Shoveling Smoke: Selected Mystery Stories (Paperback)

~ Margaret Maron (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Librarians with active mystery collections have no doubt discovered Crippen & Landru's niche: the short fiction of noted detective and mystery writers. Their single-author volumes have featured tales by Carr, Muller, Allingham, Hoch, Pronzini, Moyes, Yaffe, and Keating. Although some readers, no doubt, discovered Maron fairly recently (when her Judge Deborah Knott novels began winning awards), she's been writing mystery fiction for 30 years, since she sold a cigarette-themed story, "The Death of Me," to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (for $63.75). The more than 20 tales gathered here were published primarily in mystery magazines through the '80s, and in such mystery short-story collections as Sisters in Crime in the '90s. The leads in both Maron's series--NYPD detective Sigrid Harald and Judge Knott of North Carolina--figure in several stories; others stand alone, exemplifying a range of mystery styles, from silly to semisupernatural. A find for Maron (and short-mystery) fans. Mary Carroll --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

A find for Maron (and short-mystery) fans -- Booklist, June 1/15, 1997

A find for Maron (and short-mystery) fans -- Booklist, June 1/15, 1997 <br /><br />A find for Maron (and short-mystery) fans -- Booklist, June 1/15, 1997 <br /><br />If you enjoy short fiction or Maron's series characters, do yourself a favor and pick up Shoveling Smoke. -- Mystery News, November-December 1997 <br /><br />Terrific new collection. --The Drood review, November-December 1997<br /><br />If you enjoy short fiction or Maron's series characters, do yourself a favor and pick up Shoveling Smoke. -- Mystery News, November-December 1997 <br /><br />Terrific new collection. --The Drood review, November-December 1997

If you enjoy short fiction or Maron's series characters, do yourself a favor and pick up Shoveling Smoke. -- Mystery News, November-December 1997

Terrific new collection. -- The Drood review, November-December 1997

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Crippen & Landru Pub; First edition (June 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885941153
• ISBN-13: 978-1885941152
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,005,145 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SHORT STORIES FROM MARGARET MARON, February 12, 2007

By	Dr. Joanna E. Spaulding (PRESCOTT, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I AM NOT A FAN OF SHORT STORIES, BUT THIS VOLUME FROM MARGARET MARON IS OUTSTANDING. SHE CAPTURES CHARACTERS, ENVIRONMENT, AND LITTLE CHILLS UP ONE'S SPINE WITH JUST A "SWIPE OF HER BRUSH." THESE TALES ARE NOT FOR READING WHILE WAITING--THEY MUST BE SAVORED: COMFORTABLE COUCH, WITH PLENTY OF ROOM FOR CATS; BEVERAGE OF CHOICE AT HAND; AND NO INTERRUPTIONS, PLEASE.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good collection, June 16, 2007

By	Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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I like collections of short stories because they can be read at leisure. This is a collection of 22 stories written between 1968 and 1997. It includes stories featuring Judge Deborah Knott, stories featuring Lieutenant Sigrid Harald, and some additional stories. The stories range from funny to tragic. Hopefully, the stories will not put ideas into your head. Some of them may be about things that you would like to do to someone. As noted in "Mrs. Howell and Criminal Justice 2.1," you need to apply KISS (Keep it simple, stupid), and what better way to learn than to take a class.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT READ!!!, June 13, 2008

By	DDTJ "DDTJ" (ILLINOIS) - See all my reviews

MARGARET MARON IS A CROSS BETWEEN DEAN KOONTZ & AGATHA CHRISTIE . THIS IS A COLLECTION OF SOME OF HER SHORT STORIES AND THEY ARE JUST AS GOOD AS HER JUDGE KNOTT SERIES