Dollycas’s Thoughts

A current mystery and a very old mystery come together in the final installment to this long running series.

A dead man is found on the Knott property by Judge Deborah Knott’s father Kezzie. The man’s family and Kezzie have had a feud over the that part of the land for years. Many people including the local paper think one of that Knotts, most likely Kezzie, is the one responsible for the man’s death. Deorah and her husband, Sheriff’s Deputy Dwight Bryant, are working hard to find the real killer and claim the family of any wrong doing.

The old mystery started way back, even before the first book of the series, Bootlegger’s Daughter. How did a daughter of a wealthy attorney end of married to Kezzie Knott, a widowed bootlegger? This time Deborah is going to get to the bottom of her family’s history.

Both mysteries are excellently written and draw you into the story, but for me and most likely other fans of this series, it was the part about Deborah’s parents that I truly latched onto. The author rotates between each story separately the chapters with the present and the past. We see through the flashbacks Susan entered Kezzie’s life just when he needed her most although he needed to be convinced of that. I am so happy we were able to tie this all together.

As for the new mystery, it ties into the old one as one family benefited from another’s downfall. A long time grudge has been carried and the entire Knott family could be on the suspect list but Dwight knows they are innocent. Small town life and family relationships come into play as the real killer is sought.

I am sorry that this series has ended but Ms. Maron has ended it in a way that pleased me. She is continuing her other series and there is a tie in to this one so maybe Deborah and Dwight will have some cameo appearances there. Either way I have enjoyed this entire series and recommend them all.