Margaret Maron New York Times bestselling author and Mystery Writers of America Grand Master returns to Colleton County with an exciting new Deborah Knott mystery LONG UPON THE LANDOn a quiet August morning Judge Deborah Knotts father Kezzie makes a shocking discovery on a remote corner of his farm the body of a man bludgeoned to death Investigating this crime Deborahs husband Sheriffs Deputy Dwight Bryant soon uncovers a long-simmering hostility between Kezzie and the slain man over a land dispute The local newspaper implies that Deborahs family may have had something to do with the murder-and that Dwight is dragging his feet on the caseMeanwhile Deborah is given a cigarette lighter that once belonged to her mother The cryptic inscription inside rekindles Deborahs curiosity about her parents past and how they met For years she has wondered how the daughter of a wealthy attorney could have married a widowed semi-illiterate bootlegger and this time shes determined to find the answerBut why are Deborahs brothers so reluctant to talk about the dead man Is the murder linked to Kezzies illegal whiskey business And could his courtship of Deborahs mother have something to do with the bad blood between the two families Despite Deborahs promise not to interfere in Dwights work she cannot stop herself from doing everything she can to help clear her brothers and her father from suspicion.
