Death On Demand

WHO COULD PLOT A MURDER BETTER THAN A MYSTERY WRITER? At Annie Laurance’s Death On Demand bookstore on Broward’s Rock Island, South Carolina, murder most foul suddenly isn’t confined to the well-stocked shelves. Author Elliot Morgan’s abrupt demise during a weekly gathering of famous mystery writers called the Sunday Night Regulars is proof positive that a bloody sword is sometimes mightier than a brilliant pen. With Annie is the unenviable position of primary police suspect, the pretty young mystery maven and her wealthy paramour, Max Darling, embark on an investigation into a classic locked-room mystery with high stakes. For failing to unmask a brutal and ingenious killer could mean prison for Ms. Laurance. While success could mean her death. “Irresistible! [Carolyn] Hart drops big names from the mystery world like murderers drop clues and Annie and Max are the most endearing new pair of sleuths since Tommy and Tuppence!” – Nancy Pickard

A South Carolina bookseller falls victim to a murder plot in the Agatha and Anthony Award-winning author’s smalltown mystery. Solving puzzles comes naturally to mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling. But it doesn’t take a genius to realize she needs help around the shop. Between book club members, fussy authors, and curious readers, Death on Demand is one of the busiest storefronts on the island of Broward’s Rock. Former legal secretary Pat Merridew proves more than capable. When she doesn’t show up for work one day, she has an excellent excuse—she’s dead. While the police rule it a suicide, Annie smells foul play. But as Annie and her husband Max dig into their latest true crime, someone is planning a killer sequel.

In sickness and in health . . . Mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance and detective Max Darling are finally tying the knot, but a bizarre sequence of events might unravel this blissful marriage before it begins. With the ceremony completed and the champagne goblets emptied, Max sweeps Annie into his arms for an amorous moment . . . when the phone rings and a woman on the other end of the line screams bloody murder! The newlyweds rush to the scene of the crime, only to discover that Ingrid Jones, Annie's bookstore assistant, has vanished, leaving the body of a neighborhood Peeping Tom on her living room rug. As the community of Broward's Rock, including a dotty New Age psychic and Annie's meddling new mother-in-law, mobilizes to find the missing woman, the cold corpse puts the honeymoon plans on the shelf . . . and Annie's love of investigation threatens to bring the big chill to Max's hungry heart.

These days Maori cop Tito Ihaka is leading a quieter life in the Wairarapa. Five years earlier he?d sought to step into the shoes of his long-time boss Detective Inspector Finbar McGrail after the latter?s promotion to Auckland District Commander. Dogged by the fall-out from his handling of the hit and run death of a prominent businesswoman, Ihaka was overlooked for a younger, more presentable candidate. After a men?s room confrontation with his new boss?s right-hand man, Ihaka was sent into exile. Out of the blue McGrail summons him back to Auckland. Christopher Lilywhite, the businesswoman?s terminally ill husband whom Ihaka suspected was behind his wife?s death, wants to see him. Lilywhite confesses that he had his wife murdered, but he dealt with the hit-man at arm?s length so has no idea who he is. In quick succession Lilywhite and another potential source of information are murdered. Ihaka?s old rival Detective Inspector Tony Charlton takes control of the case but with more corpses turning up and Auckland Central stretched to breaking point, he agrees to let Ihaka investigate the apparently unrelated murder of a young man about town. As the investigations expand uncovering a blackmail operation preying on married women, gang activities controlled from inside Paremeremo prison and possible police corruption, Ihaka realises that the cases are related and he?s hunting a faceless and prolific hit-man. Or is the hit-man hunting him? Finished reading Paul Thomas's 'Death on Demand' on flight to NY. Big, bruising police procedural set in New Zealand. Excellent. — Ian Rankin (@Beathhigh) January 29, 2014 @HachetteNZ Mazey, gripping plot, terrific maverick cop, violent, profane, funny. — Ian Rankin (@Beathhigh) January 30, 2014

Bookstore owner Annie Darling has no time to enjoy the summer fun when a missing person case turns deadly in this mystery in the New York Times bestselling Death on Demand series. July is a hectic time for Annie and her husband, Max. Sun and scorching temperatures never fail to bring swarms of tourists to their mystery bookstore, Death on Demand, for the latest beach reads. Not to mention the whole island is buzzing with excitement over the upcoming Broward’s Rock Fourth of July dance. But after Wesley Hurst's second wife Shell disappears during the fireworks display, Annie and Max take time out of their busy schedule to find the missing woman. Their investigation reveals a twisted tale of blackmail, betrayal, and adultery that takes them from the corridors of the island’s lovely inn to a pier lashed by pelting rain, to a gathering on the terrace of a country club where a trap is set for a calculating killer...

Death on Demand explores the polarizing role of Jack Kevorkian—“Dr. Death”—as the most visible leader of the right-to-die movement. From a feature on the cover of Time magazine to interviews on shows like 60 Minutes, Kevorkian was a high-profile figure in the right-to-die movement, capturing constant media attention as he helped more than one hundred people kill themselves. The book opens with the death of Janet Adkins in 1990—Kevorkian’s first assisted suicide—then travels back to Kevorkian’s medical school days and follows his nearly four decades as a lone activist. Death on Demand draws on Kevorkian’s interviews and published work as well as newspaper and magazine articles to describe the doctor’s publicity stunts, criminal trials, years in prison, and activities after he was paroled. Author Michael DeCesare examines Kevorkian’s actions in the context of the right-to-die movement to understand his crucial role in bringing the controversial practice of assisted suicide into the public conversation.

Bookstore owner Annie Darling must solve a murder at the center of a small town scandal in this mystery in the New York Times bestselling Death on Demand series. Business is slow for Annie Darling’s mystery bookstore, Death on Demand, as winter rolls into Broward’s Rock, South Carolina. To boost her sales, Annie decides to host a book signing for the island’s resident writer. During the signing, Gretchen Burkholt, a fellow volunteer at the local charity shop, Better Tomorrow, leaves Annie multiple voice mails about scandalous news she’s dying to share. So, when the event wraps up, Annie heads over to hear the latest scoop...only to find Gretchen dead on the floor, an ax by her side. Annie, with the help of her husband, Max, uncovers a mysterious plot involving an overturned kayak, a stolen motorboat, a troubled love affair, and a reckless teenager. Annie will have to keep her eyes peeled and use every trick in the book to track down a cold-blooded killer in the dead of winter…