Something Wicked

Rating:
Summary: Agatha winning third entry in Death on Demand series
Review: Annie and Max are a very busy engaged couple. In addition to dealing with Max's mother's increasingly bizarre suggestions for the wedding, they're acting in the summer rep production of Arsenic and Old Lace. The sluething starts with page one as the play is plagued by numerous pranks and mischief. In addition, there are problems with the "star" of the play - an aging surfer movie star who is chasing everything female on the island. Things turn serious about half way through the book when surfer boy turns up dead. The prosecutor sets his sights on Max as prime suspect and Annie is on the case. The ending is a bit of a curve ball but it worked for me.

This was a good, but not great, read. The high school Thespian in my past enjoyed all the theater stuff. I found the prosecutor, Posey, so overblown as to be uncredible. Indeed, most of the new characters seemed rather two dimensional. I continue to enjoy Annie and Henny's references to fictional characters but some of the references were really obscure. The pacing is pretty solid as Annie is one the case virtually every waking hour.

Bottom-line: Not quite sure why this won an Agatha but a good read. Readers new to the Death on Demand series are encouraged to start at the beginning -- "Death on Demand."

Rating:
Summary: Annie and Max join the theater
Review: Annie Laurance and Max Darling take part in a summer stock production of "Arsenic and Old Lace". They enjoy it until someone starts sabatoging the rehearsals and the ego of Shane, a former player in surfer movies, begins to grate on all of the cast members. When a murder occurs, Max seems to be the most likely perpetrator and Annie has to do some fast detective work to convince the local police that Max is innocent. Comic relief is provided by Max's mother, who keeps coming up with "creative" ideas for Max and Annie's wedding. This is another enjoyable cozy by Carolyn Hart.

Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable Max and Annie book!
Review: I agree with other reviewers that this is not her best work to date. There are other Death on Demand mysteries out there that are much more enjoyable. However, this is still an enjoyable read.

Annie is a typical woman running her own business. She has many problems of her own and many issues she is working out for herself through out this series. Max is a rich man who doesn't need to work, but who loves Annie enough to do what she would like him to do. (To a degree!) While they work out their own lives together, they also happen to solve mysteries.

The setting is nice and the characters are fun. The plot is convoluted. I enjoyed this book, but did find it hard to follow everything that was going on at times.

Enjoy.