~ Southern Sisters~

Mystery Series

by Ann Carroll George

      Heroines:  varied

       Petite, quiet Patricia Anne Hollowell, or "Mouse", has been married to the same man for decades and has just retired from teaching for nearly as long.  She is the epitome of the staid Southern Lady.

       Big and brash Mary Alice Crane, or "Sister", is setting out to find husband number four, has dabbled in several different types of work, and changes her hair color every week. She's no staid Southern Lady.

      Together, these polar-opposite sisters find themselves stumbling into dozens of Alabama's strangest crimes, always managing by solve them with a bit of wit and lot of luck before the local law enforcement can.

What worked for me:

       I liked the sisters' realistic relationship, especially their uncanny way of reading each other's thoughts.  The rest of the family was very likable as well.

       The author had a real way with words and was able to pull off some very silly lines without pulling me out of the story in annoyance.

      Size-wise Patricia Anne is tiny and Mary Alice is tall and abundant.

        What didn't work for me:    

       I've noticed this type of scenario in other books besides those by this author, but I've decided to address it here:    Why is it a 250 lb man can be seated in a chair and no one thinks a thing of it, but if the person being seated in that same chair is a 250 lb woman, people hold their breath to see if the chair is up to the job?  I mean, do folks really think that furniture strength is dependent upon the height/weight ratio of the folks seated in it rather than their weight alone?

Overall:

      This is a cute, light-hearted cozy series with quirky characters and intriguing mysteries solved by snoops rather than sleuths.  I recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, breezy read.

     If you liked "The Southern Sisters" mystery series you might also enjoy the Odelia Grey mystery series, "Death for Dessert" or "The Gumshoe Girls".

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