Series · cozy mystery
Death on Demand
The Death on Demand series by Carolyn Hart has 26 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Death on Demand (1987).
- Books
- 26 books
- First published
- 1987
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Death on Demand (1987) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Death on Demand
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Death on Demand - Book 2:
Design for Murder
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Design for Murder - Book 3:
Something Wicked
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Something Wicked - Book 4:
Honeymoon with Murder
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Honeymoon with Murder - Book 5:
A Little Class on Murder
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Little Class on Murder - Book 6:
Deadly Valentine
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Deadly Valentine - Book 7:
The Christie Caper
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Christie Caper - Book 8:
Southern Ghost
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Southern Ghost - Book 9:
Mint Julep Murder
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Mint Julep Murder - Book 10:
Yankee Doodle Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Yankee Doodle Dead - Book 11:
White Elephant Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of White Elephant Dead - Book 12:
Sugarplum Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sugarplum Dead - Book 13:
April Fool Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of April Fool Dead - Book 14:
Engaged to Die
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Engaged to Die - Book 15:
Murder Walks the Plank
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Murder Walks the Plank - Book 16:
Death of the Party
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Death of the Party - Book 17:
Dead Days of Summer
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Days of Summer - Book 18:
Death Walked In
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Death Walked In - Book 19:
Dare to Die
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dare to Die - Book 20:
Laughed 'Til He Died
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Laughed 'Til He Died - Book 21:
Dead by Midnight
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead by Midnight - Book 22:
Death Comes Silently
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Death Comes Silently - Book 23:
Dead, White and Blue
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead, White and Blue - Book 24:
Death at the Door
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Death at the Door - Book 25:
Don't Go Home
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Don't Go Home - Book 26:
Walking on My Grave
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Walking on My Grave
About the Death on Demand series
Annie Laurance owns Death on Demand, a mystery bookstore on the fictional South Carolina resort island of Broward's Rock, where she sells classic whodunits by day and, with alarming frequency, finds herself investigating real ones. She's joined by her eventual husband Max Darling, a wealthy dilettante who turns amateur-investigation into his own semi-serious profession, and the island's tight social world of writers, retirees and local eccentrics supplies both suspects and victims book after book.
Carolyn Hart is one of the founding figures of the modern cozy mystery boom, and Death on Demand is explicitly a love letter to the genre itself: the bookstore setting lets Hart drop in constant references to Golden Age mystery writers (Agatha Christie gets a whole book, The Christie Caper, built around a fan convention), and the series' whodunit plotting is deliberately old-fashioned and fair-play in the classic tradition. It's for readers who want their cozy mystery self-aware about its own genre, with a bookseller heroine whose taste in reading doubles as a reading list for anyone who wants more of exactly this kind of book.
How to read this series
Publication order, starting with Death on Demand, which introduces Annie's bookstore and her relationship with Max Darling as it's beginning. Their courtship and marriage develop over the first several books, so early publication order matters more here than in most cozy series, though the bulk of the run consists of self-contained mysteries once their relationship is settled.
No new title has followed Walking on My Grave (2017); the series is treated as complete for now on that basis, though no formal ending has been announced.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Death on Demand series?
There are 26 Death on Demand novels, from Death on Demand (1987) to Walking on My Grave (2017).
What order should I read Death on Demand in?
Publication order, starting with Death on Demand. Annie Laurance and Max Darling's courtship and marriage develop over the first several books, so early reading order matters more than later on.
Is the Death on Demand series finished?
No new title has been published since Walking on My Grave in 2017 and none has been announced, so the series is treated as complete for now; this page will be updated if that changes.
Is Death on Demand a standalone series from Carolyn Hart's other books?
Yes. It's distinct from her Bailey Ruth ghost-detective series and her standalone suspense novels.
Why is The Christie Caper a notable entry in the series?
It centers on a convention celebrating Agatha Christie, reflecting the series' constant, affectionate references to classic Golden Age mystery writers throughout the bookstore setting.
Reading order last verified .