Christmas Mourning
Margaret Maron, Grand Central, $25.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-446-55580-7
The death of Mallory Johnson, a popular high school cheerleader, in a suspicious car crash propels Edgar-winner Maron's satisfying 16th Deborah Knott mystery (after 2009's Sand Sharks). While Deborah, a Colleton County, N.C., judge, and her huge clan are preparing for a big North Carolina Christmas, her husband, chief deputy Dwight Bryant, looks into the shooting of two trailer-park brothers. Deborah's countless nieces and nephews pop up frequently, and Deborah, with her realistic and appealing combination of common sense and a sharp ear, pulls clues from the kids' random comments. Mallory's less popular half-brother, her slighted best friend, and all the boys she toyed with are all possible bad guys, though how the one-car accident was orchestrated is a mystery in itself. As usual, interludes with relatives overshadow the investigating, but of course the warm and authentic family relationships are the heart of this evergreen series. (Nov.)
Details
Reviewed on: 09/27/2010
Release date: 11/01/2010
Genre: Fiction
Open Ebook - 304 pages - 9780446574044
Hardcover - 289 pages - 9780446555807
Hardcover - 411 pages - 9781410430014
Open Ebook - 149 pages - 9781609416607
Mass Market Paperbound - 319 pages - 9780446555791