Short and Sweet Book Reviews #81Judge Deborah Knott Mysteries by Margaret Maron

Slow Dollar by Margaret Maron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been listening to the Judge Knott mysteries out of order. I found where she broke up with the game warden and then the next one I read she was married to Dwight. I wanted to know how they got together and Slow Dollar is the start of their romance. It also adds another character to the mix. It seems that Deborah's oldest brother had a daughter who disappeared with her Mother years ago. Now she is back and is part owner of the carnival playing in town. This was an interesting setting for showing how the family reacted to the new cousin. Of course it is set around a murder and in the middle we see Dwight suggest he and Deborah marry and she agrees. One of the most powerful scenes in the book is when Deborah tells her Daddy she is marrying Dwight. That scene alone makes the book a five star read.


High Country Fall by Margaret Maron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love listening to the Deborah Knott Mysteries. C.J. Critt does a great job of bringing the characters to life. Like the other books in the series there is a murder and a mystery to be solved but the heart of the story is Deborah's reaction to her upcoming marriage to Dwight. She is in a panic and takes the opportunity to substitute for a judge in the western part of the state. There she does something that looks bad but in the end shows her something that is apparent to the rest of us. She is a slow learner but in the end everything ends well. I really like Dwight and have to wonder how she could have overlooked him for so long. The wedding is in the next book and I am starting it next.


Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I checked Christmas Mourning out on CD at my local library. That is how I started the series and why I keep reading out of order. This story is a year after Deborah and Dwight's wedding. The season should be full of joy but the death of a popular cheerleader takes away some of the cheer. What follows are more deaths and a secret from the past coming back to haunt several characters. This was one of the darker stories in the series. I was surprised by who caused the cheerleader's wreck but did see signed of the secret from the past. Again C.J. Critt did a wonder joy of bringing the story to life.

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