Rating: 
Summary: Superb Southern Sisters Story
Review: In Birmingham, Mitzi Phizer persuades her two friends, Patricia Anne "Mouse" Hollowell and Mary Alice "Sister" Crane, to join a senior citizen investment club. However, just when the club looks ready to begin, Mitzi's spouse Arthur seems to be cheating on her. However, even before anyone can actually confirm the rumors of Arthur's philandering, someone murders his alleged flame. The evidence totally points at Arthur, who had motive and opportunity. The police arrest Arthur for poisoning his first wife. The Southern Sisters cannot see Arthur as a murderer, let alone an adulterer. When a suspicious fire breaks out at the Pizer home, the two siblings begin their own style of inquiries even as they struggle with events in their own lives. However, the Mouse never expected Sister to hit the bank president over the head with an umbrella, landing them in jail. MURDER SHOOTS THE BULL, the latest mystery romp by the Southern Sisters, is a wonderful tale that humorously brings a touch of Birmingham to life. The who-done-it is entertaining and the support cast augments the novel by propelling it towards the climax. However, as in the previous five tales in this series, the siblings remain the stars of the show. Mouse is a quiet, efficient individual, living a sedate contented life except when Sister enters her sphere. Sister is figuratively and literally the charging bull in the china shop disrupting anyone in her path. Together they make a dynamite invincible team that turns a simple mystery into an entertaining romp. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Not her best, but still fun
Review: Like stepping through a rabbit hole, this sassy series of southern sisters is simply inspired fun, through and through. The character development and unusual situations make this book light hearted and fun. Improbable? Certainly. Entertaining? You bet! Anne George comes up with some fantastic names for her characters, and etches family and marital dynamics that really aren't too far fetched. The reader will also learn some Birmingham trivia (mostly about the Vulcan), where to buy fried chicken (the Piggly Wiggly) as well as the universal sign for a possum. Share this one with friends or even your sister!
Rating:
Summary: Sisters in Wonderland
Review: Like stepping through a rabbit hole, this sassy series of southern sisters is simply inspired fun, through and through. The character development and unusual situations make this book light hearted and fun. Improbable? Certainly. Entertaining? You bet! Anne George comes up with some fantastic names for her characters, and etches family and marital dynamics that really aren't too far fetched. The reader will also learn some Birmingham trivia (mostly about the Vulcan), where to buy fried chicken (the Piggly Wiggly) as well as the universal sign for a possum. Share this one with friends or even your sister!
Rating:
Summary: A good Investment of your reading time
Review: Murder Shoots the Bull offers plenty of opportunities to wonder whodunit, but there's very little gore involved, particularly considering the number of bodies Patricia Ann and Mary Alice happen upon. Like the rest of Ms. George's Southern Sisters books, this one is fun and, quite often, laugh-out-loud funny. It's also fast-paced and driven with some delightful dialogue. There's lots of good-natured sniping between the sisters, as well as a certain degree of harmless irreverence. And to the delight of local audiences, there's always plenty of local color in these books. For those of you not fortunate enough to live in Birmingahm, AL, yes, it's really like this! And, yes, the Piggly Wiggly does have good fried chicken.
Rating: 
Summary: Lighthearted fun...
Review: Patricia Anne and Mary Alice are always fun. This book is the sixth in a series of Southern sisters (say THAT fast!) mysteries and like its predecessors, the gals are at it again. One of the most humorous overtones is their 'Southerness', their desire to be prim and proper ladies, and still be the originals that they are. In this case, they join a ladies investment club and solve a tangled tale of murder and greed. Through it all, their world is populated by incompetant officials, lecherous bankers, and a next door neighbor man who is seen about town with a variety of voluptous women. The plot is skillfully told: Anne George is clearly a writer who is a master at manipulating language for a colorful and delightful reader experience. This is a delightful book, and I am eagerly awaiting the next in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Lighthearted fun...
Review: Patricia Anne and Mary Alice are always fun. This book is the sixth in a series of Southern sisters (say THAT fast!) mysteries and like its predecessors, the gals are at it again. One of the most humorous overtones is their 'Southerness', their desire to be prim and proper ladies, and still be the originals that they are. In this case, they join a ladies investment club and solve a tangled tale of murder and greed. Through it all, their world is populated by incompetant officials, lecherous bankers, and a next door neighbor man who is seen about town with a variety of voluptous women. The plot is skillfully told: Anne George is clearly a writer who is a master at manipulating language for a colorful and delightful reader experience. This is a delightful book, and I am eagerly awaiting the next in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Southern sis equivalents of Lucy & Desi-Good fun & mystery!!
Review: Patricia Anne and Mary Alice strike again. I love the way the southern language is expressed in George's books. It's like the white equivalent of ebonics. Patricia Anne never misses a beat & Mary Alice never misses a man. The book starts with them in jail & goes up hill from there. Great fun.
Rating:
Summary: Pepsi Out My Nose!
Review: That is exactly what happened when I read a particular paragraph in the book about the funeral of the woman Mitzi's husband is accused of killing. I have read all of Anne's books, and although it is difficult to choose, I think Murder Shoots the Bull is my favourite. It is rare that I buy a hardcover, but I take exception with the Southern Sisters mysteries. I love the 'girls' and the talent of their creator, Anne George. I love a good light hearted mystery, and it doesn't hurt that I actually learn something in each of them...be it about folk art or endangered animals. In this one, I learned it's not a good idea to be entomed on a windy day! Thanks Anne, for another great book.
Rating:
Summary: Series Getting Tired?
Review: The first four books in this series were very entertaining, fresh, and full of fun! However, in this one, Anne George loses that magic. One of the problems is the many sub-plots that only drag the book down: Her son and daughter-in-law's marital problems; her dog getting bit by a possum; the investment club plot that doesn't really go anywhere. Also, in this one, the sisters aren't really involved enough to be in any danger. They merely provide the supporting encouragement to the accused, who you know didn't do it. The revelation of the culprit is hasty, and ill-defined. She's also wearing some of her inside jokes pretty thin. I'm kind of tired of hearing about Vulcan's butt in every chapter. Ms. George continues to have some funny dialogue with her sisters, but overall, this book is tedious, and easy to put down. Hopefully, the next one "Murder Carries a Torch" will resurrect the magic.
Rating:
Summary: Series Getting Tired?
Review: The first four books in this series were very entertaining, fresh, and full of fun! However, in this one, Anne George loses that magic. One of the problems is the many sub-plots that only drag the book down: Her son and daughter-in-law's marital problems; her dog getting bit by a possum; the investment club plot that doesn't really go anywhere. Also, in this one, the sisters aren't really involved enough to be in any danger. They merely provide the supporting encouragement to the accused, who you know didn't do it. The revelation of the culprit is hasty, and ill-defined. She's also wearing some of her inside jokes pretty thin. I'm kind of tired of hearing about Vulcan's butt in every chapter. Ms. George continues to have some funny dialogue with her sisters, but overall, this book is tedious, and easy to put down. Hopefully, the next one "Murder Carries a Torch" will resurrect the magic.
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