Shooting at Loons

An early Deborah Knott mystery, which somehow had escaped me! Knott, now judge, has been seconded to a town on the Outer Banks of North Carolina to fill in for an ailing colleague. She and a local boy head out looking for clams, and discover a body instead. And, of course, it won't be the only one.

The hook in this book is the tension between local fishermen and developers, wealth and the struggle to survive, rigidity and compromise, and the odd alliances that are often found in politics. As with all Maron's Deborah Knott books, this one is as much about place as it is about people, and it tells us a story about change and growth and North Carolina at the same time as it's telling us a story about murder and mayhem.

I was very excited to see the continuation of a feature which I enjoy as it provides a "heading" and/or very effective "lead-in" at the beginning of each chapter. In this novel the italicized sentences are verses of hymns which are credited on the copyright page to: "Gospel Hymns: Nos. 1 to 6," by Ira D. Sankey, James McGranahan and George C. Stebbins. Copyright 1895 by the Biglow & Main Co. and The John Church Co.

Deborah is staying at a cousin and his wife's cottage on Harkers Island on the southern coast of North Carolina as she's substituting for another judge at the Carteret County courthouse. Discovery of a body brings Deborah a close-up view and understanding of the differences between appreciating the offerings of the island as a show more "weekender" or "tourist" and that of a "local."

Margaret Maron does an excellent job of giving readers this "insider's or local view" through Deborah's experience and learning curve which gives her a deeper perspective to the challenges of all parties. Sadly, "weekenders" and vacationers are not always respectful to the environment of not only coastal towns but all locations they so revere during their escape planning.

This book is one of many that clearly highlights that a novel doesn't need to be over a certain number of pages to offer a powerful message and especially for those that visit coastal towns. I think this novel would make an excellent book club selection to provide a comfortable setting for thoughtful discussion. show less

Asked to sit in for a hospitalized judge in gracious old Beaufort, Deborah hopes to spend a restful week at her cousin's nearby Harkers Island cottage; but her very first clamming expedition turns up the corpse of a well-known fisherman in the shallow waters. Discovering the body puts her right in the middle of the fight between the locals who have long made their living from the sea and the new tide of well-to-do "dingbatters": weekenders and land developers who view the coast as their personal playground and gold mine. Deborah soon realizes that the centuries-old way of life in this isolated corner of the South is as endangered as loons and sea turtles, and the fisherman's murder is clearly tied to the coming changes. On the bench and show more off, she can feel the rage and fear and greed these changes arouse. Even so, sipping her bourbon in the fresh salt air proves beneficial for Deborah's soul, and life at the beach takes a definite upswing when she meets a game warden who's hunting for loon poachers. Not untila second murder occurs and a lover from her past becomes a suspect does Deborah realize she's up to her own neck in intrigue - and dangerously close to a killer... show less

The third in the Deborah Knott series, Shooting at Loons takes place on Harker's Island, North Carolina. As usual, Maron takes a social issue and makes it personal to her characters. In this case, it's the clash among many groups who use the coastal resources--shrimpers, clammers, fisherman, environmentalists, sports fishermen, tourist industry. Maron gives a really good picture of a way of life that is in danger of dying out; there are very good descriptions of the people and culture of Harker's Island, all integrated into the investigation of the murder of a prominent businessman/resident. The title of the book is a pointed referrence to that culture, in which stewed loon is a delicacy and the islanders resent the protection given to show more the loons.

Maron takes no sides in the argument over use of resrouces but does a beautiful job of showing ALL sides, not an easy task.

This instalment also introduces Kidd Chapin, game warden, as Knott's romantic interest.

The murder mystery itself is well done and builds to a nice climax. As usual, good writing and believable characters in a well-defined North Carolina setting--all Maron trademarks in this series.

Chapter headings are verses from hymns taken from Gospel Hymns: Nos. 1 to 6, by Ira Sankey, james McGranahan and George Stebbins, copyright in 1895. Each hymn uses the sea or sailing as metaphor.

Highly recommended. show less

Good entry in a nicely developing series. Deborah takes her show on the road as visiting judge on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. Excellent locale and political environment descriptors support the mystery nicely. Family ties and history confound the current crime scene. She finds a serious friend and resolves the situation but not without some serious conflicts.

Judge Deborah Knott is sent to fill in for another judge at Beaufort for a week. On the first day of arriving at her cousins' seaside cottage, she discovers a dead body, obviously murderered.

As she unravels the tangled web of connections between possible suspects, she also discovers the battle between various interest groups in how the resources of this unique area should be used. A second murder of a key person in the debate turns her focus and forces her to suspect a friend. The revelation of the murderer is sudden and dramatic.

Deborah goes on vacation, sort of. She goes to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to fill in for a judge down there, but instead of a relaxing time by the sea shore she finds a dead body and gets embroiled in the native citizens craziness over the environment, fish, tourism, etc.

She meets a lot of people from her past, but, unlike the previous two books there aren't any of her family in this novel. And we also get to meet a new guy named Kidd Chapin.

The mystery is interesting enough, who killed the victim and there are definitely a lot and a wide variety of suspects. Maron keeps the reader guessing pretty well too, until the end, and the killer isn't someone we've never met either (one of my pet peeves in mysteries).

The novel is also one show more of the novels in the Deborah Knott series that stands alone very well, partially because her family isn't in the story. A solid 4 stars. show less