Review and Giveaway: Death Comes Silently

Death Comes Silently (Death on Demand - Book 22) by Carolyn Hart

Publication Date: May 7, 2013 (paperback)
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 288
ISBN-10: 0425252094
ISBN-13: 978-0425252093

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Carolyn Hart on the WEB: Webpage, Facebook, Goodreads

Books in the Series:

Death on Demand (1987), Design for Murder (1988), Something Wicked (1988), Honeymoon with Murder (1988), A Little Class on Murder (1989), Deadly Valentine (1990), The Christie Caper (1991), Southern Ghost (1992), Mint Julep Murder (1995), Yankee Doodle Dead (1998), White Elephant Dead (1999), Sugarplum Dead (2000), April Fool Dead (2002), Engaged to Die (2003), Murder Walks the Plank (2004), Death of the Party (2005), Dead Days of Summer (2006), Death Walked In (2008), Dare to Die (2009), Laughed 'Til He Died (2010), Dead by Midnight (2011), Death Comes Silently (2012) (Hardcover)

Coverart: Click on the image for a clearer, larger view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from Death Comes Silently, courtesy of Amazon.

Synopsis:

Winter has arrived in Broward's Rock, South Carolina, and business has slowed for Annie Darling, owner of mystery bookstore Death on Demand. So when the island's resident writer publishes the latest in her popular mystery series, Annie jumps at the chance to host a book signing, even though it conflicts with her shift at the local charity shop, Better Tomorrow.

Luckily, fellow volunteer Gretchen Burkholt agrees to sub for her. The signing goes well, but Gretchen interrupts the event multiple times, leaving voice mails about scandalous news she's dying to share. Even though Gretchen tends to be excitable, Annie heads over to Better Tomorrow, where she finds Gretchen dead on the floor, an axe by her side.

Annie enlists the help of her husband, Max, to piece together a puzzle involving an overturned kayak, a stolen motorboat, a troubled love affair, and a reckless teenager. And she must tread carefully in her investigation, because a killer is on the loose, and that killer works well in the foggy days of winter...

Thoughts:

The latest paperback in the ever-popular Death on Demand series by Carolyn Hart, Death Comes Silently is a book readers dream. Readers who love books will love the Death on Demand bookstore and it's quirky heroine, Annie Darling. This long lived series is a favorite of cozy enthusiasts because they can continue to return to Broward's Rock and it's beloved townspeople again and again. Another great book, from acclaimed writer, Carolyn Hart.

Southern charm abounds in the Death on Demand series, set in small-town South Carolina. Death Comes  Silently is the 22nd book in the series and readers are still finding new things to love about Carolyn Hart's imagination and energetic form of writing. Hart's characters are easy to relate to and fun to read about. Broward's Rock has seen it's share of murder and it's eclectic residents are anything but normal average Southerners. 

I love the way Hart sets each book in the series apart from the others but still keeps the cohesive overall feel to the series. Re-occurring characters and relationships help to pull everything together and to keep readers coming back. They want to see what Annie gets into next. She's always up to something, along with her husband Max and a host of other characters that readers have grown to love. Broward's Rock would be a cool place to live, if the murder rate were a little lower, lol...

It always amazes me how authors of long-running series, keep coming up with new plots for their characters. How do the ideas keep coming? As many of you know, I am an aspiring author myself and I am not sure I could come up with 22 different plots featuring the same town and characters. That takes some real talent and Carolyn Hart has that in spades.

The mystery aspect of Death Comes Silently features some really interesting clues, everything but the kitchen sink so to speak and it makes for a very lively sleuthing adventure. Hart is quite good at making the reader feel like they are a part of the action, figuring out the clues right along with her. 

This is a great book, that cozy fans who are familiar with the series will love as well as new fans.

Death Comes Silently is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

An accomplished master of mystery, Carolyn Hart is the author of more than forty books, including eighteen Death on Demand novels. Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. She is also the creator of the highly praised Henrie O series. One of the founders of Sisters in Crime, Hart lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Death Comes Silently by Carolyn Hart.

~You must be a GFC follower or an Email subscriber to participate.
~US addresses only (publisher request)
~The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, June 13th.

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