Murder Runs in the Family

Southern Sisters Mystery

ISBN: 0-7887-4999-4 Order from: Recorded Books

A pleasant but light-weight mystery, with a solid protagonist and colorful characters.

Reviewed by David on January 04, 2003

Genre: Mystery (Amateur Sleuth, American South)

Synopsis: This is an unabridged recording of Murder Runs in the Family.

Particia Anne is comfortable in her existence after a recent retirement from teaching. Her family gives her satisfaction, despite constant squabbles with her older sister Mary Alice. Patricia Anne didn't think of trying to trace the origins of her family, and was quite intrigued to find out how much effort and importance other people attach to genealogy.

The interest suddenly becomes more intense when a professional genealogist distantly related to Patricia Anne dies under mysterious circumstances. Patricia Anne and her older sister tackle this mystery, as more unfortunate events take place.

Full Review: This book is filled with colorful, sometimes caricatured characters, and dialogue. There quite a bit of humor, mostly based on the situation and quirky characters. The book, on the whole, is fairly light-weight, with some suspense in the end but mostly filled with intellectual investigation. The first-person narration helps paint an interesting world of modern South, with traces of gentility and emphasis on family alongside modern development and pressures.

Overall: 5; Plot: 6; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5; World-building: 6; Originality: 6;

ISBN: 0-7887-4999-4 Order from: Recorded Books