Review of The Buzzard Table by Margaret Maron

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Series: Deborah Knott Mystery #18
Format Read: Hardcover
Release Date: November 20, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

New York Times bestselling author Margaret Maron returns with a thrilling new Deborah Knott mystery . . .

THE BUZZARD TABLE

Judge Deborah Knott and her husband, Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant, are back home in Colleton County amid family and old friends. But the winter winds have blown in several new faces as well. Lt. Sigrid Harald and her mother, Anne, a well-known photographer, are down from New York to visit Mrs. Lattimore, Anne's dying mother. When the group gathers for dinner at Mrs. Lattimore's Victorian home, they meet the enigmatic Martin Crawford, an ornithologist researching a book on Southern vultures. He's also Mrs. Lattimore's long-lost nephew. With her health in decline, Mrs. Lattimore wants to make amends with her family-a desire Deborah can understand, as she, too, works to strengthen her relationship with her young stepson, Cal.

Anne is charmed by her mysterious cousin, but she cannot shake the feeling that there is something familiar about Martin . . . something he doesn't want her or anyone else to discover. When a string of suspicious murders sets Colleton County on edge, Deborah, Dwight, and Sigrid once again work together to catch a killer, uncovering long-buried family secrets along the way.

Quote:

As I drove west out of Dobbs, it seemed to me that the days were getting noticeably longer. Time was passing much too quickly, though. Turn around twice and it would soon be summer-sandals, cotton slacks, and sleeveless dresses. What with the growth spurt Cal had taken this winter, I doubted if there was much he could still wear from last summer. Unfortunately, he likes to shop for clothes just about as much as Dwight does, but maybe I could issue a bench warrant for the two of them anf haul them both out to one of the Raleigh malls this spring.

They say time is relative, and to prove it, Einstein supposedly compared a minute of sitting on a red-hot stove to a minute of kissing your lover. Driving into the sunset past pine thickets, and dormant fields, I wondered how Sigrid, Anne, and Mrs. Lattimore were experiencing time these days. Was it zipping past or dragging?

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

Okay, this is the second crossover in a row with Maron's Sigrid Harald books; I'm ready for a 100% Deborah Knott book now. I enjoyed it but didn't love it. This crossover worked better for me than the first one did. Actually Sigrid has a much smaller part in this book than that one, it's her mother Anne who gets the attention. Well, Anne and her long-lost cousin Martin, a man of mystery, who may or may not be a murderer. After two books, I still am not entranced with Sigrid as a character so I was glad she has a small role in this book, but I'd still like to see a return to each character staying in their own series. Deborah's husband Dwight also has a larger part this time around but I wish his actions and emotions concerning Martin had been explored in more depth; they felt tacked on. I imagine the consequences will be felt in future books; I certainly hope so. The subplot with Cal, Dwight's son, was touching but a little out of the blue. Although, I only read these books once, I don't re-read them so it's possible I may be forgetting something from previous books. The book meshes together fairly well and as always I enjoyed the family bits, they are one of my favorite things about this series. I didn't find the murders to be all that interesting but Martin's plot was engaging. Overall, it was an okay entry into the series. If you are new to the series, do not start with this one but start at the beginning.

I borrowed this book from my local library.