Murder at the Book Festival
I’ve included a few other audio books in my rotation this year, so I haven’t gotten as many books in the series I am reading that way as normal. That means it was longer than normal between books in the Death on Demand series, but I was happy to revisit the characters again with Mint Julep Murder.
If you aren’t familiar with this series, it features Annie Darling who owns a mystery bookstore on an island off the coast of South Carolina. Being the ninth in the series, Annie’s gotten plenty of chances to put the knowledge she’s gained from the books she reads and sells to good use.
This book finds Annie on nearby island Hilton Head for the Dixie Book Festival, which focuses on southern literature. This year, Annie’s agreed to be the official author liaison for the five medallion winners. It’s been rocky so far, with the authors being demanding even before they show up. But then, just as the weekend is getting started, a publisher drops the bomb that he is planning to publish a “novel” that will reveal the secrets of these five authors. Naturally, they don’t take it well, and somehow it falls to Annie to sort things out.
The first evening, the publisher behind this book drops dead at a party he is giving, and all the evidence seems to point to Annie. In order to clear her name, Annie and her husband, Max, jump into the investigation. Annie is sure one of her authors is behind the murder. But can she prove it before she lands in jail?
The plot in this one is strong. I kept moving from one to another of the suspects as my prime suspect until Annie figured things out at the end. I definitely wouldn’t have figured out that ending, but when Annie lays things out in front of all the suspects (yes, the series uses that trope for every climax), it makes perfect sense.
I will say the characters tend to be thin in the series. Annie and Max are the best characters, although even they can be one note at times. Still, I like them and enjoy spending time with them.
The thin characters were really driven home to me by one of the authors, a Rush Limbaugh want to be. He was such a cliché it was very painful. Okay, so I’m conservative, but I would think even liberals would have issues with how this character is presented here. The rest of the suspects are better developed than he is, fortunately, but they still feel like they could be more fleshed out. Still, they are strong enough to pull me into the story.
There is a fabulous subplot involving three of the regular supporting characters attempting to get books published. These characters always make me laugh, but they were in top form here. I got quite a few laughs out of their antics.
This book came out in the mid-90’s. The series is known for its references to other writers and their books. There are lots of references to the classics, but it is fun to see references to then new books. As I get further into the series, I’m sure I’ll start recognizing more and more of these, but there were some in this book I recognized. There’s also discussion about those new cell phones. It’s interesting to remember that, not that long ago, we didn’t have the technology we do now.
As I said at the beginning, I read this book via audiobook. Kate Reading is once again the reader, and she does a great job as always.
Overall, Mint Julep Murder was another fun visit with Annie and Max. There’s a reason this series was popular for so many years.
Check out the rest of the Death on Demand Mysteries.
I loved this series when it published originally. The references to authors and books delighted me. Since I read the first Death on Demand I have dreamed of owning my own mystery bookstore in a cute touristy town. I may need to revisit the series since it is now releasing in audiobooks. Thanks for the heads up and trip down memory lane.
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