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Deborah Knott Mysteries #8
Uncommon Clay
In the red clay country of Seagrove, North Carolina, Judge Deborah Knott oversees the distribution of property in the bitter divorce between two members of the Nordan clan, a dynasty of skilled potters long cursed by suicide and scandal. After a gruesome act of violence suddenly strikes the homestead, Judge Knott must stop a killer who will stop at nothing to continue a dark history of family secrets, old sins, and new blood. (July)
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
86 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Maron
121 books757 followersBorn and raised in central North Carolina, Margaret Maron lived in Italy before returning to the USA. In addition to a collection of short stories she also authored numerous mystery novels.
Her works have been translated into seven languages her Bootlegger's Daughter, a Washington Post Bestseller won Edgar Anthony, Agatha, and Macavity awards.
She was a past president of Sisters in Crime and of the American Crime writers' league, and a director on the national board for Mystery Writers of America.
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Her works have been translated into seven languages her Bootlegger's Daughter, a Washington Post Bestseller won Edgar Anthony, Agatha, and Macavity awards.
She was a past president of Sisters in Crime and of the American Crime writers' league, and a director on the national board for Mystery Writers of America.
Like Margaret Maron on Facebook
Follow Margaret Maron on Twitter
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
November 9, 2020
3.5 stars. In North Carolina, Judge Deborah Knott's current case involves dividing the marital assets of the divorcing Nordans, who are both successful potters. When one of the spouses is bizarrely murdered, Deborah steps right in the middle of the mystery.
This book was #8 in the series and published in 2001. It's probably been five years since I read Long Upon the Land. I either didn't know or forgot that it was the last book in this series after a 23 year stretch. So now I'll just be re-reading the older books.
This one opens with a funny scene where Deborah sneaks in to see her boyfriend and gets an unexpected surprise.
I learned a lot about making pottery and glazing. With eleven brothers, Deborah has a large family and it's a bit difficult to keep up with who's who. Note: Maron writes a clean story.
This book was #8 in the series and published in 2001. It's probably been five years since I read Long Upon the Land. I either didn't know or forgot that it was the last book in this series after a 23 year stretch. So now I'll just be re-reading the older books.
This one opens with a funny scene where Deborah sneaks in to see her boyfriend and gets an unexpected surprise.
I learned a lot about making pottery and glazing. With eleven brothers, Deborah has a large family and it's a bit difficult to keep up with who's who. Note: Maron writes a clean story.
December 11, 2019
Pots, potters, and old family history are at the center of this surprisingly violent mystery with Judge Deborah Knott set in an area of North Carolina famous for its pottery.
October 6, 2023
Good story and interesting about the history of pottery and glazes.
January 5, 2016
In book eight of the series, Judge Knott is a visiting Judge to a neighboring county. She is overseeing a divorce trial of two famous local potters who have been married for twenty-five years. The case is very complicated; then, James, the husband, is murdered.
Maron has her usual down home wit and humor in the “who-done it” story. Maron did a great deal of research about the world of potting and clays to write this story. The author’s portrayal of human relationships raises the novel above the usual fare in the genre.
Maron writes a great mystery, her books are fun to read plus I always learn something new about a North Carolina industry. Last time it was about the furniture industry, this time pottery. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. C. J. Critt does an excellent job narrating this series.
Maron has her usual down home wit and humor in the “who-done it” story. Maron did a great deal of research about the world of potting and clays to write this story. The author’s portrayal of human relationships raises the novel above the usual fare in the genre.
Maron writes a great mystery, her books are fun to read plus I always learn something new about a North Carolina industry. Last time it was about the furniture industry, this time pottery. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. C. J. Critt does an excellent job narrating this series.
July 20, 2016
Been on this Deborah Knott kick for a while now. Up to number 8. It ought not to surprise anyone that mystery writers have a certain formula they use and they just change the circumstances. It was fun to realize that Agatha Christe had a mystery about a movie star who I think lost a baby because a fan came to see her when the fan had the measles. This story seems to have built on that kind of plot. The pottery industry of NC is the background for this tell and there are three different kinds of bizarre murders in the pottery area. This did not have a lot of Deborah's family involved but her family knew a lot of the people from high school who were involved. It also brought an end to Deborah's courtship with her game warden on the coast in a humorous way for the read although perhaps not funny to Deborah when it happened.
June 16, 2009
I like Margaret Maron's books - particularly since I live in Raleigh, and even though her heroine, Deborah Knott, lives in a fictional NC county, she spends lots of her time in Raleigh, and around the state, and I can 'relate'. I just recently listened to this book on tape (I highly recommend listening to books!). It was an interesting mystery, set in Seagrove, among the Seagrove potters - several deaths (one of them clearly a murder; the others mysterious, but not quite clear cut murders) occur in one family of potters. Since Judge Knott is in the area as a circuit court judge, she of course gets involved! The mystery had me guessing until close to the end - I was 'close' with my guesses, but not quite on the mark!
June 16, 2017
This was my first in this series. At the beginning it statutes out slow and I was not sure I would continue but it picked up after several chapters. I try to support NC authors as much as possible
October 27, 2023
SPOILER ALERT
When Judge Deborah Knott travels to Asheboro and Seagrove NC, for a new assignment, she will become embroiled in the disputes of multiple families over the marital assets in divorces. The estate will include a collection of early pottery for which the area is well-known. Deborah will stay with Felicity Chadwick, an old school friend.
She will find herself looking for the killer of James Lucas Nordan, one of the couple fighting over the collection. He is found on the car kiln, a special glaze poured over him, then put in the kiln to roast. Amos Nordan, the famous potter lost his first son Donny, and now with the death of his beloved second son, James, he will play with the possible inheritors of the pottery, including Donny's illegitimate son, Davis Richmond, who only wants to write. He has come to the funeral of James to meet his grandfather, not realizing what a stir his appearance will make. Amos plot includes looking to Davis as a possible heir, though he does not want to be a potter.
Early glazes that made for a particular recognizable red contained lead and was to be stopped as glaze on pottery intended for food use. Amos secretly continued to use it. One of the community members who helps at the pottery and sales room is June Gregorich whose adult son has the brain of a child. He is a loveable and gentle soul who also helps at the pottery, though many call him names and treat him horribly, including Amos. It turns out that there is a glass cup that she has in the kitchen, and that she has used for decades, that was fraudulently marked as safe when it was not. She used when she was pregnant and after, the results the developmental disability with Jeffy. She has targeted Amos and his family.
A particularly sad story.
When Judge Deborah Knott travels to Asheboro and Seagrove NC, for a new assignment, she will become embroiled in the disputes of multiple families over the marital assets in divorces. The estate will include a collection of early pottery for which the area is well-known. Deborah will stay with Felicity Chadwick, an old school friend.
She will find herself looking for the killer of James Lucas Nordan, one of the couple fighting over the collection. He is found on the car kiln, a special glaze poured over him, then put in the kiln to roast. Amos Nordan, the famous potter lost his first son Donny, and now with the death of his beloved second son, James, he will play with the possible inheritors of the pottery, including Donny's illegitimate son, Davis Richmond, who only wants to write. He has come to the funeral of James to meet his grandfather, not realizing what a stir his appearance will make. Amos plot includes looking to Davis as a possible heir, though he does not want to be a potter.
Early glazes that made for a particular recognizable red contained lead and was to be stopped as glaze on pottery intended for food use. Amos secretly continued to use it. One of the community members who helps at the pottery and sales room is June Gregorich whose adult son has the brain of a child. He is a loveable and gentle soul who also helps at the pottery, though many call him names and treat him horribly, including Amos. It turns out that there is a glass cup that she has in the kitchen, and that she has used for decades, that was fraudulently marked as safe when it was not. She used when she was pregnant and after, the results the developmental disability with Jeffy. She has targeted Amos and his family.
A particularly sad story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2019
I included the tag of noir, as the ending is rather noir-ish. The one seeking vengeance ends up sowing an uncertain future for their own family. The ones receiving the lash of vengeance are forever changed - either dead or living in the pain of loss, including those who didn't create the problem.
The one frustrating thing with the book is the way Kid is removed from the story. As a reader we've had the build of up of a the relationship between Deborah and Kid - he's passionate about his job, ethical, playful, romantic, committed. Yes, there's the struggle of balancing the wants and needs of his 15 year old daughter with the long distance relationship between D & K. Then Kid (to the reader's view) abruptly changes his mind and the relationship goes splat. I get an author having their main character go through up and down, including romantic relationships. But the way it played out seemed inconsistent with what we've been given as a personality profile of Kid.
The one frustrating thing with the book is the way Kid is removed from the story. As a reader we've had the build of up of a the relationship between Deborah and Kid - he's passionate about his job, ethical, playful, romantic, committed. Yes, there's the struggle of balancing the wants and needs of his 15 year old daughter with the long distance relationship between D & K. Then Kid (to the reader's view) abruptly changes his mind and the relationship goes splat. I get an author having their main character go through up and down, including romantic relationships. But the way it played out seemed inconsistent with what we've been given as a personality profile of Kid.
July 1, 2023
More a 3.5, but I rounded up because the second half of the book had me turning the pages lickety-split.
Maron resorted to multiple POV for the second time in a row, however, she was less heavy-handed this time around and the reader remains with Deborah for the majority of the story. The device was employed sloppily, however. More than once she started with a secondary character's POV only to switch mid-scene to a different character's POV. Very confusing. If you are doing multiple POV, stay with one character through a scene or at least give a paragraph break when moving on to a different POV. I don't enjoy rereading a scene simply because I'm trying to figure out who's thinking what thoughts. It should be clear.
The mystery was pretty good. The ending was sad. The overload of information about pottery was tedious. (On the flip side, if you are a pottery fanatic, this is the right book for you.)
Maron resorted to multiple POV for the second time in a row, however, she was less heavy-handed this time around and the reader remains with Deborah for the majority of the story. The device was employed sloppily, however. More than once she started with a secondary character's POV only to switch mid-scene to a different character's POV. Very confusing. If you are doing multiple POV, stay with one character through a scene or at least give a paragraph break when moving on to a different POV. I don't enjoy rereading a scene simply because I'm trying to figure out who's thinking what thoughts. It should be clear.
The mystery was pretty good. The ending was sad. The overload of information about pottery was tedious. (On the flip side, if you are a pottery fanatic, this is the right book for you.)
March 9, 2025
This was a pretty decent, if not by-the-numbers murder mystery book. Decently structured, making it a touch easy to guess the culprit mid way through, but nothing overly terrible about the story and mystery elements. I get the feeling that this is part of an overarching series about the main character, and as such the was a LOT of fluff about her personal life (an entire chapter detailing her escapades on her weekend off, for instance) that doesn't tie into the main narrative of the book. The interjection of local histories of pottery in the region the story takes place was an interesting, if not slightly dry, narrative element.
Overall, its well written, reads easily and quickly, and has a decent murder mystery storyline. For a piece of genre fiction it was very adequate. No large complaints.
Overall, its well written, reads easily and quickly, and has a decent murder mystery storyline. For a piece of genre fiction it was very adequate. No large complaints.
August 8, 2021
Judge Deborah Knott is assigned to Randolph County near Seagrove to settle two divorces because a judge is on sick leave. While settling the divorce, she finds one of the divorcees murdered. The story of how the mystery is solved and the family relationships make for a great mystery. Loved reading about potters in this book and thought the mystery was very well done. Even though I had read this book before I did not remember who the killer was, so was very surprised by the ending. Another good addition to this author's series.
July 31, 2017
Great mystery plot in this one! The two possible killers laid out at the beginning were so over-obvious as to be clear red-herrings, but I didn't quite figure out who it might be until the very end.
And I found all the details about this history of pottery in North Carolina really interesting. Also, since I'm in the middle of the Sigrid Herald novels as well, I loved the quick shout-out to Oscar Nauman's character from that series :)
And I found all the details about this history of pottery in North Carolina really interesting. Also, since I'm in the middle of the Sigrid Herald novels as well, I loved the quick shout-out to Oscar Nauman's character from that series :)
October 2, 2017
Love this series! This one highlights the pottery industries of Asheboro, NC. I live in the same area as Judge Deborah Knott and still learn something new about our state with each book in the series. The series is authentic to our part of the state and always enjoy the familiar places and attitudes. These stories always include a light mystery but not much intrigue. The Judge is funny, sarcastic, witty and on occasion a bit catty. She is very identifiable.
October 5, 2021
Being a judge is tough enough but when you throw in a couple of divorces it gets even worse. The murders were just stupid (for a lack of a better word) and the killer got exactly what they deserved. I was down right mad 😠 after reading the whole Kidd situation but I'm hoping for her and Dwight getting together anyway. Each book gets better in its own way and I only called a couple of people idiots. 😉
April 15, 2022
Anna Kendrick sings it so well, “You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.” Oh, Margaret Maron you created such a delightful character in Judge Deborah Knott. You worked in so much southern culture (this one about the Seagrove potters), family connections, the church, the modern south in these tidy mysteries. Your readers will miss not knowing Deborah’s next escapade.
Thank you from the bottom of my pea picking’ heart.
Thank you from the bottom of my pea picking’ heart.
October 16, 2017
This is one of my favorites of the entire series. I enjoyed all the material about making pottery and I didn't come close to anticipating the solution to the mystery. Also, I appreciate that Deborah's family is not as central here as they are in many of the other books in this series; they are fine, well-written characters, but they do tend to overwhelm the mysteries.
August 3, 2019
Becoming more & more invested in the lives of Judge Deb'rah Knott, her family, and friends. This episode dives into the background of small-scale potters and the history of their craft in North Carolina, and was pretty educational for me - always a plus in my reading.
December 18, 2023
Another good mystery. As always Maron includes a slice of life or industry of North Carolina. This story revolves around the pottery industry. the ending surprised me as I was thinking in a different direction for the killer.
February 10, 2018
Great protagonist, Judge Deborah Knott the bootlegger's daughter, and a cool mystery set in Seagrove, NC, with a murder or two related to the pottery business.
January 28, 2019
My favorite so far of her books. I've noticed too many times in series they get worse not better. This is a nice surprise and I'm ready to read the next one!
October 10, 2019
good story. very interesting background info on N.C. pottery, including history. this integrated into the mystery.
November 25, 2019
A nice twist to end this one.
December 1, 2019
A quiet and easy going read. Ending unravels within just a few pages, making it seem a little lackluster and rushed. Wish it had matched effort of the character and story development.
March 27, 2020
I've read several Deborah Knott mysteries and enjoyed them all. Great characters, good plots, believable dialogue and good resolutions. Just what I need for diversion.
September 13, 2020
Loving this series / author. Did not have the culprit pegged. But Deborah is good at figuring things out!
December 27, 2020
I didn't know how badly I wanted to read a pottery mystery until I did.
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January 24, 2021Just stared on Mysteries with a U of D course . Love them.
This was an easy read and very interesting. Learned about North Caroline Clay pots. i want one now.
This was an easy read and very interesting. Learned about North Caroline Clay pots. i want one now.
April 3, 2021
Another great book in the Deborah Knott series!
May 31, 2021
Enjoyed; but not quite as good as earlier in series or perhaps it is but I just had too much time between chapters. On to the next book in the series!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews