It’s been a few years since I’ve read a Death on Demand book and this is #26 in the series. Annie is still solving murders with her hubby and this murder is all about greed. Vet is holding a dinner and all the guests want money from her. This can be read as a stand alone. Not quite as good as some of the previous books in my opinion. I received a copy of this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Author Carolyn Hart is a master storyteller, and mystery purveyor. She stands in a class all her own.

There are always a lot of characters Ms. Hart’s books, but if anyone knows all there is about her characters and their histories, it would be this author. With so many to keep up with, she kindly includes a Cast of Characters list to help readers keep track.

I feel fans will agree, WALKING ON MY GRAVE perfectly aligned with the other books in this series. The same wonderful writing readers count on is found in this tale. There is a good, solid mystery with an array of suspects, encouraging readers to keep turning the pages.

I’ve seen very mixed reviews about WALKING ON MY GRAVE. Anywhere from one to five stars. It’s not my favorite of the titles I’ve read in this series, but it is still an amazing piece of writing, and I’m happy to have read it.

Thank you for the chance to read this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I have decided not to review it on my blog.

The latest installment of this cozy mystery series continues the story arc of a bookstore owner/amateur sleuth, but could work as a standalone -- you won't feel lost if you start here. Hart is a reliably good writer who name-drops mystery authors and books, old and new, throughout the story, which could lead attentive readers to other good titles. Readers must suspend disbelief that a tiny island could yield so many murders, but I haven't grown tired of this series.

Walking on My Grave by Carolyn Hart is the twenty-sixth (and last) novel in A Death on Demand Mystery series. When Rufus Roundtree passed away a year ago, he left his fortune to his sister, Ves. Upon Ves’ death the money will pass to six heirs listed in the will. Four of the heirs need money and would like some of their inheritance now. Ves has no intention of parting with the money and as she is only in her 40s, Ves expects to live a long life. On the one year anniversary of Rufus’ death, Ves holds a dinner at her home. She invites the six heirs—Curt Roundtree, Bob and Katherine Farley, Jane Wilson, Fred Butler, Adam Nash—along with Gretchen Roundtree (Curt’s mother) and Tim Holt (Jane’s boyfriend). When Jane brings in the dessert she feels a cold chill—like someone is walking on her grave—and knows that someone wishes to kill her. A few days later, Ves limps into Death on Demand to speak with Annie Darling. Ves confides that someone tried to killer her. Ves confronts the heirs with Max Darling present hoping to find the culprit. Fred Butler disappears and is discovered by a fisherman in the harbor. When Ves fails to show up at a meeting, Annie and Police Chief Bill Cameron go to her house. They find blood smears along with her purse, but they find no sign of Ves. Did the killer get to Ves? Annie, Max and their friends work together to find the guilty party before he strikes again. Will they succeed?

Walking on My Grave will appeal to the fans of A Death on Demand Mystery series. If you are new to the series, I suggest starting with Death on Demand (first book). Walking on My Grave is easy to read and has interesting main characters (Annie and Max Darling). It was nice to revisit Broward’s Rock and the delightful characters in this series. I would love to visit Annie’s bookstore Death on Demand. It would be paradise to visit a bookstore filled with just mystery novels. I also appreciate that Annie and Max work with the police. They may gather information and talk to suspects, but they share the intel with the local authorities. There are no mean or idiotic police in Carolyn Hart’s series (for which I am very grateful). Unfortunately, Walking on My Grave was not on par with the previous books in the series. There is repetition of information throughout the story (especially about the case). I lost track of the number of times we are told about Max’s cars. Do readers need to be told whether he is driving the Lamborghini or the VW (each and every time he goes out)? Annie is working on chapbooks for Laurel, Emma and Henny. We hear about them frequently throughout the book along with book titles and authors, Latin quotes, clothing descriptions and mystery quotes. It felt like the author was trying to pad the story. I found Laurel (Annie’s mother-in-law) annoying and quickly tired of her nonsense (I do not know how Annie puts up with her). My rating for Walking on My Grave is 3 out of 5 stars. I wish I could say that the mystery redeemed Walking on My Grave, but that would be an untruth. I identified the perpetrator before Ves fell down the stairs. Only one suspect could commit the crimes and that person sticks out like an individual with fluorescent pink hair. It felt like the author’s heart was not into this book knowing it was the last. I do wish there had been an epilogue, but I did like who identified the books that went with the watercolors.

Bookshop owner Annie Darling sells mystery novels for a living in Broward’s Rock, South Carolina. Maybe it is fitting that somehow Annie and her husband, Max, always seem to get mixed up in real life mysteries. Ves Roundtree inherits a fortune from her brother that will be further divided among several family members and friends upon Ves’s own death. It seems someone may not want to wait for their share of the money and an attempt is made on Ves’s life. Soon afterwards, Ves disappears and Annie and Max work together to stop a killer from striking again.

This long-running cozy series has all the familiar elements that fans love – Annie and Max helping to solve a crime, with plenty of help from friends Henny and Emma, as well as Max’s mother, Laurel, but still remains fresh. The intricate plots of each installment are unique so that none of the books seem like a rehash of a prior book. Since Annie does run a mystery bookstore, there are plenty of references to modern and classic mysteries for readers to enjoy.

Walking on My Grave had the feel of an Agatha Christie novel, but modernized and set in South Carolina instead of England. The premise is classic in which would-be heirs become prime suspects in a murder, but there is a twist to this story that I won’t reveal so the surprise isn’t spoiled. I enjoyed seeing Annie, Max, Henny, Emma, and Laurel cleverly and subtly question the suspects to see who has motive and opportunity. It is a delight when the solution is dramatically revealed at the end with all the suspects gathered together to hear the truth about the guilty party.

Another thing I like about the series is how much in love Annie and Max are. Annie is impetuous and energetic and Max is charming and laid-back, but both are intelligent and loyal to their friends and loved ones. I usually adore both characters, but Max comes more of a spoiled, mama’s boy than usual with Annie sulking a bit over the attention Max pays to his mother. Annie has always had some mixed emotions when it comes to Laurel, but something about the dynamic between the three of them detracted from the story in this book. Otherwise, I enjoyed Hart’s modern take on a classic mystery theme and think fans of the series as well as new readers will enjoy this entertaining book.

~ Christine

It seems like time to mention a few good mysteries since I have not done so in a while. What about works by award winning author Carolyn Hart? I am in the midst of WALKING ON MY GRAVE, the 27th (!) book in her Death on Demand series which revolves around the book store of that name. Its proprietor, Annie, is once again trying to help friends in danger. This time, a local resident named Ves Roundtree is frightened by her vulnerability as heir to a fortune that will pass to others once she dies. Of course, each of the others has various reasons for needing the money NOW and Annie sets out with husband Max, his mother and her friends, plus local police to protect Ves. Regular Hart readers are likely to predict the murderer relatively early, but still enjoy this entertaining, quick read. It's a cozy mystery for sure, complete with references to other titles in the mystery genre.

Ves Roundtree is a very wealthy woman, and she’s made it known that when she passes on to her “reward”, some of the members of her community will be remembered in her will. That’s good news to plenty of folks, the only problem is, Ves is alive and kicking. She hosts a dinner for her potential beneficiaries and it becomes clear that they aren’t there to wish her good health and long life. Then one of her guests suffers an “accidental” fall. Not long after, another one of the guests is found floating facedown in the harbor and Ves has disappeared. Her good friend Annie Darling and her husband Max launch a search for Ves, hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst