Murder on a Girls' Night Out: A Southern Sisters Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

Anne George (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001 | Series: Southern Sisters Mysteries

A Different Kind of Sister Act

Patricia Anne -- "Mouse" -- is respectful, respectable, and demure, a perfect example of genteel Southern womanhood. Mary Alice -- "Sister" -- is big, brassy, flamboyant, and bold. Together they have a knack for finding themselves in the center of some of Birmingham's most unfortunate unpleasantness.

Country Western is red hot these days, so overimpulsive Mary Alice thinks it makes perfect sense to buy the Skoot 'n' Boot bar -- since that's where the many-times-divorced "Sister" and her boyfriend du jour like to hang out anyway. Sensible retired schoolteacher Patricia Anne is inclined to disagree -- especially when they find a strangled and stabbed dead body dangling in the pub's wishing well. The sheriff has some questions for Mouse and her sister Sister, who were the last people, besides the murderer, of course, to see the ill-fated victim alive. And they had better come up with some answers soon -- because a killer with unfinished business has begun sending them some mighty threatening messages...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A refreshingly different heroine, retired Alabama schoolteacher Patricia Anne Hollowell, is drawn into a murder investigation after her colorful sister, Mary Alice, buys a country-western club. When the previous owner is found gruesomely murdered, the suspects include the club's cook, one of Patricia Anne's former prize students. Sprightly dialogue and a humorous eye for detail get this mystery off to a promising start. However, once the offbeat characters are introduced, they and their relationships fail to change or deepen. The dialogue becomes repetitive, and the telling domestic observations lapse into trivia. Clues accumulate more through coincidence than through investigation, with the conclusion weighed down by a welter of implausible connections and old secrets.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Truly delightful, laugh-out-loud fun. I wish Patricia Anne and Mary Alice were "my" sisters. I'd love to hang out with them."-- Jill Churchill"Anne George may be my favorite discovery of the year...The Patricia Anne and Mary Alice mysteries are wonderful confections that prove life is funny and poignant on the other side of 60." -- "New Orleans Times-Picayune"

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Avon (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380780860
• ISBN-13: 978-0380780860
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anne George (c.____ - 2001) was the Agatha Award-winning author of the Southern Sisters mystery series which culminate in Murder Boogies with Elvis, publishing in August 2001. Like Patricia Anne, she was a happily married former school teacher living in Birmingham, Alabama. Ms. George was also a former Alabama State Poet and a regular contributor to literary publications. During her lifetime she was nominated for several awards, including the Pulitzer. Being a true lady of the Old South, her date of birth will forever be a mystery.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE SOUTHERN SISTERS SERIES IS THE BEST AND YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE EIGHT BOOKS, September 24, 2006

By 

Pamela A. Poddany "Book Freak!" (Toledo, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Murder on a Girls' Night Out: A Southern Sisters Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

OK, OK, I am reviewing all eight books in this one sitting! Anne George wrote a series WINNER with these eight books. You need to read them in order and they are as such --

MURDER ON A GIRLS NIGHT OUT
MURDER ON A BAD HAIR DAY
MURDER RUNS IN THE FAMILY
MURDER MAKES WAVES
MURDER GETS A LIFE
MURDER SHOOTS THE BULL
MURDER CARRIES A TORCH
MURDER BOOGIES WITH ELVIS

I have lent these books out to so many friends/family that they are in need of repair. These books should be read in the above order.

Unfortunately, Anne George has passed on, so this is it for this series. You will LOVE every single book. The main characters are two sisters who could not be more different than day and night. Mary Alice weighs two hundred pounds and the word flamboyant does not even begin to describe her. People who know and love her call her Sister. She is loud, border-line obnoxious, and into getting married - over and over again. She is someone you would adore in real life.

Her sister, Patricia Anne, is a retired school teacher and the more serious of the two women. She is lovingly known as Mouse. She has been in a steady marriage for years, has grown children, and is the more sensible of the two. You will love them both. The books are set in Alabama, so the books are full of Southern flair and charm. The characters in each book are funny, sad, sweet, nasty -- you will meet a whole cast of characters in each book.

I cannot emphasize enough how much you should treat yourself to these eight books!

Each book deals with a murder mystery that these two senior girls just seem to keep falling into. I know, I know, the titles sound hokey and so does the preface of the books, but they are WONDERFUL. I read all eight of them in a row and was sad to see them come to an end.

Each book deals with another mystery and caper. The trouble these two old ladies get into! The laughs are there, and they will have you laughing out loud. The mystery is just that -- mystery. You will not know which way the book is headed. Each book is full of surprises and keeps your attention the entire length of the book.

Get this entire series and set yourself down. Enjoy!

Thank you! Pam

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Debut Novel, March 27, 2003

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder on a Girls' Night Out: A Southern Sisters Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

Mary Alice (Sister) is excited when she bursts in on her sister Patricia Anne (Mouse) to announce that she's bought the Skoot 'n' Boot, a local dance bar she's been enjoying going to. But her excitement turns to horror the next day when the previous owner is found murdered in the establishment. Vowing to stay out of it, Mouse keeps getting drawn in by various people, including one of her former students. Things get personal when the killer starts making threats. Will these sisters be able to figure things out?

This is a fun, cozy book. The pace is slow and steady with plenty of time given to the sister's antics, yet I never got bored with the storyline. I often found myself chuckling at a line or scene, and a couple times laughed out loud. The two sisters are very different, but what could have been caricature was capably turned into character development by the author. The rest of the characters filled their rolls quite well.

I'm looking forward to getting to know these sisters and their family and friends better over the course of the series. This is a fun debut that promises great things in the books to come.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing and hilarious, November 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Murder on a Girls' Night Out: A Southern Sisters Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first in a series set in the South, with two sisters who couldn't be more different. The dialogue is a riot, and the rapport between the sisters is very realistic. The plot is interesting and credible as the sisters stumble onto several murders and try to get themselves out of a crazy situation. I couldn't wait to read each chapter, and I look forward to the other books in the series. This is highly recommended.