A blurb inside by mystery writer Loren Estelman compared Maron to Flannery O'Connor, Hemingway and Faulkner. Another described the protagonist and first person narrator, Dorothy Knott, as Scout of To Kill a Mockingbird, all grown up. I don't think this book is in that league at all.
Yes, this is set in the American South, in North Carolina, and the author is good at choosing and using details to evoke that setting and in reproducing the rhythms of speech of that region. But all in all I'd say this is just a good, solid mystery. If you're in the mood for what many call a "cozy mystery"--set in a small town, rather PG-13 in rating without graphic violence or sex, this might well scratch that itch.
I found Knott likable, even with the handicap of her irking me with the usual jibes against Republicans (she's running for district judge as a Democrat in the book). I warmed to her and most of the cast of characters the farther I got into the book--I particularly liked her father and the love interest.
The problem is I never had a twinge of writer's envy, or found anything quotable, didn't find this thought-provoking or moving or unpredictable--in other words, I doubt I'll remember a thing about this book a year from now and I can't imagine ever rereading it. So not a keeper, but an entertaining read if you're fond of mysteries.
