ceebs's review
3.0
I took my time with Bootlegger’s Daughter and had a better time of it.
It’s a cozy mystery set in fictional Colleton County, North Carolina, imbued with lush descriptions of southern life and scenery. I want some cold, strong sweet tea now!
While I could have done without the many descriptions of clothes (I don’t give a damn what people are wearing most of the time), I have to admit that sometimes the clothes did flesh out a character, like Denn and his edgy look that sets him apart from the rest of the town.
Occasionally I was confused by all the characters! I flipped around in the book to remind myself who was who a good number of times, but that might be because it took me so long to read it.
There were surprisingly about ten or so minor flaws in the text (‘quiet’ and ‘quite’ were interposed a few times), but I’ll put that down to the editing.
This kind of book is not my usual cup of tea, but I am glad I pushed through because there is one hell of a satisfying ending - action-packed and poignant.
It’s a cozy mystery set in fictional Colleton County, North Carolina, imbued with lush descriptions of southern life and scenery. I want some cold, strong sweet tea now!
While I could have done without the many descriptions of clothes (I don’t give a damn what people are wearing most of the time), I have to admit that sometimes the clothes did flesh out a character, like Denn and his edgy look that sets him apart from the rest of the town.
Occasionally I was confused by all the characters! I flipped around in the book to remind myself who was who a good number of times, but that might be because it took me so long to read it.
There were surprisingly about ten or so minor flaws in the text (‘quiet’ and ‘quite’ were interposed a few times), but I’ll put that down to the editing.
This kind of book is not my usual cup of tea, but I am glad I pushed through because there is one hell of a satisfying ending - action-packed and poignant.
elizatanner's review against another edition
4.0
This was the first of the series and first time author for me. I quite enjoyed the mystery and the building of the main character. I will be finding more from this author/series.
susiejo124's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book. It was recommended that I start with Margaret Maron's first book, Bootlegger's Daughter. As I live in NC the area references are familiar to me. I liked the character, Deborah Knott, an attorney. The book was published in 1992 so I look forward to reading the rest of this series. Margaret Maron wrote other series as well so I will have plenty to read!
memphisholli's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
judyward's review against another edition
3.0
It is difficult to run for District Court Judge at the best of times. And especially if you are a female living in rural North Caroilina and your father is universally known as a bootlegger. Deborah Knott finds herself in exactly that situation. After being approached by an 18 year old who wants Deborah to investigate the unsolved murder of her mother, Deborah puts her campaign on hold to try to discover the truth. This is the first in the Deborah Knott series and it is stronger on describing the culture of rural North Carolina and the complexities of family relationships than it is on plot.
cleister's review against another edition
2.75
Too many characters. Writing style is southern and humorous. Read for book club.
zombeesknees's review against another edition
5.0
Full review can be found here: https://www.criminalelement.com/edgar-awards-revisited-the-bootleggers-daughter-by-margaret-maron-best-novel-1993/
drokka's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs
The book was released in 1992, the slurs are used in general (not focused at anyone specific) to describe how racists would use them.shallowgal00's review
4.0
interesting 1st book in the series ~ a Southern spin on a female sleuth tale.
maryrobinson's review against another edition
4.0
As I’m reading different authors to learn more about the tastes of the Homebound patrons I help, I am trying a lot of mystery authors. This was such a happy surprise! Fantastic writing with complex characters, sophisticated storytelling, an atmospheric depiction of the South and sharp dialogue. And one of the things I liked the most was I didn’t see the end coming – didn’t guess the killer and didn’t guess what came next.