Miss Julia Takes Over

The follow-up to Ann B. Ross's beloved debut that kicked off the New York Times bestselling series. Look out for Ann Ross's newest, Miss Julia Raises the Roof, coming April 2018 from Viking. 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.

Miss Julia, a recently bereaved and newly wealthy widow, is only slightly bemused when one Hazel Marie Puckett appears at her door with a youngster in tow and unceremoniously announces that the child is the bastard son of Miss Julia's late husband. Suddenly, this longtime church member and pillar of her small Southern community finds herself in the center of an unseemly scandal-and the guardian of a wan nine-year-old whose mere presence turns her life upside down. With razor-sharp wit and perfect "Steel Magnolia" poise, Miss Julia speaks her mind indeed-about a robbery, a kidnapping, and the other disgraceful events precipitated by her husband's death. Fast-paced and charming, with a sure sense of comic drama, a cast of crazy characters, and a strong Southern cadence, Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind will delight readers from first page to last.

The nineteenth installment of the beloved and New York Times bestselling Miss Julia series With her husband Sam off on a trip to Europe, Miss Julia reckons it's about time to roll up her sleeves and be of some use to her community. It's then that she hears that the nosy do-gooder Madge Taylor and the new pastor Rucker are embarking on a mission to buy up the vacant house next door to Hazel Marie and establish a group home for wayward teenagers. No stranger to taking in the down-and-out herself, Miss Julia is shocked to learn Madge and the pastor are keeping the project a secret. When Miss Julia and Hazel Marie start investigating, though, they uncover a far less philanthropic plot for the house that even Madge doesn't know about--one that could change the quiet, peaceful neighborhood forever. Miss Julia must band together with friends and neighbors to take on nosy Madge and her steamrolling plans, while still being helpful to those in need in another entertaining installment of Ann B. Ross's bestselling series.

"Delightful . . . Those who like smiles with their crimes will be satisfied" by the 13th in the popular Miss Julia series (Publishers Weekly). Don't miss her newest, Miss Julia Raises the Roof, coming April 2018 from Viking. 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.

Imagine Aunt Bee from The Andy Griffith Show with a lot more backbone and confidence," wrote Publishers Weekly about Miss Julia, Ann Ross's endearing Dixie doyenne of decorum. Don't miss her latest, Miss Julia Raises the Roof, coming April 2018 from Viking. In her latest romp, Miss Julia—now Mrs. Sam Murdoch—returns from her whirlwind elopement, only to find herself roped into Hazel Marie's scheme to raise money by throwing a beauty pageant. Though it all seems a tad distasteful, it's nothing compared to the revelation that Pigeon Forge, the marriage mill across the state line that wedded Julia and Sam, might not be legitimate. And a flustered Julia can't help wondering whether she and Sam can keep up appearances before the town finds out they might be living in sin.

Miss Julia's regular doctor has gone on vacation, leaving a replacement in his stead. Never one to miss an opportunity to entertain-- or size up-- a newcomer, Miss Julia invites Dr. Don Crawford and his painfully shy wife, Lauren, to dinner. While Miss Julia and Sam both note Lauren's obvious lack of social skills, it's her friends Hazel Marie and Binkie that pick up on some of Dr. Crawford's less palatable qualities. Meanwhile, Lloyd has gotten his first car, and LuAnne, fresh off her divorce, has started a job at the local funeral home and is in urgent need of an occupation-appropriate makeover. -- adapted from jacket

Read the 3rd installment in tyhe New York Times bestselling series about Miss Julia, the proper lady of a certain age with a backbone of iron and perfect Steel Magnolia poise, not to mention the sharpest tongue south of the Mason-Dixon Line. And don't miss Ann Ross's newest, Miss Julia Raises the Roof, coming April 2018 from Viking. In Miss Julia Throws a Wedding, we find her feeling a little wistful when Hazel Marie, once her late husband's paramour and now her best friend, prepares to move out and live in sin with that marriage-shy Mr. Pickens. Suddenly, to Miss Julia's delight, a wedding is in the offing: Handsome Deputy Coleman Bates and attorney Binkie Enloe announce their plans to run down to the courthouse and tie the knot. But Miss Julia insists they have a real wedding ceremony and vows to make it happen. When a missing preacher, a crowd of uninvited guests, and a queasy bride threaten the happy event, Miss Julia is there to restore order, confirming her undying motto: if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!

Pardon our French, but in Miss Julia's newest nonstop adventure, "steel magnolias kick butt" (Kirkus Reviews). Don't miss the newest, Miss Julia Raises the Roof, coming April 2018 from Viking. Miss Julia has promised her adoring husband, Sam, to mind her own business. What a relief! Instead of trying to figure out why that dead body was found in Miss Petty's toolshed, Miss Julia can concentrate on taking care of just-in-time newlywed Hazel Marie as she prepares for her impending due date. But then Miss Julia-who has always balanced her checkbook down to the penny-suddenly finds her checks bouncing all over town. Just this once (as she tells herself), Miss Julia starts investigating and so begin the antics that have made her one of the most beloved and irrepressible ladies-of-a-certain-age in today's fiction.