Maron was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and grew up in central Johnston County;[3] she had also lived in Italy.[4] She and her husband, artist Joe Maron, lived in Brooklyn before returning to her home state in 1972. Maron died of complications from a stroke.
Maron was the author of numerous short stories and more than 20 mystery novels to date.[as of?] One series of novels features Sigrid Harald, a lonerlieutenant in the NYPD whose policeman father was killed in the line of duty when she was a toddler (The Right Jack: a Sigrid Harald Mystery). Another series follows the adventures of Judge Deborah Knott, attorney and daughter of an infamous North Carolina bootlegger.
Her works have been translated into a dozen languages and are on the reading lists of many courses in contemporary Southern literature, as well as Crime and Mystery literature courses.[5][6]
Maron was a founding member and past president of Sisters in Crime and of the American Crime Writers' League, and a director on the national board for Mystery Writers of America. She was a keynote speaker at the Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave in 2004.
Maron received a number of awards for her work from the various awarding bodies of the mystery fiction genre.
Her first novel to receive recognition was Corpus Christmas, which was nominated for the 1989 Agatha Award and the 1990 Anthony Award in the "Best Novel" category.[7][8] Her first short story to be met with critical acclaim was "Deborah's Judgment", which won the 1991 Agatha Award and was also nominated for the Anthony Award and the Macavity Award the following year for "Best Short-story".[7][8][9]
Her novel Bootlegger's Daughter was very well received, winning the 1992 Agatha and the Anthony, Edgar and Macavity awards for "Best Novel" the following year.[7][8][9][10] Additionally in 1993, Maron's short story "...That Married Dear Old Dad" was nominated for the "Best Short-story" Agatha and her novel Southern Discomfort was nominated for the "Best Novel" Agatha award.[7]Southern Discomfort was again honoured the following year, picking up a nomination at the 1994 Anthony Awards, again for "Best Novel".[8]
Up Jumps The Devil won the 1996 "Best Novel" Agatha Award; two years later her novel Home Fires was nominated for this same honour, as well as a Macavity nomination in 1999.[7][9] 2000 brought yet another Agatha Award nomination for Storm Track.[7] Short story "Virgo in Sapphires" was nominated for the 2001 Agatha, the 2002 Edgar and the 2002 Anthony Awards in the "Best Short-story" category;[7][8][11] the latter being the same year that another of her short-stories, "The Dog That Didn't Bark", won the Agatha Award.[7]
Last Lessons of Summer was nominated for an Agatha Award in 2003; High Country Fall was nominated for an Agatha Award in 2004 and also picked up a Macavity nomination the following year,[9] the same year in which her novel Rituals of the Season picked up yet another Agatha nomination.[7]Hard Row also received an Agatha Award nomination, this time in 2007.[7]Three-Day Town won the 2011 Agatha Award for "Best Novel".[12]
The Early Retirement of Mario Colletti Devil's Island To Hide a Tree Croquet's Summer "That Married Dear Old Dad" Craquelure Lost and Found Shaggy Dog No, I'm Not Jane Marple, But Since You Ask The Stupid Pet Trick Roman's Holiday Half of Something Growth Marks Virgo in Sapphires The Third Element What's in a Name Mixed Blessings Till 3:45 The Choice The Dog that Didn't Bark
