Death on Demand Series by Carolyn G. Hart

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 withing the genteel cast of Murder-Most-Make-Believe.. moreWhen 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 withing 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. less

This delightfully intriguing pair of full-length mysteries by award-winning author Carolyn G. Hart delivers a novel approach to murder that is sure to enthrall you until the last killer is caught.. . .Death on DemandAt Annie Laurance’s Death on Demand bookstore in Broward’s Rock, South Carolina (“the finest mystery bookstore north of Miami”), murder suddenly isn’t confined to the shelves... moreThis delightfully intriguing pair of full-length mysteries by award-winning author Carolyn G. Hart delivers a novel approach to murder that is sure to enthrall you until the last killer is caught.. . .Death on DemandAt Annie Laurance’s Death on Demand bookstore in Broward’s Rock, South Carolina (“the finest mystery bookstore north of Miami”), murder suddenly isn’t confined to the shelves. An author’s abrupt demise during a gathering of famous mystery writers is proof positive that a bloody sword is sometimes mightier than a brilliant pen. But now Annie is in the unenviable position of prime suspect, which means that she and her wealthy paramour, Max Darling, must unmask a brutal and ingenious killer. For Annie, failing could mean prison . . . while success could mean her death.Design for MurderWhen Annie stages a Mystery Night for Chastain, South Carolina’s annual antebellum house tour, she finds herself the lead in a deadly drama wherein the curtain falls on a mean-spirited grande dame. But while fingers point at Annie as the murderer, the perpetrator lurks within the cast of Murder-Most-Make-Believe. Guilty until proven innocent, Annie hopes to clear her name with Max’s help—until her chief witness is killed. Now it will take all of Annie’s sleuthing skills to unmask the evil in the hearts of Chastain’s Beautiful People. less

Everyone--including mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance--loves Arsenic and Old Lace.But something wicked is poisoned a local summer stock production as cast members stab each other in the back and props are sabotaged.Worst of all, the star, aging Hollywood beach-blanket hunk Shane Petree, butchers his lines--while getting top billing in bed with wives and teenage daughters around town.No wonder somebody wants to draw his final curtain... moreEveryone--including mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance--loves Arsenic and Old Lace.But something wicked is poisoned a local summer stock production as cast members stab each other in the back and props are sabotaged.Worst of all, the star, aging Hollywood beach-blanket hunk Shane Petree, butchers his lines--while getting top billing in bed with wives and teenage daughters around town.No wonder somebody wants to draw his final curtain.With a little help from Miss Marple, Poirot, and Agatha the Bookstore Cat, a pompous prosecutor tries to pin a murder on Max, Annie's own leading man.Unless Annie can prove her darling's innocence, their wedding date's off!Invoking the tried-and-true methods of her favorite literary sleuths, Annie snoops around the greasepaint and glitter of the show-stopper scene if she doesn't watch it, because theatrical murderers never play fair." less

Mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance and detective Max Darling are finally tying the knot. However as they raise their champagne glasses, a dead body is found and Ingrid Jones, Annie's bookstore assistant, is found to be missing.

When mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance is invited to teach "The Three Great Ladies of the Mystery" class at Chastain Community College, the sometime sleuth discovers that all is not strictly academic in Chastain's hallowed halls of learning... moreWhen mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance is invited to teach "The Three Great Ladies of the Mystery" class at Chastain Community College, the sometime sleuth discovers that all is not strictly academic in Chastain's hallowed halls of learning. And when a shocking scandal in the school newspaper erupts in a suicide and two violent deaths, Professor Laurance enlists the talents of her new hubby, private eye Max Darling, and dons her thinking cap to probe intrigue and vengeance among Chastain's faculty.A Dangerous ThingMax and Annie, with dubious help from three of their own great ladies of the mystery -- Annie's pixilated mother-in-law, a batty local dowager, and a Christie crime fanatic -- learn that just about everyone at the school had means, motive, and access to the murder weapons. From the secretly boozing professor of advertising to the muscle-bound campus cad who barters passing grades for a little extracurricular activity, anyone on the faculty is a possible killer -- waiting to strike again!Listening Length: 9 hours — 6 audiocassettes (90 min. each) less

In honor of Agatha Christie's one hundredth birthday, mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance Darling plans a week-long celebration of mystery, treasure hunts, title clues, and Christie trivia. Yet even as the champagne is chilling and the happy guests begin arriving on Broward's Rock Island, Annie feels a niggling sense of doom. But the last thing she or her guests expect is that the scheduled fun and mayhem will include a real-life murder... moreIn honor of Agatha Christie's one hundredth birthday, mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance Darling plans a week-long celebration of mystery, treasure hunts, title clues, and Christie trivia. Yet even as the champagne is chilling and the happy guests begin arriving on Broward's Rock Island, Annie feels a niggling sense of doom. But the last thing she or her guests expect is that the scheduled fun and mayhem will include a real-life murder. The unexpected arrival of Neil Bledsoe, the most despised book critic in America, was sure to raise a few hackles. An advocate of hard-boiled detection and gory true crime, Bledsoe drops a bombshell on the devoted Christie assemblage: He's penning a scurrilous biography of the grand dame of suspense herself. Before the first title clue is solved, no less than two attempts are made on Bledsoe's life. Now Annie and her unflappable husband, Max Darling, find themselves trying to stop a murder in the making-only the first corpse isn't the one they're expecting. . .and it isn't the last. less

She came in the rain. Alone. On a bicycle. After more than a decade Iris Tilford is back in Broward's Rock—and her return has nasty and unexpected repercussions that are rocking Annie and Max Darling's sea island hometown. Years ago Iris disappeared after a fatal high school tragedy. Now that she's home again, Annie's extending the hand of friendship by inviting the sad, beautiful, and mysterious stranger to the Darlings' party at the pavilion... moreShe came in the rain. Alone. On a bicycle. After more than a decade Iris Tilford is back in Broward's Rock—and her return has nasty and unexpected repercussions that are rocking Annie and Max Darling's sea island hometown. Years ago Iris disappeared after a fatal high school tragedy. Now that she's home again, Annie's extending the hand of friendship by inviting the sad, beautiful, and mysterious stranger to the Darlings' party at the pavilion. But Death, as it turns out, is an uninvited guest at their gala. Suddenly Max and Annie are in the middle of a devastating storm of rage, secrets, and murder that they don't understand. All they do know is that now someone is trying to kill them—and it's someone they call their friend. less