Take Out - Margaret Maron

TAKE OUT by Margaret Maron

 

I love Maron’s Deborah Knott books. This is only the second Sigrid Harald novel I have read. I was unfamiliar with the recurring characters, so I was often to turning back to see “who is this”, especially considering there are three separate plots and three sets of characters to keep straight.

 

 

Once I got familiar with them, all the plot(s) moved along quickly.

 

 

The New York setting was on point with a number of neighborhood businesses and interest points used. Lt. Harold’s relationship with artist Oscar Nauman is part of the plotting along with a gallery, a mobster’s family and an aging opera star. The plots are intriguing and keep you guessing (I did quickly figure out one point, yea, me) with enough ambiguity to keep you reading.

 

Good reading, but I still like the Deborah Knott books better.

4 of 5 stars

Long Upon the Land - Margaret Maron Dollycas’s Thoughts

A current mystery and a very old mystery come together in the final installment to this long running series.

A dead man is found on the Knott property by Judge Deborah Knott’s father Kezzie. The man’s family and Kezzie have had a feud over the that part of the land for years. Many people including the local paper think one of that Knotts, most likely Kezzie, is the one responsible for the man’s death. Deorah and her husband, Sheriff’s Deputy Dwight Bryant, are working hard to find the real killer and claim the family of any wrong doing.

The old mystery started way back, even before the first book of the series, Bootlegger’s Daughter. How did a daughter of a wealthy attorney end of married to Kezzie Knott, a widowed bootlegger? This time Deborah is going to get to the bottom of her family’s history.

Both mysteries are excellently written and draw you into the story, but for me and most likely other fans of this series, it was the part about Deborah’s parents that I truly latched onto. The author rotates between each story separately the chapters with the present and the past. We see through the flashbacks Susan entered Kezzie’s life just when he needed her most although he needed to be convinced of that. I am so happy we were able to tie this all together.

As for the new mystery, it ties into the old one as one family benefited from another’s downfall. A long time grudge has been carried and the entire Knott family could be on the suspect list but Dwight knows they are innocent. Small town life and family relationships come into play as the real killer is sought.

I am sorry that this series has ended but Ms. Maron has ended it in a way that pleased me. She is continuing her other series and there is a tie in to this one so maybe Deborah and Dwight will have some cameo appearances there. Either way I have enjoyed this entire series and recommend them all.

Long Upon the Land - Margaret Maron Dollycas’s Thoughts

A current mystery and a very old mystery come together in the final installment to this long running series.

A dead man is found on the Knott property by Judge Deborah Knott’s father Kezzie. The man’s family and Kezzie have had a feud over the that part of the land for years. Many people including the local paper think one of that Knotts, most likely Kezzie, is the one responsible for the man’s death. Deorah and her husband, Sheriff’s Deputy Dwight Bryant, are working hard to find the real killer and claim the family of any wrong doing.

The old mystery started way back, even before the first book of the series, Bootlegger’s Daughter. How did a daughter of a wealthy attorney end of married to Kezzie Knott, a widowed bootlegger? This time Deborah is going to get to the bottom of her family’s history.

Both mysteries are excellently written and draw you into the story, but for me and most likely other fans of this series, it was the part about Deborah’s parents that I truly latched onto. The author rotates between each story separately the chapters with the present and the past. We see through the flashbacks Susan entered Kezzie’s life just when he needed her most although he needed to be convinced of that. I am so happy we were able to tie this all together.

As for the new mystery, it ties into the old one as one family benefited from another’s downfall. A long time grudge has been carried and the entire Knott family could be on the suspect list but Dwight knows they are innocent. Small town life and family relationships come into play as the real killer is sought.

I am sorry that this series has ended but Ms. Maron has ended it in a way that pleased me. She is continuing her other series and there is a tie in to this one so maybe Deborah and Dwight will have some cameo appearances there. Either way I have enjoyed this entire series and recommend them all.

This came through my email yesterday and I thought I'd pass it along to my USA friends who might be interested.  Henery Press produces some great cozy mysteries.  Of this batch I can recommend highly Board Stiff - Kendel Lynn, Swan Dive - Kendel Lynn    and The Semester of Our Discontent - Cynthia Kuhn.  

 

From the email:

This is the 15th book in the Judge Deborah Knott series. Judge Knott is a little overwhelmed by her new married life and becoming a step-mom so she leaves a few days early for a convention for all North Carolina district judges, so she can enjoy the ocean, sun and sand, reconnecting with some old friends. What should have been a wonderfully relaxing trip becomes suddenly stressful as she finds one of the judges dead below the Riverwalk tangled up in the driftwood and debris. He wasn't a particularly favored judges by any means, but who would want him dead? And was he the only target?

Deborah decides to start a little investigation of her own and is stunned when the local detective asks for her help. Together they put the pieces together to find the killer.

The mystery in this story was a little weak, but the characters were well written. Deborah's family was not in this story much though, so there are new characters which was kind of refreshing. It is definitely a page turner but I think you may be a little surprised and maybe a little disappointed at the ending. My absolute favorite character of this story was Martha Fitzhume she is a strong woman with a quick wit.