High Country Fall

I picked up this book on a whim, based on the simple cover graphics (a sugar maple leaf in four stages of autumn color), the setting (the North Carolina mountains) and the title (I like both mountains and autumn). What a good decision! I love reading mysteries, and this one meets every criteria I can think of to make a good, entertaining, and suspenseful read. Other reviewers have spoken about the plot, so I need not address it. Suffice it to say that Judge Deborah Knott is an independent woman of a sensible age who is intrigued by crime and murder even when she's not on her home turf. All of the characters here are believable and likable -- at least, at first -- and they talk like people do in real life. Maron's descriptions paint such complete scenes that I could picture the town of Cedar Gap fully: the streets, the businesses, the big MacMansions built by the Florida seasonals. I spent such an enjoyable time in Cedar Gap that I must go back and read the other nine Deborah Knott novels, in order. Perhaps by the time I'm caught up, another one will be waiting on the shelf...

Margaret Maron continues her series of the Southern Judge, with an excellent book. Trying to get some time away from her family, who are just thrilled about her wedding plans, Judge Knott takes a temporary job in a different community.. She uses a condo, which also has some of her cousins staying there, and they are up to something. Of course, a murder occurs, and the judge is off and running. THe end of the book provides a very welcome surprise. I think this book is very well done, with all the characters we're used to, and some good Southern Humor. This author has not dropped off at all, like some of the other series authors have done this year.

About this time next year, we can expect to see a trio of mystery heroine weddings. Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon, Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone and now Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott all are strong women headed for the altar. We've had some great wedding scenes -- Susan Wittig Albert married off China Bayles in a cascade of lavender and Susan Conant created a dog-loving wedding for Holly Winter. Let's see if these three can live up to their predecessors. I'm rooting for Deborah Knott. In High Country Fall, Knott finds herself caught up in a puzzling case while she substitutes for a judge in a small High Country town. Hearing a murder case, Deborah finds probable cause to bind the young suspect, but she doesn't believe he's guilty. A second murder confirms her hunch: the method is similar and this time the suspect has a tight alibi. The solution to the murders hinges on a twist of partnership agreements that Deborah knows from her own experience. As other reviewers noted, the author plays fair: we could have followed a trail of clues, but they're not really obvious. We're also provided with a clever and amusing subplot involving Deborah's twin cousins. This mystery is about as cozy as they come. There's not much suspense. Author Maron takes liberties available to authors writing their tenth mystery: The climactic suspense episode is not related to the main mystery, although Deborah emerges with the clues neatly arranged in her own mind. As a small-town dweller (and we *do* have a Wal-Mart), I am amazed at mystery heroines who manage to find not only great men -- good-looking, smart and sensitive -- but also great restaurants with perfectly mixed drinks. It makes for good reading but, alas, also a bit of skepticism on the part of some of us readers. I suspect most readers will read High Country Fall not for plot but for a chance to spend time with Deborah Knott. She's brilliantly drawn, a combination of southern upbringing and contemporary lifestyle. She's totally unpretentious and down-to-earth. And she's got that wonderful family all over the state, flawed but fascinating and always ready to help one another. Deborah's smart without being intellectual. She has a rich exterior life and an astute social sense. And she's strong. Can she and Dwight live happily ever after? We'll have fun finding out.

Since Judge Deborah Knott has not found love or lasting passion with anyone, she agrees to marry her childhood friend Deputy Sheriff Dwight Bryant for practical reasons like good sex and companionship. His and her relatives are happy for them; making such a big deal of the upcoming nuptials that Deborah wants to escape from the wedding talk. She gets her chance when she is called in to substitute for the judge in Cedar Gap, which is five hours away from where she lives. One of her first cases when she arrives is the arraignment of Daniel Wayne Freeman in the death of Dr. Carlyle Grayson Ledwig. Although Danny passes for white, he is part black and the victim did not want him to marry his daughter. There is enough evidence to bind him over for trial but when Norman Osborne is killed in an identical manner and Danny has an alibi, the authorities believe they were too quick to judge him and set out to find a killer who has struck twice. Margaret Maron once again delivers a fascinating crime thriller that grabs and keeps reader interest. The judge does not play an active role in finding the killer but when she is trapped in a car after an accident, the identity of the killer comes to her. Her antics to escape nuptial bliss is amusing and brings to life the closeness of small town living. Harriet Klausner

The Judge Deborah Knott books by Margaret Maron are among the most popular, and the most award-winning, titles in mystery fiction. Interesting family dynamics, some darned good-sounding food, real characters, humorous asides, introduction to various North Carolina industries (like pottery and furniture) and of course puzzling mysteries, have built Maron's following. Her readers will not be disappointed at all in HIGH COUNTRY FALL, which takes her temporarily from Colleton County to the high Smokies in the busy fall tourist season. We visited this area during the foliage season a couple of years ago and returning via these pages was a real pleasure. The mystery solution took me by surprise, but when I looked back, the clues were sure all there. Deborah is questioning, however, her recent engagement to Dwight Bryant, and the deputy plays only a very small role in this series entry. All in all, a very satisfying read. And I want the recipe for Granny Knott's baked toast.