Product Description

Oversized, outrageous Mary Alice and her prim sister Patricia Anne have been looking forward to the gala benefit being staged to raise money for the restoration of Vulcan, Birmingham's ever-tarnishing unnatural wonder. And what a show it is, with a grand finale that has thirty sequined Elvis impersonators high-kicking in unison! From the front row, "Mouse" and "Sister" have a perfect view of the action when one of the dancing Kings keels over dead into the bandstand. This Elvis clone has not only left the building ... he's left this life, courtesy of a switchblade knife in the back. And when the murder weapon turns up in Patricia Anne's very sensible purse, the perennially law-abiding "Mouse" is understandably all shook up. Suspicious minds have her pegged as the prime suspect in this bizarre case of Elvis elimination. And if she doesn't do some serious sleuthing, she could end up doing the Jailhouse Rock!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #99625 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-01
• Released on: 2002-11-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 275 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780061031021
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Y'all want lots of good laughs with a grisly murder and some clever detecting thrown in? Join the sexagenarian southern sisters, Mary Alice, a six-footer, and Patricia Anne, a size-six petite. In their eighth adventure from Agatha-winner George (Murder on a Girls' Night Out; Murder on a Bad Hair Day; etc.), Mary Alice, survivor of three marriages, is about to wed her fourth husband, Virgil Stukey, sheriff of Alabama's St. Clair County. At a benefit at a restored theater, a chorus line of Elvis impersonators performs in white jumpsuits; 30 Elvises boogie to the footlights and acknowledge the applause, but only 29 withdraw. One pitches headfirst into the pit, landing only a few feet from the sisters, who have come to cheer for Virgil and his brother-in-law, both Elvis impersonators who just happen to have been on either side of the dead "pitcher." Several days later Patricia Anne, rummaging in her purse, finds a large, rusty switchblade, which turns out to be the murder weapon. She goes to jail. The complications in this delectable tale are legion. The dialogue is so true and natural that it could go straight to stage or film. Inspired name choices include the sisters Dawn, Day and Dusk, as well as a lad called Pukey Lukey (because he's subject to motion sickness). If you're not already a fan, you'll want to find the earlier books, especially since the author died in March. Angels are laughing with her now for the joy she gave so many. Agent, Ruth Cohen.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
The statuesque Mary Alice and the small but sharp Patricia Anne, sixtysomething sisters from Birmingham, Alabama, have their last adventure together: author Anne George died in March. Mary Alice (aka Sister) is planning to marry her fourth husband, a Norman Schwarzkopf look-alike named Virgil, and Patricia Anne (aka Mouse) is keenly awaiting her daughter Haley's return from abroad and the birth of her grandchild. The ties of food, pets, and family and the ambience of the city of Birmingham figure prominently in a swirl of events--the line of Elvis impersonators at a benefit arranged by one of Virgil's relatives hides a murder when one of the would-be Presleys falls dead nearly into Mouse's lap. Meanwhile, one of Sister's daughters is getting serious about pregnancy if not marriage; a friend's three daughters, Dawn, Day, and Dusk, have some odd ties to the deceased Elvis; and Mouse does some affectionate musing about the joys of a decades-long marriage. Farewell, Ms. George, and thanks for all the sweet tea. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Anne George (c.____ - 2001) was the Agatha Award-winning author of the Southern Sisters mystery series which culminate in Murder Boogies with Elvis, publishing in August 2001. Like Patricia Anne, she was a happily married former school teacher living in Birmingham, Alabama. Ms. George was also a former Alabama State Poet and a regular contributor to literary publications. During her lifetime she was nominated for several awards, including the Pulitzer. Being a true lady of the Old South, her date of birth will forever be a mystery.

Customer Reviews

I can't believe this will be the last
I am a huge fan of Anne Carroll George. I love all of her books. "Murder Boogies with Elvis" is a wonderful continuation of her previous books. Her books are one continuing story of Patricia Anne, Mary Alice, Fred, Woofer - I could name them all but anyone who has read any of her books knows all of the characters by name, too. Unfortunately, the story is ending with this book. I am so sad that this is the last book. I want to "watch" Debbie's twin girls and Brother grow; I want to know about the birth of Joanna, Haley's baby; I want to know if Haley will let Patricia Anne keep Muffin when she and Philip return from Warsaw; I want to know about the next murder that Patricia Anne and Mary Alice will investigate. There are so many quirky characters whose lives make her books so interesting. It is very sad that Ms. George's life was cut short. I miss her, but at least we have the few books she wrote to keep us company.

This book is a must read for all fans of Ms. George. Her writing from one book to the next is so consistent - she never skips anything from one book to the next.

A great end to a fabulous series...
*Murder Boogies with Elvis* is the eighth and final book in the Southern Sisters mystery series by Anne George. As with the previous seven novels, I loved every minute spent with Mary Alice and Patricia Anne and their families. If you haven't read these yet, definitely try the first novel, *Murder on a Girls' Night Out.*

In *Elvis*, Mary Alice is planning her fourth marriage (widowed three times) to Sheriff Virgil Stukey and Patricia Anne is continuing to enjoy her retirement and planning the return of her pregnant daughter, Haley, and her husband Phillip from Russia. When Stukey and Mary Alice invite Patricia and her husband to a night of fundraising to renovate everyone's favorite semi-attired statue, Vulcan, the Rockette-like Elvis impersonator routine ends in one less Elvis. Unfortunately, the murder weapon is found in Patricia Anne's purse days later, and once again, the two sisters jump into the investigation, hoping to find the murderer in time for Mary Alice's wedding.

What an enjoyable end to the Southern Sister series. We will mourn the loss of Anne George and enjoy the entire series for years to come.

Did she know this would be her last?
I loved this book. What made reading it poignant is that I knew this would be the last time I spent with these characters. Mouse, Aunt Sister, Fred, Woofer, Bubba on his heating pad ... what a delight this series has been! And this last installment was a joy, too. The mystery itself was okay. To be absolutely fair and honest, we weren't given that many real clues as to the villain's identity -- and usually I consider that something of a cheat. Still, I never read these mysteries simply to see how the crime is solved. I enjoyed these books -- and this one -- for the imagination and care that went into developing the setting, the characters and the dialog. Who but Ms. George could have combined a line of high-kicking Elvises and the missed-but-not-forgotten bare-butted Vulcan statue into the same stew? I was moved as I read the very last pages, for they seemed to be more final and included more closure than her previous efforts. She tied up the loose ends in both Sister's and Mouse's lives. I wonder if she knew this book would be her last. I join the other reviewers on this board who have said how much they will miss this series.