Customer Reviews

Killer Market

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I have read all of the Maron's and I enjoyed this one...it was a fun and rather wicked look at the furniture/decorating world and a good plot that was not overly contrived.

Once a year, the population of High Point, North Carolina doubles as the town hosts the International Home Furnishings Market trade show. District Court Judge Deborah Knott gets a first hand look at the sudden over crowding when she substitutes for a vacationing judge and finds no hotel rooms available for her. Deborah gets lucky when an elderly citizen, Matilda Jernigan, invites her to stay with her. The desperate judicial official quickly accepts. However, before long, Matilda disappears along with Deborah's purse. Day one in High Point may have been one of the low points in Deborah's life.

Day two proves to Deborah that day one was, in deed, a high point as the police question her about them finding her purse near a murder victim, Chan Nolan. Deborah realizes that she either solves the murder or comes up with an alibi to keep the police away from her. Deborah works with an old law school crony, Chan's mother-in-law in an attempt to uncover the identity of the killer. It does not take long for Deborah to realize that Chan had many enemies with strong motives for eliminating him. Deborah has to wade through each individual's motives and alibis if she plans to discover who did it.

The fifth entry in the Deborah Knott series is not up to the excellence of its four predecessors. Deborah seems out of her element in her first book outside of her hometown and the solution appears to pat to satisfy fans of the series. Anyone who wants a taste of how good Margaret Maron normally is, needs to pass on this book (except for furniture lovers) and try any of the other entries.

Harriet Klausner

Margaret Maron is one of those authors that I purchase the book because I love her stories and writing style. I always have enjoyed the Judge Knott series. This story is based around the North Carolina furniture market and of course murder. The story moved along smoothly and was not predictable. There were many twists and turns and I was unable to solve the mystery. Worth reading.

After reading a serious history of World War I, I needed something light and fun and who better to turn to than Margaret Maron. I love her books and have been saving a couple I found at a book sale.

Judge Deborah Knott not only has a huge family, she has many friends throughout the South, and occasionally is sent to fill in for a vacationing judge in some interesting little town. This time she's been sent to High Point, North Carolina and doesn't realize until she arrives and finds every motel filled that it is Market Week. That's the week when everyone who is anyone in the furniture business arrives in High Point to sell, steal ideas, entertain, and oh yes, there's a murder.

Thankfully Deborah runs into an old friend from law school who had to drop out when her daughter was severely injured in an accident. Dixie then wound up in the furniture design business. Her best friend and neighbor Pell Austin, has a spare bedroom Deborah can occupy. That good news is clouded by Deborah finding the murder victim who happens to be Dixie's son-in-law.

The story is convoluted but easy to follow with the fun mix of characters that we've come to expect in a Maron mystery. One of them is a woman who was a brilliant designer until she fell victim to bipolar disease; she won't stay on her medications and so is believed to be a crazy bag lady.

Through the story we learn a lot about the ins and outs of furniture design and marketing. It appears to be a more cut-throat business than I would have thought. This is a good story, a fun read, and one I recommend.

In this story Deborah is away from the farm, away from her family, away from her courtroom and OUT of her element. With so many characters and so much attention devoted to the "strange" Savannah, Deborah's strengths take a backseat. Among all the interesting facts about the High Point Market, Deborah is not the warm character I've come to appreciate.

Margaret Maron continues her Judge Deborah Knott series with KILLER MARKET. Judge Knott arrives in High Point, NC in the middle of the International Home Furnishings Market. There is not a room to be had in town and it looks as if the Judge will have to sleep in her car.
A mysterious old woman lures her into a showroom, where she discover the body of a man who has a connection to her. The situation is too pat and the good judge knows there is a frame up in the works unless she can discover the real killer.
A fair read.
Nash Black, author of QUALIFYING LAPS.

I've long enjoyed Margaret Maron's books, and especially the Judge Knott series. However, I'm disturbed to see a common theme of prejudice against asians--some incidents more subtle than others. Why is it every asian character in the books apparently assumed to be foreign born/speaking and ignorant of the customs and laws of this country. In one book, one of the story threads deal with a Vietnamese family who are hard working, but use their gardening business as a means to steal pets to eat. Judge Knott says, it isn't called prejudice to address cultural differences, and I agree...but, why is every asian reference negative? In another book, it is the adopted asian baby that was killed in a car wreck (disposable?). In the Killer Market, there are two references. One where the good judge is surprised that an asian woman speaks english without an accent; and another incident where she feels an asian man seated next to to at a dinner party for a group of judges is treating her like a "party favor". In explaining this treatment, there are also references to the asian prostituion in explaining his treatment of her (as if this was prevalent and exclusive to the asian cultures). There is not one single positive reference. Now I don't expect my characters not to have faults, but when your main character is inspired to become a judge after seeing unfair, prejudicial treatment to other minorities (blacks and hispanics), I'm disappointed. Actually, I'm more than disappointed, because this trend keeps reappearing in Margaret Maron's books. I don't expect EEO quotas on the treatment of asians, blacks, hispanics, and rednecks in books or anywhere else for that matter, but the consistent negative references offend me.