Winter's Child

A judge's new marriage is tested as she and her husband hunt for his missing ex-wife and son in the twelfth entry in this award-winning mystery series. "Outstanding. . . . Maron brilliantly connects the unconnected, hides one killer in plain sight and tucks another into a most unexpected position." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) It's one month after their wedding, and the future looks bright for Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff Deputy Dwight Bryant—until a disturbing call from Dwight's eight-year-old son Cal calls him back to Virginia. When he arrives, he is shocked to find that his ex-wife has left the boy alone for almost twenty-four hours. Worse, as Dwight tries to confront her, she takes the child and leaves town without a word. As Dwight embarks on an all-points search, Deborah hurries to his side. But will they be able to work together to decipher the ex-wife's motives—and, more importantly, will they find young Cal before he comes to harm? "In Maron's charming, folksy, small-town world, even the mayhem is domestic in nature, in this case prompted by stolen antiques and highway litter." —Booklist