Search - Bootlegger's Daughter

My first book by this author. Really enjoyed this mystery, especially the the sassy and savvy attorney, Deborah Knott.

My first time with Margaret Maron and it will not be my last. I enjoyed the Deborah Knott character and look forward to her developement. As she runs for judge, attempts to solve an 18-year-old murder case with dead bodies popping up, crowned with a cast of characters from bootlegger dad to romantic interests, there is enough to material here for many good stories.

I really like this series. Good mystery.

First in a wonderful series!

This is the first in a series of mysteries by Margaret Maron. I'm from North Carolina, and the dialogue is so true to the Eastern part of the state. Ms. Maron captures the people and places, and the story is very well-written.

If you haven't discovered Judge Deborah Knott mysteries set in NC, you are missing a great read.

If you like Dana Stabenow.you will like this author.This is her first book in this series. They can all stand on their own, but I prefer to read them in order.I am on my 6th book that Deborah Knotts --she becomes a judge in her first book--is the main character.You learn a lot about the south -- North Carolina. This author builds her books around different aspects-- the one I just finished is Killer Market--about furniture -- it includes a murder mystery.

Good reading

Maron's ( Past Imperfect ) series launch introduces attorney Deborah Knott, the daughter of an infamous North Carolina bootlegger, in an atmospheric adventure mixing Southern politics and a mysterious killing'unsolved murder' in next sentence . While Deb campaigns for a district court judgeship, 18-year-old Gayle Whitehead asks her to investigate the unsolved murder of her mother, Janie, which took place when Gayle was an infant. The girl wants Deb, who knows the locals of Cotton Grove, to ask around and see if she can find clues the police might have missed. Deb visits Michael Vickery, the gay son of Cotton Grove's retired doctor and owner of the property where Janie's body was found. She discovers long-kept secrets, learning that Janie had a roving eye and that a lesbian friend and her lover had made overtures to Janie a week before the murder.sentence ok?see my revisions yes, fine But not until another death occurs does Deb begin to close in on the truth. Filled with good-ole-boy patter and detailed local color, the story flows smoothly, and if it lacks suspense, Maron's appealing characterizations and her knowing eye for family relationships more than compensate. Mystery Guild alternate.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW

Fluffy but good

Cover picture is different, but it is the same ISBN and is a paperback.

Unconventional and unmarried at 34, North Carolina attorney Deborah Knott has become a judge on old-boy-ruled Colleton County. She gets involved in an unsolved 18-year old murder of Janie Whitehead.

Good mystery with a lot of Southern flavor. Not what I would call a "cozy" though.

This first novel in Maron's Imperfect series, which won the Edgar Award for best mystery novel in 1993, introduces heroine Deborah Knott, an attorney and the daughter of an infamous North Carolina bootlegger. Known for her knowledge of the region's past and popular with the locals, Deb is asked by 18-year-old Gayle Whitehead to investigate the unsolved murder of her mother Janie, who died when Gayle was an infant. While visiting the owner of the property where Janie's body was found, Deb learns of Janie's more-than-promiscuous past. Piecing together lost clues and buried secrets Deb is introduced to Janie's darker side, but it's not until another murder occurs that she uncovers the truth.

Wonderful book........a must read!