It is sad when a writer doesn't know when to give it up on a series. Although this one was not as "preachy" as the few before it, it still lacks what made the first ones in the series sparkle. I have been trying to find a word to describe what I feel about the ending, and I keep coming back to th...
I only gave this book three stars because it didn't completely turn me off of the series, and my rule is a minimum of three stars if I'll keep reading. That said, I know Ms. Brown has a strong point of view, and although I often disagree with it, it's her book, her podium. However, this time I ...
Rita Mae has done it again with a fabulous Mrs. Murphy mystery. Taking place during the Christmas season and involving the Order of the Brothers of Love, the mysterious murders of some brothers who are found with throats slit and Greek coins under the tongues casts a shadow over the holiday seaso...
I had forgotten that I have lost my interest in the Sneaky Pie Brown series as it moves to the author's podium for political discourse. It's not that I agree or disagree with her sentiments, I just get enough of that in the media. The mystery in this story is definitely the side story and there...
I downloaded this book after having read about 17 titles in the series, one after another, having become a bit attached to the characters and accustomed to a good bedtime yarn. Took a look at the reviews a nanosecond before the final step, and found it had been rather thoroughly panned, but I was...
I picked up this book by chance a few years ago and held it on hand for a day when I wanted a fun murder mystery. Being a Virginian, I thought that reading a book set in my home state would be enjoyable. But the story isn't gripping, the author's opinions about life and politics are off-putting, ...
I thought this was pretty cute. I like Miss Murphy, but find the plots too formulaic and dull. I liked the characters (but then I always like dogs), but I found it odd that they all had the same speech patterns. The only other thing that bothers me about Brown's style is her penchant to give her ...
It was fun to read a story set during Halloween while it was Halloween! It was also nice that the politics were toned down in this book. Or maybe I just found the struggle of the Virginia Native Americans interesting! As for the motive to the murders....I'm not so sure. It makes sense but it pro...
Thought this might be a fun new series to explore...not if this book is indicative of the others. Brown uses that literary device where characters divulge background information during casual conversation with each other resulting in the most improbable and stilted communication possible! And h...
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.While the mystery itself was pretty good, there wasn't enough focusing on it. Still more talking in these books than doing. At least Rita Mae Brown has toned down on the political stuff. Thank Gawd. ...
I have been a long time Rita Mae Brown reader and enjoyed her Sneaky Pie cozy mysteries that involved the cats of the main character. This is the first book I have read in her new series which involves the dogs of the sleuths. I had read several reviews that did not give this series as high mar...
I've gotten used to Rita Mae's slightly precious use of talking animals (after all, she's not the only one!) and I quite like the Harry Hairsteen novels and they are fun to listen to . I got this as a Book on Cd. The bad: I wish (again) that authors would not do their own audiobooks. This is no e...
For those that are expecting a Mrs. Murphy mystery, this book isn't it. Sneaky Pie herself features in this one, and it isn't a mystery. She lives in Virginia with Tee Tucker, Pewter and a Jack Russell named Tally, with their human who is only referred to as their C.O. - aka Can Opener. Instead ...
What a frustrating book. The characters are portrayed with such life that they remain memorable, despite a rather large cast of characters for a novel of this genre. Brown has problems with the prose, especially with being clear about who and what people, animals, and places are when they are int...
Speaking of guilty pleasures... (not that we were). I finally read Puss'n Cahoots, the not so new book in the Mrs. Murphy series of Rita Mae Brown (yes, I waited for the mass-market paperback, sue me). I was, well, I can't say I was diappointed, because for being disappointed you have to have re...
I listened to 'The Hounds and the Fury' on audiobook during my daily commutes to and from work. I tend to think I would have enjoyed the story more if I had read it in a paper format, as I found Rita Mae Brown to be a fairly unstimulating narrator as audiobooks go. The story started off slowly an...
I found the mystery to be too obvious, and the writing style was simplistic and off-putting. Conversations lack the simple flow of real dialogue and read, instead, like people spouting facts back & forth. The conversations between the animals were weird as well, even after extra consideration f...
This is a comfortable cozy mystery centered around the world of fox hunting and while there are times that Rita Mae Brown explains the art and science behind fox hunting a little more than most people might be interested, none the less, it was a good mystery and a fun read."Sister" Jane, the 72-y...
“A rich, atmospheric murder mystery . . . rife with love, scandal . . . redemption, greed and nobility,” raved the San Jose Mercury News about Outfoxed, Rita Mae Brown’s first foxhunting masterpiece. In The Hunt Ball, the latest novel in this popular series, all the ingredients Brown’s readers lo...
I had this particular series confused with the "The Cat Who..." books, and hadn't really heard of these books. Apparently, they center around a small cadre of animals who live in a little Virginia town in Albemarle County with the post mistress. Crimes happen in Crozet, and the animals are a step...
I'm ashamed to even admit that I read this book as an adult, so you can imagine I'm even more ashamed to admit that now that I've finished it I actually miss the characters. The last I read Rita Mae Brown was some 15 years ago. She likes making her pets real characters that have conversations wit...
This is the first Mrs. Murphy mystery I have read and it was really fun! I think you can start at any book in the series as they seem mostly self contained and any items that carry over are introduced in the plot. But because of that you might get some spoilers for previous books.The novel center...
This was not for me.It may be due to the fact that I read this book on its own, I didn't know it was part of a series. But still there were too many things to dislike about this book.1. The plot was slow and predictable. Too many uninteresting details about horses. I get it, it needed to be expla...
This is book 2 of this series however you DO NOT have to read these in order; but I feel you could understand everyone's relationships better if you at least read the first book in this series as it explains who every one is and who everyone is within the community. I had to skip book 2 and read ...
When a mechanic dies a quiet death at a party in the small town of Crozet, Virginia, things are about to get very interesting. Harry, who works at the post office, has a habit of getting in the middle of police investigations, just because she is so curious. Although, her 2 cats and 1 dog may als...
I think that this book deserves constant love and praise as well as a pedastal to follow it around so it is always being worshipped. Yes, people, it is that good! Rita Mae Brown is a fantastic writer and her characters are so realistically flawed that you can imagine them as clearly as you can im...
Not even an occasion as happy as a high school reunion can keep away the Grim Reaper, a figure Mary Minor "Harry" Hairsteen knows all too well. After all, Grimmy's made quite number of visits to sleepy Crozet, Virginia, though Harry's plucky four-footed companions (cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and...
I loved this book! My second Rita Mae Brown read, I thought her characters and development have matured greatly without losing the adventurous spirit of "Rubyfruit Jungle." This book often made me smile and laugh out loud, in part because of the amusing situations the characters find themselves ...
This is book 3 of this series however you DO NOT have to read these in order; but I feel you could understand everyone's relationships better if you at least read the first book in this series as it explains who every one is and who everyone is within the community. I had to skip book 2 and read ...
Satire AnomalyRita Mae Brown has a history of being an activist, a feminist, and a lesbian, attributes of which she inputs a lot into her writing. In Loose Lips, published by Random House Publishing, and written in 1999, Rita Mae Brown chronicles middle age life for two sisters, in small town Mar...
My favorite part of the book was, of course, Sneaky Pie's ability to not only dispense cooking wisdom and general catitude, but also her ability to suggest fare for humans, dogs, cats, rabbits, and even horses. As an avid fan of mysteries in general and Rita Mae Brown's work in particular, I was...
Rita Mae Brown mentions in the Author's Note for Riding Shotgun that she wrote the book during a blackout when she was bored, and feeling weighed down by troubles. She goes on to say that she hopes the book helps readers forget their troubles, even if just for a short while. Mission accomplished....
Natnael Muluneh High Hearts 571 Pages, 1987 Rita Mae BrownHigh Hearts is the story of newlyweds Geneva Chatfield and Nash Hart. The couples get married in Albemarle County Virginia the same day the Civil war begins and five days later their marriage is put to the test as Nash is sent off to join...
If it is true that laughter is the best medicine, then Rita Mae Brown's, BINGO, will cure anything. I laughed so hard! The small southern town of Runnymede, Maryland, is split down the middle by the Mason-Dixon line. The war between the states is still being played out, and how could it not be?! ...
Retaining her love of the Hunt into her seventies, Sister finds herself having to call on all of her expertise to solve the mystery of a murdered woman who disappeared twenty years earlier. By the author of 50,000 first printing.
New York Times bestselling authors Rita Mae Brown and her feline partner, Sneaky Pie Brown, return with a new mystery starring Mary Minor �Harry� Haristeen, the sleuthing cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and corgi Tee Tucker. But are they any match for a killer who�s made an entire town suspect...
Bats darted in and out of the towering conifers and in and out of the eaves of Harry’s house.Mrs. Murphy sat on the back porch. Tucker’s snoring could be heard in the background. The cat was restless but she knew in the morning she’d blame it on Tucker, telling her that she’d kept her awake. Tuck...
Murphy Mystery Cooper envied so many things about Miranda: her garden, her green thumb, her gift with color. On Saturday, June 9, the Blue Ridge Mountains were so clear that Coop felt she could see every leaf on every tree. The fine weather lifted her spirits, which surely needed lifting. So far ...
asked Lucas Diamond, hands folded on the glossy long table. In an elegant room off the campus president’s office, the eight board members gathered at the mahogany table, none looking happy to be there. “Our procedures for hiring are rigorous.” The head of personnel, Isadore Rosen, felt hot under ...
The crape myrtle bloomed. She struggled to put up a sturdy white trellis of four-inch squares against the garage. Nickel ran around the yard pursued by Buster. The far end of the trellis leaned forward. “Nicky, come to Momma.” “No.” Nickel ran faster. “I need you to help me.” The word “help” capt...
The forbidden ever entices. “Hey.” Pewter clawed a newspaper photograph of a dog’s paw, bigger than her own. The photograph covered nearly one quarter of the page. “National Disaster Search Dog Foundation,” Sneaky read out loud. “What a good ad. Pewter, think of how many humans search-and-rescue ...
Frazier strained to hear the message, a code from Zeus/Jupiter, for he was the real rain god. Perhaps all natural phenomena—rain, snow, sunshine, an early blossom of pussy willow, a lost swallowtail butterfly, the green eyes of a kitten, a sweet wind from the south—perhaps all these carried messa...
He leaned over with a magnifying glass, puffing away like a furnace on his cigarette. The smoke stung his eyes as he took the cigarette out, peered closely, then stuck the weed back in his mouth. Cynthia, also smoking, stood next to him. She told herself she was smoking in self-defense but she wa...
He looked like Baby Huey in the comics and he was about as smart, but Leroy was my cousin and in a dumb way I loved him. We’d been sent out there to get potato bugs, but the sun was high and we were both tired of our chores. The grown-up women were in the house, and the men were off working. That...
had loathed funerals. Although Harry and H.H. hadn't been close, they were part of the same community, so she was there to pay her respects. Friends and neighbors told stories highlighting H.H.'s quick temper, which would evaporate and then he'd forgive and forget. H.H. had touched a lot of peopl...
Penny Hinson examined the newborn foal, male, who had struggled to his feet. At that moment, he looked as though he was on ice, with each leg in danger of sliding in the opposite direction. Didn’t take the little guy too long before he pulled himself together. Tootie Harris traveled with Penny on...
The various exits can take you back into centuries of culture, into snarls of traffic, or into the urban sterility which respects no nation. The Sofitel, the official players’ hotel of the French Open, was right off the beltway. Courtesy cars took players to and from practice courts and matches. ...
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