Savannah Blues FROM THE PUBLISHER
Landing a catch like Talmadge Evans III got Eloise "Weezie" Foley a big house in Savannah's historic district. Divorcing him got her booted into the carriage house in the backyard. Tal, meanwhile, lives with his girlfriend, elegant Caroline DeSantos, in the mansion Weezie lovingly restored. For Weezie, letting her dog piddle on Caroline's prize camellias isn't payback enough.
Now Weezie, and antiques "picker," is trying to make a killing at a big estate sale while dealing with loopy relatives, a hunky ex-boyfriend who's the hottest chef in town, and the Tal-Caroline "situation." Dirty deals are simmering all around her, just as Weezie discovers how very delicious love can be—the second time around.
About the Author:
Mary Kay Andrews is a former antiques "picker" herself and a former journalist who covered the famous trial that was the subject of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. She lives in Atlanta, GA.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
This delightfully breezy, richly atmospheric debut by a former journalist who covered Savannah's infamous Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil murder trials fails to generate much suspense, but it derives its charm from an encyclopedic trove of lore about antiquities and dishy gossip, Southern style. Divorced from blue-blood architect Talmadge Evans III, but still living in a carriage house in the backyard of their restored mansion, Eloise "Weezie" Foley suffers the indignity of having her ex's sexy fianc e, Caroline DeSantos, living in the main house Weezie restored herself. As a "picker," Weezie earns her living foraging for discarded treasures in Dumpsters and at estate sales. When she discovers Caroline's corpse in a historic manor house, Weezie is the prime suspect in her murder. To compound her quandary, Weezie's attorney her closeted Uncle James, an ex-Catholic priest is having an illicit affair with a man from the DA's office. Factor in her on-again, off-again romance with old high school flame Daniel Stipanek, counterfeit antiques and her mom's alcoholism, and the plucky heroine has enough problems to drive at least three novels. Unfortunately, the suspense gets lost somewhere among the antiques and Weezie's attempts to consummate her romance with Daniel. But even a denouement that comes way too soon and a junk bin of distractions won't keep readers away. 8-city author tour. (Feb. 20) Forecasts: This appealing effort should do well enough on its own, but if booksellers and publicists play up the Midnight connection, it could soar. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Savannah Blues is the story of a woman coming to terms with the sudden changes in her life and of a charming city, Savannah, GA. Eloise "Weezie" Foley has lived in Savannah her whole life and is thinking about leaving owing to a nasty divorce from her cheating husband, Tal Evans III. The divorce settlement has left her living with her dog in the carriage house, located in the backyard of the townhouse that she found, bought, and restored during her marriage. To make matters worse, Tal is engaged and living in the townhouse with sleazy, sexy Caroline DeSantos. Weezie is a "picker," someone who searches through garbage, estate sales, etc., to find discarded items to resell to antiques dealers. When she discovers a dead body while trying to sneak into an estate sale early, things get problematical for Weezie: the murdered woman is Caroline. Read by Susan Ericksen, this novel is filled with funny, likable, attention-grabbing, and quirky characters. A multilayered book that includes antiquing tips, romance, and murder, this heartwarming tale of loss and love is a worthwhile purchase for public libraries.-Carol Stern, Glen Cove Lib., NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
AudioFile
When Eloise "Weezie" Foley's husband, Talmadge Evans III, divorces her, he's awarded their gorgeous historic Savannah home, which she decorated. Weezie ends up with the carriage house in the back garden. Susan Ericksen gives a warm and charming glow to Weezie's spunky personality. As Weezie continues her antique business on a shoestring, Tal's beautiful and perfectly groomed girlfriend moves into the big house, making the situation more tense than ever. A twist of fate finds Weezie smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation and falling in love at the same time. Ericksen superbly balances suspense with sexual tension and emotional overload with brainy humor. B.J.P. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
Sassy gal hunts for antiques in Savannah's street junk-and tracks down a killer. Eloise Foley ("Weezie" to her devoted friends) has been forced to move out of the 1858 townhouse she shared with her obnoxious ex-husband, Talmadge Evans III, the blue-blooded heir to an old southern name and fortune. He got the townhouse, where he now lives with his new flame, Caroline DeSantos, and Weezie got the charming carriage house just behind it, big enough for her and her mutt Jethro, who always pees on Caroline's camellias. Weezie's mother frets about Weezie having no job, husband, or prospects-and then BeBe Loudermilk, Weezie's best bud, introduces her to the sexy new chef at the restaurant she owns. Dan Stipanek is ruggedly handsome-and wouldn't you know it, Weezie knew him way back when they used to make out under the stars at Beaulieu, an antebellum house once owned by the Mullinaxes, the last of whom recently died at 97, without an heir, so that an estate sale has been planned. Weezie sneaks into the house in the dead of night to get a better look before any choice items are snapped up by dealers, and she spots a unique corner cabinet of burled elm that may have been carved by a master carpenter, once a slave. If she could buy and resell it, she'd have enough money to open her own shop. Weezie continues to prowl through the old manse, opens a closet door-and out tumbles the body of Caroline DeSantos! For the police, Weezie's the number one suspect, but they don't have evidence to arrest her. Meanwhile, she keeps looking for the corner cabinet, which has disappeared. Could wicked antiques-dealer Lewis Hargeaves be mixed up in all this? First-timer Andrews, a former journalist and once anantiques "picker" herself, offers deft plotting, sly humor, and appealing characters: pure fun. Author tour
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