Monday, May 22, 2023

Book Review: Southern Ghost by Carolyn Hart (Death on Demand #8)

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Strong characters and intriguing mystery
Cons: I didn’t find a ghost of a con
The Bottom Line:
A disappearance
Revives an old mystery
A very fun book



Ghosts of the Past Haunt the Present

A secret from the past setting off a modern day mystery is a familiar trope of the mystery genre.  Heck, I’ve read several books with that catalyst this month alone.  But somehow Southern Ghost stood out to me from the rest, and in a good way.

This is the eighth book in Carolyn Hart’s Death on Demand series.  The series is set in South Carolina where Annie Lawrence Darling owns a mystery bookstore named Death on Demand.  This book happens to take Annie and Max off their island home to the town of Chastain, which is nearby but on the mainland.

Max Darling owns a private inquiry agency, and it’s his latest client that gets them involved in the case.  He’s been secretive about it, which Annie doesn’t mind.  That is until the hostile police chief from Chastain shows up demanding to know what Annie knows about Max’s beautiful client.  And he happens to drop that Max has been arrested in the disappearance of his client.

Not one to waste time, Annie gets Max out of jail.  But that leaves them with a missing client.  She had asked Max to investigate what happened two decades ago on a day when there were two tragic deaths in the Tarrant family.  Max didn’t find anything that varied from the official statements released at the time of the crime.  Working together, can Max and Annie uncover what really happened?  Will they find his client in time?

Honestly, most of the book focuses on what happened in the past since, it is assumed, that whoever knows the truth also knows what happened to the missing woman.  There are references to how long the woman has been missing, but at times she seems forgotten.

That isn’t to say this isn’t a wonderful mystery.  I was caught up in the story right away, and when we switched to the focus on the past, I was just as hooked.  There are plenty of still living suspects with motive, and I didn’t have a grasp on who was behind everything until the end.  The ending was a bit theatrical, but it worked.  It was fun, and I’m not complaining in the slightest.

It’s now been a couple of books since the last time we had data dumps on the suspects early in the book.  I hope that stays true going forward.  Yes, we do get dossiers on them at one point, but by then, we’ve gotten to know them a bit, so this information means something to us and helps further the story and flesh out the characters.

Meanwhile, Max and Annie shine.  They are the only of the series regulars who get much page time, although a couple of supporting characters from an earlier book in the series pop up again.  Annie seemed to have her temper more under control here, which I always appreciate.  Some of that can be fun and funny, but too much gets tiring.

Speaking of funny, Max’s mom has a running storyline that finds her investigating southern ghosts for a book she’s decided to write.  If you know the character, yes, it is as fun as it sounds.  Some of the stories are tragic, but the way she presents them are funny, as is Annie’s reaction to hearing them.  Overall, they provide a nice relief to what can be a sad at times main mystery.

This is an older series, and the book came out in the early 90’s.  That means some of the references to “modern” things are hilariously dated, but they are fun none-the-less.

We also get plenty of references to other authors and their books.  Carolyn Hart even manages to work in a reference to one of her other works.  I feel like the massive lists of earlier entries in the series have mostly died down, and I found the references to be fun here.

Even the swearing has died back.  Yes, we still get a few more swear words than you’d expect in a cozy of the era, but it’s much less than it was.

Once again, Kate Reading did a fabulous job with the audio version of this book.  She adds some warmth and humor to an already great story.

Southern Ghost is a great entry in a much loved series.  Fans who haven’t read it yet will enjoy it.  If you haven’t started the series yet, this is a great example of why it has had so many fans for so many years.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Death on Demand Mysteries.

4 comments:

  1. Southern Ghost sounds like a great book – like your play on words: “I didn’t find a ghost of a con”! 😊

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  2. I love Kate Reading's narration so that alone makes this one to look for. I've enjoyed a book in another series by this author and I really need to try this series. I've heard so much about it!

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  3. I have eyed this author and have her on my Audible Wish List. Your thoughts are making me plan to pick up a book 1 to try it. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Kate Reading as a narrator and a Southern setting? I may have to look for this series! Thanks for sharing!

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