SUMMARY

Meet Mama: a true Southern woman with impeccable manners, sherbet-colored pantsuits, and four prior husbands, able to serve sweet tea and sidestep alligator attacks with equal aplomb. Mama's antics — especially her penchant for finding trouble — drive her daughters Mace, Maddie, and Marty to distraction.

One night, while settling in to look for ex-beaus on COPS, Mace gets a frantic call from her mother. This time, the trouble is real: Mama found a body in the trunk of her turquoise convertible and the police think she's the killer. It doesn't help that the handsome detective assigned to the case seems determined to prove Mama's guilt or that the cowboy who broke Mace's heart shows up at the local Booze ‘n' Breeze in the midst of the investigation. Before their mama lands in prison — just like an embarrassing lyric from a country-western song — Mace and her sisters must find the real culprit.

TV APPEARANCES

◊ NBC's Today Show from November 4, 2008

◊ "Mayor's Book Talk" from January 14, 2009

◊ NBC6 "South Florida Today." from July 17, 2009

◊ NBC's Today Show from August 4, 2009

REVIEWS

"The mystery and its plucky narrator will draw you in faster than a raccoon to a trash can. Its engaging style having been enhanced with Southernisms and funny asides."

—Miami ArtZine

“Mama Does Time is a humorous, touching reflection on familial love and politics.”

—Mystery Scene Magazine

“A fast-paced start to a new series with fun characters”
—The Mystery Reader

“The author’s surname – Sharp – is an apt adjective to describe her writing. Her characters crackle off the page.”

—Cozy Library

"Sharp's sparkling down-home humor, her understanding of her town and her characters, and her satisfying plot twists make the Mace Bauer series a thoroughly enjoyable read."

—Boca Raton News (Boca Raton, Fla.)

"Native Floridian Deborah Sharp's acute comic timing and detailed perceptions of old Florida sparkle in her lively debut...Sharp's engaging storytelling makes Mama Does Time highly entertaining."

—Oline H. Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"Deborah Sharp has an eye for character...She's funny, perceptive, and entertaining. What more can a cozy reader ask for?"

—Reviewing the Evidence

"Colorful characters and a segment of Florida seldom seen by tourists evoke a Southern Sisters feeling in this very well written Southern fried epic...A winner."

—BookBitch.com

PUBLICITY REVIEWS

“Mama Does Time is an easy-breezy mystery with lots of chuckles and clues to ponder…The quartet is good for laughs and down-home comfort. Good plot, fair clues and enough wacky characters to keep you chuckling your way through—what more could you ask?”

—Mysterical-E

"With a strong, funny heroine, colorful characters, and a look at a part of Florida the tourists rarely see, Deborah Sharp has an engaging new series. Make sure Mama Does Time does time on your bookshelf."

-- Elaine Viets, author of Clubbed to Death: a Dead-End Job Mystery

"Deborah Sharp's witty way with words makes Mama Does Time as much fun as a down-home visit with your quirky Florida cousins.''

--Nancy Martin, author of the Blackbird Sisters Mysteries

"Not since the late Anne George has there been such laugh-out-loud Southern fried fun. Deborah Sharp's Mama Does Time is a hilarious page turner with crisp and intelligent writing."

--Sue Ann Jaffarian, author of the Odelia Grey Mystery series

"Who knew that a who-dun-it would not only keep you guessing—but have you laughing!  Deborah Sharp is the new Edna Buchanan."

—Hoda Kotb, NBC "Today" show co-anchor

"Deborah Sharp is the freshest, funniest voice to come along since, well, since I can't remember when. She's wise, she's wily and, what matters most -- she knows the hearts of people. Mama Does Time has it all -- murder, mystery and a brand new take on Florida's particular version of mayhem. Mama, aka Rosalee Deveraux, is an absolute hoot. And Mace Bauer, her middle daughter and the savvy, surefooted heroine of this romp of a book, is a most welcome addition to the ranks of detective fiction."

—Bob Morris, fourth-generation Floridian and Edgar-nominated author of the Zack Chasteen mystery novels

"Newcomer Deborah Sharp will knock your socks off with this clever cozy mystery."

—Fresh Fiction