Review Summaries

• The contrasting personalities of the sisters and their quick banter draw especially warm responses. Many readers seem to enjoy the sibling chemistry and Southern cozy atmosphere as much as the mystery itself.

• The Southern warmth and pacing are praised for giving the sisters' exchanges more shape and making the humor feel vivid. The story is also noted for keeping a touch of unease beneath its light surface.

Reviews

• とっても楽しい南部のおばあちゃん達

  Alabama州Birminghamの二人の姉妹、小柄で堅実、元教師で幸せな結婚生活を送るPatricia AnnーMouseーと、3人もの夫の未亡人であり、夫が死ぬたびに金持ちになってしまった大柄で魅力的な姉、Mary Alice が何故だか殺人事件に遭遇してしまい、それを解決するっていう実にコージーにして楽しいミステリー。 Alabama州Birminghamのことなんて、この本を読むまで良く知らなかったけど、極フツーのアメリカンな生活が描かれていて、それを読んでいるだけでも、楽しめる。アメリカ人がピーナッツバターとバナナのサンドイッチが好きなんてこの本で初めて知ったし。 互いに悪口を言い合いながらも実は愛し合っている二人のおばあちゃん達がかわいらしい。歳にめげずにがんばる二人のミステリーは、でも8作品で終わってしまう。作者のAnne Georgeが亡くなってしまったから。それだけが残念。

• 奥様におすすめ：軽く楽しめる南部おばさん姉妹もの

  このシリーズはいわゆるcozyものとよばれる、軽く楽しめるミステリーです。ミステリーとしての謎解きやスリルよりも、物語の背景である米南部の生活ぶりや派手で金持ち、脂肪もたっぷりのメリーウィドウの姉と長年の教師生活をリタイアして、仲良く夫と暮らしている痩せ型、地味目の正反対の妹とのユーモアとウイットあふれるやるとりなどを楽しむのが本筋です。 今回、金持ちの姉は気まぐれからウエスタンダンスを楽しめるクラブを衝動買いします。ところが、そのクラブの前オーナーがギャングの処刑スタイルで殺されているのが発見され、2人はいやおうなく（ま、いつもいやおうないのですが）事件に巻き込まれていきます、、。

• Comical easy read!

  2nd book I've read of this author. And loving it!

• Light reading for travel

  This was one of the recommendations for people who enjoy Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series. I however didn't enjoy this book mainly because I am not familiar with the culture and traditions of the American South. There is whole page or 2 where 2 characters discuss apple sauce but I have no idea what apple sauce is and how it smells. The language is not rich enough to convey the scents and smells. The murder is a very small part of the book. Most part is spent describing other characters, often unflattering and patronizing. It got annoying to a point where I stopped caring as to who committed the murder.

• A FUN READ & REREAD

  I read this series when it first came out. All the books are great fun and even more from if you are familiar with Alabama.

• Witzig,unterhaltsam und liebenswert!

  Ungleichere Schwestern hat man wohl selten getroffen. Zwei fitte Damen im Rentnerinnenalter, die alles andere als betulich oder langweilig sind. Der Schlagabtausch zwischen den beiden ist koestlich und ich habe manchmal laut gelacht. Die Krimistory ist nett, auch fuer schwache Nerven geeignet. Es ist halt ein Topvertreter des Cozy-Mystery-Genres! Habe inzwischen fast alle Baende der Serie gelesen und die Beiden werden von Buch zu Buch besser und auch der familiaere Hintergrund der Beiden wird mehr eingebunden. Schade, sehr schade, dass Frau George 2001 verstorben ist.

• I have discovered another great series!

  This is my first mystery by this author, but I intend to read the whole series now. Although I jumped into the middle of the series with this book, it didn't put me at any disadvantage, as every connection, everything I might need to know, seemed adequately explained. The plot involves two 60-something Birmingham, Alabama sisters and their involvement with a murder: Patricia Ann (Mouse) and her sister Sister (Mary Alice). Mary Alice is larger than life -- literally and figuratively, whereas diminuitive Patricia Ann (happily married mother of three, retired schoolteacher) would have a fairly dull life were it not for her flamboyant sister and her sister's energetic embrace of life. This time, Mary Alice (made wealthy by being widowed three times by wealthy men) has bought a country-western bar (more or less on impulse). The seller (Ed) shortly after turns up very dead -- in the bar -- and the situation deteriorates from there. The real mystery is why Ed was killed. If the answer is found to that question, then it may be easier to find out by whom -- and to see who among a group of people connected to the bar is the dangerous one. The strengths of this book are the good literary quality (George writes well), the humor, the vivid characterization, and the plotting. I was entertained and engaged and like the characters well enough to want to know what's going to happen to them in the next books in the series -- like these are real people that I know. I was surprised by the outcome, although I am a veteran reader of mysteries, but it was plausible and some clues were there as seen in retrospect. What more could a reader of mysteries want?

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