Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff 's Deputy Dwight Bryant are on a train to New York, finally on a honeymoon after a year of marriage. January in New York might not be the perfect time to visit, but they'll take it. The trip is a Christmas present from Dwight's sister-in-law, who arranged for them to stay in an Upper West Side apartment for one week. While in New York, Deborah has been asked to deliver a package to Lt. Sigrid Harald of the NYPD. Sigrid offers to swing by the apartment to pick up the box, but when they reach the apartment, they discover that it is missing and the doorman has been murdered. Despite their best efforts to enjoy a blissful getaway, Deborah and Dwight soon find that they've teamed up with Sigrid and her team to catch the killer before he strikes again.
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"Judge Deborah Knott meets Lt Sigrid Harald in this mystery set in NYC. I haven't read Maron's Sigrid Harald books, so I wasn't familiar with her character. Deborah's oversized family played a smaller role in this book than usual."
— Steve (4 out of 5 stars)
“This is a strong addition to a series that's won Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards.”
— Publishers Weekly“A winning entry and a fine holiday mystery.”
— Booklist“Dwight's obsession with New York gourmet delights and Deborah's passion for stylish, impractical footwear are charming, but Sigrid's slow but steady police work carries the day. Fans who have hankered for Deborah and Sigrid to find themselves in the same story will be charmed.”
— Kirkus Reviews“Critt has the timing, tone, and attitudes of the characters down pat.”
— AudioFile" Maron brings her two characters together in this mystery set in NYC. I've only read one of the Sigrid Harold series, and prefer the Deborah Knott set-in-the-south series. Interesting but not one of the best in the series. "
— MaryAnn, 2/6/2014" After finding out about this book that pairs Judge Deborah Knott with Sigrid in NYC I couldn't wait to read it. Glad I got it from the library. Not one of her best efforts. "
— Connie, 1/22/2014" A fun and satisfying read, as always with this series. This one seems to be spinning off a new set of characters, which was cool. Fresh blood and all... "
— Michelle, 1/3/2014" Not my favorite Deborah Knott book but probably because there is not enough Deborah in it. Deborah and her husband take a trip to New York and the super of their building is killed in their apartment. Too many characters and not many distinguishing characteristics made this one a little dull. "
— Kay, 12/26/2013" Interesting mixture of voices and POV. Maron brings her two series--Sigrid Harald and Deborah Knott--together seamlessly. I have some quibbles with the ending, but overall a good addition to both series. "
— Meg, 12/15/2013" This novel, unlike all the other novels of the Deborah Knott series is set in New York City. The time is January and a snowstorm has encased the city, but murder continues. Maron also wrote a series set in New York with Sigrid Harald as the main character. Maron penned the last Sigrid mystery in 1995, but this novel seems to predict the reemergence of Sigrid. Sigrid seems the main character of this novel. Sigrid leads the police investigation, while Deborah and Dwight seem to be by-standers. The Southern format is replaced by the fast-paced format of New York. The crime does not linger for days, but is quickly solved. Maron appears to be following Michael Connelly's scheme of intertwining figures from different series. While Connelly's grouping works, Maron's meetings seem stilted and flat. The story seemed boring and not climatic, even though some of the characters were quirky. "
— Debbie, 11/28/2013" I liked this okay. I guess I just prefer Judge Deborah with her crazy family in North Carolina. "
— Lweslock, 11/27/2013" This was so terrific! I loved the combining of Deborah and Sigrid on Sigrids's turf. All the characterization was strong, as you expect from Maron, and the plot was a doozy. "
— Linda, 11/24/2013" What can I say, it's another great Judge Knott mystery with the added help of Lt. Sigrig Haralson. Need I say more? I love the blending of the characters and hope we will be seeing more of Sigrig again in the future. "
— Nora-adrienne, 11/23/2013" The juxtaposition of Sigrid and Deborah was interesting. I wish Dwight had had a greater role. "
— Susan, 11/15/2013" I got this book for free at my library's book club, mainly to give it to my mom. No stars. "
— Kelly, 11/10/2013" Not one of Margaret Maron's best. I usually like her books much better "
— Beverly, 11/1/2013" Interesting mix of Maron's characters from two different series. This book was more Sigrid Harald than Deborah Knott. "
— Nat, 10/22/2013" A seamless combination of two solid series: Sigrid Harald and Deborah Knott, the Carolina's meet NYC. I'll continue wishing for more Sigrid Harald novels, but this was filled in the emptiness a bit. "
— Renee, 10/15/2013" Finished yesterday. What a great story. Deborah and Dwight go to NYC for their honeymoon....a year late and a body turns up in their appt. As always, Margaret Maron tells a great story in fine style. "
— Lynn, 10/9/2013" Maron is a comfortable read. I like her characters, but, again, I feel like I am beginning to read the same thing over and over. Nevertheless,it is a great respite from the heavy stuff! "
— Barbara, 9/5/2013" I usually love these books, and it was interesting to read one that links the author's two main protagonists, but overall I found the book lack0luster and not up to her usual standards. I read very few mystery series, and am disappointed to see this one slip. "
— Mary, 7/15/2013" How can two people possibly get into so much trouble? Some honeymoon in NYC. I did miss the family back in North Carolina. Hopefully #18 of this series will be better "
— Judy, 5/24/2013" Fast paced and entertaining, as nearly all the books in this series are. A few inconsistencies and irrelevancies that occurred to me after reading, but they're not significant. "
— Pamela, 3/29/2013" Book was ok, but not up to usual standards...I kept up with all the characters until somewhere about 3/4 in, and then, the workers at the condo kind of all melted together.....maybe I was just up too late reading. "
— Terri, 12/27/2012" I gave this one a poor rating because it did not take place in Arkansas like the others. They went to New York. "
— Patty, 12/23/2012" 4 star not so much for the mystery as for the chance to see Sigrid again. "
— Leslie, 10/28/2012" So much fun to see what Sigrid thinks of Deborah and what Deborah thinks of Sigrid! "
— Laura, 10/5/2012" Maron adds her Sigrid Harald character to this Deborah Knott novel. She sounds interesting; maybe I'll try one of that series and see how she holds up. "
— Nell, 7/29/2012" This wasn't one of Maron's best efforts. It seemed to be specifically for setting up future novels that connected characters from her different series. "
— Shan, 4/2/2012" It took me a little bit to get into because I've only read Maron's Deborah Knott series, and not her Sigrid Harald series, but this is now one of my absolute favorites of hers. Well-worth the read. "
— Cheryl, 2/1/2012Margaret Maron is the author of more than twenty-five novels and two collections of short stories. Winner of several major American awards for mysteries, including the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity, her works are on the reading lists of various courses in contemporary Southern literature. A native Tar Heel, she still lives on her family’s country farm a few miles from Raleigh.
C. J. Critt is a veteran of Broadway, regional theater, poetry slams, and solo shows. Hailed “Spoken Word Queen” by the Dallas Observer, Critt is a produced writer-director, an Audie nominee, and a CableACE Award winner.