Book Review: Murder on Girl's Night Out by Anne George

Murder on a Girls' Night Out by Anne George
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Southern Sisters mysteries. It revolves around sisters, Patricia Ann and Mary Alice, who are complete opposites. One is skinny, skinny, while the other is heavy set. One has been married for years to the same man, one has been married three times (all husbands have passed away). Yet, they seem to be friends in addition to being sisters.

Out dancing one night with her boyfriend, Mary Alice decides to buy the country western bar they are dancing at, the Boot ‘N Skoot. She takes Patricia Anne with her the next to meet the current owner, Ed, and look the place over. When they go back the following day, they discover Ed has been killed. The mystery ensues from here.

There are several things I liked about this book. The sisters are older - in their sixties. Yet, they are still going strong (think Mary Alice, the oldest sister, line dancing). They both have grown children and grandchildren, but they still have lives. There is humor as well as the mystery -- the sheriff is almost always looking for aspirin after talking to the two sisters.

I liked Patricia Anne’s husband, Fred as well as many of the other characters: Mary Alice’s daughter, Patricia Anne’s daughter, a former student of Patricia Anne’s, and Bonnie Blue, the African American equivalent of Mary Alice, who works at the Boot ‘N Skoot. Bonnie Blue was one of my favorite characters.

The mystery was well done. I found it hard to keep track of one of the families in the book, a prominent political family that played into the mystery in several ways, but it didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the book. In the end, there were a few twist and turns in what is a well done little mystery. I’d recommend this title to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery and a little bit of the south (it’s set in Alabama). I’ll probably read other books in this series.

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