Miss Julia Strikes Back (Hardcover)

by Ann B. Ross (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Who stole Miss Julia's rings, which she left in a candy dish on her dresser? And who stole all Hazel Marie's good jewelry? With her husband, Sam, on a trip to Russia (planned long before their recent wedding), and Hazel Marie vacationing in Mexico, Abbotsville, North Carolina's redoubtable doyenne decides not to wait for the police to solve the case. Instead, she enlists Little Lloyd, disreputable Etta Mae Wiggins, and drunken PI Frank Tuttle in a scheme to drive down to Florida and recover the stolen jewels herself. If most of these names don't mean anything to you, it's because you aren't yet one of the Miss Julia series' many readers. Leaving behind the cozy stay-at-home setting of the last few books, this, the eighth in the series, has a lot in common with the earlier Miss Julia Takes Over (2001), another title in which she takes matters into her own hands, hires a private investigator, and embarks on a wacky and mildly suspenseful escapade. Fans will enjoy the change of pace and appreciate all the familiar elements that have made the series so popular. Mary Ellen Quinn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Funny and endearing. -- The Dallas Morning News

It’s impossible not to like irrepressible, perfectly proper Miss Julia. -- The Roanoke Times

Miss Julia is one of the most delightful characters to come along in years. -- Fannie Flagg

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 339 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (April 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670038415
• ISBN-13: 978-0670038411
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #270,611 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good ...., May 13, 2007

By	Holly Kincaid "Book addict" (Fishers, IN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have faithfully read every book in the Miss Julia series and have truly enjoyed them all -- until now. While not bad, this book doesn't live up to the previous ones. Miss Julia has always been eccentric (which is most of her charm), but this time she was just acting stupid. She often has me chuckling, but not so much this time. As a particular example, there was a long section about shopping at Target where she spent a lot of the time slamming anyone who shops there as tacky and lumps people who buy crop pants as trashy. While it could have been humorous, there was a sharpness to the dialogue that made it feel down-right mean.

The premise of the story was so totally unrealistic (Miss Julia chasing a major ring of jewelry thieves) that it made the book a whole lot less enjoyable. Also, the majority of the characters that typically surround her are nowhere to be found and the newly introduced character, Mr. Tuttle is just annoying thoughout the first half of the book (spends all of it in a drunken stupor).

While I will read the next book in the series when I comes out, this one just plain misses the mark. Miss Julia needs to be back in her own environment where she can play off the other characters and have us laughing again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Miss Julia hits a home run, May 12, 2007

By	Angeline B. Bane (Maryville, TN, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

From the prolific pen of Ann B. Ross comes the best Miss Julia book so far. The story line is consistantly compelling and the characters, most of whom we have met and loved before, jump off the pages and into our hearts. Little Lloyd has become "Lloyd" and is cuter and more clever than ever and Etta Mae is ever more endearing. When the last page of this one is read, you are left wanting more! Please, Ms. Ross, hurry with the next one!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing fluff, September 27, 2007

By	Lady Naava - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Miss Julia's jewelry is stolen while Sam (her husband) is away in Russia. Following a dubious-sounding lead by a local sheriff, she withdraws Lloyd from school and drives to Florida where she hires a private investigator to help her locate the thieves. Unfortunately, the PI is an alcoholic, and is more than Miss Julia can handle so she sends for acquaintance Etta Mae Wiggins to assist her. Together the four team up to find Miss Julia's property.

This was a light, entertaining audio. The plot was a little more fantastic than normal... (It reminded me of a Lucille Ball episode). Thankfully there was no Sam in this one. Sam's not a bad character, but he cramps Miss Julia's style. I liked Etta Mae, and Lloyd.... I was disappointed to see less of Lillian. I was lukewarm about Mr. Tuttle. I was a bit fed up with his alcoholism towards the end. Plus, he was so under-developed as a character, we never really understood why he drank, or what his real trouble was. 4 stars. Light amusing non-serious stuff.