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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2014 Margaret Maron (P)2014 Hachette Audio

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)

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

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?

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.

Much better narration than I expected

Would you listen to Designated Daughters again? Why?

Yes. It was a good story and after a couple of chapters the new narrator (Ms Maron) improved her pacing and inflection.

What other book might you compare Designated Daughters to and why?

It was similar to the other stories in the series, but the narration was different.

Which character – as performed by Margaret Maron – was your favorite?

There wasn't really a variation in "performing" characters. However, after a couple chapters she paced her narration well, allowing listeners to clearly tell when there was a change of speakers.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really, but the usually amusing parts of the series (Ping!) carried through to this book.

Any additional comments?

Series change narrators all the time. I've listened to hundreds of audio books and I admit that I prefer those narrated by skilled performers who provide identifiable characters' voices and personalities through the well structured plot and wording of the author. However, while a terrible narrator (mispronounces words often, poor pacing and inflection, etc.) can make it impossible to listen to a book, they are really extremely rare AND Ms. Maron was not a poor narrator. She was just a different narrator and took a couple of chapters to get the pacing and inflection smoothed out.

Please bring back CJ Critt

Would you try another book from Margaret Maron and/or Margaret Maron?

I love her books but can' take the narration. I am not going to buy the next book that I just saw come out because I barely made it through this book.

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

CJ Critt did an awesome job on all of the previous books. Please bring her back.

Any additional comments?

I love Margaret Maron's writing. I do not enjoy her narration.

In the author's own voice

What did you love best about Designated Daughters?

This wonderful book has the advantage of being--literally--in the author's own voice. The opportunity to listen to a narration by the person who cares most about the book and its characters, and who knows where every pause or emphasis was intended to be is always a special experience. (I loved Elizabeth Gilbert's narration of Eat, Pray, Love for the same reason.)

Maron's gentle Southern voice, her graceful handling of the themes of aging, responsibility, and love, and the rich context in which the book takes place makes this a very satisfying read.

Maron's always opens her chapters with quotations from some interesting source--building codes, a weather manual, etc, and they always work. In this one they are from Cicero, whose 2000 year old reflections on aging and duty were amazingly appropriate and interesting.

Why the change in narration?

I'm reviewing only the narration. I truly enjoy Ms. Maron's books and have listened to this entire series. For me personally, I was unable to appreciate the change in narrators this late in the game. CJ Critt has done an excellent job on the series and "is" Deborah Knott in my mind. Ms. Maron, although a wonderful author, does not have the experience in narrating and I am disappointed in this change. She does not sound like a woman of Deborah's age or from that region.

Love it!

How wonderful to hear a Margaret Maron book I had not yet read, and in her own voice! Great story, delivered with such feeling.