An award-winning mystery novelist and New York Times Bestseller, Margaret Maron uses her North Carolina background when writing the popular Judge Deborah Knott series.

But before Deborah Knott, there was Lt. Sigrid Harald, a homicide detective with the NYPD. Now, with the re-release of Maron’s very first book, long out of print, new readers can finally get to know the character that started it all. In One Coffee With, we meet Sigrid for the first time when murder strikes the Art Department of Vanderlyn College. Who poisoned the deputy chairman’s morning coffee? Everyone in the department had both motive and opportunity and it will take Lt. Harald’s cool, level-headedness to determine who the killer is before he – or she – strikes again.

Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine has said, “Harald is no stereotypical policewoman….Getting to know her is a pleasure;” while the San Diego Union-Tribune says, “Maron combines a lighthearted style, surefooted suspense, and a captivating cast.”