Drop Dead Divas opens with a true southern belle Bitty Hollandale shouting out an alliterative, slanderous insult about Naomi Spencer in a crowded café. After more slings and arrows, the two get into an altercation over Naomi’s relationship with Bitty’s now-dead husband Philip, a story first told in the hilarious Dixie Divas. Soon after the chicken and dumpling slinging incident at Budgie’s Café, Bitty receives a phone call from a fellow Diva – Naomi had been arrested for murder. The apparent murder victim was Naomi’s fiancé, race car driver Race Champion.

Bitty quickly sought out the juicy details of the murder by entertaining one of Race’s ex-girlfriends and several of the Diva’s in her home against the wishes of Bitty’s best friend and first cousin, Trinket Truevine. Of course, chaos ensued. When Naomi turned up dead and Bitty was considered the perpetrator, the gals quickly put their amateur sleuthing skills to work to find out who was behind the murders. Unfortunately, they soon found their own lives in danger.

First of all, Bitty, Trinket, and Rayna were run off the road tumbling into a deep ravine and landing all three in the hospital. As Trinket noted, chaos was always a part of their lives when Bitty was around. As soon as the three were released and on the mend, lives were placed in further danger as the gals continued their quest to find the murderer.

Drop Dead Divas is the second novel in the Dixie Divas series by acclaimed author Virginia Brown. The novelist has more than fifty romance and mystery novels to her credit. The Diva series is forming into a laugh-out-loud look into a world of small-town southern living that most of us can only imagine.

The Divas consist of twelve local women who are specifically invited into the group, and enjoy their times together with wine, chocolate, and great fun. Their mantra is “What happens with the Divas, stays with the Divas.” What little snippets about the group that have already leaked out are on their way to becoming legendary tales in this quaint Mississippi town.

The usual cast of characters brings continuity to the second offering and also includes Trinket’s mom and dad whose care she oversees, super-sharp lawyer Jackson Lee Brunetti, and Trinket’s friend Kit Coltrane as well as the previously mentioned Divas.

A special thank you goes to Bell Bridge Books for providing a complimentary copy of Drop Dead Divas for review. If you are interested in buying your own copy of this book or Dixie Divas, they are available at Amazon.com.