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 real expectations, but I wasn't fully satisfied. My only expectations for Mrs. Murphy books are 1) smart, talking animals; (*hides*)2) horses;3) dogs;4) cats;5) mystery (with at least 1 peron dying, because there are no other mysteries than MURDER!she wrote)6) some romance (oh please, like you wouldn't);7) a carefree two to three hours of easy reading.This is not award-winning fiction. I don't expect it to be. However, in this book, Brown not only sets the story around an area of. well, I hesitate to call it riding, but I think that's what is usually used to refer to it, taht's so strange to me that I had to actually look up some of the things she described (and I say that as a horse person.) She also introduces a (talking) monkey (for those who don't know, the animals talk among themselves, not with humans. I realize that doesn't make it better.). A talking monkey who is mean and wears clothes and is so, so not cute. Un-cute animals diminuish my Brown-reading pleasure. Oh, the plot? Well, someone dies. Maybe two someones, I forgot. There's a movie star. Not a real one (I think). Altogether, less than not very memorable. I'll buy her next one anyway, but trust me, now more than ever I'll wait for the mass market paperback.
I usually like this series, but I'd almost swear this was written by a different author. If this had been the first of the series I'd read, I would never have picked up another one. So much time is spent having the various characters espouse political views that there is little time left for sense of place, character development, or plot. At the moment I don't have the book handy to check the publication date, but it MUST have been written during an election year or something. It's not even that I particularly disagree with the opinions, it's just that they make for really awkward conversation between the characters. Though I've really enjoyed others in the series, this particular one is NOT a cozy mystery, but instead a very thinly veiled soapbox. So little happens between the characters that you could skip this one and miss nothing. I'm hoping that this was an abberation and that the real Mrs. Murphy returns.
What do You think about Puss 'N Cahoots (2007)?
Harry and Fair have finally rekindled their love and are giving their marriage another try. As part of their honeymoon, they travel to Shelbyville, Kentucky for the saddlebred horse show and to visit with their friends Joan Hamilton and Larry Hodge. Of course, their cats and dog travel with them. There is a lot of tension at the show between the trainers, owners and riders. Joan's valuable ruby pin is stolen the first evening and then a prize horse disappears from his stall. One of the trainers is found dead shortly afterwards and then a series of upsetting events occur. Someone is trying to ruin the show. And then there is the annoying monkey. The story is very well written and this is one of my favorite series.
—Ann
This was not one of Brown’s stronger entries. Her books are always sort of “horsy,” but she usually does a pretty good job of explaining slang and the multitude of special tools and terms. This time around I was completely lost. There were so many new characters to keep up with I lost track about half-way through the story. I didn’t particularly care that the victim was murdered, and I was only lukewarm when the bad guy got his comeuppance. I’ve noticed Brown has started using her books as mouthpieces for whatever government issues she wants to rant about. This time around it was the deportation of illegal aliens and the ineptitude of the INS agents. I skipped page after page of diatribes and irrelevant sidetracks. The only thing that kept me going was my affection for Harry and the gang.
—Janet
Harry and Fair are off to a horse show for their honeymoon, pets in tow, and, of course, stumble across a murder.This book has got a lot of elements. The differences between horse breeds, a cheeky monkey, a movie star, valuable jewelry, illegal workers, and love triangles aplenty.Eesh. The book felt longer than it needed to be, full of details that were not needed, and there were some very odd parts. For example, near the end, in the middle of a tense bit, the cats and corgi stop to talk to a horse about the modern horse population and the evils of big agriculture. It felt clunky in places.Well, you don't read these for the mystery, but I do miss Crozet.
—Cameron Toney
