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Virginia Neville
announced her engagement at the opening of
her new art gallery. Only one problem
appeared, the fiancée soon ended up dead at the same party. Now everyone’s a suspect from Virginia to the
lowest guest. Once again, bookstore
owner Annie Darling takes up the case, even as it puts her at
cross-purposes
with her husband, Max, and half the town.
Deputized on the spot,
Max Darling is determined to find the
evidence to close what on the surface appears and open and shut case. But it’s never as easy as it appears on the
surface, as Annie discovers while she digs into things.
There’s blackmail, stalkers, and lots of
jealousy. It becomes a question of
friends over family. Can Annie and Max’s
marriage survive the investigation of one of her dearest friends?
Never
having read Ms. Hart before, I had no expectations for the book. However, I was rapidly disappointed. As a mystery, Engaged to Die felt flat to me.
The writing, as well as the romance, seemed to be
missing vital
elements. There are no clues to find, no
investigating done. Still, the novel has
some beautiful writing, I can vividly picture all the locations used. As Engaged to Die is the
latest in a series of books that began with Death on Demand, perhaps I am missing
pieces that, having read the
whole series, would have made sense. For
fans of the series, this will likely be an enjoyable read; however, for
newcomers to the series, reading a few of the earlier books might be
helpful.
Reviewed
by Meribeth McCombs for The Road to Romance
June 14, 2004
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