From Publishers Weekly
Y'all want lots of good laughs with a grisly murder and some clever detecting thrown in? Join the sexagenarian southern sisters, Mary Alice, a six-footer, and Patricia Anne, a size-six petite. In their eighth adventure from Agatha-winner George (Murder on a Girls' Night Out; Murder on a Bad Hair Day; etc.), Mary Alice, survivor of three marriages, is about to wed her fourth husband, Virgil Stukey, sheriff of Alabama's St. Clair County. At a benefit at a restored theater, a chorus line of Elvis impersonators performs in white jumpsuits; 30 Elvises boogie to the footlights and acknowledge the applause, but only 29 withdraw. One pitches headfirst into the pit, landing only a few feet from the sisters, who have come to cheer for Virgil and his brother-in-law, both Elvis impersonators who just happen to have been on either side of the dead "pitcher." Several days later Patricia Anne, rummaging in her purse, finds a large, rusty switchblade, which turns out to be the murder weapon. She goes to jail. The complications in this delectable tale are legion. The dialogue is so true and natural that it could go straight to stage or film. Inspired name choices include the sisters Dawn, Day and Dusk, as well as a lad called Pukey Lukey (because he's subject to motion sickness). If you're not already a fan, you'll want to find the earlier books, especially since the author died in March. Angels are laughing with her now for the joy she gave so many. Agent, Ruth Cohen. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The statuesque Mary Alice and the small but sharp Patricia Anne, sixtysomething sisters from Birmingham, Alabama, have their last adventure together: author Anne George died in March. Mary Alice (aka Sister) is planning to marry her fourth husband, a Norman Schwarzkopf look-alike named Virgil, and Patricia Anne (aka Mouse) is keenly awaiting her daughter Haley's return from abroad and the birth of her grandchild. The ties of food, pets, and family and the ambience of the city of Birmingham figure prominently in a swirl of events--the line of Elvis impersonators at a benefit arranged by one of Virgil's relatives hides a murder when one of the would-be Presleys falls dead nearly into Mouse's lap. Meanwhile, one of Sister's daughters is getting serious about pregnancy if not marriage; a friend's three daughters, Dawn, Day, and Dusk, have some odd ties to the deceased Elvis; and Mouse does some affectionate musing about the joys of a decades-long marriage. Farewell, Ms. George, and thanks for all the sweet tea. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Oversized, outrageous Mary Alice and her prim sister Patricia Anne have been looking forward to the gala benefit being staged to raise money for the restoration of Vulcan, Birmingham's ever-tarnishing unnatural wonder. And what a show it is, with a grand finale that has thirty sequined Elvis impersonators high-kicking in unison! From the front row, "Mouse" and "Sister" have a perfect view of the action when one of the dancing Kings keels over dead into the bandstand. This Elvis clone has not only left the building ... he's left this life, courtesy of a switchblade knife in the back. And when the murder weapon turns up in Patricia Anne's very sensible purse, the perennially law-abiding "Mouse" is understandably all shook up. Suspicious minds have her pegged as the prime suspect in this bizarre case of Elvis elimination. And if she doesn't do some serious sleuthing, she could end up doing the Jailhouse Rock!
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.
Murder Boogies with Elvis (Southern Sisters Mysteries Series) FROM OUR EDITORS
Southern sisters Mary Alice and Patricia Anne are enjoying their golden years, and these days are better than most. They're spending time with their grandchildren. They're planning Mary Alice's fourth wedding. And they're still having fun solving mysteries, too. So when an Elvis impersonator takes a fatal dive into the band at a local benefit, Mary Alice and Patricia Anne don't need any coaxing to put on their blue suede shoes and set out in search of a killer -- whose next target could be the Southern sisters themselves.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Agatha Award-winning author Anne George's Southern Sisters mystery series continues to win fans below ans above the Mason Dixon line. In this latest hilarious case, Mary Alice and Patricia Anne are strapping on some orthopedic blue suede shoes to catch a cruel killer.
Enjoying their golden years, the sisters have time to spend with their grandchildren, plan Mary Alice's fourth wedding, and solve a few mysteries. When they're invited to a benefit, the sisters think they're in for a killer of a good time. And how right they are when an Elvis impersonator takes a fatal dive into the band. Unless they find the culprit and fast, this case could be the sisters' own swan song.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Y'all want lots of good laughs with a grisly murder and some clever detecting thrown in? Join the sexagenarian southern sisters, Mary Alice, a six-footer, and Patricia Anne, a size-six petite. In their eighth adventure from Agatha-winner George (Murder on a Girls' Night Out; Murder on a Bad Hair Day; etc.), Mary Alice, survivor of three marriages, is about to wed her fourth husband, Virgil Stukey, sheriff of Alabama's St. Clair County. At a benefit at a restored theater, a chorus line of Elvis impersonators performs in white jumpsuits; 30 Elvises boogie to the footlights and acknowledge the applause, but only 29 withdraw. One pitches headfirst into the pit, landing only a few feet from the sisters, who have come to cheer for Virgil and his brother-in-law, both Elvis impersonators who just happen to have been on either side of the dead "pitcher." Several days later Patricia Anne, rummaging in her purse, finds a large, rusty switchblade, which turns out to be the murder weapon. She goes to jail. The complications in this delectable tale are legion. The dialogue is so true and natural that it could go straight to stage or film. Inspired name choices include the sisters Dawn, Day and Dusk, as well as a lad called Pukey Lukey (because he's subject to motion sickness). If you're not already a fan, you'll want to find the earlier books, especially since the author died in March. Angels are laughing with her now for the joy she gave so many. Agent, Ruth Cohen. (Aug. 1) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
George, who died this past March, ends her Southern Sisters series (Murder Carries a Torch, 2000, etc.) with a fourth marriage for supersized Mary Alice (Sister) and a new grandchild for petite Patricia Anne (Mouse). The sisters are sitting in the front row at the gloriously restored 1920s Alabama Theater happily watching 30 Elvis impersonators swivel to the front of the stage, when one Elvis pitches forward, gouges a chunk out of the mighty Wurlitzer, and lands in the orchestra pit with a switchblade in his back. Then the immediately adjacent Elvis, one of Sister's new in-laws, says he might have seen something, and is half-murdered himself. Meanwhile, Mouse finds the bloody switchblade in the bottom of her purse, a development almost as distressing as Mary Alice's insistence that she wear magenta to her wedding. Why had the dead Elvis, identified as Russian emigre dancer Griffin Mooncloth, tried to contact Sister's lawyer daughter before he died? Pretty sisters Dawn and Dusk know, but would rather not say. Some fine southern cooking goes down, gossip and motives are gaily discussed, and Dusk suddenly is missing. Returning to the theater, Sister and Mouse accidentally bump into the culprit and find themselves swathed in duct tape and next up for elimination. Peppy as ever, with amusing takes on sisterhood, southern naming styles, aging cats and lazy dogs, and humoring husbands, whether they're your first or your fourth. The story is nonsense, but slathered in so much lively charm the target audience will hardly notice.
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