5 comments about Whisker of Evil.

1. I really, really enjoyed this particular Mrs. Murphy mystery. As a horse person, I didn't find the detail about breeding and bloodlines to be tiresome. And the mystery itself was wonderfully wrought and believable. The relationships between the primary characters are developing nicely, too. Looking forward to continuing with the series.



2. I have been reading the Mrs. Murphy series and really enjoying it. The best part about these books is the characters and by now I feel that I know everyone. Ms. Brown knows how to characterize. In this book Harry is facing life-changing decisions, but while she's going through her own personal epiphany, there are murders occurring again in Crozet. This particualar murderer appears to be particularly evil, and Harry and her friends have trouble trying to find a motive. There's also an old crime that appears to be connected to the new ones, and the murderer doesn't appear to be able to stop killing so they are really in a rush to find himr or her. The book moves along quickly, and I also found out some good information on horse breeding and on the transference and symptoms of rabies infection at the same time. Great fun!



3. This is one of two books Ive read in her series. I didnt know it was a series till recently. The other one I also saw as a movie and this one I heard on C.D. with my daughter. ( as well as reading them. )
   I think Mrs. Brown and partner are fantastic when it comes to intruge. My daughter screams at me everytime we get into the car and I dont have the book playing. 9 disks go a long way and I think its great learning for a baby under one to be read to as much as possible.
   There are so many factions to this book and so many things come "to light" as a tie in to the other book that Ive read so I didnt have a problem keeping up with it all even though the two books are so spaced apart ( 3 years by the book standards) and about 4 or 5 since I read the last one.
   I plan to get them all now that I know Mrs. Murphy has her own series of books. My daughter and I will become greater fans together when we read/hear her books at bed time!



4. such as painting a room, or cleaning the kitchen, these books are entertaining as audio books. At the risk of sounding "snobbish" (which I am not) they are a cross between "Murder She Wrote" and Mr. Ed.



5. For fans of Rita Mae Brown this is a great book. It continues the adventures of Mrs. Murphy and her many animal friends. I think this book even adds some animals we haven't heard from before. There are changes in Harry's personal and professional life of great interest to Harry's fans. There is the usual mystery. I wouldn't start the series with this book; however. Readers will want a little more background and should start with a book that was published earlier.

5 comments about Puss 'n Cahoots (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries).

1. I feel bad writing a review for a book I couldn't finish. In fact, I borrowed the audiobook from my local library and tried to listen to it after I put the book down for the last time. If anything, the flaws in RMB's recent writing are more glaring when read aloud. The stilted dialogue is even more apparent. I've read all the other books, and I have to agree with many of the other reviewers here. The series seems to have lost its charm. A lot of the problem is that RMB took the characters out of Crozet, so the wonderful, colorful supporting characters were not there. Secondly, and I hate to say it, getting Fair and Harry back together has taken some of the sparkle out of the story line. Thirdly, RMB is explaining far, far too much about some pet subject (in this case, horses) and not developing a meaningful plot. Finally, RMB's writing is choppy and her dialogue is very stilted and unrealistic. Honestly: I tried very hard to get past the 40 or so pages I did read, but I couldn't. And then when the audiobook, too, failed to engage me, I gave up.
   
   I have also read all of the Stephanie Plum series [such as [ASIN:0312349491 Lean Mean Thirteen]] from Janet Evanovich. While the quality of Evanovich's plot lines does vary from book to book, overall she has maintained the crackle and sparkle of the Plum series from start to finish. Hopefully RMB can get back on track with the Mrs. Murphy series with the next installment. More story, please, and better dialogue. More Crozet and its great cast of characters. Less soapboxing. Less pedantic didacticism.



2. Includes treatise supporting need for undocumented workers and brief blurb on how boring sports are without steroids. To add injury to insult, my dog put a muddy pawprint on page 56 so I can't even sell it to some other unsuspecting person.



3. This is by far the worst book of the series, not only because of the colors of the cover, and most certainly the last one I will touch.
   
   Not only does the author start the book with 30 pages of background information about "Saddlebred Shows" and horses, there is no reward for ploughing through them, it does not get get any better.
   
   Other already mentioned the views of the author being very visible. I cannot remember these opions being so unnerving. When mentioning the drive to the horse show and the huge car, the reader is told in no uncertain words that "industry pollutes more than cars", that there are no bus stops in the country, large cars are fun and that every charity organisation is corrupt anyway. Great philosophy... The idea of legalizing steroids for humans was the next low blow.
   
   Shame about the paper the book was printed on.



4. Being one of the many here who have read all of the books in this series, I picked up Puss 'n Cahoots with great hope. Hope that this story would be good. Hope that the characters - especially the ones we've come to know and love - would be present in their fullness. Hope that the series would pick up where it left off a few books back. Unfortunately for fans of Mrs. Murphy, et al., that is not to be.
   
   The animals are still in character: Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker. In fact, they seem to occupy the bulk of this story. Stories placed away from Crozet, the home of most of the earlier stories and the background characters who have been such a part of earlier books, are to be expected, perhaps even necessary. But each story loses something if the old friends aren't there.
   
   Many readers who hoped to see Harry and Fair get back together have looked forward to seeing their marriage and renewal of their lives. But there really hasn't been much improvement. Even when the old post office closed, the story lines could have become fresh again, although it was seen by many readers with a certain dread of what was to come. As it turns out, they were right to dread it.
   
   New readers of Mrs. Murphy should not judge the series by this book. Start at the beginning where the characters are fresh and the stories have more imagination. Some loyal readers keep picking up the new ones just in case Ms. Brown has found her way back to what made her stories unique and fun. Unfortunately she has lost her way, and so have we.



5. For this outing Fair and Harry are on their honeymoon at a horse show with all of Harry's pets along for the ride. Gone was the cozy feeling of the Post Office and her usual friends. The friendships in this book seemed forced. Too much time was spent on descriptions of horse shows. The dialog was dreadful and stilted as the author preached her political beliefs through her characters. I'm sad to say this is probably the last of the series that I'll read. In the past couple of books the author seems more concerned with preaching her political views rather than telling an engaging story. I miss the mysteries and fun of the earlier books. Heck, I even named my corgi, Tucker.

5 comments about Cat's Eyewitness (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries).

1. So nice to get to know Susan better. As love always, love Harry and the kids, Mrs. Hoggendobber, and the warmth of the stories. While plot was less intricate than sometimes, was still a wonderful read.



2. I held off reading this one due to the negative reviewer who claimed it was a series gone seriously downhill. Some of this serie's books are certainly better than others, and this is one of the best.
   
   I appreciate the character development and the storyline's mystery was very intriguing. It was not a dead-give-away (pun intended) as to who committed the murder and any reviewer who gives that away ought to be ashamed of themselves and their big mouths.
   
   I also am glad that it did not focus on sex. I don't like to know what others do (real or imagined people). It is none of my business and Rita Mae did not harp on any of it, so thank you Rita Mae.
   
   I love this series and want MORE.



3. And was just as palatable. I've enjoyed this series from the begining but could barely get through this book. If I'd wanted to read Peyton Place I would have checked it out of the library...the mystery was more of an aside with the obvious solution coughed up at the end. Extremely disappointing.



4. Thanksgiving has arrived in the affluent town of Crozet, Virginia. However, while thanks should be being made all around, the residents appear to have more things to be cynical about, and begin to question their faith. Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen has been the postmistress of Crozet - along with her dear friend, Miranda - for years. However, as big builders begin invading the tiny town, they demand that Harry stop bringing her menagerie of pets - cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and a plump Corgi named Tucker - to work with her. Without thinking, Harry quickly quits her beloved position, only to find herself strapped for cash, and doing nothing more than complaining about her newfound cash-flow problems. Between her bills, and her newly flourishing relationship with her ex-husband and resident equine veterinarian, Fair Haristeen, Harry makes the decision to take a trip up to the mountain monastery located on the top of Mount Carmel. Once there, she runs into her best friend, Susan Tucker, who appears to be stressing over her own problems - from believing that her husband of countless years, Ned, is having an affair, to feeling that she's too fat and can't control her eating. Together, the two friends visit the statue of the Virgin Mary to seek solace, only to realize that the statue has begun to shed tears of blood. Both Harry and Susan know that Legend states that Mary's bloody tears predict crises, and the two begin to wonder what crises will befall them. However, when one of the monk's is found dead, kneeling in front of Virgin Mary's statue in the freezing cold, Harry is tipped off to something peculiar going on. It doesn't help matters any to add that the dead monk is none other than Susan's great-uncle Thomas. Harry knows that the brotherhood is hiding something. Something that could destroy their organization, and set them back countless years. Unfortunately, she hasn't been able to put her finger on exactly what it is. Now, enlisting the help of her lifelong friends, and fellow Crozet residents, BoomBoom, Alicia, Susan, Big Mim, Little Mim, and even the God-fearing Miranda, Harry has decided that she'll be spending her holidays investigating this upsetting crime. Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, Tee Tucker, and the rest of their four-legged friends, however, will do anything to curb Harry's curiosity, knowing that if she isn't careful, Harry's holidays will truly include a silent night. One that she'll never recover from.
   
   Since I was eleven-years-old, I have been visiting the sleepy town of Crozet, Virginia alongside Harry and the rest of her posh friends. Yet, even with all of the new character introductions, I find it hard to grow tired of the many debacles Harry manages to get herself into. Rita Mae Brown certainly knows how to capture an audience. Her ability to juggle so many characters is amazing. And, while at times the various character names being thrown around can become confusing, readers will find that keeping track of who's who is not actually difficult, as each new face is accompanied by a quirky personality that makes them stand out in the crowd. Harry, as always, is her charming self. She knows how to stick up for herself, and won't let anyone hold her down - male or female. Her ability to uncover murderers, and solve crimes of all shapes and sizes is admirable. However, it is her ability to forgive and forget, and not live in the past that really makes her an unstoppable character. While CAT'S EYEWITNESS, as with previous installments, features a lot of background on the characters, it does not seem like filler, as each new tidbit of information into their sordid lives and affairs is interesting, and only makes the series that much more thrilling. The interactions each character shares with one another, whether human or animal, really adds to the suspense, and provides a nice backdrop to the mystery, while developing other side stories, which add a nice contrast, but never overshadow the mystery at hand. The piece de resistance for a quiet night at home.
   
   Erika Sorocco
   Freelance Reviewer



5. I thought this book touched on controversial issues which I did not appreciate and had not experienced in her previous books that I read.
   I also thought the plot was unnecessarily complicated since the ending was not the exciting or unexpected.

No comments about Hounded to Death.

5 comments about The Tell-Tale Horse.

1. I have read or listened to all of this series. The problem with this one seems to be that she brought back characters who had been disposed of in an earlier book. That and there is really no pretense of a murder plot.



2. I have read all the of the titles in the Sister Jame and Mrs. Murphy series by Brown. I am so sorry that both series have gone lame, prease pardon the pun! The plots get less and less while the odd bits of information grow larger. Please don't pad the books with useless info just to make a deadline. Also, correct research is important. The school is Ole Miss (not Ol'Miss) and it is nowhere near the delta as stated in the book. Getting facts correct is not hard to do these days and certainly makes for a better read.



3. First off, I love the way Rita Mae Brown writes, she could write a riveting shopping list. I really liked this series when it started, but I've gotten fed up. She weaves in a lot of interesting facts about foxhunting, and wild animals. It's the humans I can't stand. If she describes one more time how these people can spend more on a horse than most people earn in a year, I will be sick. All they care about is their houses, horses, cars, private schools etc. not how they value other people. And making light of infidelity, as if having sex with whoever caught their eye was something to be proud of. Why does she have to throw in how wonderful homosexual love is in every book? I don't care what consenting adults do, but I'm tired of hearing about it. So, between all of the above reasons, plus the fact that wonderful Sister is evidently Superman's sister (never ages, rides like an Olympian and has more men panting after her than Madonna) I'm not reading anymore of this series. It was good while it lasted.



4. Rita Mae Brown can be a wonderful writer. Unfortunately, in this series, and in the Mrs. Murphy series, of late, she seems to have forgotten her audience. The characters are becoming wooden, and the plots are less involved, while Brown spends pages pontificating on various subjects that are not relevant to the story. Pass on this one unless you are really a die-hard fan.



5. Beihg a horse person, I avidly read all of Rita Mae Brown's "sister jane" books. While this story is somewhat engaging, I felt the editing and sentence structure were terrible. Every sentence was full of fragments, strung together by an over abundance of commas. Made for a disjointed read. Here's a sample: "Ilona Merriman, hairnet in place, derby correctly placed on her head - which is to say, straight across the brow -rode up to Sister, reined in Tom Tiger, her handy small Thoroughbred, gave a pregnant pause, and then tattled." Almost every sentence is structured this way. Found it very distracting from the storyline.

5 comments about The Hunt Ball (Foxhunting Mysteries).

1. This novel seemed like a rush job. The characters are so prolific that you barely get to know who's who - is it human, animal or hunting history being shared. Too much to sort out and too little meat to make it worth it.



2. Rita Mae Brown reads her own work in the audio version of this book, not a good decision. Sometimes (like with Barbara Kinsolver), the author's reading enhances a book. Unfortunately, Ms. Brown's inept reading was distracting. I think, overall, I liked the book, as I've liked all her previous works. But with her very odd pacing (she sometimes ran names together, so for the first several chapters I thought there were nuns in the book - Sister Charlotte, for example) and her inability to "voice" the characters differently, I kept getting lost. Several times I had no clue whether the speaker was animal or human. I'd not read any of the Hunt Club books before; maybe it would have helped if I had already known all the characters.



3. It's wonderful to have another visit with Sister Jane and the crazy people who populate her world. I liked the mystery but the mystery isn't really why I read Rita Mae Brown's hunt books. I read them because I love rural Virginia, dogs, tales of the hunt and character studies.
   
   I liked the fact that there weren't neat endings in this book. One of the students at the local girl's school is an emotional mess, she is making progress but doesn't miraculously turn into a great kid by the end of the book. Another plus for me was be being mercifully spared another sex scene between Sister and her enthusiastic new boyfriend in this book. That was a relief.
   
   I only have a few complaints: I may the only one but I really think Crawford got somewhat wronged in The Hunt Ball. He's a jerk at times, he's crass, a snob, his reaction to Shaker's punch was childish and he loves to show off his wealth but his money goes a long way to making the hunt possible. In the real world Shaker should've either apologized for belting him and or had to face assault charges. The last time a likeable character messed up in this series she had to face the consequences and went to jail. Shaker's transgression is treated like it 's no big deal because he's a beloved member of the pack and Crawford is only tolerated for his money. I didn't like that. Also, the animals had too small a role in this installment of the series and I missed them.
   
   Hunt Ball seems to be a bridge novel and should be read immediately before The Hounds and the Fury. Perhaps in a later edition the two books will be published together.
   
   



4. In spite of the fact that I am not entirely convinced that the foxes enjoy the sport of fox hunting as much as the people do, and as much as Rita Mae Brown proclaims, I enjoyed the Hunt Ball, much as I have enjoyed her other books, both the Sneaky Pie series and the Sister Jane series. I appreciate the way Brown gives voice to the animal characters and uses them to make observations about humans, and I also share her obvious love and respect for the animals in her stories. Her characters are likable, and the feeling of community is welcoming and a nice place to spend a few hours.
   
   In this book, as in all of her books, the mystery is peripheral to the plot, and is rather contrived, but that's not why I read the books. I read them because I always feel that these are people who, should I show up on their doorstep, would bring me in, offer me a nice plate of cookies and then put me to work along with everyone else.
   
   So if you are looking for a nice, tight mystery, this book isn't it. But if you are looking for friends and a welcoming spirit, then by all means pick up these books. You'll be glad you did.



5. Normally I love Rita Mae Brown's stories. I can't wait for them to come out! But this one I found to be disappointing. It had virtually no plot and little interesting interactions with the animals but what felt like an inordinate amount of "lecturing" about various and sundry things. Frankly, it was dull which is something I never thought I would say about one of Ms. Brown's books.

5 comments about The Hounds and the Fury.

1. Great book, another milestone for Sister Jane. I like how the characters are evolving in the series. Great fun to read, great to listen too as well. The author does a great job bringing her characters to life.



2. I would like to step into the world that Rita Mae Brown has created and ride with Sister Jane, Shaker, and the rest of those great people. I would like to lead her life and I hunger for every book that comes out. The fox hunting descriptions are totally accurate and I feel that Rita Mae Brown must have experienced or knows someone who experienced all of those great hunts - even the boar and the bear scenes which wouldn't happen in Ohio where I fox hunt (those particular scenes may be in earlier books). Even if there were no murders and no mystery, I would still read avidly every conversation and every event that happens to the Jefferson Hunt.



3. I've long loved the Sister Arnold series but this one was just too much to stomach. It's preachy, that looooong section on England's foxhunt had zip to do with the story and was a personal argument from the author. Second, I found myself pitying the one character the reader was meant to hate--- this character was far more interesting than the good guys. As for the good guys they suddenly came off as smug and downright cruel to anyone who wasn't in the circle of Sister's friends. Speaking of Sister, I didn't like what's happened to her character, she's changed. I didn't like this version of her at all--maybe Brown just didn't put enough effort into this novel. The animals were wonderful but there wasn't enough of them. I found myself getting irritated as I read Hounds and the Fury and had to force myself to finish it. Will I buy the next book? Maybe, if I find it used somewhere and even then, only if it's super cheap.



4. I enjoy Rita Mae Brown's Sneaky Pie series very much but this latest novel featuring the Hunt and Sister left me wondering about this theme that Ms. Brown is trying to "get across" to the "straight" crowd. Her political views would be better kept to herself, the snobbery of the Hunt Class and the people involved always "inserting" a lesbian character is leaving me cold. Story line is good, but I could do without her personal life opinions.



5. This is the fifth in Brown's Sister Jane fox hunting series and I would recommend reading the others first, in order. Outfoxed, Hotspur and Full Cry are splendid fun and decent mysteries. The Hunt Ball is a weaker mystery but still splendid fun and it sets up the conflict played out here between the Master of Foxhounds Jane Arnold and Crawford Howard, a former member of the Jefferson Hunt Club.
   
   This book still has the wonderfully evocative hunt scenes that are the hallmark of this series. Excellent lore about horse, hound, fox and hunt club etiquette make this worth reading as long as the reader can tolerate in the eccentric habit the author has of putting long-winded and wordy speeches into the mouths of animals.
   
   And "Sister" Jane Arnold is an interesting character. Although she is over seventy, one simply has to check in to see what is happening in her life with her new boyfriend.

5 comments about Sour Puss (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries).

1. as I did when the criminal's motive was revealed. In the first place, the criminal was totally obvious, yet when the moment of denouement came I was dumbstruck, and not in a good way. I guess sometimes *fiction* is stranger than *truth* in spite of the old cliche.
   I greatly, greatly enjoyed the Mrs. Murphy mysteries for the first several books, but all good things must come to an end, and my enjoyment certainly did. After finishing "Sour Puss" I went to my bookshelf and pulled out "Wish You Were Here" and began re-reading it. I was really surprised at how much the series has changed since its beginnings. A good many of the characters have strayed so far from their original characterizations as to be almost brand new people. Naturally one would expect the characters to evolve as do all people. I really do miss Harry being at the heart of the town of Crozet...she never should have left the post office.
   As always, the animals' observations are the only reason why I continue reading.



2. If you've never read any of the Sneaky Pie books--don't buy this one! Start at the beginning (Wish You Were Here) as this was once a great series, and read the books in sequence until you begin to get bored--then STOP!! The series only gets worse.
   
   The wonderful warm characters have lost their charm, the "mysteries" have become flat and nonexistent, and the books have been weighted down with too much technical information.
   
   Ms. Brown also has begun using her books as a soapbox for her many opinions. While it is interesting to find out an author's views, she goes on and on...and on.



3. This book reminded me of Arthur Hailey in his later years - not a good thing. Just dump a bunch of factual research and then put cardboard characters and a lame plot around it. At least Hailey didn't go out of his way to insult everyone who had the unforgivable bad taste to be born somewhere other than Virginia.
   
   I've read every one of the Sneaky Pie mysteries and was astonished to have revealed in this book that Harry had an affair after her divorce from Fair. To me, that was contrary to everything we knew about her life and emotional growth in the previous books. It felt like sloppy writing in service of a plot device.
   
   Sadly, this is the end of Mrs. Murphy for me. I didn't even make it halfway through this book.



4. Rita Mae Brown was best known as the author of RUBYFRUIT JUNGLE--until 1990, when she published WISH YOU WERE HERE. Set in the tiny town of Crozet, Virginia, the novel focused on over-qualified and recently divorced Mary "Harry" Haristeen, who solved a grisly murder mystery with the aid of her animal companions. It was a popular success, and other books quickly followed: REST IN PIECES, MURDER AT MONTICELLO, and PAY DIRT to name but three.
   
   In terms of "murder mystery," Brown's plots were scarcely in the same league with the likes of Christie, Sayers, or Marsh--but she presented these books with tremendous charm, building up repeating characters that readers came to look forward to seeing again in each new release. In 1999, however, CAT ON THE SCENT had not only a weak plot but a slightly strained quality as well, and most subsequent titles in the series have followed in declining suit.
   
   SOUR PUSS finds Crozet and its surrounding areas beset with grape farmers and wineries, and to a certain extent the plot revolves around the pests and diseases to which grapes are subject. In her introduction, Brown writes that she received a "cartload" of information of the subject, and I believe her, because she seems to do her level best to cram every iota of it into the book. Along the way she also takes a glance at biological terrorism, West Nile virus, bird 'flu, and global warming. The first one hundred pages of the book read like a haphazard disseration.
   
   When the plot does at last kick in, right around chapter seventeen, SOUR PUSS becomes much more readable--but I found the plot singularly transparent, and the characters have lost much of their interest. In the past, Brown created characters who were amusing in their faults and flaws: the dour "Big" Mim and her snooty daughter "Little Mim;" man-trap BoomBoom Craycroft; Bible-thumping Miranda Hogendobber; and many others added to the fun. Now, however, all these characters have lost the eccentricities that made them so entertaining in the first place. They are reduced to the merely likeable and as such no longer seem fresh or original enough to hold attention.
   
   Now and then Brown's gifts do surface--but she's also gotten lazy in her writing. Nowhere is her "nervous tick" of writing a paragraph as a single sentence so obvious as in SOUR PUSS; indeed, there are so many of them that I began to suspect they were specifically written in this fashion to take up more space on the page. On the whole, the book reads very much like a first or maybe second draft that Brown couldn't be bothered to give a final polish before it went to the publisher.
   
   GFT, Amazon Reviewer



5. 13 proves to be unlucky for Ms. Brown as the 13th book in this series is pretty unreadable. I look forward to new installments and was very disappointed in this book. The plot is thin and the book is overloaded with heavy handed lectures and dialogue that is contrived, artificial and pedantic. Too much research on 'slew' of subjects and not enough attention paid to the whole point of writing the book in the first place.....to tell a good story! Sadly, there was not much story, not much mystery and not much reason to buy this book.

No comments about The Sand Castle.

5 comments about The Purrfect Murder (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries).

1. I had trouble keeping the cutesy kitty names separate and straight from the cutesy/odd people names.
   
   I think a mystery is supposed to primarily about the mystery, and may justifiably hinge on social or political issues, but this book seems to make pro-abortion propaganda equal to the unfolding mystery.
   
   If you like fun, light cat mysteries, try Lillian Jackson. She writes cute, light reading mysteries, without the ackward political dissertations.
   
   This book is a Nancy Drew mystery, as written by the Democratic National Committee. Save your money and go to a activist group meeting.



2. Even rural Virginia can't escape from the larger issues confronting the U.S. And when a planned parenthood doctor is murdered, the issue of abortion comes up. Little Min and Big Min spiral into conflict with Republican Little Min refusing to condemn the murder--or to defend a woman's right to choose. Meanwhile, the police arrest an anti-abortion activist who quickly confesses to the crime, but Harry Haristeen and her pets wonders whether things really are that simple.
   
   At a fund-raising dinner, the other shoe falls when a prominent socialite is murdered and Harry's friend, Tazio, is an immediate suspect. Harry is sure her friend is innocent, but the evidence--they found the bloody knife in her hand--will be hard to argue against. Especially when Harry's pets learn that rats destroyed clues that might have exhonorated Tazio. Still, Harry does have one clue--the corrupt construction code enforcer, Mike, is withholding secrets. Could murder be one of those?
   
   Authors Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown continue their Mrs. Murphy cat detective series with an engagingly written story. With their strong opinions and certainty that their way is the correct way, Harry and her friends may offend some readers (in fact, maybe they'll offend all readers since they mix progressive views on abortion with strange thoughts on slavery (maybe it would have died out on its own if it hadn't been for the Civil War)), but at least the Brown team puts their characters in a world where issues like abortion and the disaster in Iraq exist.
   
   Over the past several books in this series, the Browns have been looking at social issues. Change comes slowly to the rural south, but even there, reason has begun to stand up against religious bigotry. The Browns are careful, though, to show religion in a positive light, with Bible quotations and the local minister both playing major roles. From a mystery perspective, I would have preferred to have a more ordered sleuthing process--with Harry actually finding clues that led her into danger rather than leaping with just a feeling. The talking animals (they only talk among themselves and with the wild animals) are mostly charming.



3. First, I have read every book in this series. But the more recent ones are just not as good as the first ones (though this one was 100% better than the last one--at least we're back in Crozet!). But this is a cute murder mystery series where all the animals (rats, snakes, owls, etc.) talk to one another. Not a platform for political views. If I wanted that, I turn on CNN. Sure, people can have an opinion, but some of the things said by the characters are straight out of a book. People I know just don't talk like these characters--and I live in a very big city!
   
   Second, the ending was incomplete. OK, now is Tazio off the hook? The ending never mentioned that. Will this continue in the next book? I assume we will have something about her marriage to Paul. Did we absolutely prove the Kylie was the killer? No. She took off. So you have a supposed double-murderer on the run. And really, were you supposed to believe, considering how Kylie's character was described, that she was a murderer of this kind. No, to me, she was written as a guy-crazy young woman who liked to shop. Maybe that was her disguise. And did Harry simply forget about seeing her buy the $19,000 watch? That tidbit was never mentioned again. As in the previous book, the ending was over in the last two pages. Boom, story over.
   
   Third, Harry. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Harry should have been arrested for illegal trespassing or breaking and entering. You simply can't break into someone's house because you think they are guilty of something unless you are the law and even they need probable cause. She should be dead, and that would be the end of the series.
   
   Now, I realize these books are fiction and cute, light-hearted mystery. Or at least the first ones were. Ms. Brown is turning out these books in an assembly-line fashion. It seems that not much thought is going into the characters (and way too many new ones--bring the old ones back like Miranda and Boom-Boom) and way too much thought goes into what is Ms. Brown's view of the world. I still love the banter between Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, plus all the other animals (even the rats). Their conversations are more enjoyable than the human conversations (and more understandable).
   
   Hopefully, the next one will improve. Yes, I will continue to read the books (I also get them from my public library and do not waste money buying them), but it's getting more and more disappointing to read. I hope Ms. Brown spends some time reading her loyal readers' reviews and takes the hint.
   
   Signed, A real Mrs. Murphy



4. I've read all the books from the beginning and at first liked them a lot, but this one'll be the last for me.
   
   It's not even the soapboxing that drives me crazy, but the product placement. It's always designer this and brand that from her tractor to her work boots. I suspect the author makes more money from advertising than from writing.
   
   And then people sitting on some million dollars worth of land going on, "Oh, no, I'm not rich at all, see me re-using my old socks for catnip toys!" LOLcats says, "Your white privilege it's showing!"
   
   And you know what RMB? I can follow my family line to the early elevenhundreds, so, a family history of twohundredsomething years is really nothing special. Please stop bothering me with harping on about it. Cheers!



5. Aside from the preaching, I found the errors in the book to be so glaringly obvious that they were distracting (not to mention repeated over and over). I very strongly suggest that Ms. Brown research more carefully in the future, starting with the difference between veins and arteries and carotid artery v. jugular vein.
   
   Sadly, I'm finding this more and more commonly among mystery authors or their editors.