Slow Dollar (Deborah Knott Series #9)

From Barnes & Noble

The case is routine, the sort that clogs dockets and causes yawns from court stenographers. Carnival owner Tally Ames has accused three local men of destroying one of his rides. Quite predictably, Judge Deborah Knott rules in favor of Ames, demands restitution from the culprits, and then moves on to the next case. But then, just a few weeks later, carnival misdemeanor escalates to carnival murder: Ames's son is battered to death, his bloody mouth stuffed with coins; and Judge Knott begins to wonder where this not-so-merry-go-round will stop. Adroitly plotted.

Publishers Weekly

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. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

On a visit to the Harvest Festival, judge Deborah Knotts, series star (Uncommon Clay) and small-town North Carolinian, discovers a murder victim, whom she recognizes as having recently appeared in her courtroom. But she does not yet know that he was kin to her. Deborah's multitudinous family connections soon kick in, though, providing ready access to pertinent gossip, secrets, and feuds. Maron's appealing story races forward at breakneck speed, taking full advantage of familiar characters and both real and fictional locations. Highly recommended for most collections. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

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.