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Deborah Knott Mysteries #19
Designated Daughters
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 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 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.
MP3 CD
First published August 12, 2014
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About the author
Margaret Maron
116 books758 followersBorn and raised in central North Carolina, Margaret Maron lived in Italy before returning to the USA. In addition to a collection of short stories she also authored numerous mystery novels.
Her works have been translated into seven languages her Bootlegger's Daughter, a Washington Post Bestseller won Edgar Anthony, Agatha, and Macavity awards.
She was a past president of Sisters in Crime and of the American Crime writers' league, and a director on the national board for Mystery Writers of America.
Like Margaret Maron on Facebook
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Her works have been translated into seven languages her Bootlegger's Daughter, a Washington Post Bestseller won Edgar Anthony, Agatha, and Macavity awards.
She was a past president of Sisters in Crime and of the American Crime writers' league, and a director on the national board for Mystery Writers of America.
Like Margaret Maron on Facebook
Follow Margaret Maron on Twitter
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 340 reviews
September 3, 2014
As a "born and raised" NorthCarolinian who has lived for a long time away from my home state, the Bootlegger's Daughter series is a must read for me. As I have watched NC race itself to the bottom in terms of education, environmental issues, voter restrictions and women's rights, it is always good to be reminded of the things that still exist from my childhood. Things like family love and concern for one's neighbor. Not to mention BBQ, warm spring nights and the Southern Man's attachment to his truck and tools!
Just about all the extended Knott clan makes an appearance in Designated Daughters. Deborah's Aunt Rachel has been taken off life support, but suddenly wakes up and begins talking in a very disjointed way about things that happened years ago. Since it was never expected that she would speak again the whole family and many old friends gather at her bedside to listen. She has a lot of mysterious things to say but someone is worried enough about it to later smother her. Who would do such a thing and why? Deborah's husband Dwight is in charge of the investigation and discovers many old secrets. There is also a secondary story line about scams perpetrated on old people, something entirely too prevalent everywhere.
Designated Daughters is a treat for long-time readers, but I would never recommend it as a place to start. The series has been so well-developed over the years (this is #19) and the Knott family is huge. Please start with Bootlegger's Daughter and enjoy the rest!
Just about all the extended Knott clan makes an appearance in Designated Daughters. Deborah's Aunt Rachel has been taken off life support, but suddenly wakes up and begins talking in a very disjointed way about things that happened years ago. Since it was never expected that she would speak again the whole family and many old friends gather at her bedside to listen. She has a lot of mysterious things to say but someone is worried enough about it to later smother her. Who would do such a thing and why? Deborah's husband Dwight is in charge of the investigation and discovers many old secrets. There is also a secondary story line about scams perpetrated on old people, something entirely too prevalent everywhere.
Designated Daughters is a treat for long-time readers, but I would never recommend it as a place to start. The series has been so well-developed over the years (this is #19) and the Knott family is huge. Please start with Bootlegger's Daughter and enjoy the rest!
August 30, 2014
Margaret Maron has written some excellent mysteries, but this isn't one of them. Way too many characters - would have needed a family tree to keep all the cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. straight. Way too many words detailing every hot dog cookout with all the trimmings the Knott family enjoyed during this book. And a less than interesting mystery to solve. Maron took the easy way out on this book - if she was a first time author she would have had trouble finding a publisher.
August 25, 2014
My only quibble with this book is that it wasn't longer. I am ready for the next Margaret Maron...
Designated Daughter is full of the usual characters in Judge Deborah's life-- Dwight, Cal, all her wonderful family. Peripheral topics include cheating antique buyers, and revenge on them; the neon sign Deborah bought for Dwight a couple books back; construction of a lake-front pavilion by the family crew; court room tales of woe and stupidity. All delightfully and unsentimentally portrayed.
The main themes, as I see it, are (A) the role of care-givers for the elderly (she was only dealing with the elderly here: the wear and tear on them; the need for them to be given respite care themselves; how some "designated daughters "[the caregivers] are men; and (B) the importance of advance directives and health care proxies (have YOU taken care of this? VERY important!)
She does this in such a way that they are integral to her story and not didactic.
I don;t want Magaret Maron to wear herself out, but if she and Louise Penny could stick around for another 30 or so years, putting out a book a year, I would be quite content.
PS I was a real pig: I read it in one day, interspersed with preparing chicken for a multitude
Designated Daughter is full of the usual characters in Judge Deborah's life-- Dwight, Cal, all her wonderful family. Peripheral topics include cheating antique buyers, and revenge on them; the neon sign Deborah bought for Dwight a couple books back; construction of a lake-front pavilion by the family crew; court room tales of woe and stupidity. All delightfully and unsentimentally portrayed.
The main themes, as I see it, are (A) the role of care-givers for the elderly (she was only dealing with the elderly here: the wear and tear on them; the need for them to be given respite care themselves; how some "designated daughters "[the caregivers] are men; and (B) the importance of advance directives and health care proxies (have YOU taken care of this? VERY important!)
She does this in such a way that they are integral to her story and not didactic.
I don;t want Magaret Maron to wear herself out, but if she and Louise Penny could stick around for another 30 or so years, putting out a book a year, I would be quite content.
PS I was a real pig: I read it in one day, interspersed with preparing chicken for a multitude
March 21, 2015
I wanted to like this audiobook because I enjoy a good mystery and I had read and enjoyed Maron's first three books when they first came out in the 1990's. But I'm afraid I can't really say anything positive about this particular volume. Unless you've read all or most of her books, the list of family members, relations and friends that flow through this book will leave you bewildered. She drops names like we should all remember who is married to whom and how they figure in her life and in this story. There is so much detail about family dinners and who is [or was] married to whom and who inherited what from whom that the "mystery" gets a little lost at times. And if that wasn't distracting enough, Maron is busy turning this book into a political statement about aging in America and how we mistreat our elderly. That's an important issue but does it belong in a mystery novel -- and does she have to hit us over the head with it, repeatedly, through the plot line? I finished this book -- and gave it 2 stars rather than 1 -- because I'm a sucker for any book that is read to me, no matter how poorly written. I like the Deborah Knott character. I just feel that Maron's writing has disintegrated over the years into the ramblings of an older Southerner woman sitting in her rocker on the front porch, sipping sweet tea and reminiscing to the grandchildren. Fine for the family but a snooze for the passerby.
August 21, 2014
"...I had gone out with a cup of coffee to skim through the paper and see what new rollbacks our current legislature had enacted in its determination to undo all the progress the state's made in the last fifty years. Not too long ago, we led the area in education, jobs, civil rights, and quality of life. Now we seem to be competing with Alabama and Mississippi to see who can dive to the bottom first. Voting rights curtailed, social programs cut, oversight authorities with no power, our aquifers threatened by undisclosed fracking chemicals, women told what they can or can't do with their bodies. Our safety nets have been shredded and we've become the butt of jokes on talk shows."
All's well that ends well on the surface of Colleton County, but Maron isn't afraid to point out that life isn't all sweetness and light and happy families in the old-meets-new South. Mayleen Richards's parents won't accept her Hispanic spouse, the all-white zoning commission isn't afraid to take discriminatory actions, and people cheat other people out of what's due them.
Thank goodness for the family trees always included in the front.
All's well that ends well on the surface of Colleton County, but Maron isn't afraid to point out that life isn't all sweetness and light and happy families in the old-meets-new South. Mayleen Richards's parents won't accept her Hispanic spouse, the all-white zoning commission isn't afraid to take discriminatory actions, and people cheat other people out of what's due them.
Thank goodness for the family trees always included in the front.
September 1, 2014
Who kills an old woman with only hours to live? That's the premise in this new Deborah Knott book. I found the whole thing incredibly confusing, with a list of dozens of names and relationships. One needed a chart to keep up with who was related to whom and all the back stories connected to the present day murder of the dying woman.
It wasn't my favorite.
It wasn't my favorite.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2025
It has been a decade since I read the previous entry in this series. By the time it was published, I had stopped the habit of borrowing physical books from the library, I suspect, and it wasn't available as the ebooks I was consuming. Somehow, the world has changed again, and picking up cheap paperbacks with free* shipping makes pursuing old series doable again. Anyway, enough about how we got here. I went in with some trepidation - I absolutely loved this series in the late 90s, but so much of what I loved then has not held up. I can exhale and say that the charm remains intact. Maron was a wonder with plotting - the actual murder here is not really the point, but rather a catalyst for a bunch of community intrigues to unspool - and her protagonist remains likeable in an 'everywoman' way. The 2015 era also comes to life again with surprising resonance for this moment in time. Smartphones, newly ubiquitous, "chirp". Teenagers are apparently bad at taking photos and video (!) on them (you know what they're like, always moving and easily distracted, apparently(!!), and somehow the police get images off phones and then burn to a DVD which is referred to as a tape.
Maron also gives us a South where prejudice is mostly hidden, and referred to only obliquely. Defendants in Knott's courtroom are designated by their race, and the white characters speak with embarrassment about segregation, lament increasing attacks on a woman's right to choose, but still want to defend the 'good' of the confederacy (that bit would have been wincing even a decade ago). Black characters rarely discuss race, but are portrayed with thriving, resilient and inclusive communities. Maron was unusual among writers in this genre for giving space to the stories of African American characters, with a matter a fact acknowledgement of social separation. With hindsight, it is clear that her overall idealised view of an evolving South moving beyond race and gender oppression was. Maron's comfort reading comes in no small part from the fabric of community she gives us in Colleton County, and it would have been interesting to see how that survived into our current round of renewed racism. At one point, Knott laments what she fears her state might become. You can't help wondering what she would make of it now. There is one more in the series (Maron passed away in 2021), and I know I will savor it.
Maron also gives us a South where prejudice is mostly hidden, and referred to only obliquely. Defendants in Knott's courtroom are designated by their race, and the white characters speak with embarrassment about segregation, lament increasing attacks on a woman's right to choose, but still want to defend the 'good' of the confederacy (that bit would have been wincing even a decade ago). Black characters rarely discuss race, but are portrayed with thriving, resilient and inclusive communities. Maron was unusual among writers in this genre for giving space to the stories of African American characters, with a matter a fact acknowledgement of social separation. With hindsight, it is clear that her overall idealised view of an evolving South moving beyond race and gender oppression was. Maron's comfort reading comes in no small part from the fabric of community she gives us in Colleton County, and it would have been interesting to see how that survived into our current round of renewed racism. At one point, Knott laments what she fears her state might become. You can't help wondering what she would make of it now. There is one more in the series (Maron passed away in 2021), and I know I will savor it.
August 4, 2021
These are kind of like candy - easy to read, nothing complicated and in the end, the mystery is solved. These last few feel a little dialled in. But I’m in so deep now, I will have to finish the series.
October 22, 2014
This is book 18 in the Deborah Knott series. Deborah's Aunt Rachel is dying and her daughter and son take her off life support. Remarkably, she starts talking to unseen friends and relatives about events that happened as far back as 65 years ago. Soon, Deborah's family gathers to listen and say their final good-byes. Aunt Rachel drifts off to sleep and the family retires to the family waiting room for dinner. The nurse's aid goes to check on her and finds her dead. However, her nose is broken and there's blood on her face and the floor. Someone murdered Aunt Rachel to keep her from talking more, but, the question is who?
The bulk of the book revolves around the search for the killer, with an investigation into Aunt Rachel and Deborah's father's brother, Jacob, 60 years ago. Complicating the plot are other stories Aunt Rachel told that day, such as a man who beat his wife, someone who cheated on her husband and passed the resulting baby off as his and a man who feels guilty over the fire that killed his sister and her children 20+ years ago.
Add to all this family events - Deborah is the 12th child of legendary bootlegger Kezzie Knott - and you have an enjoyable, entertaining book. (I especially loved Will and the decoys, but won't spoil the story by revealing that plot aspect.)
The bulk of the book revolves around the search for the killer, with an investigation into Aunt Rachel and Deborah's father's brother, Jacob, 60 years ago. Complicating the plot are other stories Aunt Rachel told that day, such as a man who beat his wife, someone who cheated on her husband and passed the resulting baby off as his and a man who feels guilty over the fire that killed his sister and her children 20+ years ago.
Add to all this family events - Deborah is the 12th child of legendary bootlegger Kezzie Knott - and you have an enjoyable, entertaining book. (I especially loved Will and the decoys, but won't spoil the story by revealing that plot aspect.)
September 13, 2016
This is the 17th title in the Deborah Knott Bryant series of cozy mysteries by Margaret Maron and I have enjoyed every one of them. Because I read mysteries for the characters instead of the mystery, I couldn't tell you who the murderer was six months after I have read a book. This means I can read a mystery again and again. I think I have read Nine Tailors at least four times over the years, and I'm always surprised by the murderer.
This one fits neatly into the series, with information that furthers the relationship between Deborah, Dwight and Cal. There's memories of the past that still have an impact on the present and refuse to die.
I think the setting is one of the major attractions for me. Several of the characters have lived in Colleton County all their lives and belong to large families. I don't always remember all their names or their relationships but the strong family love is there. They have lived in the same house, and their children grow up among the same people.
Lucky characters!
This one fits neatly into the series, with information that furthers the relationship between Deborah, Dwight and Cal. There's memories of the past that still have an impact on the present and refuse to die.
I think the setting is one of the major attractions for me. Several of the characters have lived in Colleton County all their lives and belong to large families. I don't always remember all their names or their relationships but the strong family love is there. They have lived in the same house, and their children grow up among the same people.
Lucky characters!
September 14, 2014
Loved the mountain setting. Loved the big family and the relationships. The conversations and relationships rang true. Unfortunately the sheer numbers of characters made it hard to keep up with whose Aunt Sissy or Sally, etc. was related to whom. The story line was excellent. An elderly woman who has been in a coma, awakes and begins talking incessantly about the past. Someone doesn't want that past uncovered but the reader isn't sure which part of the ramblings set off the killer who smothers the frail lady while everyone else is out of the room. If this is a series, I need to go back to the beginning and learn the family tree.
August 17, 2014
A glass of sweet tea + the latest installment in the Deborah Knott series = a perfect summer day. Reading about the Knott family is like having a long conversation with a cousin or going to a family reunion. I love when Deborah has an internal debate with her pragmatist self versus the preacher deep inside.
Mischief in the air from unlikely sources-- Aunt Zell???
Surprised to read a few comments about North Carolina's recent negative political decisions: civil rights, women's health issues
No sex (well, maybe a ping)
No violence
Mischief in the air from unlikely sources-- Aunt Zell???
Surprised to read a few comments about North Carolina's recent negative political decisions: civil rights, women's health issues
No sex (well, maybe a ping)
No violence
December 17, 2017
This was a good entry in the series. It was family-heavy, lots of relationships I had trouble keeping track of. There were some very cute family scenes as well. The resolution of the mystery pressed one of my "don't like" buttons - the secret that is no secret. But I do like her characters and her sense of place. I loved the auction house side story.
July 20, 2023
I can tell as I listen to this that the series is winding down. The mystery is not so mysterious and many characters are showing up for us to we can say good-bye. This book is probably a 3 but, I do enjoy this family and set of characters so for me, I'm going to give it a 4.
August 18, 2019
More of the same
February 24, 2020
Enjoyable and solid. I had the wrong suspect in mind from the beginning!
October 21, 2020
3.5 stars. Overdrive had the audio, read by the author. Judge Deborah Knott helps solve a murder of an aged family member. Interesting court cases and characters are weaved into the plot.
August 1, 2014
I am a huge Margaret Maron fan. The Deborah Knott series set in rural North Carolina has kept me entranced for years. The 19th book in the series, Designated Daughters, is set to be released in August. Have you tried this series yet? If not, it is time you did.
Designated Daughters takes the reader back to what makes this series great. The focus is on Deborah Knott's vast family. When you are reading this book, you know you are in North Carolina. The visuals are authentic as are the speech patterns. That Deborah's father's past is steeped in moonshine adds to the charm.
The minds of our seniors is a huge concern today. Many of our elderly are suffering from forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's. An elderly relative with dementia has been consuming quite a bit of my time and prayers of late so very relevant for me. Secrets often stay buried in the past but will they stay secret as people age. Who know what they say next....
Someone in Deborah's world is very concerned with what Aunt Rachel has to say. What did Rachel say that prompted someone to smother her when she is terminally ill and only moments from death. As Deborah and the police interpret Rachel's ramblings many secrets start to emerge.
Secrets...are they ever really buried forever? Be sure to pick up this latest book in the Deborah Knott series by Margaret Maron. Great read!
Designated Daughters takes the reader back to what makes this series great. The focus is on Deborah Knott's vast family. When you are reading this book, you know you are in North Carolina. The visuals are authentic as are the speech patterns. That Deborah's father's past is steeped in moonshine adds to the charm.
The minds of our seniors is a huge concern today. Many of our elderly are suffering from forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's. An elderly relative with dementia has been consuming quite a bit of my time and prayers of late so very relevant for me. Secrets often stay buried in the past but will they stay secret as people age. Who know what they say next....
Someone in Deborah's world is very concerned with what Aunt Rachel has to say. What did Rachel say that prompted someone to smother her when she is terminally ill and only moments from death. As Deborah and the police interpret Rachel's ramblings many secrets start to emerge.
Secrets...are they ever really buried forever? Be sure to pick up this latest book in the Deborah Knott series by Margaret Maron. Great read!
December 8, 2017
An elderly woman, Deborah Knott's Aunt Rachel, is dying after a long life. She is no more than hours from a peaceful end, and she is wandering through memories of times gone and forgotten by most. The Knotts are shocked when Rachel dies...but not the natural death they expected. Who would murder an unconscious dying woman?
With a list of suspects as long as your arm, most of them family and friends of the dead woman, it comes down to who had secrets they were willing to kill to keep. And is it murder when your victim is dying already?
The Deborah Knott books read like family sagas with the incidental murder to liven things up. With an immediate family that numbers in the dozens, and a colorful patriarch in Kezzie Knott, Deborah has an interesting life.
Side themes of the book are the "Designated Daughter," family members who step in to care for the sick and elderly, and how they are treated by their families and by the larger community, and how the elderly are targets of the unscrupulous.
I like these books very much, always well written and engaging. Lately I find myself reading the first five and last five chapters of some mysteries, because I don't care enough about the mystery to slog through a badly written mess. Not a problem with Maron's North Carolina mysteries, they are always on point and enjoyable.
With a list of suspects as long as your arm, most of them family and friends of the dead woman, it comes down to who had secrets they were willing to kill to keep. And is it murder when your victim is dying already?
The Deborah Knott books read like family sagas with the incidental murder to liven things up. With an immediate family that numbers in the dozens, and a colorful patriarch in Kezzie Knott, Deborah has an interesting life.
Side themes of the book are the "Designated Daughter," family members who step in to care for the sick and elderly, and how they are treated by their families and by the larger community, and how the elderly are targets of the unscrupulous.
I like these books very much, always well written and engaging. Lately I find myself reading the first five and last five chapters of some mysteries, because I don't care enough about the mystery to slog through a badly written mess. Not a problem with Maron's North Carolina mysteries, they are always on point and enjoyable.
September 7, 2014
Designated Daughters by Margaret Maron is the newest in the Deborah Knott Mysteries. This series focuses on a small town judge who is a member of a huge family with dubious roots in lawfulness. She is married to Deputy Dwight Bryant who works for the sheriff’s department. Both characters work hard at their job and their marriage and for their community. But with Deborah’s large family, her job, Dwight’s job and their son, sometimes it is hard to balance it all, especially when there is a murder. There is always a murder.
Margaret Maron’s books show Deborah’s large family with all their characters as caring and strong. I love hearing about their big celebrations and family businesses. You know the murder will be solved and sometimes you figure it out and sometimes you don’t, but it is always solved with Deborah right in the middle some how. The Knott family tree is a knot of people and personalities and seeing those come out in various stories as they grow and change makes each novel more like hearing about a distant part of your family as they become so clear in your mind.
Another solid book in her series.
Margaret Maron’s books show Deborah’s large family with all their characters as caring and strong. I love hearing about their big celebrations and family businesses. You know the murder will be solved and sometimes you figure it out and sometimes you don’t, but it is always solved with Deborah right in the middle some how. The Knott family tree is a knot of people and personalities and seeing those come out in various stories as they grow and change makes each novel more like hearing about a distant part of your family as they become so clear in your mind.
Another solid book in her series.
March 14, 2015
Margaret Maron is, in my opinion, the best writer of current mystery fiction genre. I avidly devour each Deborah Knott book, enjoying not only the crime and its ultimate solution, but the richly woven enormous cast of family members and the various parts they play in Deborah's life. The multigenerational staging of Maron's novels are a welcome addition to the more traditional mystery offerings available, often consisting of either a solitary gumshoe detective or the hapless housewife thrown into yet another murder, just one holiday after her last. Deborah's career as a judge, along with her husband's as the Deputy Sheriff of their North Carolinian county, lend another aspect of interest to the family dynamic. I thoroughly enjoy every Margaret Maron novel (the Deborah's more than the Ingrid series, truth be told) and this one, while not her best, is worthy of 4.5 stars if I could give that rating. Read this series from start to current - never say finish - you won't be disappointed.
January 15, 2016
Another good Deborah Knott mystery wherein her dying Aunt Rachel begins talking--and revealing hints of secrets that affect some of the folks who have come to say goodbye to her. When the family leaves to eat the dinner brought in by the church, someone goes into Aunt Rachel's now empty room--even the hospice attendant has momentarily left-- and smothers her with a pillow, breaking her nose and causing quite a bit of bleeding. As Deborah and her Police detective husband Dwight investigate, using the cell phone videos that recorded not only images, but the revelations of Aunt Rachel, they discover solutions to long past murders, love affairs and accidents and with the help of other members of Deborah's extended family, some wrongs are made right when a scammer is scammed.
December 28, 2015
Apparently I jumped into this series at #19. I had read a favorable review on Audiophile that stressed I didn't have to read the ones before so I jumped in. It is a pity I haven't heard of her until now but then again I have a lot to look forward to. I am discounting the fact it takes place in the backwoods of Raleigh, not far from where I am living, in writing the review. Is it entertaining? Yes
Fun characters? Yes.. A pretty good mystery ? Yes and it is germane to the plot. Great literature? No but not everything has to be. The audio version I listened to was narrated by the author and I highly recommend it. Meanwhile, I will be going to my audio site and looking for volumes 1-18 or so.
Fun characters? Yes.. A pretty good mystery ? Yes and it is germane to the plot. Great literature? No but not everything has to be. The audio version I listened to was narrated by the author and I highly recommend it. Meanwhile, I will be going to my audio site and looking for volumes 1-18 or so.
July 29, 2017
Information Overload
As a successful writer once advised...don't introduce too many characters at once. Seems to be a habit with Margaret Maron. A family reunion in a hospice wing! The whole clan! Really!
If this series wasn't nearing the end I would have closed these pages early on! Is this MM's idea of a fitting farewell for her readers?
Who killed Aunt Rachel? Who killed Jacob Knott? Where is Letha McAllister? Who is running drugs? Who is robbing local homes? Does Dr. Howell have a secret or is it truly guilt? Does Jim Collin's have a secret? Can Aunt Sell shed any light on these mysteries?
Too many people, too much to solve in 309 pages. Writing moved as slow as gravy hanging off biscuits. No spoilers, just a relief when done.
As a successful writer once advised...don't introduce too many characters at once. Seems to be a habit with Margaret Maron. A family reunion in a hospice wing! The whole clan! Really!
If this series wasn't nearing the end I would have closed these pages early on! Is this MM's idea of a fitting farewell for her readers?
Who killed Aunt Rachel? Who killed Jacob Knott? Where is Letha McAllister? Who is running drugs? Who is robbing local homes? Does Dr. Howell have a secret or is it truly guilt? Does Jim Collin's have a secret? Can Aunt Sell shed any light on these mysteries?
Too many people, too much to solve in 309 pages. Writing moved as slow as gravy hanging off biscuits. No spoilers, just a relief when done.
December 30, 2014
Margaret Maron is one of my favorite authors starting with her first Deborah Knott mystery. Designated Daughters hits close to home when her Aunt Rachel, her father's sister is smothered to death as she lay on her death bed in a hospice unit. Rachel had started talking and in her rambling speech she was relaying family secrets in bits and pieces. Surrounded by her huge family, it seems someone did not want her to keep talking. Shortly after the family and close friends had left the room, Rachel was discovered dead, not of her illness but smothered to death. Who did not want her to keep talking? Family tragedies and secrets make this one of the best Deborah Knott stories yet.
September 11, 2014
Judge Deborah Knott's elderly aunt Rachel is in hospice care when she starts to talk about the past. She's still semi-conscious, and none of her large extended family know all the snippets of stories she tells. But someone recognizes one of her stories, because Rachel is killed when the family and friends leave for a few moments. Deborah's husband, the sheriff's second-in-command, finds some old crimes in what Rachel says, but for the most part, those with motives have alibis. A subplot involves scamming and abuse of the elderly.
February 7, 2017
Turns out I'm a designated daughter.
This review relates to the audio version.
The long time narrator, CJ Critt was not employed for this book. Margaret Maron herself reads the book. Margaret Maron provided a good reading but CJ Critt would have given a good performance. There is a difference and I found it harder to follow the storyline as different characters didn't sound different enough. But I am glad there is an audio version since I rarely am able to sit still long enough to read a book.
This review relates to the audio version.
The long time narrator, CJ Critt was not employed for this book. Margaret Maron herself reads the book. Margaret Maron provided a good reading but CJ Critt would have given a good performance. There is a difference and I found it harder to follow the storyline as different characters didn't sound different enough. But I am glad there is an audio version since I rarely am able to sit still long enough to read a book.
Read
December 23, 2014If you ever want to immerse yourself in a rural community, the Deborah Knott series is definitely the way to go. A cast of thousands - but all of them with names and histories and connections to the main characters. Continues to be a very rewarding series (though I'd recommend starting at the beginning). I stayed up way too late reading this volume.
November 1, 2014
I love the development of the characters in this series. We met a lot more of Deborah's aunts and uncles this time and see her son growing.
February 9, 2015
As well written and charming as ever. I felt as if I’d come home, being with Judge Deborah Knott and her family.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 340 reviews