Sand Sharks (Deborah Knott Series #15)

by Margaret Maron

Overview

When Judge Deborah Knott travels to Wrightsville Beach for a summer conference for North Carolina District Court Judges, she stumbles upon the body of one of her colleagues.

Meanwhile, Deborah's husband, Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant, is in Virginia with his son, tying up loose ends left by the death of his first wife.

When another judge is found murdered at the conference, it soon becomes evident that Deborah may be the killer's next target. Her relaxing trip to the seaside soon transforms into a harrowing experience, and she must summon all of her strength and investigative expertise to track down the culprit before she becomes the next victim.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780446618090
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	11/01/2010
Series:	Deborah Knott Series , #15
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	887,612
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 6.70(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Margaret Maron grew up in the country near Raleigh, North Carolina, but for many years lived in Brooklyn, New York. When she and her artist husband returned to the farm that had been in her family for a hundred years, she began a series based on her own background. The first book, Bootlegger's Daughter, became a Washington Post bestseller that swept the major mystery awards for its year — winning the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards for Best Novel — and is among the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century as selected by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

Later, her Deborah Knott novels Up Jumps the Devil, Storm Track, and Three-Day Town each also won the Agatha Award for Best Novel. Margaret is also the author of the Sigrid Harald series of detective novels. In 2008, Maron received the North Carolina Award for Literature, the highest civilian honor the state bestows on its authors. And in 2013, the Mystery Writers of America celebrated Maron's contributions to the mystery genre by naming her a Grand Master — an honor first bestowed on Agatha Christie. To find out more about her, you can visit MargaretMaron.com.

Editorial Reviews

On SAND SHARKS:
"Maron writes with such a strong sense of place that you can even smell the ocean air on Wrightsville Beach. The plot, populated with enticing characters, moves swiftly; an essential read for Maron fans and mystery lovers."—Library Journal

From the Publisher

Discovering a murdered colleague isn't quite the adventure Deborah Knott anticipated during her getaway/conference in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., but as fans of Maron's Edgar- and Anthony-winning series know, trouble seems to cling to her like cornmeal on hush puppies. Her 15th outing (after 2008's Death's Half Acre) finds the feisty judge agreeing to aid local investigators with discreet inquiries among her fellow conventioneers. She quickly encounters plenty of folks none too distressed by the victim's demise, including one of her own exes, and escalating danger. Unfortunately, as the pace quickens the plot starts to fall apart, culminating in a pell-mell scramble to a rather unconvincing denouement. On the plus side, Maron's homespun evocation of people and place is typically pitch-perfect, her use of the judicial milieu skillful-and her engaging heroine as welcome a companion as you could wish for under a beach umbrella. (Aug.)

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Publishers Weekly

It's open season on the North Carolina judiciary. While her new husband, sheriff's deputy Dwight Bryant, and his son Cal clear out belongings from his first marriage, Judge Deborah Knott (Death's Half Acre, 2008, etc.) heads to Wrightsville Beach for the annual conference of North Carolina district court judges. It has attracted former lovers, would-be lovers, philandering husbands and, once again, a body or two. Slightly bent Judge Jeffreys-who accepted bribes in custody suits, dismissed a case that left a carjacker free to commit rape and murder and ran a dirty campaign that scuttled another man's election-winds up strangled and tossed in the bushes. Deborah, relieving herself of too many margaritas, finds the body and, bad luck for her, is in the parking lot when Judge Fitzhume is smacked into a coma by a marauding driver who's later found dead in the red Geo that sped from the scene. Could one of the conference attendees be a killer? As a reward for trying to piece together motive and opportunity with the help of local law enforcement, Deborah finds herself locked in the trunk of her own car, escaping thanks to a trick she learned at Dwight's insistence. Deborah's mojo is having an off day, and the tale sorely lacks the gumption of old-timer Kezzie. Midlevel Maron, with slightly repugnant homophobia as a subplot.

Kirkus Reviews

"HARD ROW is laced with strong and timely political statements about undocumented workers....Readers will be satisfied with the newest entry in this reliable series."

USA TODAY

"Gripping and beautifully written."

Cleveland Plain Dealer

On HARD ROW
"Tightly written....Maron wraps up the plot so neatly that there's no question why she's one of America's best mystery writers."

Associated Press Staff

Fans of the Judge Deborah Knott will welcome the opportunity to listen to her sixteenth adventure. C.J. Critt narrates this mystery, set at a judges' convention in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Critt gives us a tough, rather cynical Deborah, who seems largely interested in scandal and eating resort food. Deborah’s persona and voice are similar to those of the gutsy heroines who appear in Patricia Cornwall's and Janet Evanovich's mysteries, also read by Critt. They all solve crimes with aplomb and a few drinks. Author Margaret Maron does an excellent job evoking the setting of the beach resort—its moods, foods, and laid-back dudes. The two murders are less important than what might be called the judicial action. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2010 - AudioFile