Hard Row by Margaret Maron

A rainy day, no pressing engagements, and a Margaret Maron mystery - what could be more perfect? Judge Deborah Knott, star of a Maron series, is one of my favorite fictional characters. I worried when she married Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant that her life might get a little dull. Well, not to worry, her life is just as hectic as ever and she and Dwight are a great crime-solving team.

Add to the mix the fact that Dwight's son Cal is living with them full time since his mother died. The poor kid is grieving for his mom, getting used to a new school, new friends, and a new stepmom with an enormous family nearby all at the same time. Trust Deborah to work it out though. She grew up with all those brothers; she knows boys.

This mystery is unusually gruesome in that body parts are found all over the area near a huge farm which belongs to Judson "Buck" Harris who is divorcing his wife Suzanne, better known as Suzu. They employ many migrant workers. Suzu sees to it that they are supplied with decent shelter and items like refrigerators that work, etc. Buck could care less whether he works them to death or what.

While Dwight is trying to find out who the body parts belong to (the head is inconveniently missing) an Alzheimer's patient disappears and they find his hand too. Now they have two right hands and other parts and the mystery deepens. Meanwhile, there are also other story lines going on, including Deborah's best friend Portland having a baby. The many happy returns are all yours though when you read Hard Row.

I borrowed this one from the library.

Review: Sand Sharks by Margaret Maron

I started going to the library again, despite my growing TBR pile at home. First I'm catching up on authors I always enjoy, then I'll explore new ones. Anyway, Margaret Maron's books are so evocative of a time and place I think I would like to inhabit that I just settle in for a lovely read when I find a new one. The bonus is that the plot is usually interesting as well.

In this one, published last year, Judge Deborah Knott and her new husband will be apart for a few days while she goes to a judge's conference at Wrightsville Beach. He's taking his son up to clear out his ex-wife's house since she is dead now, and he will teach at a conference himself while a friend takes his son camping. He half-seriously tells Deborah to be in bed - alone - by 9 every night, and she worries about him and his son doing such an emotional job.

At her conference a judge who seems to be disliked by everyone, and probably is on the take, is murdered the first night. Suddenly judges are dropping like flies, the detective heading up the investigation welcomes Deborah's help partly because he's interested in her divorced friend, and she is deeply involved in the investigation. Someone from her past turns up which adds a complication for her, and there's a judge who would like to add her to his list of conquests.

As usual in Maron's novels, you see the restaurants, shopping, all the atmosphere of the area, and the food (soft shell crabs in this case). Since she is there early and has free time, you also see the beach. Deborah has lots of friends so the conversation flows, including lots of gossip.

I don't want to spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but this is pure Margaret Maron. Judge Deborah Knott is one of my best loved characters of all time so I know I'll love the book whenever I see it's part of that series. She is down to earth, smart, loving, a good friend, and has the biggest, most interesting family you'll ever meet. Just don't call her Deb or Debbie! The Low Country is also a character in these novels; it almost makes me want to move there.

So, in short, if you haven't read Sand Sharks yet and like Margaret Maron, what are you waiting for? If you buy it, I'm an Amazon Associate.