Deadly Valentine

Death on Demand #6

by Carolyn G. Hart

Mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance didn't really want to go to her neighbor's Valentine Day masked ball -- particularly not after the voluptuous brunette made a pass at Annie's husband, Max. So when her dizzy mother-in-law, Laurel, made a surprise visit to Broward's Rock Island, Annie thought it would be a perfect excuse to skip the party. She should have known better: True to form, Laurel accepted the invitation for all three of them. But the biggest surprise of all came at the party's end, when Annie found the amorous hostess in the gazebo--murdered.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Audiobook, Holiday, Mystery Thriller

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1990

About the author

Also writing as Carolyn Hart.

An accomplished master of mystery with 46 published books, Carolyn Hart is the creator of the highly acclaimed Henrie O,Death on Demand, and Bailey Ruth Raeburn series. Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Letter from Home (2003), her standalone mystery set in Oklahoma, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest book is Dead by Midnight (William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2007). She is one of the founders of Sisters in Crime, an organization for women who write mysteries. She lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma."
New Books: Dead By Midnight Carolyn Hart


DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart On Sale March 29

The police say suicide. Annie Darling suspects murder. Max is unconvinced until Annie follows a trail behind the dead woman's house.

Annie unravels the mystery of a towel hidden at midnight in a gazebo, the interesting lack of fingerprints on a crystal mug, blood on a teenager's blue shirt, and the secret of a lovers' tryst. Max plunges deep into the woods to find incriminating evidence.

Annie sets the perfect trap for a merciless killer, but her cell phone rings and Death is on the line.

www.CarolynHart.com

And for cat lovers:

DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart

I love to have fun when writing a mystery. If I laugh, I think a reader will laugh. In the Death on Demand series, I especially enjoy writing about Annie Darling's ditzy mother-in-law, Laurel Roethke. Laurel is usually excited about a new interest, something that surprises and often confounds Annie.

In Dead by Midnight, Laurel creates Cat Truth Posters, which she wants Annie to hang in the bookstore. Annie thinks books should be the store's focus, but the posters enchant her.

Each poster features a cat's photograph with a caption. Here are three of the Cat Truth posters;

. . . a silky furred, mitted, and bicolored Ragdoll stretched out on a red silk cushion, looking as comfy as Eva Longoria in a Hanes ad: Go with the Flow.

A rectangular-muzzled, green-eyed, cholocolate colored cat appeared as brooding as a Gothic hero: Always Say Yes to Adventure.

. . . a thick-furred, piebald Siberian forest cat, its white front a brilliant contrast to a charcoal back and head. Its face appeared almost angelic: Always try a Smile First.

And yes, one of the posters points to a killer.

Fun for me and fun, I hope for readers

Reviews

[Mark Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annie and Max Darling have finally moved into their new house and are meeting their neighbors. Annie is less than delighted to find out that Sydney Cahill lives next door, mainly because Sydney made a pass at Max in front of Annie. Still, they can’t get out of attending the Cahill’s Valentine’s Day party. Then, that night, someone kills Sydney. Since their new neighborhood is gated, it quickly becomes obvious one of their neighbors is the killer. Can they figure out who did it?

This book has a few of the staples of the series, including the mass introduction of suspects, but that’s mainly worth noting in passing. Overall, it is fun. While the characters could be stronger, we do care, thanks mainly to Annie and Max. Max’s mother, Laurel, is visiting again, and she provides some great laughs along the way. The mystery is complex enough with enough twists and suspects to keep me guessing. It’s easy to see why this series is so beloved.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Lynsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up on it 🙈 Waffles on, 50 pages in nothing has happened, & it could've been said in 5 pages. Bored of the slow pace & quit it.

[Shirley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose Deadly Valentine for it's holiday theme, but just couldn't seem to fall in love with it. I have read many of Carolyn Hart's books and this was my least favorite.

The Good: I liked the plot well enough to keep reading. The cast of characters were varied and interesting while the mother-in-law was just quirky enough to keep things lively. The ending was a welcome surprise.

The Bad: Although Annie owns a mystery book store, I found the constant references to mystery titles, authors, and characters from said books to be overly used to the point I began skimming past much of it. The references were meaningless and tiring unless you had read the particular book or understood the reference and seemed to add no value to the story.

[Sharon Holford · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK OK OK - I get it, she owns a mystery book store. But she gets carried away with all the authors and book titles she inserts into the stories. Usually they don't have anything to do with the story line or plot. I generally enjoy her books but for that. Getting a little frustrated.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annie Lawrence Darling is one of my favorite crime solvers.

Annie receives a telephone call from her mother-in-law Laurel, who was on her way to San Francisco to visit her daughter, informing Annie that she was coming for a visit because fate told her Annie and Max needs her. Laurel tells Annie that she found the spare key and her room so don’t worry about her.

On the same evening the trio attend a party at the neighbor’s where the hostess ends up dead and Laurel ends up the lead suspect. As the investigation continues everyone becomes a suspect.

If you enjoy reading mysteries and you’re not a Carolyn Hart fan, then it’s time for you to become one. The characters and crimes are believable and the writing is great. Carolyn Hart tells her stories without the distractions of profanity and pornography.

[Elizabeth Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

#6 in the Death on Demand series by Carolyn Hart, this story centers on the murder on Valentine's Day of the promiscuous young wife of a wealthy shipping magnate. The victim and all the suspects live in an exclusive gated community near the coast of South Carolina, where the amateur sleuths, Annie Laurance and Max Darling, also live. Recently married, Annie owns the mystery bookstore Death on Demand, and Max owns Confidential Commissions, an agency devoted to "solving problems." Max's mother Laurel arrives unexpectedly for a visit and muddies the waters considerably. This is somewhat of a typical "cozy" mystery, but the plot is complicated and the exploration of the Scarlet King residents' characters is quite interesting.

[FangirlNation · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Deadly Valentine, Carolyn G. Hart has created another 5-star book in this sixth of her Death on Demand series. After five months of marriage, Annie and Max are finally able to move into their new house in a privately guarded community for the very wealthy. But as they sit having an intimate breakfast in their secluded backyard on Valentine’s Day, Sydney Cahill, their next door neighbor, appears, wearing a see-through negligee, to invite them to her Valentine’s party that night. Leaving, she pretends to trip and lands in Max's lap in a distinct come-on to him.

Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was pretty disappointed in the last book I read in this series so it's been about three years but I wanted to give it another try since the first couple were so good.

Sadly it wasn't and I'm thinking this will be the last Hart book that I read.

A mystery that wasn't interesting (local floozy gets murdered).
Characters that did nothing for me (other than questioning about the murder there was not much character interaction or development.
Pacing that just dragged on and on.
Almost no time spent at Death on Demand.
And worst of all....many times I found myself counting the pages left so that I could be done with the book and move on to something better.

[Ellen Listens 24/7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like these stories. They stay fresh, new characters and don’t seem to run into the problems most series writers do in a smallish town by killing everyone off! BUT... I cannot take the endless listing of literary citing. I know it’s a mystery bookstore and I know in last book she taught a class on the three grand dames of mystery, but COME ON!!!! You do not need to list five books and writers every time you make an inference to something, one or two is fine. I don’t listen to these as advertisements of future book lists!!! So a 5 went to 3 for this trend that has become a standby.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars because while the solution to the mystery was a bit eh, I really liked the setting of Scarlet King Lagoon. It made me think of Hilton Head Island and I have only had amazing vacations there so it gave me some good vibes. Even though all the residents there are terrible people, hah! Sydney is killed because she saw teenage Joel Graham having sex with the general's wife and Eileen is worried she'll gossip all about it; Sydney can't keep her mouth shut. So Eileen sends Sydney, who is always looking for her true love, a valentine to get her to the gazebo after her party, where she kills her with the mace from their knight's armor. I like how all the disparate threads came together, clues like Dorcas Atwater's statement about how the general has "night blindness" and Eileen's biography from Max mentions her crazy escapades with her first husband. However, I'm not totally clear on why Eileen calls Annie to help her clear Sydney's husband when it would be better for the murderer to have someone else arrested for the crime.

Other random thoughts:
- I liked the reference to the (now-closed) Murder Undercover in Cambridge.
- I also got a kick out of the masked ball held by Sydney and Harold Cahill because while we are wearing masks now for Covid, the idea of people passing around and sharing paper-mache masks made me laugh because that is definitely not happening any time soon.
- Though I can see how some readers think that the references to other mystery books is excessive, I enjoy looking up some of the titles/authors.
- I always like the 5 paintings that Annie hangs, although one talks about showing an empty room and then seeing the faces of two people looking in a bathroom, which I had a hard time visualizing. How can you see a whole room and then the faces of two people looking at a dead body in a bathtub?

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not Kindle Unlimited, read this, can't remember if hardback or paperback {was hardback for Christie Caper one} but since cats totally knocked down and apart bookcase and had to pack books back up out of way for while, quite a while back {before I was reviewing books on any sort of regular basis if at all}, and while it was more this one too was a 4 1/2, I do remember it {and still have the copy in with my Agatha Christie's of which have omnibuses as well as individual stories}. I liked it enough was happy to see a name actually remembered {horrible at names and titles} but unfortunately no on ku, and with as many as I read a day/week/month just no way could afford to get that many {including ones she co-wrote} but it was a nice blast from the past to see 4 of the books {Christie Caper, Deadly Valentine, Yankee Doodle Dead, and White Elephant}. I remembered the days when my eyes could still {speed read} instead of the computer having to somewhat robotic ally read to me {using kindle for pc, with audio plug in plus narrator and speakonia}, but I do remember it and the fact I kept it during all the various moves says something.

Mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance didn't really want to go to her neighbor's Valentine Day masked ball -- particularly not after the voluptuous brunette made a pass at Annie's husband, Max. So when her dizzy mother-in-law, Laurel, made a surprise visit to Broward's Rock Island, Annie thought it would be a perfect excuse to skip the party. She should have known better: True to form, Laurel accepted the invitation for all three of them. But the biggest surprise of all came at the party's end, when Annie found the amorous hostess in the gazebo--murdered.

[Chanel Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom and I liked this one better than the last. For one the body found in the gazebo belonged to Sydney who liked to sleep around with married men well being married herself. This one seemed to make a much better look at woman who like to have sex, and how men view them. Nothing amazing for the times, but around the time it was written it was, in mom opinion, not a bad take on the idea.
As for the realtionship’s on this one finally seemed solid. Annie and Max realtionship was amazing. Laurel is finally someone that makes the mystery a blast. Henny is just the best. As for Agatha, the cat, she got a companion in this one and it was interesting to see unruly animal behavior in a book where it is not suppose to be humor. As for Dorothy the new kitten that Mac and Annie got. First how did the get Dorothy? Second mom honestly thought they were going to get Dorothy either as a present from Max for their wedding, or that they were going to get her well on one of their murder cases.( Mom works at a Library and she has seen later books in the series with a black cat and a white cat on the cover, so she had a feeling another cat would have to show up later in the series. Honestly if your looking for it you would be surprised how many white cats pop up throughout the series.) over all it was just a nicer mystery for mom for some reason and that made it all the more fun to read. We can’t wait to start the new book.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have really big gaps in between books in this series and I forget why until I start reading each book. I HATE Laurel. I don't think there is a benign character that I despise as much as her. She is absolutely ridiculous and not in a charming way. Frankly, I don't know how Annie stands her, or Max when he's around his mother. Her character is so irritating that I lose interest in and focus on the story, which is a shame because they are good stories. A murder at a Valentine's Day party was a great idea. It was fairly obvious that Sydney was having an affair with Joel, but who the other person he was sleeping with was a surprise. I should have expected Eileen, her husband couldn't so it makes sense that she was having an affair. Still, the fact that Eileen killed both Sydney AND Joel was a good twist. The ending, with the General killing his wife and then himself was even more unexpected. But Laurel, who I now despise more than Henny, almost ruined the whole book for me. Frankly, between those two I'm considering not reading any more in this series.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book moved from a 2 star read to 3 star as I got into the second half of the book, which dealt primarily with the who-done-it sleuthing. Annie, Max and even Henny get into trying to find out who brutally killed a neighbor within a small exclusive gated community. The peeling back the layers of each inhabitant's life makes for some interesting reading. As a cat lover, I enjoyed the so true reaction of the established king of the house when faced with an adorable new interloper into her domain.
The beginning was a trifle too syrupy for me & why the Death on Demand series often finds itself labeled as a cozy, along with the prerequisite amateur sleuth. Laurel was too over the top for me in this one and I didn't like the early parts littered with references to various mystery books and authors. In the past I liked that signature, but don't remember the books named to be so overwhelming.
So thankfully, the traditional murder mystery content eventually took over.

[Kenneth Funk · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series has grown old really fast. Initially it was amusing when the author rattled off a few dozen mystery authors and titles during the story. However it has gotten to the point where it is excessive and annoying. These are not long books and they could probably be made about 10% shorter if the constant reference to other authors and sleuths were eliminated. I am probably going to have to let this series go.

Another pet peeve is a narrator who constantly mispronounced a word. I assume that is what editors are for. In this particular audio narration, the tough word was flaccid. It is pronounced 'Flass id', not 'Flack sid'.

[Dawn Shea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so this was a cozy mystery where a unaliving happened on Valentine’s Day. The story would’ve been stellar if not for a few things. The amount of times random mystery books were mentioned was innumerable. It was fine for awhile and then just became silly. Not every person in the book is going to quote or mention a mystery book every other sentence. Laurel (the mother in law) did the exact same thing except with “saints”. She knew them all and mentioned/quoted them incessantly. It was very irritating. Also, the ending was terrible. There was a huge twist and then just ended with no explanation or follow up. I was disappointed as the story had a lot of potential.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance didn't really want to go to her neighbor's Valentine Day masked ball -- particularly not after the voluptuous brunette made a pass at Annie's husband, Max. So when her dizzy mother-in-law, Laurel, made a surprise visit to Broward's Rock Island, Annie thought it would be a perfect excuse to skip the party. She should have known better: True to form, Laurel accepted the invitation for all three of them. But the biggest surprise of all came at the party's end, when Annie found the amorous hostess in the gazebo--murdered.

[Kellene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed this series, and this was a reread for me. It had been a very long time though, and I had forgotten most of the story. As always, Annie and Max are the perfect couple, partners in crime-solving and foils for each other. Laurel is Laurel, and there's just no other way to describe her (but books without just aren't as much fun). The residents of Scarlet King Lagoon are not folks I would want for neighbors, but they made a great cast of suspects. I had an inkling about the murderer and the reason, but not definite resolve until the ending. WOW!

[Arizonagirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Death on Demand series, book #6. I enjoy the idea of this series--the main character being a mystery bookstore owner but I'm getting annoyed by the constant literary references. It was fun at first but now it's to the point where every analogy or description is a murder mystery reference. I'm also annoyed by Laurel, especially all of her references to saints in this book. I might not finish the rest of the series.

[April Sousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun read. Why it is the author's 6th book in the series, this was the fist book I read in the world of death on demand. I try to reread this book every couple of years, for nostalgia reasons. If you want a somewhat light hearted but fully engrossing mystery, go for it. It's easily finished in a weekend.

[Melissa Arenson · Rating 1 out of 5]

A slog to get through, an unexciting mystery, and a ridiculous amount of religious moralizing throughout that had nothing to do with the story. Moreover, the author's decision to add in a huge amount of mystery titles as references for future reading that makes up a part of the story makes it difficult to follow the story itself. Sometimes whole paragraphs are just random book suggestions.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread this oldie in Hart’s death and demand series and thoroughly enjoyed it once again. Light, witty and full of little mystery fiction tidbits it was the perfect valentine’s Day read ,if you don’t mind a little murder with your romance.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually thoroughly enjoy the Death on Demand Books, but found this one annoying with the constant referrals to other Detectives, characters and books..... there seemed to be much more of this which made the "theme story" very disjointed to read.

[Liz V. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now that the protagonists are married, the mother-in-law from hell will assuredly play it prominent part in all future books. Too irritating to bear.

[Sharon Bezrutczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Death on Demand series. There is quite a cast of characters.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best death on Demand book for me. But I did enjoy Deadly Valentine, but slow moving for me.

[Lollyletsgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one had me totally going, I had no idea whodunnit, and it was a variation on one of my favorites the locked room mystery!

[Kyle Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded down to 2.5. The plot was fine. The constant references to book titles and authors was too much. The mother-in-law was truly a ditz. Earlier books were quick, cozy reads.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unpredictable, but the overuse of literature in the book was boring. It could have easily been about 20 pages less with all the book titles.

[Tiatracker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lived the posh writing and well written characters.