Miss Julia Takes Over

Quirky, tough, and delightful Julia Springer is the kind of woman you would really enjoy for a friend. But never as an enemy, that's for certain. So when the mother of young Lloyd Jr., the child by Miss Julia's late husband disappears, Julia can't help but get involved in the situation.The little boy's mothe, Hazel Marie, has a less than perfect background. So she may have just slipped back into the life she came from in the first place. Indeed, Miss Julia's preliminary investigation turns up some evidence that Hazel Marie may have been involved in a crime-and that Little Llpyd may now himself be in danger. So Miss Julia, not allowing others to do the dirty work, sets off all over North Carolina to figure out what's with Hazel Marie.

When Hazel Marie doesn't return from a movie date with Wilson T. Hodge, Miss Julia sets out to find her. Unable to get the proper help from the police department, she hires the private investigator, J.D. Pickens. Insisting on tagging along while he tries to find Hazel Marie, Miss Julia finds herself in all sorts of interesting situations as they follow the trail of clues. Just as funny as Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, this book is completely hilarious and entertaining.

Ann B. Ross has written another masterpiece about Miss Julia. Bringing back some familiar characters from Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind and introducing us to some new ones, we are once again caught up in an adventure that quickly spirals out of control as the scheming Brother Vern tries to get his hands on Miss Julia's money, and Hazel Marie is quickly bamboozled by the man in her life. Miss Julia comes to the rescue with the help of J.D. Pickens, the private investigator hired to help rescue Hazel Marie. Miss Julia has her hands full, keeping the womanizing Mr. Pickens in line and focused on her case as well as keeping everybody else attuned to proper behavior. I love Miss Julia, mainly because it's like romping through my mother's mind. I'm sure she has the same thoughts of propriety and decorum, and gets her feathers ruffled when people don't see things quite her way. Miss Julia is a joy as she valiantly tries to keep everybody on the straight and narrow while straying a bit from the path herself. Her manner of speaking and explaining things had me laughing out loud more than once, as I thoroughly enjoyed this page-turner. A sequel to any book is never as good as the original, as the delightful surprise of discovering Miss Julia isn't in this book (unless you missed the first one), but Ann B. Ross's talent for creating a rip-roaring adventure and preserving the personalities of her characters hasn't diminished a bit. In addition to the fun of reading the story, there's a lot to think about, such as how colorful and dramatic women of the South can be, what gossip can do to a person's reputation, and how people can justify telling tales and not calling it gossip. I particularly enjoy the fact that it's still possible to write a ripping good tale with no sex and precious few cuss words.

I wasn't too sure about this book at first, and this being the second book in the series, I actually read it out of order. Now that I am reading the first book in the series, I am able to put 2 and 2 together. This was a humerous and exciting book that I could hardly put down. Miss Julia is quite a character and I find myself wanting to know what each day will bring her. It's as if she is a real person and when I'm finished reading, I'll still be wondering what's next. You are sure to enjoy this book for easy, relaxed reading.