Book Review: "Murder on a Bad Hair Day" by Anne George

My favorite place to find books is the library in the new book section, but the other day I didn't find anything interesting there, so I moved on over to the Honors Section. At Linebaugh Library in Murfreesboro, TN, there is a section of paperbacks that are available to anyone to take home without checking them out. You are on your honor to bring back the books you took. I like this section, because I can take books home without worrying about the due date.

On my last visit at the library I spotted a brightly colored paperback book (I'm attracted to bright colors like a crow) that immediately got my attention. The title was "Murder on a Bad Hair Day," since I'm having a bad hair this whole life time, I could relate to the title, besides it's funny. Then I saw the words "A Southern Sisters Mystery." How could I as a Southern woman and big sister not want to read this book?

To make sure, I read the first couple of sentences, and then I read the next paragraph. I was hooked! Snickering I took the book home. I guess you want to know what I read. "I tell you Patricia Anne, I'm sick and tired of always being some man's sex slave." Okay these weren't the words that got me snickering, it was in the next paragraph when the sister of the Mary Alice gives a description of her "My sister is sixty-five years old, six feet tall, and admits to weighing two hundred fifty pounds." Later in the book I found out that Mary Alice Crane has been married three times and is actively looking for husband number four.

Patricia Ann Hollowell, on the other hand, is a short, skinny woman and has been married to Fred for forty years. (Alright, so I am jealous that she is little). Already you can tell the sisters have different life philosophies. I love the interaction between them. They bicker and deliberately push each other's buttons, but they also love each other.

The sisters live in Birmingham, Alabama in the shadow of the Vulcan's naked butt. Be sure to pronounce it "nekid". I don't know what you are thinking, but I'm talking about the huge cast iron statute in Vulcan Park. The statue is only wearing an apron so while his front is covered, he moons all the folks behind him.

You can tell this book is written by a Southerner, she puts in all the family connections. You get to meet a lot of the family members of the different characters. If you have read my Southern series (Welcome to the South) then you know that we Southerners are very aware of who is related to whom. Hey, it's important otherwise how would be know exactly who you are? Anne George also includes shopping at Piggy Wiggy (for those of you who don't know this is a grocery store), talks about food a lot, gossips (I mean shares useful information about people with other people) and there are folk arts and artists scattered throughout the book.

Speaking of folk arts, the murder happens at an art gallery opening, featuring local artists. By the way the art gallery used to be an old bottling plant. You really need to know this. Southerners give directions by what used to be there, so it always important to pay attention when someone talks about what used to be there. You may need to know the information later when you receiving directions. I can't tell you why without giving away something, but the sisters become tangled up in solving the art gallery murder.

This book is a lot of laughs with a murder to solve. How can you beat that? Next time I'm in the library I'm going to see if the other seven books in the Southern Sisters series are in. On a sad note I have to tell you there are only eight books because Anne George died in 2001.

Bottom line: This is totally funny book, so funny you will be crying from laughing so hard. Go check this book out you will enjoy hanging out with Patricia Ann and Mary Alice.

Other Book Reviews by Genie Walker:
Fiction:
"Darkfever" by Karen Marie Moning
"The Husband" by Dean Koontz
"The Mulberry Tree" by Jude Deveraux