Part of Death on Demand, book 2
First published 1988
Annie Laurance faces an unusual request from the Historical Society of Chastain, South Carolina. They want her to stage a murder scene for their annual spring house tour. Annie debates which fictional killing to recreate for the tourists. The decision becomes urgent when someone discovers an actual corpse floating in the town pond. What began as theatrical entertainment transforms into a genuine investigation. Annie must shift from directing make-believe violence to solving real homicide. The small Southern town's peaceful facade crumbles as Annie and Max Darling confront their second murder case together. The staged crime and actual death intertwine, forcing Annie to navigate between fiction and deadly reality in historic Chastain.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, amateur-sleuth
Vibes: cozy, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, small-town-romance
Setting: Chastain, South Carolina
Period: 20th-century
320 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Crimeline