Slow Dollar

Margaret Maron

Judge Deborah Knott is at home in Colleton County, North Carolina, presiding over the day to day trials of life. Literally. A case comes before her involving drunk, disorderly, and destruction of property. The property attacked was a traveling carnival ride. The defendants had attacked it while trying to retrieve property sold when a storage unit's payment went into arrears.

The carnival comes back to town. She joins the fun with her friends Portland and Avery, and Dwight and his companion, Sylvia. They decide to play the Dozer game. Deborah runs out of quarters. When she went for more, she found the quearters...in the mouth of the body of a dead games operator. Dwight puts on his sheriff's hat, sends Sylvia, Portland, and Avery home, and starts an investigation.

Deborah stays as a witness. Then she stays as family. The man's mother, the owner/operator of many of the attractions at the carnival, is part of the Knott family who had disappeared. She was also the woman Judge Knott had ruled for in the destruction of property case earlier in the week. Before this mystery is solved, Deborah will experience a number of surprising changes in her life.

I love the books in this series. This one falls right in with the rest. The mystery is well presented and the ongoing characters remain true to the past books and become more in this one. I wasn't expecting the newest personal twist, but certainly approve. It's another one I recommend. For character growth you should read the series in order. This book stands well on its own, though.

The Bootlegger's Daughter
Southern Discomfort
Shooting at Loons
Up Jumps the Devil
Killer Market
Home Fires
Storm Track
Uncommon Clay
Slow Dollar
High Country Fall
Rituals of the Season
Winter's Child
Hard Row
Death's Half Acre
Sand Sharks
Christmas Mourning
Three-Day Town

The Right Jack by Margaret Maron