Miss Julia Takes Over

Miss Julia #2

by Ann B. Ross

When Miss Julia burst on the scene in her fictional debut, Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, this proper lady of a certain age found her orderly world turned upside down when Hazel Marie Puckett appeared with her nine-year-old son, Little Lloyd, who looked disturbingly similar to Miss Julia's late husband. Now, in Miss Julia Takes Over, with her sharp tongue and iron backbone intact, Miss Julia must tackle another disruption when Hazel Marie doesn't return from a dinner date with a fund-raiser who, in Miss Julia's opinion, wears his shorts too tight. Frantic and unable to persuade the local police that Hazel Marie is in danger, Miss Julia hires J. D. Pickens to investigate, despite her reservations about his taste for beer and women. She and Little Lloyd help search for Hazel Marie, running into adventures ranging from a most indelicate display of fisticuffs to a high-speed car chase on the track of a NASCAR Speedway, all the while standing strong ...because if Miss Julia doesn't take care of things, who will?

Fast paced, funny, and full of colorful characters you'll want to meet again and again, Miss Julia Takes Over is a zany race through the South you'll not soon forget.

*** Description from Amazon ***

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

309 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Ann 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.

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if I can read another Miss Julia book. What was laugh-out-loud funny in the first book never quite made it for me in this one. I was immediately tired of Miss Julia's self-absorption, inability to listen, and misjudgment.

[Melike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Julia is as entertaining and funny as ever. The narrator does an excellent job. Loved it.

[Angie Bollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need a little fluff. These books just make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It's nice when a problem can be solved in 200 pages or less. Love Miss Julia.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fluffy, Charming, Feel-good entertainment

Miss Julia, a resourceful, sharp-tongued elderly widow has her life plunged into chaos when Hazel Marie, Little Llyod’s mother, does not return home from a dinner date. Everyone says not to worry. Knowing she would never just abandon her son; Miss Julia takes action without delay by hiring a private investigator to do the job the police ignore. J. D. Pickens may regret signing on for this simple missing person’s case when he finds a widow and boy along for the ride as they scrutinize his every move – just to be sure he’s earning every penny. With a legal battle looming over Little Llyod, they must find Hazel Marie, since only she can put a stop to it.

Series Note:
Miss Julia Takes Over (Miss Julia #2) by Ann B. Ross, published August 21st 2019 by Recorded Books (first published 2001). A standalone cozy mystery, the second of twenty-two primary works centered around Miss Julia, an elderly widow in Abbotsville, North Carolina.

Audio Book Note:
For this book, I opted to listen to an audio rather than read eBook as I did with the first book in the series. The narration by Cynthia Darlow brought the southern accents to life! Her voice was well matched for Miss Julia’s character, and the other characters were voiced quite well too. She really brought out the annoying cadence of Brother Vern’s preaching voice.

Miss Julia Takes Over is fast paced and hilarious. The bantering between Miss Julia and the PI had me laughing out loud. Their road trip searching out clues is best part of the story. All the seemingly unrelated pieces of the story are perfectly tied together by the end. And most of the side characters in the first book are woven into this story too. Recommended.

[Meredith Galman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently some people think Miss Julia is a pip; I think she is a pill.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have become very fond of these little books. The biggest reason is that the author lives 30 minutes away in Hendersonville, NC. Miss Julia is an elderly woman who is just now finding her place in this world and the story of her tangling with NASCAR is pretty funny. As with the first of this series, the relationship she has with her late husband's mistress and their son is the core of the story and does not disappoint. I can't wait to watch "Little Lloyd" grow up in the remaining books. Whenever the latest "Miss Julia" book comes out, it is a celebration at the library in which I work. The patrons, many elderly themselves, flock to her stories. As will I as I work myself through the series.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute pleasure to read. I love Miss Julia!

[Rhonda Dlouhy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Mr. Pickens! Ms. Julia was determined to hold him accountable for doing his job. I love Miss Julia's relationship with Little Lloyd & Lillian. When Lillian asks Julia about Little Lloyd missing school, she said not to worry about that. "He's so far ahead of the others, his absence'll give them time to catch up." I also liked when Lillian told Miss Julia "This ain't no time to be weaken' down on us" when Miss Julia was worried about losing Little Lloyd. Lillian gave Miss Julia's arm a shake and went on to say "You hear me, now." I loved when she was trying to point out the advantages of being a widow to another widow.

[Robyn Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 2nd in this series and the last for me. Cute and clever but definitely NOT compelling.
Boring and annoying at times.
Bookclub #2 choice. Borrowed book from library. Had to renew twice just to get through it.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this book nearly as much as the first one in the series. I've heard they get better after this one. I hope so!

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretty much my rating. it was okay. really liked the first one. we'll see about the 3rd.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed "Miss Julia Speaks her Mind," so I was anxious to read the rest of the series. While I enjoyed this second installemnt, I found Miss Julia a little annoying in this one. Her "speaking out," was getting on my nerves because it was directed at someone who was trying to help her. The outspokeness was endearing in the first novel because the people really deserved to be told off. Her evasion of the law made me uncomfortable, and I couldn't get into the little romances - there wasn't enough build up for them to be believable. I had predicted the ending half way into the novel as well. So all in all it was pretty disappointing, but still a fun, lighthearted read.

[Adrianna Barkey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version of Miss Julia #2, and it was absolutely horrible. The story is read by a woman who sounds nothing like the reader of the first book, and she has one of the most irritating voices I've ever heard. Her voice does not fit the description of Miss Julia's as southern lady, and it sounds like the late comedian Leslie Jordan is trying to impersonate a woman after smoking a carton of cigarettes. Awful! Then, there's the story itself. I have no idea what happened to Ann Ross after her firsr book, but the 2nd editiion was one of the most repetitive, drawn out books I've read in quite a while. What a disappointment! If I regain the strength to attempt book #3, I sure won't listen to it.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very down-home mystery stories and at times laugh out loud funny. You really get involved with the characters and come away feeling like you have made new friends. The stories are similar in style to Fannie Flagg. I would recommend this series to anyone who needs a break from the super-tense, blood and gore type of mysteries we see so often in popular lit.

[Ellen Benson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Miss Julia makes me tired. Don't think I can read any more of these. And she certainly goes to a different Presbyterian church than I do!

[D. Wickles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this series with the no-nonsense, out-spoken Miss Julia. There's also the added bonus of being set in my home state of North Carolina. On to book #3.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely Southern fluff

[L Fisch · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tied a few from this series and I am shocked at the racist aspects in these books. Really gross. No excuse. It deserve zero stars.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot, but it took me a few pages to get into it. I was put off at first by the exaggerated southern language of all characters and the slurred speech of the black characters. Miss Julia starts off thinking "I declare" - that's a phrase you say, not think! The reader needs to overlook the portrayal of Christianity and especially the Presbyterian church, as the behaviors of the pastor, the fundraiser, and Miss Julia are not typical. Growing up, we had real wine in the communion tray, and the Presbyterian doctrine doesn't disallow drinking a beer. But, I quickly got into the book, and forgot about it. I had a good laugh over Miss Julia's bossy and controlling ways, and really laughed during the race track scene. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be entertained, and can laugh at quirky behavior, instead of focusing on things to take offense from.

[Michelle]

Miss Julia is that horrible neighbor on Nextdoor that you can't believe hasn't been banned yet.

Quote from Miss Julia: "I declare, I thought Hazel Marie had given up such loose ways. I thought I'd shown her a more decent way of living and now, she's fallen right back into the gutter"

Quote from her housekeeper(?): "Yessum, an' that little chile just gonna be sick about it when he come home, an' she not be here. He know she don't have no sick friend like you tole him this mornin'"

It's not funny, it's horrible.

[Rachel N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in this series. Miss Julia doesn't know what to do when Hazel Marie doesn't come home from her date with church fundraiser Wilson T. Hodge. After the police won't help her she hires private investigator J.D. Pickens but only if she and Little Lloyd can help in the search. These books are a lot of fun. I don't think I'd want to read too many in a row but I enjoy visiting Miss Julia.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Julia, her late husband’s son and his mother have made a family. Hazel Marie is missing and Julia can’t get any help. The local minister is also trying to take little Lloyd away. Julia hires a PI to find Hazel Marie, the one she hires makes her nervous and she goes with him on a big adventure to find Hazel Marie

[JaNel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The "high jinks" are fun, but gets messy and just too much Southern philosophy.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly fun

[Heidi Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was not good. I was very close to giving up on it. I thought that skimming would be fine. I ended up reading it and I thought it got better. I’m not going to read these books consecutively though. I need a palette cleanser 😑too much craziness 😵‍💫

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As another reviewer said, sometimes you need a little fluff.

[Marie Bertholf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Julia is a hot mess! Love her.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe one of my favorites in this series! Though unlikely it is entertaining, and amusing.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful read, adding more background for character relationships in this series that I discovered by jumping in to it with a more recent book.
Takes main character on many different adventures to solve a major crisis!
Fast-paced and full of great reveals about her surrounding inner circle!
Several times were LOL funny! Really enjoying discovering this series!

[Jade Lazaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dirty underwear. Nascar. Erectile Dysfunction. 3 subjects I would almost never see associated with a conservative and religious town, and yet they paired wonderfully in this book. I can't tell you how often I am taken aback when scandalous scenes such as the ones that went down here are still part of the same novel. I mentioned this in one of my earlier reviews that I accidentally read the last book of
the Miss Julia series and now I am starting from the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Mr pickens. When I read about him in the last book, he didn't quite stand out as he does now. When I first heard of
him in a different book, he wasn't quite this debonair flirt I read about today. However, his character was this macho and self assured guy who was full of witty comebacks. For example: one of my
favorite lines of Pickens is when some guy tries to threaten him by saying "im warning you." But pickens kind of like makes himself bigger and says "warn me again." He says it like a challenge. Also, LuAnne is not one of my favorite characters, but her appearances most certainly add to the humor. I think my only comments for the book would be it seems to me that Brother Vern almost always has this element of crazy and
I was just curious why was he speaking with not quite a lisp but adding "ah" after every word he spoke. In addition; I feel that he sometimes to me just comes off as an added element to add to the craziness around- kind of
just noise. In the first book of the series, i definitely saw more of him. This book overall was hilariously good and I can't wait to read the next
one!