Review by Booklist Review
Maron sets her ninth Judge Deborah Knott novel within the colorful world of carnivals. It's opening night at Dobbs' Annual Harvest Festival, and Deborah, along with half of Colleton County, North Carolina, is intent on riding the Ferris wheel, eating elephant ears, and, finally, throwing quarters at the Dozer game. When Deborah runs out of change, she steps into the interior of the game wagon, where she finds the proprietor dead on the floor, his mouth overflowing with quarters. Since her childhood friend Dwight Bryant is the sheriff's right-hand man, Deborah is soon privy to the investigation. And when matters with Dwight take a romantic turn, no one is more surprised than her at the thought that she might finally find herself in a solid relationship. Deborah's large extended family makes its customary appearance as does her feisty humor and references to her wild past. As always, the mystery takes a backseat to the engaging characters and the charming southern setting. It all goes down as easily as a serving of peach cobbler. ^-Joanne Wilkinson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Step right up! Play a game and win your girl a prize! The carnivals in town and Maron brings to this ninth Judge Deborah Knott mystery (after 2001s Uncommon Clay) the vigor and verve that have served her so well to date. Larceny, both grand and small, as well as death hover over the Ames Amusement Corporations show on its arrival in Colleton County, N.C. Deborah, her irrepressible siblings (shes one of 12, the youngest and the only female) and some newfound kinfolk gather to mourn her great-nephew and carnival worker Brazos Hartley, after the young man is stomped to death, his mouth stuffed with quarters. The rural North Carolina dialogue and carny talk are perfect, especially descriptions of food, fashion and enchanting scenery of Indian summer in the South. The author draws family relationships so clearly you feel you could melt right into the crowd for barbecue, biscuits, slaw and cobbler. Before Maron is done, theres a bizarre theft of some tacky paintings, a second murder and a steamy romance. Is Judge Knott finally going to settle down and marry? Maron is one of the most seamless Southern authors since Margaret Mitchell, yet she beautifully writes a series about a New York police detective, Lieut. Sigrid Harald, with equal authority. A Knott family tree and a glossary of carny terms round out a novel that Nero Wolfe would describe as most satisfactory! (Aug. 20) Forecast: The first Knott novel, Bootleggers Daughter, won all four major mystery awards"the Edgar, the Anthony, the Agatha and the Macavity. A national print campaign, ALA and North Carolina appearances, plus Web marketing, should ensure healthy sales. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
The carnival has come to town, but it's not good news for Judge Deborah Knott: soon a carny is found murdered. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Judge Deborah Knott (Uncommon Clay, 2001, etc.) first meets Tallahassee Ames and her husband Arn, owners of the Ames Amusement Corporation (which operates a three-ride, five-game, two-food wagon-touring carnival), in her courtroom over a dispute that finds the Lincoln brothers guilty of property vandalism. The next time she spies Tally is on opening night of the Dobbs Annual Harvest Festival, as most of Colleton County, including Deborah and Deputy Sheriff Dwight Bryant, are celebrating by riding the Tilt-A-Whirl, pitching rings at Coke bottles, and scarfing down fried dough-until Deborah looks behind an unmanned booth and finds a corpse whose mouth is crammed with quarters: Tally's pugnacious, ne'er-do-well son Braz. While consoling his distraught mother, Deborah wonders why her nephew Stevie and his pal Ernie skedaddled before they could be questioned by Dwight. Mourners and suspects, from flirtatious Polly the plate-pitch lady to scruffy Skee Matusik, operator of the lucky Ducky Pond, pop around to pay their respects. Deborah and Dwight confer on motives while engaging in a friendly romance. Then Polly becomes a second victim, and Deborah uncovers yet another mystery: Why she and Tally share the same bracelet charm, and why Tally resembles several members of Deborah's family. The family farm will be ransacked, Tally's true heritage exposed, the murders resolved-and Deborah will accept Dwight's proposal-before the carnival pulls up stakes and moves on. The Knott family tree sprouts another branch, this one steeped in carnie lore, lingo, and attitudes. Includes a four-page circus-terms glossary.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
