New Releases by Margaret Maron

First in the award-winning Deborah Knott series

From New York Times bestselling, award-winning author Margaret Maron--winner of the Edgar Award, Agatha Award, Anthony Award, and Macavity Award for her classic mystery The Bootlegger''s Daughter--comes a stunning mystery featuring NYPD Detective Sigrid Harald. "Every Margaret Maron is a celebration of something remarkable." -- New York Times Book Review "Maron writes with wit and sophistication." -- USA Today "There''s nobody better." -- Chicago Tribune NYPD Detective Sigrid Harald is still reeling from the untimely death of her lover, acclaimed painter Oscar Nauman, when she is called to investigate the poisoning of two homeless men in the West Village. As she examines the mysterious deaths, Sigrid uncovers a grim neighborhood scandal surrounding two influential women: one a haughty mafia widow, the other a retired opera prima donna, both with dark secrets they''ve kept under wraps for decades. Was the poison really meant for the homeless men, or were they merely unintended victims as the decades-long feud between the two women comes to a head? And still, Sigrid can''t stop wondering what brought her late lover so urgently across the country to the winding mountain road that took his life--until she meets a man who may hold the answers she seeks . . . . "Opening a new Margaret Maron is like unwrapping a Christmas gift." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer "Of today''s series writers none has been more successful at weaving the bond between star and audience than Margaret Maron." -- San Diego Union-Tribune

Second in the Deborah Knott series - Deborah Knott''s swearing-in ceremony is barely over when a brutal murder brings to light dark secrets from Deborah''s own family.

Margaret Maron, New York Times bestselling author and Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, returns to Colleton County with an exciting Deborah Knott mystery . . . LONG UPON THE LAND On a quiet August morning, Judge Deborah Knott''s father Kezzie makes a shocking discovery on a remote corner of his farm: the body of a man bludgeoned to death. Investigating this crime, Deborah''s husband, Sheriff''s Deputy Dwight Bryant, soon uncovers a long-simmering hostility between Kezzie and the slain man over a land dispute. The local newspaper implies that Deborah''s family may have had something to do with the murder-and that Dwight is dragging his feet on the case. Meanwhile, Deborah is given a cigarette lighter that once belonged to her mother. The cryptic inscription inside rekindles Deborah''s curiosity about her parents'' past, and how they met. For years she has wondered how the daughter of a wealthy attorney could have married a widowed, semi-illiterate bootlegger, and this time she''s determined to find the answer. But why are Deborah''s brothers so reluctant to talk about the dead man? Is the murder linked to Kezzie''s illegal whiskey business? And could his courtship of Deborah''s mother have something to do with the bad blood between the two families? Despite Deborah''s promise not to interfere in Dwight''s work, she cannot stop herself from doing everything she can to help clear her brothers and her father from suspicion . . .

When Judge Deborah Knott is summoned to her ailing Aunt Rachel''s bedside, she assumes the worst. Thankfully when she arrives at the hospice center she learns that Rachel hasn''t passed; in fact, the dying woman is awake. Surrounded by her children, her extended family, and what seems like half of Colleton County, a semi-conscious Rachel breaks weeks of pained silence with snippets of stories as randomly pieced together as a well-worn patchwork quilt. But the Knott family''s joy quickly gives way to shock: less than an hour later, Aunt Rachel is found dead in her bed, smothered with a pillow. Who would kill a woman on her deathbed? Was it an act of mercy, or murder? As Deborah and her husband, Sheriff''s Deputy Dwight Bryant, investigate they cross paths with an unlikely set of suspects: Rachel''s longtime minister; her neighbor, the respected local doctor; the friendly single father who often sought her advice; and perhaps the most puzzling party of all, the Designated Daughters, a support group for caregivers that Rachel''s own daughter belongs to. Soon Deborah and Dwight realize that the key to solving this case is hidden in Rachel''s mysterious final words. Her mixed-up memories harbored a dark secret-a secret that someone close to them is determined to bury forever.

When a Greenwich Village dancer is brutally murdered in front of an audience of horrified children, Lt. Sigrid Harald, NYPD must sort through the backstage passions to discover who wanted Emmy Mion dead and why. Complicating her investigation are her housemate, who wrote the scenario for the death scene; a children''s therapist with her own agenda; and a world-famous artist whose on-again/off-again attentions have left an emotionally Sigrid bewildered and insecure. Only by concentrating on the murder can she maintain her equilibrium.

Reprint. Originally published: New York: Doubleday, 1985.

Three-Day Town is the winner of the Agatha award for best novel. After a year of marriage, Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff''s Deputy Dwight Bryant are off to New York City for a long-delayed honeymoon. January might not be the perfect time to take a bite of the Big Apple, but Dwight''s sister-in-law has arranged for them to stay in her Upper West Side apartment for a week. Deborah had been asked to deliver a package to Lieutenant Sigrid Harald of the NYPD from Sigrid''s Colleton County grandmother. But when the homicide detective comes to pick it up, the package is missing and the building''s super is found murdered. Now despite their desire to enjoy a blissful winter getaway, Deborah and Dwight must team up with Lt. Harald to catch the killer before he strikes again.

A mysterious ornithologist staying at Mrs. Lattimore''s Victorian home and doing research on Southern vultures seems familiar to Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff''s Deputy Dwight Bryant, especially after a murderer strikes, in the 18th book of the series following Three-Day Town. (mystery & detective). Simultaneous.

It''s Christmas in rural North Carolina''s Colleton County and Judge Deborah Knott is looking forward to a family celebration when a tragedy clouds the holiday season. A beautiful young cheerleader dies in a car crash and the community is devastated by her death. Sheriff''s Deputy Dwight Bryant soon learns that her death was not a simple accident, and more lives may be lost unless he and Deborah can discover why she died.

A relic of Manhattan''s Gilded Age, the Erich Bruel House on Gramercy Park contained three floors of glorious art--and one Christmas corpse. Now it''s up to Lieutenant Sigrid Harald to wrap up this homicide before the killer strikes again.

When Judge Deborah Knott travels to Wrightsville Beach for a summer conference for North Carolina District Court Judges, she stumbles upon the body of one of her colleagues. Meanwhile, Deborah''s husband, Sheriff''s Deputy Dwight Bryant, is in Virginia with his son, tying up loose ends left by the death of his first wife. When another judge is found murdered at the conference, it soon becomes evident that Deborah may be the killer''s next target. Her relaxing trip to the seaside soon transforms into a harrowing experience, and she must summon all of her strength and investigative expertise to track down the culprit before she becomes the next victim.

Margaret Maron—winner of the most prestigious awards in mystery fiction—returns with another novel featuring her critically acclaimed sleuth Deborah Knott. Unchecked urbanization has begun to eclipse the North Carolina countryside. As farms give way to shoddy mansions, farmers struggle to slow the rampant growth. In the shadows, corrupt county commissioners use their political leverage to make profitable deals with new developers. A murder will pull Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff''s Deputy Dwight Bryant into the middle of this bitter dispute and force them to confront some dark realities.

In the chilling twelfth installment of this award-winning series, Judge Deborah Knott’s new marriage will be tested as she and her new husband are drawn into an emotional hunt for his missing ex-wife and son. It’s one month after their wedding, and the future looks bright for Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff Deputy Dwight Bryant––until a disturbing call from Dwight’s 8-year-old son Cal calls him back to Virginia. When he arrives, he is shocked to find that his ex-wife has left the boy alone for almost 24 hours. Worse, as Dwight tries to confront her, she takes the child and leaves town without a word. As Dwight embarks on an all-points search, Deborah hurries to his side. But will they be able to work together to decipher the ex-wife’s motives––and, more importantly, will they find young Cal before he comes to harm?

When another body is found, these newlyweds will discover dark truths that threaten to permanently alter the serenity of their rural surroundings and their new life together. As Judge Deborah Knott presides over a case involving a barroom brawl, it becomes clear that deep resentments over race, class, and illegal immigration are simmering just below the surface in the countryside. An early spring sun has begun to shine like a blessing on the fertile fields of North Carolina, but along with the seeds sprouting in the thawing soil, violence is growing as well. Mutilated body parts have appeared along the back roads of Colleton County, and the search for the victim''s identity and for that of his killer will lead Deborah and her new husband, Sheriff''s Deputy Dwight Bryant, into the desperate realm of undocumented farm workers exploited for cheap labor. In the meantime, Deborah and Dwight continue to adjust to married life and to having Dwight''s eight-year-old son, Cal, live with them full time.

With friends and family over-reacting to her announcement that she plans to marry Sheriff''s Deputy Dwight Bryant, Judge Deborah Knott gratefully seizes the opportunity to put a five-hour drive between herself and Colleton County when the Chief District Court Judge offers her a week on the bench in Cedar Gap. It is early autumn, leaves are turning, and summer residents are preparing to close up their mountain "cabins" (palatial houses perched atop the most desirable locations) and return to their winter homes in Florida. But Deborah''s peaceful break is disrupted when one Floridian is found murdered. He won''t be going home, and Deborah won''t be either - until she tracks down the killer.

- "High Country Fall, Margaret Maron''s most recent installment in the Deborah Knott series, was published in Mysterious Press hardcover in 8/04, with a first printing of 40,000 copies.- Margaret Maron swept the top mystery awards with her first Deborah Knott hardcover, "Bootlegger''s Daughter (Mysterious Press, 1992), receiving the Edgar1 Award for Best Mystery Novel, the Agatha Award, the Macavity, and the Anthony. She also won a 1992 Agatha Award for the short story that introduced the character of Deborah Knott, and later, she received the Agatha Award for Best Novel for "Up Jumps the Devil (Mysterious Press, 1996). Maron was nominated for an Agatha Award for "Home Fires (Mysterious Press, 1998), and most recently, "Storm Track (Mysterious Press, 2000) won the Agatha Award for Best Novel. "Last Lessons of Summer (Mysterious Press, 2003), was also nominated for an Agatha Award.- "Last Lessons of Summer, Slow Dollar, and Uncommon Clay were all selected as Mystery Guild Main Selections.

For Judge Knott, the case before her seems to be an ordinary misdemeanor -- except that the personal property that''s been destroyed is an inflatable carnival ride. When the carnival comes to her own town a few weeks later, Deborah soon discovers there''s nothing ordinary about this rag-tag collection of rides and games. Why does the ride owner''s charm bracelet awaken half-forgotten memories? And what is her connection to Deborah''s own family? When one of the concessionaires is found dead, his mouth stuffed with quarters from his game of chance, Deborah soon learns that he was also chancing a little blackmail on the side -- blackmail that may threaten one of her brothers. In carnie lingo, "A fast dime is better than a slow dollar." Torn between judicial ethics and family love, Deborah must decide who gets which before more lives are ruined and the carnival moves on.

Judge Deborah Knott of Seagrove, North Carolina, must unearth a local family''s tragic past to find a vengeful killer in the eighth installment of the award-winning mystery series by Maron.

Major hurricanes developing in North Carolina coincide with raging domestic disputes, particularly after a lawyer''s promiscuous wife is murdered in a motel, and stories of illicit affairs involve the most unlikely people.--

"New York City Police Lieutenant Sigrid Harald finds herself investigating a case involving blackmail, half a million dollars worth of stolen jewels, and murder"--NoveList

At a stop along her campaign trail, Judge Deborah Knott attends a community picnic at the Mt. Olive Church. When the historic building is destroyed by a fire shortly after the outing; and the charred skeleton of a young man is found among the ashes; Knott begins her own investigation into the tragedy. Earlier national news reports of a fire at a local African-American church had already gained the attention of Wallace Adderly, a Black Panther from the 70s. Knott and Adderly team up to discover if the blazes are merely coincidence, or the work of a racist arsonist. As the number of suspects rises, Deborah finds herself re-examining her own beliefs and values as she and Adderly race to prevent another devastating loss in the community.The mass market edition of Killer Market (Mysterious Press 8/97) will be published simultaneously with Home Fires Burning.A Main Selection of The Mystery Guild.

Colleton County, North Carolina judge Deobrah Knott embarks on a Thanksgiving Day investigation into the murder of a man from her father''s moonshine-making past.

Investigating the poisoning murder of Professor Ripley Quinn, NYPD detective Sigrid Harald considers the motives of eight possible suspects in the art department office, including a man who had been sleeping with Quinn''s wife. Reprint.

Lieutenant Sigrid Harald of the NYPD must confront secrets in her past in order to solve the murder of police detective Mick Cluett, murdered a mere sixty-one days short of retirement