Anne George (1927–2001)

This is my first book by this author. She was a southern author and this is the first in this series (1996). Even though the pages were yellowed and it was a mmpb (small print of course) I wanted to read because it's about two sisters one 60 and the other 65 (hard to find books sometimes with characters in that age group) and a Southern light mystery.

Patricia Anne, "Mouse" and Mary Alice, "Sister" are sisters and totally opposites. "Sister" is loud and brassy, divorced (the book said but show more then I read widowed) and weighs 250 lbs. and "Mouse" is demure, 105 lbs and a retired teacher and married for 40 years. Sister decides to buy a country and western bar in Alabama, where they live, which is a hot commodity according to "Sister," since she and her boyfriend like to hang out there. The former owner is murdered and no one knows who did it. The sheriff is questioning everyone especially them but they definitely don't know since Sister only met him once when she bought it and then the next day when she took Mouse to see the bar. I've read many cozies but this one is very funny in places due to the sisters ribbing each other but yet get along.

I liked how it didn't totally focus on the murder of the owner all the time. Of course the murderer didn't come to light until almost the end and of course I never figured it out and it wasn't obvious like some other mysteries.

This is one of the better cozy mysteries I've ever read I think. show less

Mary Alice knows how to throw a wedding, that's for
sure, and she throws a doozy for her only daughter's
special day. She and Patricia Ann decide to meet the
groom's aunt, a genealogist, for lunch the next day,
to try to get to know his family a little better. But
their lunch is cut short when she interrupts a
discussion of the hazards of rattling skeletons in
closets to go scurrying off after a local judge. The
sisters are just finishing up her abandoned cheesecake
when the police and an ambulance show more pull up outside the
cafe. Their elderly guest has just taken a dive from
the 10th floor of the courthouse across the street, an
apparent suicide. But given the scandals the nosy
geneologist was capable of uncovering, Mouse and
Sister are betting that some proud Southern family is
making sure their shameful secrets stay
buried....along with anyone who tries to dig them up.

These gals are a real pair. I swear I know these
ladies and I really love these stories. show less

New series for me. Two sisters who bicker a lot, and love each other. Charming enough to continue!

Patricia Ann (Mouse) is the cautious, conventional sister. Mary Alice (Sister) is the loud, boisterous life of the party sister. Mary Alice, in her typical "look before you leap" style, buys a Country Western line dancing bar. Then the former owner was found murdered at the bar, and the sisters are on the case.

A pretty well-plotted mystery that kept me guessing along the way. I'll be back to show more see what shenanigans the girls get into in book 2. Fun cozy mystery series. show less

This is it, the last of the Southern Sisters series. Bittersweet all the
way through, knowing that there will be no more after this one. *sigh*

The famous statue of Vulcan, that has stood on the side of a mountain
overlooking Birmingham for decades, is in dire need of restoration and has
been taken down. Money must be raised to repair his cracks and blemishes,
so Sister and Mouse attend the gala benefit variety show program eagerly.
Mary Alice is about to marry husband number four (and, no, show more I'm not going to
tell you who he is! LOL), and her soon to be step-son-in-law is appearing
in the Elvis extravaganza. The stage is filled with a dozen Elvis
impersonators, each more outrageous than the one next to him and the crowd
goes wild. Mary Alice and Patricia Anne have seats in front row center and
have the best seats in the house to witness one of the "Elvi" go tumbling
head first into the orchestra pit right in front of them. Turns out he
didn't just trip and fall, but was stabbed in the back. A few days later,
the murder weapon turns up in Patricia Anne's handbag and when she
accidentally finds it while shopping at the Big, Bold and Beautiful shop
with Sister, she keels over in a dead faint. Without some fancy lawyering,
she's gonna end up in the pokey with a murder rap, sure as shooting. And
both the sisters end up being held hostage by the lunatic murderer before
the book is over. What else did I expect? LOL

This book was great and I loved every page. Wanted to read it slowly
because I knew it was literally "all she wrote." Anne George passed away
and took Mouse and Sister with her in early 2001. This book was published
in August. 2001, and the last chapter has obviously been re-written to try
to tie up the loose ends in the backstory and send the Southern Sisters into
immortality with a satisfying ending. It was just a tad contrived, but
there was one line in that last chapter that brought sad tears to my eyes,
even while it brought a smile to my lips. Yep, the series is at an end, but
with enough of a hook at the end to leave the reader imagining future
escapades for our favorite retired school teacher and her flamboyant older
sister.

Read it and laugh, read it and weep. It's a good 'un. 5+ Long live Mouse
and Sister! show less