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Miss Julia #13
Miss Julia to the Rescue
As we know from her many trips to the New York Times bestseller list, Miss Julia simply can't abide sitting idle. And with young Lloyd moving out and husband Sam off to the Holy Land, everybody's favorite steel magnolia is feeling restless. Maybe it's time for that long-delayed home makeover. But before Miss Julia can even pick a color swatch, Hazel Marie's new husband, private eye J.D. Pickens, goes missing — and police in West Virginia have detained an injured man fitting his description. Meanwhile, a religious cult is out to convert the locals—and Miss Julia must pick up the pace to free J.D. and get back in time to stop them.
"Delightful . . . Those who like smiles with their crimes will be satisfied" by the latest in the popular Miss Julia series (Publishers Weekly)
*** Description from Amazon ***
"Delightful . . . Those who like smiles with their crimes will be satisfied" by the latest in the popular Miss Julia series (Publishers Weekly)
*** Description from Amazon ***
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2012
About the author
Ann B. Ross
36 books948 followersAnn B. Ross, who taught literature at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, is the author of Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, one of the most popular Southern debut novels in years, Miss Julia Takes Over, Miss Julia Throws a Wedding, and Miss Julia Hits the Road. She lives in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
June 6, 2012
Proper Southern matron meets modern religious practices in Ann Ross’ thirteenth entry in the Miss Julia series based in Abbotsville, North Carolina. This is one series that has changed and grown over the years. A quick synopsis for those who haven’t followed the series: Miss Julia started off the series as a recent widow who discovered that her now-deceased husband had a child (Lloyd) by a mistress (Hazel Marie). We have followed Miss Julia as she accepted Hazel Marie and Lloyd and took the two into her heart and home. Miss Julia also fell in love with her old lawyer friend Sam and after a few false starts married him. Other main characters are Lillian, the African-American housekeeper/cook for Miss Julia, Lillian’s granddaughter Latisha, and J.D. Pickens, the private-eye that Hazel Marie fell for and married. Our last book had Hazel Marie having twin daughters.
The current book finds Hazel Marie and J.D., with twins, living in Sam’s old home just four blocks away. Sam had moved in with Miss Julia after they married so his home was available. Miss Julia is struggling to adjust to Hazel Marie’s absence (but not the twins) and she is also faced with the sad fact that Lloyd will also be leaving to live with his mother once school lets out. Add to that Sam is planning to go to the Holy Land with a two week tour group. Miss Julia is at a loss … but not for long.
There are three story arcs in this book and all deal with religion. The first story is it is time to redecorate the house! Miss Julia hires an architect, Tucker Caldwell, to change the upstairs back sun room into Sam’s new study, Hazel Marie’s old PINK room into a more sedate bedroom for their use, and the downstairs master bedroom into an English styled library (including adding a fireplace). She also hires a very religious carpenter named Adam Waite who states he and his five brothers are “all sons of The Carpenter.”
The second story arc deals with a former area resident, Agnes Whitman, who has moved into a nearby community. Wealth is no object to her (just as it seems with Miss Julia) so she has built a huge home and is continuously remodeling and building outbuildings. And so there is competition for both Caldwell and Waite’s time. But more important is that there is a rumor that she is into one of “those” religions that deals with piercings and tattoos. And Agnes is setting her sights on more converts to her religion.
But the third story arc deals with a slight mystery. Miss Julia receives a phone call from J.D. but it is such a bad connection she barely hears a word. Except for leaving her feeling that J.D. is in trouble somewhere out there she doesn’t know much more. This causes Miss Julia to frantically search for him with the help of Officer Coleman and friend Etta Mae Wiggins. That search leads both Miss Julia and Etta Mae to a small mountain West Virginia hospital where she must scheme to save J.D. from the clutches of a devious but religious Sheriff and save herself from a snake handling religious group.
There is less of Miss Julia remunerating to the umpteenth about all the possible problems that may happen as has been in the last few books. And while there isn’t much mystery to any of the stories it is enough to make it interesting. But plan on leaving belief behind — if anyone has ever tried to redecorate several rooms of a house will know nothing is ever done in two weeks like it is in this book. A good summer read for those who are into gentle humor, tea-cozy type mysteries, domestic type fiction, and the Miss Julia series. Also fans of Fannie Flagg, Jan Karon and Susan Wittig Albert type of southern reading and mysteries.
The current book finds Hazel Marie and J.D., with twins, living in Sam’s old home just four blocks away. Sam had moved in with Miss Julia after they married so his home was available. Miss Julia is struggling to adjust to Hazel Marie’s absence (but not the twins) and she is also faced with the sad fact that Lloyd will also be leaving to live with his mother once school lets out. Add to that Sam is planning to go to the Holy Land with a two week tour group. Miss Julia is at a loss … but not for long.
There are three story arcs in this book and all deal with religion. The first story is it is time to redecorate the house! Miss Julia hires an architect, Tucker Caldwell, to change the upstairs back sun room into Sam’s new study, Hazel Marie’s old PINK room into a more sedate bedroom for their use, and the downstairs master bedroom into an English styled library (including adding a fireplace). She also hires a very religious carpenter named Adam Waite who states he and his five brothers are “all sons of The Carpenter.”
The second story arc deals with a former area resident, Agnes Whitman, who has moved into a nearby community. Wealth is no object to her (just as it seems with Miss Julia) so she has built a huge home and is continuously remodeling and building outbuildings. And so there is competition for both Caldwell and Waite’s time. But more important is that there is a rumor that she is into one of “those” religions that deals with piercings and tattoos. And Agnes is setting her sights on more converts to her religion.
But the third story arc deals with a slight mystery. Miss Julia receives a phone call from J.D. but it is such a bad connection she barely hears a word. Except for leaving her feeling that J.D. is in trouble somewhere out there she doesn’t know much more. This causes Miss Julia to frantically search for him with the help of Officer Coleman and friend Etta Mae Wiggins. That search leads both Miss Julia and Etta Mae to a small mountain West Virginia hospital where she must scheme to save J.D. from the clutches of a devious but religious Sheriff and save herself from a snake handling religious group.
There is less of Miss Julia remunerating to the umpteenth about all the possible problems that may happen as has been in the last few books. And while there isn’t much mystery to any of the stories it is enough to make it interesting. But plan on leaving belief behind — if anyone has ever tried to redecorate several rooms of a house will know nothing is ever done in two weeks like it is in this book. A good summer read for those who are into gentle humor, tea-cozy type mysteries, domestic type fiction, and the Miss Julia series. Also fans of Fannie Flagg, Jan Karon and Susan Wittig Albert type of southern reading and mysteries.
June 23, 2012
So I was thinking about this book and decided it had no real ending. No one confronted Agnes for any part in Adam being forcibly pierced. Seems to me that would be a felony. The sheriff from West Virginia went from keeping Mr. Pickens drugged and falsely imprisoned to being his new best friend. Much was made of Miss Julia tripping over the rolled up Oriental rug, but it never had any real bearing on the story. I know these books are fluff, but they used to be fun fluff, and not so much anymore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2023
I love this series and since it has ended, I am really savoring the rest of the books. Miss Julia really puts herself out there and gets into such pickles because of it. These books just make me smile and they make my world happier.
May 5, 2012
From a possible cult on the outskirts of Abbotsville to Miss Julia's stint as one of the buddies in a buddy road trip, Miss Julia to the Rescue was a fun read in what has been become a very long series. With JD missing and Hazel Marie unable to go after him because of the twins, who but Miss Julia (riding shotgun for Etta Mae) would be the one to head to his rescue? It's been amazing to follow Miss Julia's growth, in particular her love for her deceased husband's son, Lloyd. The same woman who was so worried about appearances and how to manage her household on her own has created a wonderful family unit.
August 20, 2015
I love Miss Julia books. I love that's she's feisty while remaining proper. I like that she bucks convention while maintaining her standing in the community. And I absolutely love that she took Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd under her wing and under her roof after her scuzzbucket husband died and they showed up on her doorstep. It is a convoluted family dynamic but I know several families pretty much like them! In this book she does everything in her power to rescue her friends and loved ones. Another great visit with the extended Springer-Murdock family!
March 24, 2017
Book #13 in the series - another hilarious installment in the trials and tribulations of Miss Julia! Again, I was laughing out loud with every situation. Love these easy to read books about a church-going, Southern, elderly women that is just so "full of herself" - maybe I see too much of myself in her and relate!
April 28, 2016
Enjoyed the humor in the book immensley.
April 7, 2019
Miss Julia cracks me up!
August 22, 2018
Another Miss Julia adventure, and I think I enjoyed this one much more than the last several I’ve read. For those not in the know, Miss Julia is the opinioted Southern belle (think Julia Sugarbaker of TV’s Designing Women) created by author Ann B. Ross. Ross has written a passel of Miss Julia books since she created the character. Miss Julia Springer Murdoch is a devout Presbyterian and a card-carrying society matron in a small town near Ashville, North Carolina, and she finds herself continually getting into trouble. I recently consumed the thirteenth novel in the series, Miss Julia to the Rescue, and here, Ross has her beloved character traveling to the mountains of West Virginia with her sometimes sidekick Etta Mae to rescue Mr. J. D. Pickens, the private eye who recently married Hazel Marie, the mother of Miss Julia’s late husband’s son, and whom Miss Julia took into her home when she realized that Lloyd Springer, her late husband, had done both of them wrong. Miss Julia, with steely determination, set about in the first novel to show her neighbors that she would not be ashamed of her husband’s philandering and thus she welcomed Hazel Marie and her son Lloyd into her arms and home. Since then, Miss Julia has engaged herself in a lot of Lucy-like adventures, with Etta Mae often playing her Ethel. Nothing really intense ever happens, but the goings-on are funny, engrossing, and endearing, thanks to Miss Julia’s take on the world. I loved Miss Julia to the Rescue, and the next book in the series is currently in my “to read” stack.
May 26, 2018
In Miss Julia to the Rescue by Ann B. Ross, Miss Julia is alarmed to receive a strange phone call with a lot of static and asking for her husband, Sam. But Sam is on a tour of the Holy Land with Pastor Ledbetter, so Miss Julia turns to her former boarder, Sgt. Coleman. The police officer finally discovers that J.D. Pickens, the husband of Hazel Marie and father of her twins, has been picked up by a police department in West Virginia after getting shot. But unable to get further information about Mr. Pickens, Miss Julia calls Etta Mae Wiggins, a nurse’s aid, and takes off for West Virginia from North Carolina. There the people in the hospital refuse to tell the pair about their John Doe, whom they are certain is Mr. Pickins. Then Sheriff McAfee won’t reveal anything about Mr. Pickins’s identity, saying the man had no identification papers on his body, so the sheriff can’t reveal anything about him. Even though he admits that his John Doe is not under arrest, he won’t let them see the man because he is in “protective custody.” So they can’t even confirm if the hospitalized man is indeed their friend.
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation
June 4, 2017
Beyond excellent with good plot, believable characters, and laugh out loud funny scenes! Miss Julia, a Southern Lucille Ball, always provides the reader with an enjoyable story but this may be one of the best of a marvelous series. Miss Julia, with her side-kick Etta Mae, who is her direct opposite, makes an awesome pair when they go to rescue J.D.Pickins in W. Va. After a run-in with snake handlers and other extreme religions, Miss Julia saves the day, all while getting her house renovated to surprise her husband when he returns home.
There are subtle commentaries on religions, both tradition and extreme, but they are handled quietly, much as one would suspect of any good Christian woman of a certain age in the South. As Miss Julia says "You'd better have a firm foundation when you go out into the world. There is no telling what you'll run into." This is especially true if you join in Miss Julia's adventures.
There are subtle commentaries on religions, both tradition and extreme, but they are handled quietly, much as one would suspect of any good Christian woman of a certain age in the South. As Miss Julia says "You'd better have a firm foundation when you go out into the world. There is no telling what you'll run into." This is especially true if you join in Miss Julia's adventures.
August 30, 2020
The Miss Julia Series is tied with The Southern Sisters Mysteries by Anne George and The Cat Who Series by Lilian Jackson Braun for my all time favorite series!! The characters are lovable and once you start reading the first one, you just can’t stop! You are on the edge of your seat dying to know what happens next until you get through every book! I searched for years for another great series like this and I couldn’t be happier to have found this one! A true treasure! There aren’t many great writers that can capture my attention like Ann B. Ross has in this series. Well worth the time! If you’re on audible, the narrator is amazing! They are just so fun and enjoyable!
September 22, 2021
Another Romp With Our Favorite Senior Cotozen
Miss Julia and her usual troupe of willing - and sometimes unwilling - co-conspirators face snake worshipping churches, sadistic and masochistic cults and a small town sheriff in this delightful “episode.” When private eye J.D. Pickens needs help, it’s Miss Julia and the intrepid Etta Mae who wander the back roads of rural West Virginia to rescue him. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg in this delightful tale of Miss Julia’s exploits.
Miss Julia and her usual troupe of willing - and sometimes unwilling - co-conspirators face snake worshipping churches, sadistic and masochistic cults and a small town sheriff in this delightful “episode.” When private eye J.D. Pickens needs help, it’s Miss Julia and the intrepid Etta Mae who wander the back roads of rural West Virginia to rescue him. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg in this delightful tale of Miss Julia’s exploits.
May 15, 2012
What has happened to Mrs Julia Murdoch Springer? She leaves the criminal religious cult to do their worse at the end of the book. It's not like her to leave malefactors unpunished - is this one of those books that morphs into two?
April 3, 2020
The 'Miss Julia' series is entertaining, I suppose especially to people who have friends or family from the south. I can relate to so much of the humor! This could have easily been three books...but it was all packed into one.
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Another re-read...so enjoyable on these stormy winter days.
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Another re-read...so enjoyable on these stormy winter days.
April 10, 2018
I can't wait to read the others! Unfortunately I have had to skip around a bit because I'm getting the audio books from the library and I don't think they have them all, plus sometimes the one I want next is checked out by someone else. I've loved all of them so far, even out of order.
May 8, 2019
I want Miss Julia to adopt me!!! She is one of the best characters I've ever 'met'!!
All she wants to do is make a cookbook for Hazel Marie. When all heck breaks loose around her, she must get involved!!
Let the games begin!!
All she wants to do is make a cookbook for Hazel Marie. When all heck breaks loose around her, she must get involved!!
Let the games begin!!
May 4, 2020
Miss Julia, Mr. Pickens, and Etta Mae! I love when she and Etta Mae go on adventures to straighten things out! Add the hillarity of rescuing Mr. Pickens! This and when she and Lillian told Mr. Pickens about the twins was hillarious! 💕💕💕 Ordered the complete series Nd preordered her last book!
August 26, 2024
This book had me bent over laughing. As Miss Julia takes the time, while her husband is on a trip to the Holy Lands, to do some remodeling everything goes south as Mr. Pickens comes up missing and Miss Julia is off to the rescue!!!!
May 10, 2012
Rollicking and scatterbrained -- Lucille Ball meets Miss Marple, y'all!
May 3, 2015
Quick, easy read. Miss Julia is much less the bumbler she sometimes is - nice to see her more "normal."
July 29, 2017
Another winner! Love Miss Julia. To anyone who hasn't read these books, please read this series in order.
February 6, 2018
Miss Julia is an old fashioned lady that can cause havoc just trying to live in today's society.
March 16, 2018
Miss Julia always delivers!
May 22, 2018
don't mess with Miss Julia
August 21, 2018
Another good read
Miss Julia can really get herself into a pickle! I like her boldness and that even if she's scared, she does what she has to do, especially for those she loves.
Miss Julia can really get herself into a pickle! I like her boldness and that even if she's scared, she does what she has to do, especially for those she loves.
April 10, 2019
This was quite a romp!
April 27, 2019
Review
Miss Julia continues to get in outrageous capers! You must read how she and Etta Mae breaks JD out of the hospital!
Miss Julia continues to get in outrageous capers! You must read how she and Etta Mae breaks JD out of the hospital!
May 10, 2019
Very cute book! I enjoyed it quite a lot.
September 14, 2019
Great fun read. You will laugh out loud!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews