Books in the House - 16 Aug 2010

From Mary Ann:

THE BLACK CAT: Richard Jury #22 - Martha Grimes, HB, mystery, keeper shelf

LibraryThing win:

BURY YOUR DEAD: Three Pines Mystery - Louise Penny, ARC, mystery

From Simon & Schuster, likely a blog win, but can't for the life of me remember where, but YAY!:

BRING ON THE NIGHT: WVMP Book 3 - Jeri Smith-Ready, MPB, UF

Dad and Seester:

DOG ON IT: Chet and Bernie Mystery Book 1 - Spencer Quinn, TPB, mystery

IN THE WOODS - Tana French, TPB, suspense

THE FORGE OF GOD: The Forge of God Book One - Greg Bear, TPB, sci-fi

UP JUMPS THE DEVIL: Judge Deborah Knott Mystery #4 - Margaret Maron, MPB, mystery

THE SILENT ASSASSIN - Lori Andrews, MPB, suspense

ANGELS AND DEMONS - Dan Brown, MPB, thriller

LADY KILLER - Lisa Scottoline, MPB, suspense

KEPT FOR THE MASTER'S USE - Frances R Havergal, inscribed as a gift to my great-great-great aunt Dora in 1906, Christian devotions

DEATH'S HALF ACRE: A Deborah Knott Mystery - Margaret Maron, narr C J Critt

From the back of the BOCD: Margaret Maron's Judge Deborah Knott mysteries set in rural North Carolina are cherished by discerning readers who value authentic characters and intriguing plots. The 14th addition to this award-winning series, DEATH'S HALF ACRE finds suburban sprawl creeping across the land unchecked, while small town farmers fight back however they can.

Behind closed doors , county commissioners are colluding with major developers who make a killing plastering the land with chintzy McMansions. After a string of lucrative deals hits the books, leaving a number of farmers in the lurch, someone close to the action winds up killed. The murder pulls Deborah Knott and Sheriff Bryant smack into the middle of the escalating conflict. Before long, a hidden truth lurking just beneath the surface may cast the entire situation in a different light.

Acclaimed narrator C J Critt voices the sharp-witted veteran judge to perfection.

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The beauty of this series is that it is more than the mystery at hand. The background of the characters of Deborah, her husband Dwight, her 11 brothers and their wives and kids and especially her father, Kezzie Knott, former bootlegger. He is quite possibly my favorite character in the books. He is the patriarch and well respected in the county despite his background. He's intelligent and rather crafty and explains his thoughts, when he is willing to share, wonderfully. I would love to spend time with Kezzie Knott.

This is another of my favorite series. Even after 14 forays into Colleton County, I admire each visit. Some series, (a lot of series) can get tired after so many books in, but not this one.

Five southern beans....

BOOTLEGGER'S DAUGHTER - Margaret Maron, narr CJ Critt

I read this first in the Deborah Knott series a while back. It must have been a long while back as it was practically like a brand new book for me! It could be that I am getting older and I've pushed some knowledge and memories out to make room for new schtuff....nah...I read it a really really long time ago.....
Deborah Knott is a lawyer in Colleton County, North Carolina and is running for district court judge after a run in with a definite justice is not blind judge. She has one or two things going against her: her daddy was a reknowned bootlegger back in the day and Deborah has been asked by 18 year old Gayle Whitehead to investigate the unsolved murder of her mother, Janie, when Gayle was 3 months old.
The judgeshop campaign and the investigation all snarl up to cause Deborah headaches and trouble, but she perseveres.
My favorite of the series, this one introduces the colorful (but not overdonely so) (is so a word!) characters and family members. I'd love to see Maron's charts for keeping each brother and their families straight. They do come to life while reading or listening to the story.
Five Southern comfort beans.....