April Fool Dead
A
Death on Demand Mystery
Carolyn Hart
William Morrow (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-380-97774-5 (0380977745)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97774-1 (9780380977741)
Publication Date: March 2002
List Price: $23.95
Synopsis
(from
the publisher): Death is no joke on Broward's Rock, though reading
about deadly doings remains as popular a pastime as ever for citizens
of the stormy South Carolina sea island. Now, with spring newly sprung,
Annie Darling has conceived of an ingenious promotional scheme to draw
customers into her Death on Demand bookshop for the upcoming in-store
appearance by world-class mystery author Emma Clyde. Offering a free
book to anyone who can solve a series of clues about popular whodunits,
Annie and hubby Max pass out their flyers all over town. But an April
Fool prankster is distributing a counterfeit flyer -- complete with
not-so-vague accusations of murder.
Suddenly the Darling name is mud, thanks to the vicious slanders of an
unknown counterfeiter. And Annie knows that she herself is going to
have to do the bulk of the sleuthing --with only the intermittently
effective aid of Max-- if she doesn't want this particular April Fool's
to last well past Memorial Day.
Then, just as things couldn't seem to get any worse, they do. In the
wink of a bloodshot eye, Annie's hunt for a malicious trickster has
become a desperate search for a killer. Because now more than her
reputation is at stake. If she can't rid her idyllic isle of a secret
slayer, the malefactor's next murderous "joke" may be on her!
Review:
April Fool Dead
is the 13th mystery in Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series with
mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling.
New readers of this series will no doubt be delighted with April Fool Dead.
Annie Darling has a dream job of running what appears to be a wildly
profitable mystery bookstore on a resort island off the coast of South
Carolina and, in contrast to the vast majority of bookstore owners, has
time aplenty to get involved in the affairs of a cast of characters
that seem to be an updated and transplanted version of the inhabitants
of St. Mary's Mead. But long time readers of the series will be
disappointed. April
Fool Dead is a safe, albeit rather dull, extension of a
series that once was vibrant and exciting.
Hart typically includes mystery-themed puzzles in her books, and April Fool Dead is
no exception. It's always a bit of fun realizing that, no matter how
many mystery books you've read, you'll still not likely to come up with
all the right answers!
April Fool Dead
is a fine mystery book for a rainy afternoon, but it's definitely not
among the best of the series.
Review Copyright © 2002 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
Death on Demand
Bantam (Mass market paperback), January 1987
ISBN-10: 0-553-26351-X (055326351X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-26351-0 (9780553263510)
Design for Murder
Bantam (Mass market paperback), January 1988
ISBN-10: 0-553-26562-8 (0553265628)
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-26562-0 (9780553265620)
Something Wicked
Bantam (Mass market paperback), May 1988
ISBN-10: 0-553-27222-5 (0553272225)
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-27222-2 (9780553272222)
Honeymoon with
Murder
Bantam (Mass market paperback), December 1988
ISBN-10: 0-553-27608-5 (0553276085)
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-27608-4 (9780553276084)
A Little Class
on Murder
Doubleday (Hardcover), August 1989
ISBN-10: 0-385-26452-6 (0385264526)
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-26452-5 (9780385264525)
Deadly Valentine
Doubleday (Hardcover), December 1990
ISBN-10: 0-385-26518-2 (0385265182)
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-26518-8 (9780385265188)
The Christie
Caper
Bantam (Hardcover), July 1991
ISBN-10: 0-553-07404-0 (0553074040)
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-07404-8 (9780553074048)
Southern Ghost
Bantam (Hardcover), June 1992
ISBN-10: 0-553-07392-3 (0553073923)
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-07392-8 (9780553073928)
Mint Julep Murder
Bantam (Hardcover), August 1995
ISBN-10: 0-553-09463-7 (0553094637)
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-09463-3 (9780553094633)
Yankee Doodle
Dead
Avon Books (Hardcover), October 1998
ISBN-10: 0-380-97529-7 (0380975297)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97529-7 (9780380975297)
White Elephant
Dead
Avon Books (Hardcover), September 1999
ISBN-10: 0-380-97530-0 (0380975300)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97530-3 (9780380975303)
Sugar Plum Dead
William Morrow (Hardcover), October 2000
ISBN-10: 0-380-97772-9 (0380977729)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97772-7 (9780380977727)
April Fool Dead
William Morrow (Hardcover), April 2002
ISBN-10: 0-380-97774-5 (0380977745)
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-97774-1 (9780380977741)
Engaged to Die
William Morrow (Hardcover), February 2003
ISBN-10: 0-06-000469-X (006000469X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-000469-9 (9780060004699)
Murder Walks the
Plank
William Morrow (Hardcover), February 2004
ISBN-10: 0-06-000474-6 (0060004746)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-000474-3 (9780060004743)
Death of the
Party
William Morrow (Hardcover), March 2005
ISBN-10: 0-06-000476-2 (0060004762)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-000476-7 (9780060004767)
Dead Days of
Summer
William Morrow (Hardcover), March 2006
ISBN-10: 0-06-072402-1 (0060724021)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-072402-3 (9780060724023)
Death Walked In
William Morrow (Hardcover), March 2008
ISBN-10: 0-06-072405-6 (0060724056)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-072405-4 (9780060724054)
Omnimystery keywords for April Fool Dead ...
Location(s) referenced: South Carolina.