The Istoriaphile’s Corner

I miss Anne George.  During the early 1990’s, when I was settling into life as an adult, Anne was one of the literary lights in Birmingham, Alabama.  She was a local girl who taught for years and wrote poetry and short stories on the side.  After retiring from education, her literary career swung into high gear and she made readers and booksellers happy until that day in 2001 when she died, most unexpectedly, during heart surgery.   Her passing broke a lot of hearts, including my friend J.’s, who appreciated her as a friend as well as an author.  Anne’s poetry was good but what I miss most are her Southern Sisters mysteries.  Anne turned Birmingham into the setting for her Southern cozies. Cozies are that sub-set of mysteries that are uncomplicated fun.   Any violence is usually off-stage, the detective is normally an amateur and there’s a minimum of grit or grime.  Jessica Fletcher is a good example of a cozy’s detective, although the first must have been Miss Jane Marple.  Normally, I like mayhem in my mysteries and angst running through all of the characters (hurray for Val McDermid!) but I love Anne George’s Southern Sisters mysteries because she…