From Publishers Weekly
Ballard (Final Curtain, etc.) begins a new series with a most unusual protagonist. Augusta Goodnight, who drew her last mortal breath during WWII, comes back to the living as a guardian angel, appearing just in time to help Mary George Murphy figure out the problems in her life. Mary George has been having a rough time: her beloved Aunt Caroline, her adoptive mother, has died recently under odd circumstances; she has been fired from her job; and her jerk of a fianc? has dumped her ("Three weeks after that hussy aerobics instructor moved in next door to him, his mind turned to tofu"). With the unpredictable assistance of Augusta, Mary George begins rebuilding her life, while she tries to sort out what could have happened to Aunt Caroline. At the center of the mystery is a missing Bible that contains an important secret. Mary George's efforts to get at the truth lead her on an important journey of self-discovery. Along the way she is reunited with a childhood friend, who just may be an important part of her future. Ballard writes with great warmth and sassy humor. The puzzle, however, is far less important than Mary George's progress, spurred by the brash Augusta, toward happiness and self-reliance. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Mary George Murphy is depressed: her fianc? cancels their wedding, she loses her job, and her much-loved adoptive aunt dies. Just as Mary botches another half-hearted suicide attempt, a guardian angel appears on the scene. Augusta Goodnight brings with her a wild sense of humor, World War II-vintage experience, and loads of common sense. She goads Mary into investigating her aunt's suspicious death and her own years in an orphanage, then provides moral support, companionship, and comic relief while Mary fends off her ex-fianc?. Light, bouncy prose, small-town Southern perspective and characters, and a most fetching angel make this first volume in a new series a real charmer. For all collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
