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.

Review of Three-Day Town by Margaret Maron

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: November 21, 2011
Series: Deborah Knott Mystery #17
Buying Links: Amazon     The Book Depository

*May contain spoilers for earlier books*
 

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant are on a train to New York, finally on a honeymoon after a year of marriage. January in New York might not be the perfect time to visit, but they'll take it. The trip is a Christmas present from Dwight's sister-in-law, who arranged for them to stay in an Upper West Side apartment for one week. While in New York, Deborah has been asked to deliver a package to Lt. Sigrid Harald of the NYPD. Sigrid offers to swing by the apartment to pick up the box, but when they reach the apartment, they discover that it is missing and the doorman has been murdered. Despite their best efforts to enjoy a blissful getaway, Deborah and Dwight soon find that they've teamed up with Sigrid and her team to catch the killer before he strikes again.

Teaser:

I left the door on the latch and fetched a wet cloth from the kitchen to begin wiping surfaces that had been dusted for fingerprints, including the cat that Luna had forgotten to take. Dwight came down the hall from the second bathroom with a bath mat in his hand. "I'm going to put this over that bloodstain till we can get it cleaned," he said.

 The chenille mat had interlocking circles of blue and green and didn't exactly go with anything in the room, but yes, I was glad to have the blood covered.

My Thoughts:
*May contain spoilers for earlier books*


OK, first thing. Although the book is listed as being part of Maron's Deborah Knott series, it is a crossover between that series and her Sigrid Harald series. The focus is on Deborah and Dwight but Sigrid is a major character in the story. The first three chapters are told from Deborah's perspective, then after that the chapters alternate between Deborah and Sigrid, with a couple chapters from Dwight's perspective near the end of the book. I haven't read the Harald books, other than to skim a couple at the library. The Knott books, though, I read regularly and enjoy them. A co-worker introduced me to them several years ago and I'm glad she did.

Deb and Dwight have been married for a year but never took a honeymoon. They finally get a chance for one when Dwight's sister-in-law Kate, married to Dwight's brother Rob, arranges for them to stay at an apartment she owns, but doesn't use, in New York City.  At the same time, Deb is doing a favor, delivering a package, for a relative of Kate's, who is also a distant relative of Deb's. That relative, Mrs. Lattimore, happens to be the grandmother of Sigrid, making Deb and Sigrid distant cousins. Confused yet? :D The genealogy in the Knott books can be confusing and this one gave me a headache, trying to keep it all straight. There is a brief chart at the front of the book but it doesn't include Kate, Mrs Lattimore or Sigrid.

The package that Deb is delivering is for Sigrid's mother so when Deb and Dwight arrive in NY, Deb calls Sigrid to arrange a time to deliver the package. Before that happens, however, they attend a party given by a neighbor. During that party, a murder occurs and Sigrid is the detective on the scene. The story gets increasingly complicated and Deb, though out of her jurisdiction, can't help but get involved.


It's not the strongest story in the series but it's a good one and I enjoyed seeing both Deb and Dwight in a different setting. I really liked that Maron resisted the temptation to write them as fish out water, but instead as just two people playing tourist in a new environment. She also poked fun a bit at the perceptions that people have of Southerners. Sigrid was interesting but I still have no desire to read that series. Since I don't read those books, I don't know how good an introduction this book serves to that series but we do meet Sigrid's team and learn a bit about her and her background. For someone new to either series, or even both, Maron works in background on all of the major characters without doing the dreaded info dump.

"Three-Day Town" is a quick read, occasionally confusing, with attention to detail, interesting characters, and a decent mystery.

I  received a hardcover from the publisher for review.