her works. This technique did little to further the plot.
Hart apparently needed all that filler or she’d have only a couple of pages in the book. About the only technique she seems to have to build suspense is to regale us with scenes of Annie in a panic over what will go wrong next.
I’ll give her this … I didn’t figure it out much ahead of Annie.
This is so over-written and poorly plotted that it would be laughable if it wasn’t so painful to read. The main reason I read mysteries (even cozy mysteries) is for the plot and suspense. I like to try to figure it out using my own “little gray cells” and love it when all the puzzle pieces fall into place. But there isn’t enough action here to keep me interested. Hart fills pages with snippets of conversation heard at the conference. She describes every outfit worn in detail - “a lemon blazer, a cream blouse and daffodil skirt.” And if I wanted to know more about Agatha Christie, I’d read a biography; giving facts on Dame Christie’s life in this mystery novel is just filler.
I had read the first in the series several years ago and enjoyed the references to many mysteries, authors and literary sleuths. But Hart seemed to go overboard using various Christie titles and plots in this book. I felt like I was being force-fed facts and that Hart was trying to impress with her extensive knowledge of Christie and her works. This technique did little to further the plot.
Hart apparently needed all that filler or she’d have only a couple of pages in the book. About the only technique she seems to have to build suspense is to regale us with scenes of Annie in a panic over what will go wrong next.
I’ll give her this … I didn’t figure it out much ahead of Annie.
sharonsueg's review against another edition
3.0
Very slow for me. There was a lot of detail unnecessary for the mystery. Did not have as much human interaction as others in the series.
judyward's review against another edition
3.0
Well, who would have the nerve to commit murder during a week long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Agatha Christie? Well, I guess that it's up to Annie Darling to find out. A fun mystery.
smiley7245's review against another edition
3.0
I do not know why I keep reading this series because I do not like ANY of the characters. I cannot stand Laurel, Henny gets on my nerves, Annie is not a very strong main character, and Max is pretty irritating too. Oh, and Posey is the worst! The only thing this series has going for it is the mysteries are good. But, that is starting to get overtaken by how much I don't want to interact with the characters. I get so irritated with how desperate everyone is to seem smart; they way they are constantly quoting parts of books. It is just irritating. And I don't know if the fact that this book was from the early 1990s has anything to do with how much I dislike. I keep trying to give this a chance because they mysteries are always surprising, but I'm about done. I can't keep reading these characters that I hate.
ssejig's review against another edition
4.0
Annie and Max are up to it again. Annie is hosting a birthday party for Agatha Christie and has invited people from the mystery industry, authors, editors, etc. But there are tensions running high between many of the participants and on particular participant, Neil Bledsoe, is causing most of the problems. Of course,there's an attempt on his life but the big problem is that other people are dying.
It's the usual Carolyn Hart and if you love her and her cozies, you will love this book. The clues to the Agatha Christie stories were fun and helped keep me involved.
It's the usual Carolyn Hart and if you love her and her cozies, you will love this book. The clues to the Agatha Christie stories were fun and helped keep me involved.
bookmage's review
3.0
This was a really cute and relaxed mystery. Such a good commuting book. Plus Agatha Christie makes everything awesome by proxy. But I wasn't really super invested in any of the characters. I liked them and I disliked them. They seemed awfully stereotypical. The feisty one, the calm one, the sharp old lady, the annoying mother-in-law (and WOW was she annoying. Almost stopped reading), the obvious villain, the sweet but vulnerable woman, etc. And even though I enjoyed the story, there were 3 things about Hart's writing that specifically bothered me:
1. Hart's use of parentheses and asides. Some of the parentheses didn't need to be there since they were just a continuation of the previous sentence, and also, the asides were kinda dumb.
2. If I read one more thing about how adorable and perfect and handsome the main character's husband was, I was going to kill someone. I can see two people in love. That's great. Bully for you both. But she just FAWNED over him constantly. Every time she looked at him it was like she was 16.
And 3. She title and name dropped like cuh-RAY-zee. It got really obnoxious after the first 50 pages. The book's about a mystery bookstore owner who solves mysteries that crop up in her town. Great. I love bookstores. It just seemed like every paragraph had a mention of this author, or this specific sleuth or this book. And I'm sure Hart has read all of those and absorbed them. But it felt like she was just showing off all the things she knew about mystery fiction. And I hate that.
But I love mysteries and series. So I'll keep reading her books. Oh, this one is in the middle of the series, Death on Demand. I got so caught up with the Christie in the title, I forgot to check before I started reading. Bad Dominique! Anyway, read it. It's nice.
1. Hart's use of parentheses and asides. Some of the parentheses didn't need to be there since they were just a continuation of the previous sentence, and also, the asides were kinda dumb.
2. If I read one more thing about how adorable and perfect and handsome the main character's husband was, I was going to kill someone. I can see two people in love. That's great. Bully for you both. But she just FAWNED over him constantly. Every time she looked at him it was like she was 16.
And 3. She title and name dropped like cuh-RAY-zee. It got really obnoxious after the first 50 pages. The book's about a mystery bookstore owner who solves mysteries that crop up in her town. Great. I love bookstores. It just seemed like every paragraph had a mention of this author, or this specific sleuth or this book. And I'm sure Hart has read all of those and absorbed them. But it felt like she was just showing off all the things she knew about mystery fiction. And I hate that.
But I love mysteries and series. So I'll keep reading her books. Oh, this one is in the middle of the series, Death on Demand. I got so caught up with the Christie in the title, I forgot to check before I started reading. Bad Dominique! Anyway, read it. It's nice.
raehink's review
3.0
In honor of the 100th anniversary of Dame Agatha Christie's birth, Annie Darling hosts a spectacular convention...trivia contests, workshops, speakers, a "come-as-you-wish-you-were" ball...and not on the program, murder. This is an involved and well-crafted mystery and a must for all Agatha Christie fans.
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