Murder Boogies with Elvis

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, 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 show more 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

In this last book of the series (sighs), Sister and Mouse once again are witnesses to a murder when an Elvis impersonator is killed on stage at a fund raiser. Surely, this time they will not get involved, they do not even know the guy. But true to form, they are drawn into the mystery and Mouse is even arrested. They really don't have time for this either. Mouse is preparing for another grandchild and Sister is planning her own wedding (again).

I am going to miss this series. The books are uber-cozy. In fact the mystery often gets a back seat to all the family goings on. But that is OK with me in a cozy. I love this family and will miss their crazy antics. If you have not read this series, you are missing some fun. Read in series.

Last of the Southern Sisters mysteries, I decided to just finish this series off and be done with it, though I am definitely sorry to see it end! This time Mary Alice and Patricia Anne get tangled up with Elvis impersonators at a benefit show to raise money for the repairs and refinishing of Vulcan, the big iron bare-assed statue that usually watches over the city. Mary Alice’s fiancee’s son and son-in-law are both Elvis impersonators and get front row tickets for the sisters for the show. But when one of the contestants ends up dead of stab wounds, you just know the girls are going to be in the thick of things again, especially a few days later when the bloody switchblade ends up in Patricia Anne’s purse! I really enjoyed this show more last installment in the series, and though things were settled quite nicely, it saddens me to know that I will have to use my own imagination to concoct the further lives of Mouse, Sister and their families. show less

Patricia and Mary Alice attend an Elvis impersonator benefit concert at the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham. One of the impersonators dies, falling into the orchestra pit. The sisters help the police sort through the suspects until the murderer is found. There's plenty of Southern humor in this novel. It has a strong sense of place. Readers familiar with the area will really appreciate all the mentions of local places. Cozy mystery readers will appreciate that one of the characters is reading a cozy by Carolyn Hart featuring Max and Annie Darling in one scene. A fun read.

This was a fast and easy read, though I had no idea whodunit until the end, pretty clever. The sisters have a witty banter going on almost all the time, yet it stays fresh and pretty funny! I also appreciate the Alabama connection. Wish there were more books in this series. (Have I read them all? I'll have to check.)

This is a fun book. It's about two sixtyish southern sisters, who find bodies and get involved in the solution of the murders. It would be a good beach read or for one of those gloomy days when you just want to curl up on the sofa and read.

So much fun!