Sand Sharks (Deborah Knott Mysteries) [Kindle Edition]

Margaret Maron (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Discovering a murdered colleague isn't quite the adventure Deborah Knott anticipated during her getaway/conference in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., but as fans of Maron's Edgar- and Anthony-winning series know, trouble seems to cling to her like cornmeal on hush puppies. Her 15th outing (after 2008's Death's Half Acre) finds the feisty judge agreeing to aid local investigators with discreet inquiries among her fellow conventioneers. She quickly encounters plenty of folks none too distressed by the victim's demise, including one of her own exes, and escalating danger. Unfortunately, as the pace quickens the plot starts to fall apart, culminating in a pell-mell scramble to a rather unconvincing denouement. On the plus side, Maron's homespun evocation of people and place is typically pitch-perfect, her use of the judicial milieu skillful—and her engaging heroine as welcome a companion as you could wish for under a beach umbrella. (Aug.)
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Review

On SAND SHARKS: "The plot, populated with enticing characters, moves swiftly; an essential read for Maron fans and mystery lovers." (Library Journal )

On HARD ROW
"Tightly written....Maron wraps up the plot so neatly that there's no question why she's one of America's best mystery writers." (Associated Press )

"Outstanding....Maron tackles big issues...with insight and pathos....Maron has never written a bad book, and with the 13^th in the series, she gives a clear picture of contemporary life in the rural South, tying it up in a neat mystery that keeps the reader guessing to the end. Highly recommended." (Library Journal (starred review) )

"HARD ROW is laced with strong and timely political statements about undocumented workers....Readers will be satisfied with the newest entry in this reliable series." (USA TODAY )

"Gripping and beautifully written." (Cleveland Plain Dealer )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 419 KB
• Print Length: 316 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0446196118
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (August 13, 2009)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002J05IOM
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,283 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Character Driven Soft Boiled Mystery, August 5, 2009

By 

feysidhe "feysidhe" (Mount Kisco, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sand Sharks (Deborah Knott Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Although I've never been to North Carolina, I always have a sense of coming home when I open a Deborah Knott book, and not just because the series has been going for a long time. No, I've felt that way ever since the first book I read, which wasn't the first in the series. (Shocking, I know, but I was on vacation and I ran out of books, and someone had left Slow Dollar (Deborah Knott Mysteries) in the lobby lending library, so I picked it up.) Maron paints a clear picture of the environment and an even clearer one of the characters. In fact, the setting pretty much *is* a character in her books.

There are a few too many characters introduced too quickly in this book, but that's inevitable given that the murder takes place at a conference. So don't read the first few chapters while you're exhausted, or you may have trouble following all the names. Some of the characters in this book have appeared in earlier books, which makes it a little easier if you've been following Knott's history, but you don't have to have read any of the earlier books to enjoy this one.

Some of the Deborah Knott books concentrate more on mystery, some more on character. This is one of the latter type. The motive came as no surprise at the end of the book, and the villain almost seemed an afterthought. But that's the kind of thing you realize later, when trying to write a review; while reading I was enjoying the ride, watching the interaction between the characters, seeing Deborah adjust to the new circumstances of her life.

Something else that struck me after reading this was that, more than any other book in the series I can think of, Sand Sharks is a feminine book. Deborah has had romances in other books, has had to deal with her situation as a woman in a "man's" job, as the only daughter in a family of a dozen children, but somehow those aspects of the books have always remained secondary. Here, Maron gives them primacy. We see Deborah's concern over the state of her new marriage and her even newer full-time stepson. Her reactions to her nerves, as well as to the events at the conference, are essentially feminine. That's not to say a man wouldn't recognize and enjoy them but his feelings toward Deborah here would be sympathetic rather than empathetic (and he might learn a thing or two about the "mysterious" inner workings of a woman's mind in the process).

Sand Sharks is definitely an enjoyable read. The only real weakness is in the mystery itself and, as I said, you probably won't notice that until you've finished devouring the book and have had time to digest it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good continuation of series, August 15, 2009

By 

Linda S. Myers (TN) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sand Sharks (Deborah Knott Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Margaret Maron's Sand Sharks is a good continuation in the reliable Deborah Knott series. The main characters--Deborah, her new husband Dwight, and his son Cal--continue development as realistic, sympathetic people, though Dwight and Cal do not figure strongly in this story, since Deborah is in Wilmington attending a continuing education conference for NC judges. The secondary characters are well drawn and distinctive. Maron does a good job of conveying the passage of time without detailing every thought and action. The plot isn't the strongest she's written because the motive for Judge Jeffreys's murder isn't connected with the murderer until he attempts to eliminate Deborah. Still, Sand Sharks is well worth the time.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Coasting, August 26, 2009

By 

casey (Atlanta GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sand Sharks (Deborah Knott Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I have my own copies of all of Maron's Deborah Knott books, and her other 2 NC mysteries - Bloody Kin & Last Lessons of Summer, and have audiotapes of most. I have re-read them & listened to them many times, and especially enjoy the 2 non-series mysteries. I agree with other reviewers that the involvement of Deborah's home county and her relatives adds much to the series, but I have enjoyed the previous books that were set away from Deborah's home.

Sand Sharks is one I probably won't re-read. None of the characters is very developed, and few are likeable. Two characters from previous books are dragged in for no particular reason, and add nothing to the plot. The first motive for the crime that Deborah & the police arrive at is absurd and bigoted. The ending is illogical, and and comes pretty much from out of nowhere. Deborah's frequent obsessings about her marriage (why, oh why hasn't he called?), and her stepson are very annoying.

I hate to give such a bad review. I've recommended Maron's books to friends for many years, and I wait impatiently for each new release. This one was very disappointing.