6th in the Judge Deborah Knott series set in North Carolina.[return][return]The story opens with Deborah and her father, Kezzie Knott, racing to the scene of a burning church. Deborah risks her life to save a treasured Bible, hymn books and other objects from the church, as volunteer firemen battle the blaze ineffectively, as the old and tinder-dry building burns to the ground. The church is home to a black congregation; the fire is clearly arson, and the obvious conclusion is that it is a hate crime. But it is only the first of a series of arsons of black churches; during one, a sacristan dies, raising the tension in the community.[return][return]It s an exciting beginning to one of the best installments in the series. We learn that Maron does a good job of showing that racism that exists today on both sides, and the chasm that no law can really bridge; it will depend, perhaps, on the next generation to over come the deep-seated distrust of both blacks and whites.[return][return]Maron almost always does a good, straightforward plot with few twists or turns. Unusually, this one has a few fillips that up the interest nicely. She continues to have a fine protagonist in Deborah Knott, who does not wear out with increasing exposure in each book. Back are familiar, strong recurring characters: her father Kezzie; Dwight Bryant of the Sheriff s Department; various members of her family; friends. This book centers on one of her brothers, Andrew, and his family, who have not had prominent roles heretofore. In fact, it is a great strength of the series that Maron has introduced such a large family for Deborah; they re convenient for spreading plot elements around in a believable way.[return][return]Her usual strong writing about the South, its idioms and regional ways. Excellent discussion within the medium of the mystery genre of race and how it plays out today.[return][return]Highly recommended.
A nice visit with Deborah Knott and her big clan. Deborah heads to a church dinner (it's campaign season) and soon after the church burns down and one body is discovered (and then another). Soon after two other African-American churches are burned by the same racists. Deborah delves into race relations and local history to try to solve the murders.At this time, she is dating Kidd and building her house on her Dad's land while still living with her aunt and uncle. She and Dwight are friends. And Deborah gets brought into the mess because one of her many nephews got caught with the suspected arsonists when they first began to vandalize a cemetery.
What do You think about Home Fires (1998)?
HOME FIRES (Traditional Mystery-North Carolina-Cont) - VGMaron, Margaret – 6th in seriesMysterious Press, 1998 – HardcoverJudge Deborah Knott’s nephew and his two friends are arrested for damaging gravestones and paint spraying racial slurs and symbols on them. A black church, on which similar symbols have been sprayed, is burned the three are immediate suspects. When a second church is burned and people die, Deborah is determined to find the culprit before racial violence breaks out.*** It had been awhile since I’d read Maron; I’d forgotten how good she is and what strong, character-driven mysteries she writes. I love Deborah’s relationship with her family and friends. Her observations on society and racism were insightful without being preachy. Deborah’s inner self of The Preacher and the Pragmatist add humor and insight into the character. The story is engrossing and I was surprised by the killer. This was a wonderful, straight-through read and a classic example as to why Ms. Maron is an award-winning author.
—LJ
It's turning out that I don't enjoy the home-county stories quite as much as those taking place in other parts of NC, perhaps because they hit too close to the character and those she holds dear. Deborah's nephew is in trouble with the law for vandalism, but he's at risk of being indicted in more serious cases when a string of black churches are set fire. As AK sees what it's like to spend weekends in jail, Deborah finds herself doing some of Dwight's detective work and meeting with some old acquaintances. Meanwhile, Deborah's decided to settle down and is having a house built on some land from her father.Justice comes eventually and things aren't as bad as they seem--though perhaps some of your suspicions about grade-school English teachers may be confirmed.
—Caitlin
