If you appreciate a little irreverent laugh-out-loud sisterly comedy and a lot of southern charm combined with a fairly good mystery, the Southern Sisters Mysteries should be the next books on your reading list.
Set in Birmingham, Alabama, these books have two completely opposite sisters as the main characters. Patricia Anne, nick-named "Mouse," is a retired school teacher and a respectable, proper, Southern lady of small stature. And, weighing in at two hundred and fifty pounds is Mary Alice, nicknamed "Sister." Sister is loud, bold and flamboyant. Although each of the eight books in this series involves a decent mystery, I absolutely loved the interaction and often times side-splitting humor of these two sisters.
The first book in this series is Murder on a Girls' Night Out. The several times married and widowed Mary Alice and her current 72-year-old boyfriend have been hanging out two steppin' at the Skoot 'n' Boot, a local country-western bar. So, when the current owner of the Skoot 'n' Boot tells Mary Alice he is trying to sell the bar, Mary Alice thinks it's a great opportunity and decides to buy. I won't give away any more of this story, but, I do think to do these books justice and illustrate why I enjoyed them so much, I should at least give you an excerpt of the bantering between the sisters.
"We could even have a renewal of your vows. A lot of people are doing that now. The minister could stand where the Swamp Creatures play and y'all could stand on the glass boot. How does that sound, Mouse? I bet you could still wear your wedding dress. How much do you weigh, anyway?"
"A hundred five." I was beginning to feel out of breath like I always do when I am around Mary Alice for a while. Swamp Creatures? Glass boot?
"You were always anorexic."
"I've never been anorexic!" I reached into the bag and put a whole cookie into my mouth. I was still chewing on it when Mary Alice pulled into the parking lot of the Skoot 'n' Boot. It was not at all what I had expected. It looked like it at one time had been several small shops in an L-shaped building.
"They knocked the walls out." Sister explained.
"But, where's the front door?"
"Don't talk with your mouth full. Over there. See the sign?"
She pointed upward. On the roof, a huge boot with Skoot 'n' Boot emblazoned on the side with what looked like rhinestones, pointed its toe downward, toward an arrow that said, "Enter."
"The sun was in my eyes," I lied. Sister is always accusing me of not seeing the obvious, and this time she was right.
This is just one example of the "loving & kind" sisterly banter continuing throughout each book in this series.
I had never heard of the author Anne George or of the Southern Sisters Mysteries, until a friend loaned me the first two books. I liked this series so much, I gave a couple of sets of these books away as Christmas presents. Hearing from you, I know many of you are reading the books I have reviewed and enjoyed. Fearing I would spoil my Christmas presents, I've had to wait until after Christmas to write this review.
I am sorry to say the stories of Mary Alice and Patricia Anne are limited to the eight books currently in print. The author, and former school teacher, Anne George passed away in 2001. Although you may have to order them, all of the books in this series are currently available in paperback to purchase. I am not sure of their availability at your local library. If any of you want to let me know, I will be glad to update this posting. If you read the first book, Murder on a Girls' Night Out, I am sure you will want to read more about these hilarious Southern sisters from Birmingham.
Murder on a Girls' Night Out
Author: Anne George
Available format:
Paperback, February, 1996, 244 page, approximate cost $8
Southern Sisters Mystery Series
Murder on a Bad Hair Day, 1996
Murder Runs in the Family, 1996
Murder Makes Waves, 1997
Murder Gets a Life, 1998
Murder Shoots the Bull, 1999
Murder Carries a Torch, 2000
Murder Boogies with Elvis, 2001
Other books by Anne George
This One and Magic Life: A Novel of a Southern Family, 1999
Some of It Is True, Pulitzer nominated book of verse
The Map that Lies Between Us, 2000
To learn more about the author Anne George, visit: http://www.annegeorge.com/
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3 comments:
Hi,
Thanks for the recommendation about this series, and also the new Fannie Flagg book in a previous post. One of my favorite genres is Southern fiction and I'm glad I found your blog!
One of my best reads recently was Vera Jane Cook's "Dancing Backward in Paradise." Set in the 60's in Tennessee and NY, the plot includes tragedy, mystery and humor! I'm still thinking about the colorful characters she created! If you're interested, here is the author's site.
Happy Reading in 08,
Linda
I can't really read this yet as I do intend to read the series and don't want to learn too much about what happens. Can't wait to start.!
Linda,
Thank you for finding and reading my blog.
And, thank you too for the recommendation of "Dancing Backward in Paradise." I am always looking for good books to read and review...as you can probably tell, good Southern fiction is one of my favorite genres. I do love colorful characters.
If you know others who might appreciate this blog, please pass it along. Thanks!
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