Bootlegger's Daughter (Deborah Knott Mysteries, No. 1)

This first novel in Maron's Imperfect series, which won the Edgar Award for best mystery novel in 1993, introduces heroine Deborah Knott, an attorney and the daughter of an infamous North Carolina bootlegger. Known for her knowledge of the region's past and popular with the locals, Deb is asked by 18-year-old Gayle Whitehead to investigate the unsolved murder of her mother Janie, who died when Gayle was an infant. While visiting the owner of the property where Janie's body was found, Deb learns of Janie's more-than-promiscuous past. Piecing together lost clues and buried secrets Deb is introduced to Janie's darker side, but it's not until another murder occurs that she uncovers the truth.

• Southern Discomfort (Deborah Knott Mysteries)
• Shooting at Loons (Deborah Knott Mysteries)
• Designated Daughters (A Deborah Knott Mystery)
• Home Fires (Deborah Knott Mysteries)
• Long Upon the Land (A Deborah Knott Mystery)
• Killer Market (Deborah Knott Mysteries)
• Up Jumps the Devil (Deborah Knott Mysteries)
• Southern Discomfort: a Deborah Knott mystery (Deborah Knott mysteries)
• Storm Track
• Uncommon Clay