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Home Fires |
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 Home Fires byMargaret Maron Warner Books, Inc. 288 pages, 2000 ISBN 0446608106 Reviewed by Diane Gotfryd Someone is burning churches in North Carolina, and Judge Deborah Knott’s teenage nephew leads the list of suspects. Forced to the sidelines by her professional objectivity, and not able to give legal advice to her own family, Deborah just naturally falls into an investigation of her own. Related to practically the entire populace of Colleton County, she hears, overhears and observes the small pieces that lead to the big picture. We enjoy the ride as Deborah plunges into one of the fires while visiting kinfolk, overseeing the building of her first house, and attending community gatherings. Along the way there is a lot of good Southern food. The reader is advised not to read this book on an empty stomach unless a refrigerator is nearby. Fried chicken, butter beans, barbecued pig, coleslaw and hush puppies all make a tasty appearance. Under all that southern hospitality, is it even possible to pry out the arsonist? In her sixth outing, Deborah is back in the bosom of her large southern family - full of characters we have come to know well. Maron’s real strength is her character development. We can hear the southern accents in the dialogue, feel the calluses on hard-working hands, sympathize with the tears and respect the elders - just as if we were strictly raised in Colleton County ourselves. The new folks we meet are just as carefully drawn: a stunning and competent assistant district attorney, a new preacher in town, a retired schoolteacher and an activist. The last book in this series, Killer Market, was disappointing because it was set in a strange town. Deborah seemed like a fish out of water without her big brothers and daddy around, and it is great to see her back where she belongs. |
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