SAND SHARKS by Margaret Maron (Grand Central Publishing)

You can tell by the title—Deborah Knott won't spend much time in Colleton County in this outing. Like most Maron fans, I was a bit disappointed to see the judge leave my favorite spot, but that didn't last. Deborah goes to the North Carolina coast for a judges' conference and some of the home folks are there with her. It doesn't take long for a body to turn up—one who in North Carolina parlance, "needed killing," so there are plenty of suspects. Deborah is drawn into the hunt for the killer, and while she's sleuthing, the readers get to visit some outstanding Wilmington restaurants, learn about the state's movie industry, and meet someone from Deborah's past.

Admittedly, I'm a huge Margaret Maron fan. In fact, I buy these books and give them to a lot of folks who've recently moved to or visited North Carolina so they'll understand what we Tarheels are all about. That said, I think this is the best non-Colleton County book yet. It's summer. If you can't come to an NC beach in person, this is the next best thing!