Rituals of the SeasonMargaret Maron |
|
 9/30/2005 |
Rating:  |
|
Judge Deborah Knott is getting married in a little over a week or so, just before Christmas. They are looking forward to it, slowly moving his things to her home, spending most of their non-work time together. Her brothers and families were adding on a master bedroom and other renovations to her house. She hopes they'll be done before the wedding. The engagement parties have started. But the first big party has a pall over it. It is given by the local lawyers and judges- Deborah's colleagues and friends. But the Friday before the party Tracy Johnson, the Assistant D. A. who had just presented before Deborah that day, was killed on the freeway, along with her young daughter. Someone had shot Tracy close up at highway speeds from another car and kept going. Tracy's vehicle crashed off the road. She died from the gunshot. The baby died from the heavy package that hit her head while strapped in the car seat. Deputy Sheriff Dwight Bryant has been a close friend of Deborah's family since she was small. He is the one who tells her the news and now has to investigate the death. The Colleton County sheriff's department is responsible for the investigation because of the location of the murder. Deborah is busy with the wedding plans, hiding her dress from her nosy sisters-in-law, overseeing the house, and making everything ready for their new life. But that doesn't stop her from wanting to keep checking on the murder. She keeps asking questions and listening to the people from the sheriff's department. Who killed Tracy Johnson and why? This cozy mystery successfully ties together Deborah's wedding and an interesting mystery. We know all along what is happening with her, her family, her fiance, and his family. We also know what is going on in Dwight's sheriff department as they investigate the crime. Deborah is able to offer an insight or two when she isn't putting her house in order or attending gatherings with old friends. Colleton County is an active backdrop, with weather as well as geography helping to set the story. If you haven't read any of the Deborah Knott series, you can still read this one and not feel lost. Because of her wedding, her large family and group of friends are around and explained. The mystery is never completely out of thoughts throughout pre-wedding festivities although it does fade back. Fortunately, it is solved before her wedding day. If you pick this up without reading the earlier ones you'll do yourself a service by catching up on them. Maron is an excellent writer. If you like cozy mysteries, you'll enjoy Deborah Knott and Rituals of the Season. |
|
The Deborah Knott Series:
The Bootlegger's Daughter |
|
These reviews are personal opinions only and in no way reflect other readers' opinions of the books discussed.
Book Rating System
