I really like the Death On Demand series. Carolyn Hart's writing is always good, but I'm not as taken with her other series - the characters are somehow just not as tactile and reachable as Annie and Max and the rest of Broward's Rock.

I know a lot of people don't like book series which have the same cast of characters again and again. In theory, I agree that you can only go through so many permutations of the same cast list before things get stale. However, it's my opinion that the mark of a good writer - and a good series - is that each of the minor characters gets a chance to shine as well, which then allows your two main characters a chance to show other dimensions of themselves. Plus, since I often "see" the characters and storyline in my head as I head (sort of my own private movie version), everything is leant a little more substance and weight as the characters are built up over several books. Carolyn Hart's working on that premise, although she doesn't quite have it mastered yet, in my opinion. A brilliant example is Charles DeLint and his Newford stories, which appear in dozens of his novels, novellas, chapbooks and short story collections, and have interwoven character lines so complex that I am continually drawn back into his work.

That said, this new novel of Hart's features, as always, Annie and Max Darling, along with other faithful friends from previous books. The plot is one of Hart's favorites, a stalwart (familiar) character is framed for murder, but there is just enough doubt that something odd "might have happened" and a character whose integrity is supposed to be without question could have acted completely out of character due to extreme circumstances, such as blackmail, self defense, having been drugged, etc etc, and it's up to Annie, Max and the rest of the cast to prove their innocence, uncover the truth and save the day.

Mystery readers like loose ends to be tied up, so they inevitably DO save the day, but there are enough twists in Hart's plots so that, while you're reasonably sure the accused is innocent, you have a hard time putting together the clues on who the true killer is until the very end. And that, honestly, is one of the best things about Hart - she does keep you guessing. I usually have figured out the killer before the characters do, but not so early in the book that it spoils my enjoyment.