The 20th entry in this charming series brings back Annie Darling, proprietor of Death on Demand mystery bookstore, and her husband, Max, among other things proprietor of Confidential Commissions. One of Max’s other interests is the Haven, a youth recreation center where he volunteers. The shocking death of a teen who frequented the Haven is quickly followed by the killing of Booth Wagner, a pompous, wealthy retired businessman who had been intent in replacing the Haven’s director, Jean Hughes. The latter had pleaded with Annie and Max to intervene to save her job. When she becomes the prime suspect in Wagner’s death, their efforts evolve into a murder investigation.
Wagner was a man who “saw most things as a big joke unless the laugh was on him,” and the list of enemies he’d made is long and varied. Max is a man who always keeps his promises, and he promises Jean he will get to the bottom of things. There are many with motives, and he thinks “How could he judge what mattered enough to make one of these people kill?”
All the usual characters, human and feline, are present: Laurel, Max’s empathic, much-married and libidinous mother, and her investigative-minded friends; Agatha, the plump black cat who rules the bookstore, and Dorothy L, the fluffy white cat who “reigns supreme at home.” The book, as always, is replete with the names of worthy mystery authors, one of the many delights of Ms. Hart’s series, as are the descriptions of Broward’s Rock, the South Carolina sea island where the action takes place.
The writing seemed a bit padded and repetitious at times, slowing down the pace, but overall it is a well-plotted mystery with characters the reader can always look forward to meeting again, and it is recommended.
