( Format : Audiobook )
"Three gallons of crazy in a two litre bucket."
The seventh and probably the last of the Until the Fat Ladies Sing, series, and, like it's predecessors, can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone, although knowing the past stories will enhance the pleasure.gleened. Set in a small Texas town, the books revolve around the antics of two larger than life ladies, Lavita, who tells the tale from her personal lerspective, and her best friend, Sue Jan, now married to the mayor. Together, they own the local beauty store, Crown of Glory, but recently their attentions had been more focused on their growing families, their self involved 'ambassadorial' greetings and generally nosing around on their investigations: they view themselves as the town's sleuths. And a lot is going on in Wachita in Custard's Last Stand - the opening of a Piggly Wiggly, a new frozen custard stand, strange and sinister twins, attempted murder and a death, a giant balloon baby, a birth, a pregnancy, an explosion of noxious fumes, a new mayoral candidate and Sue Jan finally finds her family. It is, if anything, even more action packed and comedic than usual.
The Fat Lady series has well developed characters, and in particular, those of the two main protagonists strut their way off the pages with all of their fears, hopes and prejudices. And they are funny, sometimes deliberately with each other, sometimes by virtue of their personalities and interactions. Like the whole town, they are a colourful couple, indulging in silly puns and language jokes, including great expressions ('Even a blind pig finds a truffle now and then', and, 'I'm only helpless when my nails are drying.') - simply delicious and great fun, even if the characters themselves are not necessarily overly sympathetic. The narration by Michelle Babb is, as always, superb.. Each character is clearly and very appropriately voiced, but Lovita, who tells the story in the first person, and best friend, Sue Jan, are especially well performed, greatly adding to the overall enjoyment.
This is an all inclusive, laugh a minute, cozy mystery thriller and fully recommended for a few hours of clean fun in a small but proud Texas town. There are even three recipes for the adventurous to try at the end of the book. I was very fortunate in being freely gifted with a complimentary copy by the rights holder, at my request. Thank you so much. Go, buy, enjoy. After all, as Sue Jan would say, 'The pen is mightier than the word. "