|
I was a Hartless fan of the summer mystery novel until last week when I read my first Carolyn Hart novel.
Summer started a little early for me when I resigned as an office manager after 13 years. To celebrate I selected "Death Walked In" by Carolyn Hart from the New Book display at the library.
Now that I am unemployed I can't really afford to buy new hard cover books so thank goodness our library is well stocked for summer reading!
"Death" (as I like to shorten titles), is the 18th murder mystery in the Death on Demand bookstore series. You probably should start up line a few books because I didn't understand some of the references to the assorted side characters. Or you could just go ahead and read this latest one.
Have you ever wondered what happened to Nancy Drew? Well, she grew up and married fabulously rich, handsome, brilliant, romantic Max Darling, and has a mystery book store, and lives on a South Carolina island where she continues to sleuth. Ok, maybe I just made that up since the name of the wife on this amateur murder-solving team is really Annie.
This book took me back to my Nancy Drew days when many summers ago I was looking for something to read after a swim in the pool. Incidentally, my mother did not allow me to read Nancy Drew books because they were "dumb." So naturally my friend SueAnn and I spent the entire summer between 4th and 5th grade reading this forbidden series while reclining on the sticky leather seats of her mom's parked car. Sorry mom. I won't do it again?
Back to the present story where Annie and Max Darling are busy remodeling an antebellum home built in 1805. A neighbor's dying whisper sends them on a treasure hunt in their own house. The clue to the murder and robbery has to be somewhere.
Probing the creaky stairs, thumping the walls for hollow hiding places, and tapping the fireplace bricks yields no sign of the valuable Double Eagle coins.
People are dying to find this stolen treasure. Can the Darling duo solve the mystery and find the treasure before death walks in for them?
Carolyn Hart has written a Nancy Drew for grownups. I liked the fact that I could figure out where the treasure was hidden and who the murdering thief was for a change. It is entertaining summer fare and good, clean fun. |
