Book Review: Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews

Savannah Blues, written by Mary Kay Andrews, takes place in modern-day Savannah, Georgia. Divorcee Weezie Foley is living in the carriage house attached to the home she'd lived in with her husband-where he now lives with his new wife. Weezie has a passion for antiques, picking her way through estate and garage sales to resell the treasures she finds in hopes of raising enough money to open her own antique shop. When she attends the memorial service of the last of the family who owned the last great plantation home in the state, she learns that a paper company plans to raze the house and build a paper plant. Weezie must now find a way to keep historic Beaulieu intact while purchasing the best of the furnishings to fund her dream. In the process, she is suspected of the murder of her ex-husband's new wife when Weezie finds the body in a cupboard at Beaulieu. She enlists her uncle James to clear her name. Meanwhile, her good friend Bebe is determined to set her up with Weezie's old high school flame Daniel, Weezie's mother is struggling with a drinking problem, and her ex-husband Tal is trying to get her back.

As a bonus, Mary Kay Andrews included a guide for reading groups for Savannah Blues .

In this book, Mary Kay Andrews writes an engaging story of the modern day woman who struggles with all the problems having a family, running a business, and stumbling across an ill-timed murder can cause. Her characters are delightfully smart and whimsical, yet real. The story is action-packed, with twists that keep the reader guessing all the way until the end.

I have just one criticism of Savannah Blues, and that is the fact that the author switches point of view from first person (with Weezie) to third person (with James). Although she manages it in such a way that it is not confusing to read, I found it a little disruptive. I also thought it made the task of solving the mystery a little too easy-I would have preferred she stayed with Weezie so we could discover the clues along with her. There were some great scenes from James's point of view that would have been sad to lose, but I think it would have been worth it to keep the reader more engaged with Weezie.

One thing I really enjoyed about the book was the interactions between the characters. Weezie and Bebe have a fun, comfortable relationship, the type I like to have with my friends. They are supportive of each other, but perfectly willing to call each other out and keep each other honest when they need to. Bebe insists on putting Weezie and Daniel together despite Weezie's protests, and it turns out she knows what she's doing on that front. She's also conveniently well-off financially with her highly successful restaurant, so she's able to help Weezie with a little extra cash when needed. There is humor throughout the book, prompting me to laugh out loud in places, although there are some very serious moments as well.

Savannah Blues isn't all sunshine and light-there are plenty of real-world problems to keep the balance. Weezie's mother starts seeing visions where the Infant of Prague is weeping for Weezie's sins, and Weezie has the stigma of a murder rap to live down. Then, there's her highly volatile relationship with Daniel and her increasingly insistent and annoying ex-husband.

The ending neatly brings the story to a close, tying up the various story lines into a neat, but not too neat, package. I closed the book feeling satisfied, looking forward to reading more by Mary Kay Andrews.