Honeymoon with Murder

Death on Demand #4

by Carolyn G. Hart

Mystery Bookstore owner Annie Laurance is well-acquainted with murder, but she never imagined one taking place on her honeymoon! A marvelous spoof of New Age mumbo jumbo by an author whose work has been compared to that of Agatha Christie.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Murder Mystery

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1988

About the author

Also writing as Carolyn Hart.

An accomplished master of mystery with 46 published books, Carolyn Hart is the creator of the highly acclaimed Henrie O,Death on Demand, and Bailey Ruth Raeburn series. Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Letter from Home (2003), her standalone mystery set in Oklahoma, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest book is Dead by Midnight (William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2007). She is one of the founders of Sisters in Crime, an organization for women who write mysteries. She lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma."
New Books: Dead By Midnight Carolyn Hart


DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart On Sale March 29

The police say suicide. Annie Darling suspects murder. Max is unconvinced until Annie follows a trail behind the dead woman's house.

Annie unravels the mystery of a towel hidden at midnight in a gazebo, the interesting lack of fingerprints on a crystal mug, blood on a teenager's blue shirt, and the secret of a lovers' tryst. Max plunges deep into the woods to find incriminating evidence.

Annie sets the perfect trap for a merciless killer, but her cell phone rings and Death is on the line.

www.CarolynHart.com

And for cat lovers:

DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart

I love to have fun when writing a mystery. If I laugh, I think a reader will laugh. In the Death on Demand series, I especially enjoy writing about Annie Darling's ditzy mother-in-law, Laurel Roethke. Laurel is usually excited about a new interest, something that surprises and often confounds Annie.

In Dead by Midnight, Laurel creates Cat Truth Posters, which she wants Annie to hang in the bookstore. Annie thinks books should be the store's focus, but the posters enchant her.

Each poster features a cat's photograph with a caption. Here are three of the Cat Truth posters;

. . . a silky furred, mitted, and bicolored Ragdoll stretched out on a red silk cushion, looking as comfy as Eva Longoria in a Hanes ad: Go with the Flow.

A rectangular-muzzled, green-eyed, cholocolate colored cat appeared as brooding as a Gothic hero: Always Say Yes to Adventure.

. . . a thick-furred, piebald Siberian forest cat, its white front a brilliant contrast to a charcoal back and head. Its face appeared almost angelic: Always try a Smile First.

And yes, one of the posters points to a killer.

Fun for me and fun, I hope for readers

Reviews

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem I have with the ‘cozy mystery’ subgenre is a sanitized state, instead of the base category’s atmosphere of suspense. ‘Standard mystery’ may elicit humour but tackles serious scenarios. Some ‘cozy mystery’ authors ham up their environments to the point of caricature. It works masterfully for some but I mostly find myself wishing authors would focus on the mysteries and make them feel like they were written for grown-ups. This is the second time in a row that Carolyn Hart jammed our senses with the most poorly chosen mix: pitting zany, frivolous antics and personalities; against ugly stories of murdering kittens! I put it well for the last volume: you choose a ‘cozy mystery’ to steer clear of disturbing acts.

“Honeymoon With Murder” too, lost a star instantly for fabricating such hateful, needless examples about murdering precious cats. It lost another mark for making a circus of the Mother-in-law and other personalities. It left little interest and page space for the mystery itself. Only with a sense of gaudy, plastic, moving parts; was action taken towards the principal plots of locating a missing friend and absolving her of murder suspicion.

Even the solution is far afield, comprising characters we hardly know and meet later. It was creative and interesting, if we care about the cartoonish guest characters for the revelation to make an impact upon readers. The feeling is more that the the mystery could have done without the numerous frivolous scenes. There is a difference between red herring sleight of hand and nonsense.

I like every story’s personal flavour. Annie Laurance & Max Darling married but halted their honeymoon to search for their friend. I never find slapstick antics comedic, when sexual intimacy is pointlessly, redundantly prevented. No part of this novel entailed the titular honeymoon: two stars.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been awhile since I read a Death on Demand mystery and now I remember why: the INCESSANT referral to this or that other mystery, in the form of a simile, as in "As Father Brown would say.." There is nothing wrong with this a few times a book. A few times a chapter however, and it can drive one batty. Sometimes I think these books exist solely to show off the author's admittedly encyclopedic knowledge of classic mysteries. But especially in Book on CD form, this really set my teeth on edge!
Also, I tend to avoid amatuer detective. A few too many dead bodies at a caterer's events really puts me off (why doesn't it put off the customers?) and most amatuers come off as busy-bodies. The plot itself of this book was enough to offset that problem for me so OK story, good enough to pass the time on a drive etc, but please, for pity's sake, ENOUGH with the constant referrals to other characters.

[Mark Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annie and Max’s wedding turned out beautifully, despite Max’s mother’s attempts to hijack the ceremony. Their plans to leave the next morning on their honeymoon are sidetracked, however, when they get a panicked midnight call from Ingrid, Annie’s employee, friend, and matron of honor. Ingrid is cut off before they can get much out of her, so they race over to Ingrid’s cottage, where they find a dead body in the middle of her living room but no sign of the woman herself. The victim is Jesse Penrick, one of the residents of the cottages that Ingrid manages. With the police looking to Ingrid to arrest her for murder, Annie starts her own investigation to find and clear her friend. Can she do it?

I was very impressed with Max in this book. While he did grumble to himself a bit about the way these days played out, he showed his love for Annie by digging in and helping out. We get the usual assortment of colorful supporting players and suspects strong enough to keep us guessing. The wedding doesn’t really slow down the beginning of the book, and the mystery is strong. It kept me guessing until Annie put everything together at the end. I know the series is known for its mystery author name dropping, but it did get excessive at times. Also excessive was the foul language. Still, I did enjoy this book overall and look forward to Annie and Max’s next case.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an older series so ehh I started it a while ago and picking it back up. Still not sure about Max and Annie. And Max’s mom is ughhhh the definition of a nightmare MIL. Anyway, the couple just got married and are about to embark on their honeymoon when they receive a call from their friend Ingrid about a dead body in her cabin. Ingrid has disappeared by the time they arrive and now Max and Anne have to solve the murder of a most unlikeable fellow with a penchant for blackmail.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent cozy filled with eccentric characters and a good story. Three and a half stars. The author inserted a lot of references to other mysteries and mystery authors which at first was humorous but it wore on me as the book progressed - thus the half a star rating.

[Victoria Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much more interesting book, than the last. I may continue with the series....

[Kathy Davie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fourth in the Death on Demand mystery series revolving around Annie Laurance, the owner of the Death on Demand bookstore located on Broward's Rock.

In 1990, Honeymoon with Murder won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original.

My Take
It's loyalty to a friend and a search for the truth. Crane certainly takes us on a winding path to solve this murder. And as irritating as I find Annie, I thank god for her as well because, lord knows, the legal authorities certainly are hopeless!

While I appreciated everyone's loyalty to Ingrid and enjoyed the quirky personalities in Hart's series, I didn't enjoy this particular story as much other than finally learning what Laurel had planned for the wedding day. I don't understand why it was necessary to set up a camp right there and make everyone sleep, eat, and search there. It's not that far from everyone's homes… I also want to know if Annie ever considers living her own life instead of through all these detectives? I do appreciate Hart's encyclopedic knowledge of the various detecting protagonists in the book world and, as much as I enjoy the listing of the various sleuths in fiction along with their various attributes, it gets rather irritating after awhile.

The Story
It may be Annie and Max's wedding, but it's definitely Laurel's day from the Hawaiian wedding breakfast followed by the boat race and on to the international luncheon followed by the international craft bazaar followed by the wedding and then the blooming reception. Which itself was followed by a frantic call at midnight by Ingrid screaming for help.

When Annie and Max get to Ingrid's, they find a body but no Ingrid. And very quickly, the other cabin's inhabitants and Billy Cameron descend upon Ingrid's cabin getting in the way and demanding a search for Ingrid. A search that must get underway immediately if only to get around Posey's imminent arrival!

When Posey latches on to the first possible suspect and refuses to consider any other possibilities, Henny takes over and organizes the search for Ingrid. Of course, Max, Annie, Laurel, and Henny have their own ideas of how to search, to discover the truth and it's off in all those directions for the crew. With, naturally, Annie knowing best.

Now it seems that Betsy Raines is also missing. She arrived at her hotel in San Francisco, but hasn't been seen since and Alan is worried. Worried enough to ask Max to look into it.

It certainly isn't being much of a honeymoon for Max and Annie. Sleeping in cots. Max in the Men's Side and Annie in the Women's. Not at all what they had planned.

The Characters
Ingrid Jones works for Annie Laurance at Death on Demand and manages Nightingale Courts (she lives in Cabin Three). Duane Webb lives in Cabin Four and secretly loves Ingrid. I suspect he doesn't do anything about it due to his own past tragedy, believing he doesn't deserve it. Ingrid loves him back. Secretly. Ophelia Baxter lives in Cabin Two and communes with the spirits. Mavis Beeson and her young son, Kevin, are hiding out from her abusive husband, Henry, in Cabin Six. She's also having it off with young Billy. Adele Prescott lives in Cabin Five and doesn't have anything nice to say about anyone. Jesse Penrick lived in Cabin One. He is not a nice man. Poking and prying into other people's business, loving to see them squirm. Now he'll pay the price for that. Tom Smith lives in Cabin Seven building miniatures which he sells at craft fairs and flea markets.

Annie Laurance is about to become Annie Darling. Finally having succumbed to Max. Of course, it'll never hold her back from investigating crime! Max Darling is getting married at last! Laurel is his very free-thinking mother with a need to explore every culture in their wedding. Max's three sisters, including Dierdre, are bridesmaids. Barbie is Max's secretary at Confidential Commissions.

Henny Brawley is a force to be reckoned with on the island, and she quickly takes up the reins for Ingrid's search, calling on the members of her various organizations to help even as she pursues clues in the style of many of her favorite detecting characters. Madeline Kurtz is her second-in-command. Billy Cameron is the policeman in charge while Chief Saulter is on vacation. Circuit Solicitor Brice Willard Posey will take charge of the case…which means the truth will never emerge.

Ben Parotti owns the ferry, the marine store, and the bar. Alan Nichols works for Betsy Raines at the Piping Plover Gallery and had been to the wedding. Dr. Samuels is a good customer at Death on Demand and protective of his patients. Lucinda Barrows is excited by her part in this particular play…little does she know how short-lived her part will be.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a somewhat cartoonish collage of an owl peering out at us from the head of a bed. One of the pillows stabbed by a sword and swirling with a vine of tubular flowers while the bed itself hosts a scattering of Tarot cards, wedding rings, and a pyramid.

The title says it all when Annie finally learns what Max has planned for their honeymoon trip, truly a Honeymoon with Murder.

[LeAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago I started reading this Death on Demand series. I had to skip this one because I never came across it anywhere. My library didn't have it until recently. I wasn't going to pay a high price for it, however. Then I saw it on sale for just a couple of dollars for my Kindle and I grabbed it. It is a very good story ... worth the wait. I've always liked Carolyn Hart's stories.

[Alexandra]

12/25/17 $1.99 for Kindle.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 Stars.
This series is well written in the style of the 1930's-1940's detective mystery noir books with the two amateur sleuths (Annie & Henny) taking on characteristics of famous detectives written for that genre to aid them in solving their mystery. Overall Ms. Hart has done a good job of character development and setting description. I really enjoyed the over the top quirky characters which added great comedic relief.

[Rachaelbookhunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annie Laurance and Max Darling are getting married. Before they can go on their honeymoon they get a cry for help in the middle of the night. They rush to help but instead of finding Annie's friend and bookstore assistant Ingrid, they find a man's dead body in her living room. They believe Ingrid is in danger. The police think she's a murderer. Annie and Max rush to find her, solve the case, and hopefully go on their honeymoon.

I love the Death On Demand mystery series. This is the second one I've read and they have both been highly enjoyable. The series is a little older. Honeymoon With Murder was published in 1988. There is something different about this series. I don't know what it is. The writing and setting is lively. A feeling of love for mysteries runs through the books.

The characters are lively, quirky, and fun. There are always several people involved in trying to solve the mystery but they are somewhat doing it on their own. It makes for a slightly chaotic feeling for the characters but is entertaining for the reader.

The story is entertaining from beginning to end. It's energetic. The crime is really devious. Behind the lightness of characters like Max's mother, Laurel, something very wicked is going on. I was able to figure it out. I also mostly figured things out in the previous book I read. I feel they are written in a way that you can see what's happening, not because everything is obvious, but you are rewarded for thinking outside the box.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Death on Demand series by Carolyn G. Hart. I picked out this audiobook pretty much at random, not knowing where it fell in the series, and although I've skipped a few of the books, I did not feel as though I was missing out on much.

The narrative is engaging and the mystery was complex, but not overly so. I liked the story and I enjoyed Kate Reading's narration, although I'm not enamored with the series. I may look for more of these stories, but I will not go out of my way to do so.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annie Laurence, mystery bookstore owner and her detective husband Max Darling receives a call shortly after saying “I Do” about a murder at Annie’s assistant, Ingrid Jones, home where Tom, another islander, lies dead on Ingrid’s floor. Ingrid goes missing. While some believe Ingrid murdered Tom others believe she is innocent and was abducted.

With the help of Max’s mother Laurel and townspeople they work in concert to find Ingrid to learn who murdered Tom.

Honeymoon with Murder was a fun read thanks to Kate Reading read the story as though she was telling the story of people she knew personally.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me today this series sounds out of step with the times. In 50 years maybe it will be a period piece and feel ok.

Very much a cozy and pretty slow moving for a plot thst covers only 2 or 3 days.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever, clever, clever. That's the key word for this delightful cozy mystery by Carolyn Hart. Her characters are silly sometimes, the action slapstick but when Death on Demand bookstore owner Annie Laurence sets her sights on solving a mystery that threatens her friend and employee, nothing stops her.

But she is a bit distracted by the murder occurring the same day as her marriage to Max Darling. While its been a busy week of activities, Annie and Max are looking forward to a special honeymoon night when Ingrid Jones calls in a panic: there's a dead man in her home.

But there is little else as the call is cut off and when the Darlings arrive at the home, Ingrid is not there. While the authorities take that as meaning that Ingrid is the killer, her friends insist otherwise and go on the offensive to find her and the murderer.

And the actions can be downright silly, if Ingrid's life and reputation weren't on the line. And what a cast of suspects! This is slapstick with a capital 'S,' but ultimately, Annie does work her way through all the obscure and convoluted clues to save her friend and provide for us, a very satisfying mystery.

[Syd Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like to have a book to read in the bathtub. Since I take mostly showers, the bathtub book doesn't get read quickly. I've been reading Honeymoon With Murder for almost a year.

I've been a fan of Annie & Max Darling and the Death on Demand series for a long time. This book took me back in time to when Max & Annie first got married. It's the 4th book in a series of 24 books. I don't remember Carolyn Hart making so many references to authors and characters in her more recent books as she did in Honeymoon With Murder and I think that's a definite improvement.

Carolyn Hart feels like a friend to me. We both live in Oklahoma and once she was having a contest to win a free Bailey Ruth Raeburn ghost series book. To enter, you sent Carolyn an email and a random winner was chosen. It wasn't me, but Carolyn enjoyed what I had written to her and sent me a different book, signed, instead. That's pretty friendly, right?

If you haven't read a Carolyn G Hart book, I recommend you give her a try. The Henrie O series is a good one too.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 1 out of 5]

The style of these books bores me, but I wanted to see how the wedding turned out.


Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Amy Bertul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually love her books...but this one had too many references and characters. Couldn't wait to finish (not in a good way :) )!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

For once, Max and Annie aren't considered suspects in this murder mystery! Instead, Ingrid Jones, Annie's employee at Death on Demand (who I'd completely forgotten since it's been years since I read the last book in the series), goes missing and one of her neighbors, Jesse Penrick, is found murdered in her cabin. All of this happens on Annie and Max's wedding night. So their "honeymoon" is finding Ingrid and if they find Ingrid, they will find Jesse's murderer. Henny Brawley is back in full force, putting on different famous detectives' personas through notes she passes to Annie about her investigations into Jesse's final movements. Annie, meanwhile, cares more about finding Ingrid.

This is a cozy mystery in that Jesse is killed in Nightingale Courts, a small neighborhood on Broward's Rock, and he only had 6 neighbors, one of whom is Ingrid. So whodunnit? Max finds files on all the inhabitants, most of whom are running from something: Duane Webb is running from his grief at driving drunk many years ago, and killing his wife and daughter. "Tom Smith" is hiding from possible arrest from his anti-war activist crimes, and Mavis Beeson is trying to hide her and her son from her abusive husband. They all have something to hide, and each was paying Jesse to keep their secrets quiet. But none of them had enough money to give him to pay for a cruise or a new car, things he was looking into on his final days of life. Meanwhile, Betsy Raines, local art gallery owner, has gone missing - she hasn't returned from her business trip to California.

I had suspected Alan Nichols all along, and he was the one who ended up killing Jesse because the old man had seen him kill his boss, Betsy, for the $220,000 she was carrying to conduct an art deal in San Francisco. He took Ingrid, hoping she would be a suspect, especially since she and Jesse argued the morning of his death (which is also why he put the dead body in her house, just to keep her suspicious).

Entertaining! I also like that this book had a "psychic" in it (Ophelia Baxter, Ingrid's neighbor) who was "working" with Annie's new MIL Laurel - they were kooky but they did find Ingrid in a middle of a storm floating in the rowboat in which she'd been put by Alan!

[Chanel Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally Annie and Max got married! Oh and there’s a kidnapping. Oh and murder. What a busy day. Mom and I loved how fast this book get started. It does a good job portraying the marriage and than it wickly, but easily slide into the murder and abduction. Again a close nit murder and Mom loved how they added in another abduction. This one did it for mom and got her beyond interested in how all the pieces connected together.
The characters were amazing and how they played off each other. It was amazing to see how Max and Annie have grown as a unit and separately. We have not read that many cozy-mysteries, and mysteries in general. It feels like amateur sleuths would need some growing, either in how they conduct their mystery solving ways or how well they can solve the mystery. It was amazing to see how Annie has grown in how she can solve a mystery. The only series we have gotten through is a Chocolate Cozy and as it was only three books long and it felt was, though there was growth that the series was truly not long enough to see any growth like this.
Seriously a good book in this series. See you all soon for another murder.

[Once Upon a time… · Rating 3 out of 5]

A modern review on this book(BTW read this as a stand alone).3.5 good book I loved the quirkiness at certain points.The book was short but after a while you just wanted to get it over with already and see who the killer was .There’s no need to mention all of the books that are at Annie’s store what happened to ,etc.?One thing that also rubbed me the wrong way was when Ingrid was suddenly found and Annie who has been crazy about finding her because she cares for her doesn’t really sound overly excited to see her again and is more worried on discovering the mystery killer.It is entertaining at at certain times ,the middle of the book for me but it gets old after that.I personally wanted to see more of Annie and max this book is titled “honeymoon ..” after all so show us some more romance .

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hart is surely an expert on the mystery genre. She quotes mystery writers every chance she gets. Furthermore, Annie, the protagonist, owns a mystery bookstore, Death on Demand. (How anyone could make a living only selling mystery books on a small island off the Carolina coast is beyond belief.) But I wish some of this expertise would transfer be to the plot.
It may be comic relief, but I could do without all the New age mumbojumbo. Consequently, it takes a long time to get to the meat of the investigation.
I don't understand the relationship between Annie and her new husband, Max. She hardly spends any time with him. All we know is that he is handsome and obscenely rich, but otherwise not very likeable.
Overall, the book is OK but not on my recommendation list

[T.L. Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars


I wish I could read the other books in the series but each book becomes more monotonous then the one before it. When I reach a point where I feel like I am being dragged through a book, it is time to stop.

As I have stated in past reviews, the author spends TOO much time discussing other books. I just can't.

And finally, what's thing the author has about killing cats? In the last book the cat was shot. In this one, four kittens get their necks snapped and a cat gets poisoned. In her next book, will someone hang or drown a cat? I don't know because I have no interest in reading anymore books in this 25 book (SHEESH!) series.

[Liz V. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series is for people very well versed in the mystery genre. The stories revolve around the owner of a mystery bookstore and her patrons and friends using their collective knowledge of fictional sleuths to solve crimes that the authorities, of varying competence, failed to recognize or resolve.

Accordingly, this book is sprinkled with literary references--as were the earlier books in the series, which I failed to rate or review. While I have read a fair number of mysteries, it has been for light reading, which is insufficient to enjoy this series--absent an ereader for easy research.

[Kaija · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute mystery novel. Nothing that stands out about the novel in terms of the story. The things that I remember most about this novel are:
-Men and women must be separated until they're married (gasp! They might touch!)
-A character was fired from being a flight attendant because they gained weight
-A man was domestically abusing his wife and no one would help her because it was her word against his.

As mentioned, the mystery is fine. Nothing out of the ordinary.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a cozy, this truly was a well-written book. The plot was well-conceived and the main character as well as the more minor ones really do come alive. Ms. Hart has been compared favorably to Agatha Christie and I can see why. If you like a good cozy, look into this series.

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Eh. When on the night of the protagonist’s (Annie) wedding, one of her friends goes missing and a dead body is found in her house, she is thought to either been kidnapped by the killer or is the killer and is running away. Annie believes the former and is desperate to find out what happened before her friend is killed as well. D+

[Terri Borkgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a few of these Annie Laurence mysteries by Carolyn G. Hart, and each one gets better. This one begins with her and Max Darling's wedding and leads the reader through this mystery of a murder, blackmail and love. The reader won't be disappointed as they close the book.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did not disappoint. It got a little muddled in the middle but it sorted itself out. I think Laurel s becoming my favorite character. I have a definite picture of her inn my mind. This series of books needs to be a miniseries on tv.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good book. Fun and not very long. I wish the ending was a bit different however I still enjoyed it and the author really makes you feel like your sleuthing with the main character. Super fun supporting cast.