Killer Market (Deborah Knott Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Margaret Maron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997 | Series: Deborah Knott Mysteries

In the fifth novel in the acclaimed Judge Deborah Knott series, Edgar Allan Poe Award-winning, bestselling author Margaret Maron furnishes her popular Southern sleuth with a case to die for.

When Deborah Knott fills in for a district court judge in High Point, North Carolina, she has no idea that the International Home Furnishings Market, with the largest assortment of furniture and home decorations in the world, will be taking over the town while she's there. And when the son-in-law of an old law school classmate turns up dead on a pink satin loveseat -- with Deborah's handbag found at the scene of the crime -- she must table her plans, clear her name -- and find an assassin who puts his work on display.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

North Carolina district court judge Deborah Knott unintentionally "crashes" several manufacturer's receptions at the internationally known Southeastern Furniture Market in High Point, where she becomes involved in murder. Initially befriended by a mysterious and elusive woman with bogus name tags, series protagonist Knott soon runs into an old woman friend from law school as well as a hunky ex-beau now in the furniture business. When Deborah later discovers the man dead, she and police begin investigating. Maron (Up Jumps the Devil, LJ 8/96) continues her usual warm-hearted, family-oriented approach, tempered with observant detail, infectious enthusiasm, and light humor. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In this fifth entry in the widely praised, increasingly popular Deborah Knott series (following Up Jumps the Devil ), the judge must travel to High Point, North Carolina, to fill in for a vacationing colleague. Unbeknownst to her, the usually sleepy, little town is playing host to the International Home Furnishings Market, attracting companies from all over the world, and Deborah is practically laughed out of every hotel in town when she shows up without reservations. After losing her purse in one of a dozen cocktail-party feeding frenzies, Deborah finally finds a place to stay with an old law-school chum. When her purse is found at the scene of a murder--cutthroat furniture-company executive Chan Nolan is found dead in a pricey wicker porch swing--Deborah is brought in for questioning. Attempting to solve the case by tracking the whereabouts of Nolan's legion of enemies (and also shop for some bedroom furniture), Deborah comes into contact with some real characters, including a onetime legendary designer who has gone off her meds; a pesky, persistent free-lance reporter; and a southern belle with a homicidal streak. All the furniture shoptalk will keep decorating aficionados happy; the rest of us will be more than willing to settle for Deborah's feisty humor and sharp deductive skills. Joanne Wilkinson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press; First Edition edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892966548
• ISBN-13: 978-0892966547
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MARGARET MARON is the author of twenty-seven novels and two collections of short stories. Winner of several major American awards for mysteries (Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, Macavity), her works are on the reading lists of various courses in contemporary Southern literature and have been translated into 15 languages. She has served as president of Sisters in Crime, the American Crime Writers League, and Mystery Writers of America. Visit her at www.MargaretMaron.com.

A native Tar Heel, she still lives on her family's century farm a few miles southeast of Raleigh, the setting for Bootlegger's Daughter, which is numbered among the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century as selected by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. In 2004, she received the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for best North Carolina novel of the year; and in 2008, the North Carolina Award for Literature, the state's highest civilian honor. Her mystery novels feature District Court Judge Deborah Knott and are the pegs upon which she hangs her love and concern for the state.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Judge Knott goes sit-com, January 30, 1998

By 

cregis (Star, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killer Market (Deborah Knott Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Being a native North Carolinian and a lawyer, I've enjoyed reading about Judge Deborah Knott from Colleton County, but the Judge in this book was STUPID. She goes to High Point during the furniture market without a room reservation. N.C. District Court judges have access to a sec- retary who would have handled any reservation. Maron doesn't even discuss Knott staying in the home of the Judge for whom she's subbing. It is inconceivable to image a Judge sleeping on a stranger's couch. She could have slept at the courthouse. Opps, no story! So we have an implausible story with cutsy dialogue. Upon meeting someone who recognizes her, Judge Knott replies "You have the advantage of me sir". Yes, all Tar Heels speak this way, just as a District Court Judge will take up with a stranger at a mall and follow her all over High Point. Please, some- thing better next time!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great detail, January 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Killer Market (Deborah Knott Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Maron's Southern mysteries are just terrific; from the accurate descriptions of the courtroom scenes, the "hearty" Southern food, the family, and the country, it is obvious that Maron has either lived through these experiences or has done some really good research. I started the series with this book and have gone back and forth in the series until I finished them all. This one was possibly my favorite, in that Maron posed so many possible suspects with so many possible motives that it really was hard to tell who the murderer was (although some of my friends claim that they spotted the murderer right off the bat). In any event, Maron does keep you guessing. My only complaints, and they are gentle ones, is that the chapter headings seem to have no bearing on the story itself and simply serve to bog the reader down. Additionally, it seems as though the later books in the series presuppose that the reader has read the previous ones; some characters and relationships just "appear" and are not explained in enough detail to determine their relevance to the story or to Deborah. Otherwise, an excellent book and an excellent series.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Killer Market was a great read!!!, June 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Killer Market (Deborah Knott Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Killer Market, by Margaret Maron, continues the crime solving adventures of Judge Deborah Knott. As usual, Ms. Maron, captures the essense of the South. Her dialogue is realistic, her characters are believable and interesting, and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning pages!! I highly recommend this book.