Take Out

by Margaret Maron

Paperback, 2018

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Series

Sigrid Harald (9)

Genres

Mystery

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

Grand Central Publishing (2018), 320 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. Mystery. HTML: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… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd

The final Sigrid Harald novel (although she appears with Deborah Knott in two of the entries in that series, which take place chronologically after this story). Sigrid is beginning to move on with her life after losing her lover and gaining a fortune, but a loose end she didn't know about needs to

be tied up. Meanwhile a perplexing double murder occupies her professional time...who put warfarin in leftovers from a popular Italian restaurant and fed them to a couple of homeless bench warmers in the East Village, and why? Two of the prime suspects are elderly women who take the blood thinner in the form of Coumadin and regularly get take-out orders from the restaurant: a famous opera star, and a Mafia widow. There's a grand resolution, but you'll probably see some of it coming.
March 2020

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LibraryThing member lamour

According to Maron's notes at the end of the book, this is the last Sigrid Harald novel. In fact, she had not intended to write it but her readers had questions about what had happened to Sigrid after the previous novel so she decided to write one more 22 years later to clear up loose ends.

In Take

Out Sigrid is still recovering from the sudden death of Oscar Nauman and the difficulty of selling off his possessions that she feels she will never us. There are all his paintings that she must deal with as well. While working on these personal issues, she is also trying to solve the murders of two homeless men who die on the same park bench from an overdose of Coumadin. Then a man arrives from Germany who thinks he may be Oscar's son so suspicions arise is he really a son and is he after some of Oscar's fortune.

Solving the murders leads to many suspects including the widow of a major Mafia figure, her godson, her personal assistant, and her gardener. There was also the inclusion of the mobster's mistress who was a famous opera singer and lives a few doors away from the widow.

This created a complicated narrative that makes one want to keep notes so the one can keep track of the various characters. Despite the cruel method of murder, I found this novel lighter in tone then other Sigrid novels as Sigrid herself is a much more pleasant character.

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LibraryThing member readinggeek451

The final Sigrid Harald book (though chronologically before she meets Deborah Knott in Three-Day Town) is an excellent send-off. A nicely twisty main mystery is backed up by other puzzles that wrap up the series nicely. The return to the Erich Bruel House is particularly satisfying. Readers new to

Sigrid will not be lost, however, as this should stand alone fairly well.

Highly recommended, especially for fans of Lt. Harald.

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LibraryThing member DrApple

I am a long-time fan of Margaret Maron. This series of hers is, however, new to me. It took me a while to warm up to the main character, Detective Sigrid Harald. Once I did, however, this was an engaging page-turner. Two apparently homeless men are found dead on a park bench. They have died from

poison in the take out containers that lie by their bodies. The investigation leads to the past and a notorious mobster, a famous opera singer, and a web of lies. A sub-plot concerns the recent death of Sigrid's fiance, a famous artisit, and a possible heir to his estate.
This is a satisfying mystery, and I would highly recommend it.

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LibraryThing member beckyhaase

TAKE OUT by Margaret Maron
I love Maron’s Deborah Knott books. This is only the second Sigrid Harald novel I have read. I was unfamiliar with the recurring characters, so I was often to turning back to see “who is this”, especially considering there are three separate plots and three sets of

characters to keep straight. Once I got familiar with them, all the plot(s) moved along quickly.
The New York setting was on point with a number of neighborhood businesses and interest points used. Lt. Harold’s relationship with artist Oscar Nauman is part of the plotting along with a gallery, a mobster’s family and an aging opera star. The plots are intriguing and keep you guessing (I did quickly figure out one point, yea, me) with enough ambiguity to keep you reading.
Good reading, but I still like the Deborah Knott books better.
4 of 5 stars

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LibraryThing member jamespurcell

The murder of two, seemingly strangers, men in an alcove between houses with some serious past connections provides the Lieutenant with an interesting crimes scene. Lots of knots, with one t and no K for Sigrid and her team to untie; pun intended. Operatic innuendoes and Mafioso methods offer

interesting tidbits to be stirred into the pot for additional flavor. Seemingly, a swan song for Sigrid, one hopes not, this is an excellent entry into the very interesting duopolic series Margaret Maron has created for us.

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