Murder Runs in the Family

Southern Sisters #3

by Anne George

Mary Alice has spared nothing for her only daughter’s wedding—providing enough gourmet food and glittering elegance to make Sister think seriously about finding herself a rich fourth husband to pay for it all. Practical Patricia Anne has put away her aunt-of-the-bride blue chiffon and settled back into domesticity when fun-loving Mary Alice informs her that they have a post-wedding date with a genealogist from the groom’s side of the family. But lunch is an abbreviated affair when their guest interrupts a fascinating talk on the hazards of finding dirty linens in ancestral boudoirs and scurries off with the local judge. And the sisters are only just finishing their departed luncheon companion’s cheesecake when the police arrive.

Their recent guest has taken a plunge from the ninth floor of the courthouse building—an apparent suicide. But given the scandals the nosy genealogist was capable of uncovering, Mouse and Sister are betting that some proud Southern family is making sure their shameful secrets stay buried…along with anyone who tries to dig them up.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Humor, Audiobook, Cozy, Southern

280 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Anne Carroll George was an American author and poet. She was Alabama's 1994 state poet. George died in 2001 of heart surgery complications.

Anne George was an Agatha Award-winner and a former Alabama State Poet. She was a cofounder of the Druid Press, and a regular contributor to literary and poetry publications. She was nominated for several awards, including the Pulitzer for a book of verse entitled Some of It Is True.

Series:
* Southern Sisters Mystery

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Susan Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in love with these sisters! I hate that Mrs. George passed away and the series ended. They are so good and the family just draws you in.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was pretty cute. I like cozy mysteries so this one was perfect. Audio book narrator was wonderful too!

[Sina & Ilona Glimmerfee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich muss sagen, dass mir dieser Band besser gefallen hat als Band 1 (womit ich Original Band 2 meine, weil Band 1 nicht übersetzt wurde). Ich vergebe gerne 4 Sterne und freue mich auf den nächsten Band der Reihe. (Wie gut das ich bereits die gesamte Reihe auf dem SUB habe)

Themen?
In diesem Band geht es um Stammbaumforschung. Kann es wirklich zu Dramen oder gar Mord kommen, wenn man Ahnen hat, die man nicht haben will? Was wenn der Ur-Ur-Ur-Großvater zwar berühmt ist, aber doch auch jemand der den Menschen SEHR viel Leid gebracht hat? Will man wirklich immer wissen, von wem man abstammt? Und wenn man es weiß, wozu ist es gut? Braucht man es zum Selbstverständnis? Beim Lesen habe ich doch durchaus über Ahnenforschung nachgedacht und auch wie schwer es 1997 (als das Buch erschien) noch war die Daten zusammenzubekommen. Heute ist vieles längst digitalisiert, in dem Buch träumen sie noch davon.

Wer ermittelt?
Ich will gar nicht sagen, dass die Schwestern wirklich ermitteln. Sie werden einfach in die Morde mit reingezogen durch pure Höflichkeit und Gastfreundlichkeit.

Sonstige Charaktere?
Ich muss sagen, dass ich von Band zu Band Fred lieber mag, den Ehemann der Ich-Erzählerin. Die Ehe der beiden ist einfach schön. Sehr viel Liebe, Respekt und einfach ein Zusammenhalt, der nicht kitschig ist, sondern sie bilden wirklich eine Einheit - Man gehört zueinander.

Setting?
Auch in diesem Band sind wir wieder in Birmingham Alabama. Im Schatten der riesigen Vulcanus Statue mit dem blanken Hinterteil.

Besonderheiten?
Das Buch lebt einfach von den Dialogen, die ich als sehr real empfinde. Es ist als würde man tatsächlich den Schwestern und ihren Familien zusehen und zuhören.

Wie blutig und brutal?
Ihr seid mit keiner der Leichen direkt konfrontiert. Es kommt zwar zu einer Actionszene, aber das hier ist genau das was ein Cozy Crime ausmacht, etwas zum Entspannen und auch für sensiblere Leser sehr zu empfehlen.

Humor und Spaß?
Ich habe mich wirklich amüsiert und das kommt gar nicht so oft vor. Die Schwestern sind zwar sehr warmherzig, aber können durchaus die eine oder ander Spitze austeilen. Je mehr ich mich bei ihnen einlebe, desto mehr amüsiere ich mich. Wahrscheinlich wird es bei dem letzten Band sein, dass ich mich schon amüsiere, weil ich 'Typisch Mary Alice' sagen kann.
Der Grundton der Bücher ist leicht und amüsant.

Liebe?
Steht hier nicht im Zentrum, auch wenn ich, wie oben schon beschrieben die Ehe von Fred und Patricia Anne großartig finde. Außerdem startet das Buch gleich mit einer Hochzeit und Mary Alice hat auch einen neuen Verherer, der ganz in ihr Beuteschema passt (alt und reich).

Trigger Warnung? Es geht um Selbstmord und die Frage, ob es tatsächlich einer war oder doch Mord. Allerdings sind diese Bücher für mich reine Entspannungs- und Unterhaltungsliteratur, also spreche ich keine Trigger Warnung aus.

Was mochte ich nicht?
Ich war nicht ganz so zufrieden mit dem Showdown und der Auflösung. Außerdem waren am Anfang durch die Hochzeit unzählige Charaktere da, wobei ich nicht wusste, wen ich mir für den Krimi merken musste und wen nicht.

Kann ich es empfehlen?
Ja, denn ich werde der Reihe treu bleiben. Wer etwas leichtes und humorvolles zum Entspannen sucht, der sollte vielleicht mal diesen Schwestern einen Besuch abstatten.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audio from library. It's the first time I've read anything by this author. The story, itself, was really quirky but fun. The narrator on this particular book seemed to get a little carried away with voices that were quite exaggerated. I found that somewhat annoying. Next time, I believe I'll read the other books in the series and enjoy them much more

[Connie N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

#3 in the Southern Sisters cozy mystery series

I don't know why I put off reading this for so long. It was cute, and I like the characters. Patricia Anne is the younger sister, petite and intelligent, a retired English teacher, and part of a close and loving family. Her sister Mary Louise is tall, boisterous, irreverent, and fun. They both become embroiled in murder mysteries through no fault of their own, it seems. It's just that they're both very involved in activities and with people so that they make connections that sometimes turn dangerous. In this case they meet Meg Bryan (at Mary Louise's daughter's wedding), they like her, and they have lunch with her, just before she jumps out of a window to her death. As they learn more about her and her job as a genealogist, they discover some shenanigans that could have far-reaching complications. I had to laugh at Patricia Anne's desire to correct people's grammar since that's a pet peeve of mine too, although I try to refrain from speaking out. And I loved that Patricia Anne and her husband Fred are still so in love after 40 years of marriage. Their whole family is close, and it's nice to see the relationships between them all.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some mysteries ease you in with a polite little corpse; Murder Runs in the Family shows up in full Southern wedding regalia, throws confetti in your face, and then immediately shoves you into a genealogical scandal with a side of cheesecake and chaos. This one had me cackling, eye‑rolling, and side‑eying every ancestor I’ve ever had.

Patricia Anne and Mary Alice are back at it, and honestly, these two could trip over a pothole and somehow uncover a decades‑old conspiracy. Mary Alice is still living her best “rich husband number four, please and thank you” fantasy while Patricia Anne is just trying to survive the wedding without committing a homicide of her own. And then—because the universe loves drama—the genealogist they’re having lunch with sprints off with the local judge and ends up taking a swan dive off the courthouse. Suicide? Absolutely not. Not in this series. Not with this level of family skeletons rattling around.

The whole thing spirals into that perfect Southern‑fried mess where everyone has secrets, everyone has opinions, and everyone is just a little too invested in their family tree. The rivalry, the gossip, the genteel shade—chef’s kiss. And of course the sisters get dragged straight into the middle of it, because if there’s a dead body within a five‑mile radius, these two are basically murder magnets.

This one lands at a solid 3 to 3.5 stars for me because it’s fun, it’s charming, and the banter is still top‑tier, but the mystery itself felt a little looser than the first two. Still entertaining, still full of that warm, chaotic Southern energy, just not quite as sharp or twisty as the others. But Patricia Anne and Mary Alice? They remain the absolute queens of stumbling into trouble with style.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this fluff and all the references to Birmingham. She got a little sloppy with her facts and while it might not bother someone who doesn't know or care about Birmingham, it made me take away a star. Still plan to read them all. We love listening to the audiobooks on trips.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

#3 in the Southern Sisters series. Meg, a genealogist fakes her own death, to cover-up the subsequent murder of her former husband Judge Bobby Haskins & frames fellow family-tree professional Gerogiana Peach. Love the Southern Sisters.

[Cheryl Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sisters are at it again. Getting involved in another murder that is "none of their business". I love the banter between the two sisters as it is so true to life. Reminds me of me and my sister. I really like this lighthearted, funny, easy to read series and plan on reading the rest of them.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A genealogist takes a nasty fall from the ninth floor of a public building. The two southern sexagenarian sisters find themselves in the middle of yet another mystery. A quote from the book could be an alternate title: "Women fighting or up to some kind of no good." Fun read!

[Diane Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Funny! This is just pure fluff and fun! The perfect escape on a bad day! I love the Sisters!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. Some very surprising twists at the end. The genealogical aspect of the story was interesting - who knew it was a "dog-eat-dog" business.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just awful. The writing was worse than the plot.

The book had more repetitious filler than it did storyline. How many times do I need to be told the same thing ? Who cares if Cassie’s real name is Castine and she was Mrs Hallowell’s former student and is now a genealogist - a one time description would have been enough. It went like this through the entire book. Just like one more rehash of the wedding was going to make me scream!

Way too many characters who go by numerous nicknames, Patricia Anne, Mouse, Mama, Mrs Hallowell - all the same person! The book (1997) was SO dated and the dialogue between adult sisters was absurd in any era. It seemed to me that all they did was eat, every meal was described ad nauseam.

I guess this was supposed to be a funny spoof, but it sure missed the mark.

Why did I finish this? Many years ago I read the other books in the series and recently discovered I’d missed this one, so I checked it out from the library, I shouldn’t have bothered! My reading taste has certainly changed over the years!!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are wonderfully funny until you get to the end when they can sometimes be hair=raising. I love some of the Southern lady comments and especially the give and take between the sisters. The mystery is frequently difficult as well. If you want a great light-hearted read, try any of these.

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

wasn't my cup of tea

[Mayar Mahdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is so cozy. I'd sit with its books while the world is ending and sigh out of bless.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, entertaining, very Southern cozy mystery series. Patricia Anne is delightful, funny, and kind. I love her relationship with her sister and her whole family. They are all just a bit quirky. The mystery was interesting and had a bit of a twist to it. Overall, it is just a good cozy listen. (If you can read it via audiobook, the narrator does a great job, and her narration adds to the experience.)

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia Ann (Mouse) and Mary Alice (Sister) meet Meg, a geneologist, at the wedding of Mary Alice's daughter. Later they meet her for lunch which is interupted by another friend of Meg's. Meg steps away to investigate some geneological mystery and ends up taking a nose dive from the 10th floor of the Birmingham courthouse. Was is suicide or did Meg have a little help?

These Southern Sisters Mysteries are so much fun. The characters are really taking shape by this installment. The mystery is almost beside the point. Just sit back and enjoy.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 3 of a cute, light cozy mystery series. I’m usually not a fan of cozy mysteries, but Anne George does such a good job with her humor, eccentric characters, and rich sense of place that I’m zooming through the series perpetually giggling. This one had the added interest of a look at genealogy research before computers & the internet were widely available. Here are some time anchors for you: DOS, WordPerfect, & IBM laptops!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Alice's daughter Debbie is marrying Henry, an aspiring chef and one of Patricia Anne's favorite former students. When the two women have a celebratory lunch with Henry's cousin, she excuses herself from the table and calmly jumps out of a window in a nearby building. Or was she pushed?

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book from Anne George. I really do like this series of books. I will be sad when I read the last book.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visiting with Mary Alice and Patricia Ann is such fun. The Southern Sisters are such fun and the setting is so charming you can't help but to smile when reading of their fun adventures.

[Betty · Rating 1 out of 5]

This writing style is just a little bit too tongue in cheek for my liking.

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know a wedding is doing too much when the bridal train needs its own zip code. In Murder Runs in the Family, Mary Alice is throwing her only daughter the kind of extravaganza that screams "I hope my fourth husband is rich," while Patricia Anne is just trying to survive in a blue chiffon dress and not smother someone with a doily. And bless it, before the cake is even stale, the sisters are once again neck-deep in murder, family secrets, and cheesecake they didn’t pay for. It's a Southern family drama with a body count, and I had a four-star time watching it all fall apart in pastel satin.

Things start with the wedding, where Mary Alice is basking in mother-of-the-bride glory and Patricia Anne is already side-eyeing the seating chart. Enter Meg, a genealogist on the groom’s side who seems delightful right up until she throws herself out of a courthouse window. Except... did she? The sisters are suspicious, mostly because the woman was upbeat, gossipy, and halfway through her dessert. Patricia Anne may be polite, but she knows you don’t abandon cheesecake unless you're being pushed.

From there it is straight into genealogy chaos, which sounds boring until you realize that digging through old Southern family secrets is basically a blood sport. Apparently it is not all dusty census records and grandma’s maiden name, it is hidden scandals, murdered judges, and the very real possibility that your great-great-whatever was not the war hero but the guy who sold the cannons to both sides. Meg had been poking around in some high-society dirt, and someone decided she needed to be permanently archived.

This one leans harder into the mystery than the previous books, and I gotta say, the stakes felt real. The sisters aren't just accidentally tripping over corpses this time, they are actively following leads, breaking into buildings, and making deeply illegal decisions while trying to figure out if Meg was silenced for what she knew. The ancestral dirt runs deep and includes judges, old money, and an uncomfortable number of people with both motive and bad manners.

The real heart of the series is still Patricia Anne and Mary Alice's dynamic, which continues to be absolute gold. They bicker like it’s cardio, but there is real love underneath all the snark. Patricia Anne is a retired English teacher with an undiagnosed grammar-related rage disorder. Mary Alice is the kind of woman who thinks lunch with a stranger is a perfectly fine time to get into someone’s scandalous family tree. They are each other’s emotional support chaos machines, and I love them for it.

There are also some delicious little moments that make the series feel lived-in. Fred, Patricia Anne’s husband, continues to be the soft-spoken MVP of the background. I would trust that man with my houseplants and my secrets. The family scenes are warm and weird in the way real family is. And yes, there is a dinner scene at the end that is both wildly funny and sneakily heartfelt, like the literary version of a banana pudding that hides bourbon under the meringue.

Is the ending a bit of a stretch? Sure. Are there more characters with duplicate names, shifting motives, and mysterious briefcases than anyone can realistically track? Absolutely. But did I care? No. I was too busy highlighting one-liners and picturing Mary Alice chasing down a suspect in rhinestone heels.

I gave it four stars because the mystery was juicy, the family drama was delightfully messy, and the sisters remain two of the most unqualified but entertaining detectives to ever bless the genre. If I ever go missing, I want Patricia Anne and Mary Alice on the case, not because they’ll follow procedure, but because they’ll break into your house and solve it between lunch courses.

Whodunity Award: For Making Genealogy Feel Like a Contact Sport

[Kymm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder Runs in the Family is the 3rd book in the Southern Sisters cozy series by Anne George and once again the sisters find themselves mixed up in another murder, but this time it's all about genealogy and family trees.

Mary Alice has thrown quite the extravagant wedding for her only daughter and at the reception her and her sister Patricia Anne meet a nice young woman whose job it is to search through family histories and find the skeletons and the heroes. The day after the wedding when the sisters are meeting for lunch word comes down that this woman has been found dead apparently after jumping from the 9th floor of the courthouse building! Suicide is suspected, but the sisters know this woman would never kill herself, she was so upbeat and excited about her company's increased business and looking forward to the future. They do remember her saying that this business is a "Dog Eat Dog business," though and are now starting to believe her.

The secrets will come out and the clues will pile up, but how far into the past will the sisters have to go to get to the bottom of this one? Patricia Anne, the former school teacher will have to rely on her research abilities along with some former school friends to dig through the ancestral tales of those involved and Mary Alice, the one with the money will use her societal connections to get in where others cannot. Soon they're both deep into genealogy and Patricia Anne is even thinking about having a search done on her husband's family for his birthday. However, this can be a dangerous business and what they learn may be the death of them.

Another good one by Anne George! These sisters are quite the pair and as much as they try to just carry on with their lives they always seem to be right in the middle of a murder. They never go out looking for trouble, but it always seems to find them and the fun and excitement follows. These are fun and funny books with great characters and the whole series, so far has really entertained me. I love the whole idea of two senior aged sisters out fighting crime. They're no where near trained or even knowledgeable about police procedures or crime, but they somehow always seem to be the ones solving the crimes! These sisters rock and Birmingham, AL is lucky to have them. I highly recommend this series to all cozy lovers or anyone who enjoys a good chuckle while reading. Happy Reading!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Alice and Patricia Ann are 60-something sisters living in Birmingham who seem to get tangled up in a lot of mysteries. This time, Mary Alice's daughter's wedding includes an elderly relative of the groom, and she happens to be a genealogist--and she happens to end up dead the following day (or close to that), having jumped/fallen/been pushed from the 10th story of the courthouse. As the sisters bicker and investigate, it seems that the world of genealogy is full of cutthroat politics, because who your ancestor was still matters in the south. But is that really the reason that Meg had to die?

I'd read this before, long ago, but I still enjoyed the bickering sisters who don't cavil at a few swear words here and there, and the intriguing world of professional genealogy. Anyone who reads this will laugh at the antique technology that was so cutting edge when it was written! If you're looking for a light mystery with humor and close family relationships despite the bickering, this is a good one to choose.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in the series. The book opens with the wedding of Mary Alice’s daughter. After the wedding, Mary Alice invites Patricia Anne to have lunch with a woman on the groom’s side of the family who is a genealogist. When Meg leaves to meet with a judge who happens by their table, the girls think nothing of it, until they see the police arrive and find out that their lunch companion has taken a dive from the 9th floor of a nearby building. Things get even more perplexing when the judge tries to take the woman’s briefcase. Unable to resist a mystery, the sisters dig in to find out what secrets that Meg might have found that led to her death. They start with the genealogy program that Meg created and snoop into her business associates. Patricia Anne is surprised to find one of her former students working there and asks her for help in their search. Through some unusual twists and turns, the sisters work to root out a killer and find a surprising conclusion.

[Becki Basley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder runs in the family (southern sisters series # 3) by Anne George (rb digital library loan).
By far one of my favorites on this series! Our favorite ahem.. older in years sisters Mary Alice and Patricia Ann fall into solving another murder when a lunch with a genealogist turns deadly. You got to feel for Patricia Ann, she just happens to always be at the right place at the wrong time. This is I think the fourth book I have listened to in this series (been finding them out of order and they definitely can be enjoyed out of order. ). They have definitely grown on me which their interactions with each other being the highlight of each book for me. My favorite part being the dinner at the end so look for it if you read the book. I’ll continue with the series as long as I can find the books.

[Elizabeth Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a newer resident of Alabama, and a friend thought this book series would make a good Christmas gift for me. Right my friend was.
Anne George gifts the reader with very specific settings, introduces landmarks, and gives you a sense of community.
I drive by the places she writes about everyday. I meet people just like the sisters. I feel a truth to the writing even though I was only expecting "chick lit."
And for all the sisterly banter in the story, by the middle of the book, I'd made up my mind that the ending would be neatly wrapped up and predictable., and sickening sweet. Not even close. Anne George made a believer out of me with the surprise twists, turns, and ending of "Murder Runs in the Family."