Bootlegger's Daughter (Deborah Knott Mysteries, No. 1)

First book by Margaret Maron that I have read, and the first book in the Deborah Knott series (not counting the prequel). "Bootlegger's Daughter" is the winner of the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, & Macavity Awards. There are currently eleven books in the series (including a prequel to "Bootlegger's Daughter" titled "Bloody Kin" and a collection of short stories). Deborah is a female lawyer in Colleton County, North Carolina who has decided to run in the current judicial election (and is the daughter of a noted ex-bootlegger). While Deborah is running for said election, she has also been asked by a young woman that she used to babysit, Gayle Whitehead, to look into the death of that woman's mother, Jane Whitehead, 18 years ago. Gayle is less concerned with who killed her mother than as to why she was killed (not that she wouldn't like to know the killer). The book opens with baby Gayle and dead mother Jane being discovered in a old mill (May 1972). Then quickly jumps up to the "present time" of April 1990. At the very beginning of the book, I was concerned that I might not like the main character, and some of the plot points and dialogue that came up. As I read further, though, the book grew on me, and by the end, I rather liked the main character. The main character, and a few others, are fully developed personalities, though the lessor characters can seem a little thin. The plot is solid, the mystery is well-designed and plausible, and the setting is well developed. Overall, I would give the book 4.40 stars. - Michael S. Briggs -

Although the rest of the series is more typically genre fiction, this book reads at least as much as a Southern novel of place and relationship as it is a murder mystery. I enjoyed Maron's skill in developing three-dimensional characters and evoking a setting so real I could smell the dogwood and barbecue sauce. I didn't mind the slow early pace because I enjoyed the likeable, complicated characters, the window into North Carolina culture and politics, and the plot that simmered enticingly until the heat poured on at the end. I think the Judge Deborah Knott series in general is readable but uneven. And, if you are looking for a fast-paced mystery thriller, this might not be the right choice. However, this book stands well on its own as an excellent novel, engaging, complex, and beautifully written. It's one of the few mystery novels I've read more than once.

Maron transports you to small-town North Carolina and introduces you around to some of the best developed characters in mystery fiction. Deborah Knott is definitely a good one to know, and it is interesting to watch her as she handles her personal and internal conflicts with style and wit.In this beginning of the Deborah Knott series, a local teen seeks answers about her mother's death years ago, and Deborah has to delve into history that some locals would much prefer remain buried. It makes for an intriguing puzzle, and Maron places the clues fairly. Maron also treats the reader to an examination of small-town dynamics that affect not only Knott's political race to become a judge, but could put a new face on her personal and family relationships as well.

Being an avid reader, particularly of mysteries/detective stories, I was amazed when I accidentally discovered Margaret Maron, who has been right under my nose here in North Carolina all these years. I so thoroughly enjoyed Bootlegger's Daughter that I immediately ordered four more Maron books about Judge Deborah Knott! The book was the most "comfortable" read I've experienced in ages. North Carolinians and others from the South will easily identify with the characters, the lifestyle, and the attitudes expressed. It's just a natural fit. Maron's wit was utterly entertaining, though subtle. I can't wait to finish the entire Knott series.

This is a great book. The author won numerous prizes for this book and I can see why. For Deborah Knott there is a decades old mystery to solve, an election campaign to fight, and a huge family of brothers to love and support. Read this one - the plot and "whodunnit" is not as important as the characters you will read about on the way.