Designated Daughters

By: Margaret Maron

Narrated by: Margaret Maron

When Judge Deborah Knott is summoned to her ailing Aunt Rachel's bedside, she assumes the worst. Thankfully when she arrives at the hospice center she learns that Rachel hasn't passed; in fact, the dying woman is awake. Surrounded by her children, her extended family, and what seems like half of Colleton County, a semi-conscious Rachel breaks weeks of pained silence with snippets of stories as randomly pieced together as a well-worn patchwork quilt. But the Knott family's joy quickly gives way to shock: less than an hour later, Aunt Rachel is found dead in her bed, smothered with a pillow.

Who would kill a woman on her deathbed? Was it an act of mercy, or murder? As Deborah and her husband, Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant, investigate they cross paths with an unlikely set of suspects: Rachel's longtime minister; her neighbor, the respected local doctor; the friendly single father who often sought her advice; and perhaps the most puzzling party of all, the Designated Daughters, a support group for caregivers that Rachel's own daughter belongs to.

Soon Deborah and Dwight realize that the key to solving this case is hidden in Rachel's mysterious final words. Her mixed-up memories harbored a dark secret-a secret that someone close to them is determined to bury forever.

Critic reviews

In MWA Grand Master Maron's outstanding 19th mystery featuring judge Deborah Knott of North Carolina's Colleton County (after 2012's The Buzzard Table), Deborah's elderly aunt, Rachel Morton, lies near death in a hospice. Rachel attracts a crowd of friends and relatives as she talks of "babies, fires, and unpaid debts, of someone who beat his wife and of cowbirds and vegetables and broken jars." A distraction allows a killer enough time to slip into Rachel's room and smother her with a pillow, thus ending her ramblings, which apparently concealed deadly secrets. Unraveling those secrets-some 60 years old-is a slow, difficult process with lots of suspects among friends and family. Maron achieves a delicate balance as she explores differences between mistakes, sins, and crimes, and shows that justice is not always arrived at by conventional means. Humor (e.g., Deborah outfoxes an unscrupulous auctioneer) and social issues (e.g., the difficult role of caregivers to the elderly) add to the warmth of a large family with all its foibles, squabbles, and quirks.—Publishers Weekly

"Smartly written"—The New York Times on The Buzzard Table

"As always, Maron skillfully layers an absorbing plot with the doings of Deborah's large extended family and the domestic details of their semirural lifestyle. In addition, the contrast between Deborah, who is warm and caring, and Sigrid, who is reserved and cerebral, gives Maron's tale added depth."—Booklist on The Buzzard Table

"Maron...adroitly melds ugly American (open) government secrets with classic whodunit intrigue and stirs the pot by itemizing domestic travails that will touch readers' hearts."—Kirkus Reviews on The Buzzard Table

"There's nobody better."—Chicago Tribune

"Every Margaret Maron is a celebration of something remarkable."—New York Times Book Review

Liked the story; didn't like the narrator

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the story, but the narration kept sidetracking me. I think Margaret Maron is a wonderful author, but she shouldn't do the narration. Although her accent sounded authentic, her voice sounded too old for Deborah.

Would you recommend Designated Daughters to your friends? Why or why not?

I wouldn't recommend it because of the narration.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Margaret Maron?

C. J. Critt

Good story. Dismal narrator

Prefer to have C. J. Critt as the narrator. She gives the characters a greater depth and they each have their own voice. Margaret Maron's performance was mediocre, at best. While she read with a great southern accent, she didn't distinguish between male and female characters, so it all just sort of ran together.

Margaret Maron✅

Thoroughly enjoyed Margaret Maron reading her own book, has always been my favorite way to listen to a book. CJ Critt was awesome as well, I enjoyed her narrations of all previous books in this series. Love the forward of each chapter and the history of NC.

Disappointed

If you could sum up Designated Daughters in three words, what would they be?

I am a big fan of this series, but Margaret Maron should not be the narrator. It is difficult for me to get through this book. I have bought the next book and if I had realized she was the narrator, I would not have bought it.

What didn’t you like about Margaret Maron’s performance?

She sounds too old for the part - and I am old so my comment is not directed at older people. She is one note and I cannot tell which character is supposed to be talking.

So dissapointed

I love Mrs Marons stories but not with her as narrator. So disappointed. Why the change?