I always enjoy a visit with the Knotts and the Bryants of Colleton County. ( )

Another good entry in these fine series, this time featuring both the judge and the lieutenant. This is a good team effort although the sheriff and his staff do most of the heavy lifting. Lots of family involved in resolving an almost fatal experience of Sigrid's mom, Ann during her globetrotting days. ( )

Judge Deborah Knott and her husband, Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant, are back home in Colleton County amid family and old friends. But the winter winds have blown in several new faces as well. Lt. Sigrid Harald and her mother, Anne, a well-known photographer, are down from New York to visit Mrs. Lattimore, Anne's dying mother. When the group gathers for dinner at Mrs. Lattimore's Victorian home, they meet the enigmatic Martin Crawford, an ornithologist researching a book on Southern vultures. He's also Mrs. Lattimore's long-lost nephew With her health in decline, Mrs. Lattimore wants to make amends with her family - a desire Deborah can understand, as she, too, works to strengthen her relationship with her young stepson, Cal. ( )

This is one of the better Deborah Knott novels. The regular cast of characters is as engaging as ever, and the addition of Sigrid Harald adds an acerbic note that is in welcome contrast to the "southernness" of it all. The story is more involving than have been the stories in the past few novels. It is an interesting mystery that has political ramifications, and raises a moral issue. A good read, which is what we expect from Margaret Maron. ( )

A workwoman-like precise whodunit it by Maron yet again. Very tight plot with a fair amount of intriguing scientific info about buzzards aka turkey vultures. The author blends current events implications of Gitmo detainees, spywork, and the small-town life of the North Carolina exurbs into a fine modern tale. Take a pass on the family intricacies (so many cousins/brothers/nieces etc.) unless you can keep track of dozens of names at once and enjoy the tale. ( )