Take Out

By: Margaret Maron

Narrated by: Courtney Patterson

From New York Times bestselling, award-winning author Margaret Maron--winner of the Edgar Award, Agatha Award, Anthony Award, and Macavity Award for her classic mystery The Bootlegger's Daughter--comes a stunning mystery featuring NYPD Detective Sigrid Harald.

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

"Maron writes with wit and sophistication." -- USA Today

"There's nobody better." -- Chicago Tribune

NYPD Detective Sigrid Harald is still reeling from the untimely death of her lover, acclaimed painter Oscar Nauman, when she is called to investigate the poisoning of two homeless men in the West Village. As she examines the mysterious deaths, Sigrid uncovers a grim neighborhood scandal surrounding two influential women: one a haughty mafia widow, the other a retired opera prima donna, both with dark secrets they've kept under wraps for decades. Was the poison really meant for the homeless men, or were they merely unintended victims as the decades-long feud between the two women comes to a head?

And still, Sigrid can't stop wondering what brought her late lover so urgently across the country to the winding mountain road that took his life--until she meets a man who may hold the answers she seeks . . . .

"Opening a new Margaret Maron is like unwrapping a Christmas gift." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Of today's series writers none has been more successful at weaving the bond between star and audience than Margaret Maron." -- San Diego Union-Tribune

Critic reviews

"Margaret Maron is one of those authors whose devoted fans would follow them anywhere."—The New York Times

"Excellent...If this is indeed Maron's final book, as she has announced, she is quitting while still in top form."—Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW)

"Maron's series finale and last book ends her distinguished writing career on a high note. Her many fans will enjoy this while wiping away tears of farewell."—Library Journal (STARRED REVIEW)

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

"Maron writes with wit and sophistication."—USA Today

"Sigrid Harald is smart, efficient, and sympathetic."—Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

"There's nobody better."—Chicago Tribune

"Opening a new Margaret Maron is like unwrapping a Christmas gift."—Cleveland Plain Dealer

"You read a Maron mystery for the rich back stories of her main characters as much as for the whodunit, and she doesn't disappoint here."—The News & Observer

PRAISE FOR MARGARET MARON'S DEBORAH KNOTT SERIES:"Bestseller Maron's 20th Deborah Knott mystery (after 2014's Designated Daughters) combines strong plotting, a superb cast of recurring characters, and a rare sense of place that transports readers to rural North Carolina. District court judge Deborah and the huge Knott clan headed by Deborah's father, reformed bootlegger Kezzie Knott, become involved in a murder investigation when Kezzie finds Vick Earp bludgeoned to death on the family farm. Vick and his Earp relatives have had an ongoing feud with the Knotts. When Deborah's lawman husband, Dwight Bryant, is appointed lead investigator, the victim's uncle, Joby Earp, is quick to stir up charges of favoritism. Providing counterpoint to the murder case is the backstory of Deborah's mother, Sue Stephenson, and Sue's relationship with the mysterious Capt. Walter Raynesford McIntyre, of the U.S. Army Air Corps, whom she meets in 1943 at a USO club. It all adds up to another sparkling chapter of the Knott family saga."—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on Long Upon the Land

"This author knows how to draw you in! The family interaction made me so curious that it was impossible to put down."—Suspense Magazine on Long Upon the Land

Great return of a favorite character!

I have to admit I gave this book five stars because I was thrilled to see a new book featuring Sigrid Harald. She was a great character but author Margaret Maron switched to another heroine in her Bootleggers Daughter series and I thought we'd seen the last Sigrid Harald book. This was like a great reunion with an old friend. The story may be more enjoyable for readers who are familiar with past Sigrid Harald books but it's an unusual mystery with an ending that wasn't obvious to me. I hope there will be more Harald books to come.

Marin needs to go back South

I loved Marin’s original books about the judge. They felt authentic and had some nice plots. This felt padded and a bit silly.

Sigrid is the best.

Don’t listen to reviewers that don’t spell the author’s name correctly! Margaret Maron is a genius plotter and Sigrid Harold is a compelling character: complex, gritty, anxious, and clever. Comparing Maron's two series undervalues both. Stop reading if you can't change gears and see each set of stories as independent of the other. Sigrid deserves to be judged on her own merit, not on whether she is the Knott of the north.

Good at End but Long Journey to Get There

The ending is the best part of this book. It had one surprise twist that really took me by surprise, which I usually enjoy.
I bought this book because I loved the Deborah Knott series until the author started reading the books herself. After C.J. Critt's honeyed voice, Margaret Maron's voice grates on me. Critt IS Judge Knott. I thought I'd try this book in the Sigrid Harald series because somebody besides Maron reads them. Reader was OK but I don't like the main character, Sigrid. She seems aimless and devoid of any personality. Boring.
The first difficulty of solving the double murder of two homeless men on a park bench via "kindly" donations of two takeout cartons is figuring out who was the intended victim. There were a lot of interviews. The book seemed plodding. A side thread concerns a museum director's looking for a way to keep her museum solvent; though tiny, this was more interesting than the murders but... maybe I dozed off because I don't see what this piece had to do with the main story (other than that a researcher is now dead -- Was he murdered too??!!! How long was I asleep????!!!) The greedy researcher was keeping his find to himself, so the museum director needs to rediscover it to save her museum -- much more positive and interesting character than Sigrid. Another thread (that seemed gratuitous) was Sigrid's possible need to share the fortune she inherited (she's cheap despite being filthy rich) with the hitherto unsuspected son of Sigrid's deceased lover. Ho-hum.
I doubt I'll ever read another book in this series. Deborah Knott is endearing, practical, clumsy, flawed, and interesting. Sigrid is a cold fish I find totally unappealing. #boring #NotKnott #Snooze

Maybe too realistic

You don't get to know the main character. You know the adage "show don't tell"? This book is the opposite. The main character is passive and just goes to one character to the next to interview them. Possibly similar to real police work but a snooze nonetheless.