Fun fact: Retiring store owner Nancy Olson hosted Margaret’s very first signing 28 years ago.
Thursday night, award-winning author Margaret Maron celebrated the release of THE BUZZARD TABLE, her 30th book, at Quail Ridge Books.
Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff’s Deputy Dwight Bryant are back home in Colleton County with all their family and courthouse regulars. But there are a few new faces as well. Lt. Sigrid Herald and her mother, Anne, a well-known photographer, are down from New York to visit Anne’s ailing mother, Mrs. Lattimore. When the group gathers for dinner at Mrs. Lattimore’s Victorian home, they meet the enigmatic Martin Crawford, an ornithologist who claims to be researching a new book on Southern vultures. More importantly, he’s Mrs. Lattimore’s long-lost nephew, and Sigrid and Anne’s English cousin. With her health in decline, Mrs. Lattimore wants to make amends with her family—something Deborah can understand as she too is working to strengthen her relationship with her stepson, Cal. But for all his mysterious charm, Anne can’t shake the feeling that there is something familiar about Martin…something he doesn’t want Anne or anyone else to discover. When a murderer strikes, Deborah, Dwight, and Sigrid will once again work together to solve the crime and uncover long-buried Lattimore family secrets.
Left to right: Brynn Bonner, Sarah Shaber, Margaret Maron, Katy Munger (aka Chaz McGee), hubby Joe Maron and Diane Chamberlain
THE BUZZARDS TABLE earned a starred review from Kirkus, who praised the intrigue but also said it will “touch readers’ hearts” and The New York Times’ Marylin Stasio loved the subplot about buzzards and felt it was “essential reading.”
The turn-out was good, with a full house featuring not just her loyal readers, but a healthy contingent of local writers. Katy Munger, Brynn Bonner, Sarah Shaber and Diane Chamberlain all turned out to support Margaret. Any time one of them launches a book, they gather for supper prior to the event.
North Carolina fans will have another chance to meet Margaret when she appears at Barnes & Noble (760 Southeast Maynard Road in Cary, NC) on the 27th. Be sure to check her site for future appearances.
