I'm back to Carolyn Hart

I went to my local bookshop this week and stocked up. I actually picked up two Carolyn Hart novels, which is unusual. But the ones I've been reading of hers lately are books I had on my shelves and had read before. Normally I feel lucky to find one new book by a favourite author, but to find two at the same time that I haven't read is a real thrill.

So last night I started "Murder Walks the Plank" and it promises to be as good as I've come to expect from the Annie and Max Darling stories.

Interestingly, the opening chapters are little vignettes about different characters and their relationship to one central character. I can't wait to see how they all tie together. I recently wrote about an author who tried to do this on a more detailed level, a la Robert Ludlum, but it didn't (for me anyway) quite come off. Carolyn Hart's version is for each little scene to be much less involved, just enough to make you interested before she whisks you off to the next one. It's a special talent, and just one of the many mystery writing talents of Carolyn Hart.

Because Annie Darling is the proprietor of a mystery bookstore called "Death On Demand", the author has a built in excuse to talk lots and lots about mysteries, which is clearly a passion for her. She quotes freely from some of the classic writers like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers (in fact her two cats are named after those two), as well as many I didn't know at all. Now when I go to the bookstores I take a list of those names and try to find some of their books --- although some are so old now that it's hard to find them. The great thing is that a great mystery is always a good read, and no matter how old and dated the story, it's still a treat for the real mystery lover!

Why don't you tell me about your favourite authors and books? I'd love to compare notes. Just comment on any of the posts, any time!