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I completed the second installment of Carolyn G Hart's Death in Demand series, Design for Murder, over the weekend. This one moves the action to Chastain, NC from Annie Laurence's home base of Broward's Rock where she operates a mystery bookshop. There's romantic involvement with wealthy sidekick Max Darling but, more to the point, bodies start to pile up at Chastain where Annie is leading a murder mystery evening in conjunction with the local historical society.
Some people find it tedious, but one of the charms (at least early in the series), is the author's penchant for spewing a laundry list of mystery authors and the works to illustrate some aspect of the current plot point. I'm a casual reader of cosys and mysteries in general; it's fun to mentally tick off author's I have read, have heard or make note of for future investigation.
With mission accomplished, I've opened another cosy, Lawrence Block's Burglars Can't be Choosers, the first in his Bernie Rhodenbarr series -- delightfully amusing so far!
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