Cyndi J. (cyndij) reviewed Christmas Mourning (Judge Deborah Knott, Bk 16) on + 1032 more book reviews
16th in the series, a pleasant way to spend a few hours with familiar characters and a bit of a mystery to solve. Also contains an unsubtle lecture on the perils of distracted driving. Maron does make the point that this is a small town, but it seems really, really small this time - everyone is either related or went to high school together or both, and there are a lot of characters. Plus someone integral to the mystery shows up in the last 3 pages. This one, like almost all the others, has a lot of detail about Deborah's family - where they go, what they eat, what she wears - and because it's the holiday season it's all intensified. Sometimes, and this is one of them, I quite like all the extraneous bits. If you like the series, you'll like this one, and if you're not familiar with it, start with an earlier entry.
Marianne M. (marimij) -
I really enjoyed this book. When some authors write a holiday book, they drop the ball. But not this book. It kept me guessing until the end. You get to know Deborah's family a little bit better. It is a great series and I enjoyed this one as much as the first!
Cheryl R. (Spuddie) -
This review applies to the audio version.
In this latest Judge Deborah Knott and clan mystery, it's Christmas time once again and Deborah and Dwight are celebrating their first anniversary as well. A series of fatal car crashes involving young folks has set a bit of a pall over Colleton County's festivities, though, especially the most recent, involving Mallory Johnson, head cheerleader at West Colleton High.
By everyone's account, she's practically perfect, so when a small amount of alcohol is found in her blood, everyone is shocked, and her father insists that someone must have spiked her soda pop. Otherwise why would she have crashed on a straight stretch of road in good driving weather? And who would do such a thing? As the town mourns her loss, deeper investigation of course reveals that Mallory wasn't without her flaws, but it takes two more deaths for Dwight to connect the dots.
A very enjoyable visit to Colleton County, laced with big doses of family lore and Christmas tradition and history. Great story, and as always, the author tackles social issues along the way and gives you something to think about, although the mystery wasn't too much of a puzzle to figure out fairly well in advance. Wonderfully read by CJ Critt, as always.
In this latest Judge Deborah Knott and clan mystery, it's Christmas time once again and Deborah and Dwight are celebrating their first anniversary as well. A series of fatal car crashes involving young folks has set a bit of a pall over Colleton County's festivities, though, especially the most recent, involving Mallory Johnson, head cheerleader at West Colleton High.
By everyone's account, she's practically perfect, so when a small amount of alcohol is found in her blood, everyone is shocked, and her father insists that someone must have spiked her soda pop. Otherwise why would she have crashed on a straight stretch of road in good driving weather? And who would do such a thing? As the town mourns her loss, deeper investigation of course reveals that Mallory wasn't without her flaws, but it takes two more deaths for Dwight to connect the dots.
A very enjoyable visit to Colleton County, laced with big doses of family lore and Christmas tradition and history. Great story, and as always, the author tackles social issues along the way and gives you something to think about, although the mystery wasn't too much of a puzzle to figure out fairly well in advance. Wonderfully read by CJ Critt, as always.
