Hissy Fit

From Publishers Weekly
Interior decorator Keeley Rae Murdock has designed her whole life, right down to the antique Oriental rug planned for the foot of her bed. What she never counted on was discovering her fiancé, A.J. Jernigan, cavorting with her maid of honor in the middle of her rehearsal dinner. She pitches a hissy fit that reverberates through her tiny hometown of Madison, Ga., and captures the attention of Will Mahoney, a newcomer who recently purchased an antebellum plantation house. Headstrong, freckled Will pressures Keeley to restore the rundown mansion within six months. His plan: to woo a woman whom he has seen only on television by designing the house of her dreams by Christmas. Keeley knows it's an insane plan, but the Jernigans are now trying to put her out of business, so she begrudgingly accepts. As the house comes together, Keeley discovers links between the Jernigan legacy of infidelity and her mother's disappearance many years ago. Darker than the book's fluffy title suggests, this black comedy is riven with shocking secrets. And Keeley's vast knowledge of all things antique offers a fascinating peek into the luscious world of designer home furnishing, sure to make readers drool with envy over sideboards and sofas. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From AudioFile
Moira Driscoll is a perfect fit for Keeley Murdock, a modern-day Southerner who throws a legendary hissy fit when her relationship with town playboy A.J. Jernigan dissolves the night before their wedding. Moira Driscoll's accent, while decidedly Southern, is not too thick to bury Keeley's sophistication, yet not so light that the small-town Georgia girl she once was is lost. Driscoll does equally well when portraying Will Mahoney, a solid Yankee-turned-plantation-owner who navigates the social mazes of Southern life, as well as his pack-a-day aging secretary. Driscoll takes Andrews's lovable characters, throws in enough vocal personality for each, and creates a story that can lift you out of your car and drop you onto Main Street in Madison, Georgia, for hours of fun and silliness. H.L.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Andrews is the pseudonym of Kathy Trocheck, primarily known for her Callahan Garrity mystery series. This is the third Andrews title, following Savannah Blues (2002) and Little Bitty Lies [BKL S 1 03], and it's obvious she's on a roll. In the midst of a posh rehearsal dinner for her upcoming nuptials, interior decorator Keeley Murdock discovers her fiance, A. J. Jernigan, and her maid of honor in a lusty embrace. One major hissy fit later, the wedding is off, and Keeley is left trying to salvage her dignity. The disgraced Jernigans use their considerable clout to undermine Keeley's business. Desperate to shore up her finances, she takes a rush job redecorating an antebellum mansion for Will Mahoney, a wealthy entrepreneur who has recently purchased a failing local lingerie factory and whom she indelicately refers to as "bra boy." Andrews' descriptions of antique furniture and heart-pine flooring are so lush and appealing that they will seduce even the decorating-challenged. Throw in the idyllic southern setting and the humorous, often-scintillating banter, and you've got yourself another winning read. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Laced with humor and a sense of place that oozes the aroma of magnolia blossoms."


St. Petersburg Times
"Sweet and light and fun."


Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press
"There’s plenty of substance here for fans of dark comedy and high-end interior design."


Memphis Commercial Appeal
"Aimed at the shopaholics among us."


Star News (Wilmington, NC)
"When Andrews throws a fun ‘Hissy Fit,’ just give up, give in...entertaining."


Nashville Tennessean
"A good old-fashioned romp with a modern Southern belle taking no prisioners...entertains on many levels.


Book Description

Welcome to the world of Mary Kay Andrews, where manners are polished, reputations are tarnished ... and revenge issweet.

Keeley Murdock's wedding to A. J. Jernigan should have been the social event of the season. But when she catches her fiance doing the deed with her maid of honor at the country club rehearsal dinner, all bets are off. And so is the wedding. Keeley pitches the hissy fit of the century, earning herself instant notoriety in the small town of Madison, Georgia.

Even worse is the financial pressure A.J.'s banking family brings to bear on Keeley's interior design business. But riding to the rescue -- in a vintage yellow Cadillac -- is the redheaded stranger who's purchased a failing local bra plant. Will Mahoney hires Keeley to redo the derelict antebellum mansion he's bought. Her assignment: decorate it for the woman of his dreams -- a woman he's never met.

Only a designing woman like Keeley Murdock can find a way to clear her name and give her cheating varmint of an ex-fiance the comeuppance he so richly deserves. And only Mary Kay Andrews can deliver such delicious social satire. With Hissy Fit, she's created a story as outrageous, dishy, and true as Savannah Blues and Little Bitty Lies.


Download Description
"

Welcome to the world of Mary Kay Andrews, where manners are polished, reputations are tarnished ... and revenge issweet.

Keeley Murdock's wedding to A. J. Jernigan should have been the social event of the season. But when she catches her fiance doing the deed with her maid of honor at the country club rehearsal dinner, all bets are off. And so is the wedding. Keeley pitches the hissy fit of the century, earning herself instant notoriety in the small town of Madison, Georgia.

Even worse is the financial pressure A.J.'s banking family brings to bear on Keeley's interior design business. But riding to the rescue -- in a vintage yellow Cadillac -- is the redheaded stranger who's purchased a failing local bra plant. Will Mahoney hires Keeley to redo the derelict antebellum mansion he's bought. Her assignment: decorate it for the woman of his dreams -- a woman he's never met.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Keeley Murdock's wedding to A.J. Jernigan should have been the social event of the season. But when she catches her fiance doing the deed with her maid of honor at the country club rehearsal dinner, all bets are off. And so is the wedding. Keeley pitches the hissy fit of the century, earning herself instant notoriety in the small town of Madison, Georgia.

Even worse is the financial pressure A.J.'s banking family brings to bear on Keeley's interior design business. But riding to the rescue -- in a vintage yellow Cadillac -- is the redheaded stranger who's bought a failing local bra plant. Will Mahoney hires Keeley to redo the derelict antebellum mansion he's bought. Her assignment: decorate it for the woman of his dreams -- a woman he's never met.

Only a designing woman like Keeley Murdock can find a way to clear her name and give her cheating varmint of an ex-fiance the comeuppance he so richly deserves. And only Mary Kay Andrews can deliver such delicious social satire. With Hissy Fit, she's created a story as outrageous, dishy, and true as Savannah Blues and Little Bitty Lies.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Interior decorator Keeley Rae Murdock has designed her whole life, right down to the antique Oriental rug planned for the foot of her bed. What she never counted on was discovering her fiance, A.J. Jernigan, cavorting with her maid of honor in the middle of her rehearsal dinner. She pitches a hissy fit that reverberates through her tiny hometown of Madison, Ga., and captures the attention of Will Mahoney, a newcomer who recently purchased an antebellum plantation house. Headstrong, freckled Will pressures Keeley to restore the rundown mansion within six months. His plan: to woo a woman whom he has seen only on television by designing the house of her dreams by Christmas. Keeley knows it's an insane plan, but the Jernigans are now trying to put her out of business, so she begrudgingly accepts. As the house comes together, Keeley discovers links between the Jernigan legacy of infidelity and her mother's disappearance many years ago. Darker than the book's fluffy title suggests, this black comedy is riven with shocking secrets. And Keeley's vast knowledge of all things antique offers a fascinating peek into the luscious world of designer home furnishing, sure to make readers drool with envy over sideboards and sofas. Agent, Stuart Krichevsky. (Aug. 22) Forecast: Andrews's Little Bitty Lies built on the success of Savannah Blues, and this sharp Southern treat should bump Andrews up another notch. 12-city author tour. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

When 28-year-old interior designer Keeley Murdock catches her fianc with her maid of honor at her wedding rehearsal dinner, she pitches a hissy fit worthy of the Guinness Book of World Records. Then she meets Will Mahoney, the cute new owner of the town's local bra plant, who offers her a ride home. The next day, he gives her something else-a contract to decorate the historic home he's just purchased. Money is no object, but Keeley has to figure out how to make the d cor reflect the lofty visions of Will's prospective bride (the hitch: he's never met her). Readers who enjoy books set in the South that deal with love, friendship, and getting even (e.g., Anne Klein's The Ride to Dinah's Wedding) will find themselves laughing out loud at this latest novel by Andrews (Little Bitty Lies). For fiction collections of all sizes. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/04.]-Shelley Mosley, Glendale Community Coll. Lib. Media Ctr., AZ Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile

Moira Driscoll is a perfect fit for Keeley Murdock, a modern-day Southerner who throws a legendary hissy fit when her relationship with town playboy A.J. Jernigan dissolves the night before their wedding. Moira Driscoll's accent, while decidedly Southern, is not too thick to bury Keeley's sophistication, yet not so light that the small-town Georgia girl she once was is lost. Driscoll does equally well when portraying Will Mahoney, a solid Yankee-turned-plantation-owner who navigates the social mazes of Southern life, as well as his pack-a-day aging secretary. Driscoll takes Andrews's lovable characters, throws in enough vocal personality for each, and creates a story that can lift you out of your car and drop you onto Main Street in Madison, Georgia, for hours of fun and silliness. H.L.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews