Customer Reviews

Up Jumps the Devil

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The key to enjoying this, the fourth book in the Deborah Knott series, is come in with the right expectations. It won an Agatha so you're exepecting lots of sluething. Think again. The mystery component is, at best, about one-fourth of the book. And then, just to be really annoying, Maron never really tells you why or how the killer killed. Normally this would totally sour me on the book but I enjoyed the other three-fourths of the book enough to forgive her.

What this book (and series) is really about is life in contemporary rural North Carolina as seen through the eyes of Deborah Knott. Deborah (don't even think of calling her Deb or Debbie) is the youngest of twelve children (you need a scorecard to keep the brothers straight) and is a district court judge. Between family and litigants, the book is filled with tales of small town life - paternity suit shananigans, stock car racing history, feuds over old family burial plots, and church goers who will gamble on any day but Sunday. Hunters wives (like me) will laugh out loud over the "buck fever" story towards the end of the book.

This particular book dwells on the effect of growth on the community. Land prices are skyrocketing and tract homes are replacing fields. When an elderly landowner (and former stock car builder) is killed without direct descendents, the possible heirs are all looking to grab his land and make a killing. But did they kill to make a killing? One of the possible heirs is Deborah's ex-husband from a annulled marriage - just to make things interesting.

Bottom-line: A good book for people who want to read a book in a southern setting that finds the middle ground between the angst of literary fiction and the buffoons of Jeff Foxworthy. Folks who need non-stop mystery action may want to look elsewhere.

In this fourth book of this series, we finally find out how many brothers Deborah has (11). Her large family of older brothers has been mentioned in previous books, but until now we were never told exactly how many. As for the mystery plot in this book, it is tenuous at best. If you are not paying close attention, you could be left with a lot of questions regarding motive. The main story with this book is that a developer is looking to get his hands on the property that Deborah, her father, and her brothers own (collectively approximately 2500 acres) as well as the surrounding properties owned by neighbors. One of Deborah's brothers (who lives in California) has lost his job and is condering selling his small parcel (3 acres) to the developer. The major difference with this book is that is doesn't have the 'light' humor that Maron has put into her previous books. Still, the author is maintaining a steady pace with the series.

This is a good book. Woth reading if you like mysteries and/or a writer who knows how to put together believable characters and wonderful sense of location.

For an award winning book, UP JUMPS THE DEVIL by Margaret Maron is a grave disappointment. Judge Deborah Knott's family relations are explained, but why the murder was committed isn't.
It is as if since the series began as a cozy mystery the frame must remain and the author fills in the blanks of family, rural south culture, changing values, and traditions.
This is not one of Margaret Maron's best, but the fourth edition of Deborah Knott does open the way to more detective and less rationalizing.
Nash Black author of Indie finalists WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and HAINTS.

#4 of the Deborah Knott series-I enjoy these books because, after the 4th one, I feel like I am getting to know the characters. As a matter of fact, the story line involving the family was more interesting than the murder mystery in this one. This time, the murders happen in Deborah's home town and it is over land. To be honest, I thought the mystery part of this story was weak. I enjoy reading about Deborah's life as a District Court Judge and the cases she is involved in. I also enjoy reading about her family and all the aspects to her personal life. The series takes place in North Carolina for the most part and it's neat reading about places I have been to. Enjoyable book but not great enough to stay up for.

I enjoyed this book. It was great continuation of the Deborah Knott series. Most of Maron's characters reminds me of someone I know. I highly recommend this book and the whole Deborah Knott series.

Not one of my favorite Deborah Knott mysteries. There are many members of the Knott family introduced and named, maybe too many, as it is difficult to keep track. The author did not tie the murder and motive together very well and left the story feeling rather weak.

I think there was at least two or three devils that jumped up in this book. Allen Stancil was one as indicated on the fly page of the book. Then there was one named _______. Have to read to find out who did the murders. Not one but two. The book had its ups and downs. I agree with another reviewer, I get tired of all the brothers and sister in laws and their kids. I get them all mixed up. To many for me to keep straight. But then I guess I don't have to buy the book if I don't think I will like it. If you like down South folks and small town living where everybody knows everything about everybody else, then you will like this book. But for me to many people, I skipped several pages to read about the mystery part, rest was just filler.

I am new to this series and I just don't know how I missed it. It is a wonderful book and series and I love how Ms. Maron brings all the characters together, gives each of them such personality, and still brings us a great mystery. I am now obtaining all the books in this series so I can read it from start to finish. I would recommend it to all.

I dislike writers who cannot get their facts straight. For instance: "My DAD USED TO HAVE AN OLD 'FIFTY-TWO THUNDERBIRD," on page 37 indicates the writer is less than knowledgeable about cars. The first Thunderbird on the market was 1955. Further, she has so many realtives running around this story that her protagonist must write up a chart so that even she can keep them straight. I rarely discard a novel mid way, but I almost did that with this one. I only hung in there to see if the writer was using the T-Bird blunder to try to catch the culprit in the last chapters. When a writer is incorrect in one of her/his facts and I catch it I think that there must be many others that I am not aware of or am not smart enough to catch. I feel cheated.