No comments about Full Cry.

5 comments about The Tell-Tale Horse.

1. Please see my comments in reply to the prior reviewer. It is my opinion that this series is one of the best of modern fiction. I do agree that it should be read from first publication to last. I hope that Ms. Brown will not change due to pressure of reviews and leave out details that do much to suspend disbelief and immerse us in her most enjoyable characters-if only for the length of the reading! Again, I will say that I want to enjoy Sister Jane's morning coffee, walk with her to the older and younger fox dens and see through her extraordinarily observant eyes. There is much to be learned from these novels about how we live today as opposed to how we could live.



2. Mrs. Brown writes a good mystery. My problem with this series and the Mrs. Murphy stories is that she wants everyone who reads them to know her political views. If I had wanted to read a book on politics I would have. I wanted to read a mystery with foxhunting as an aside. As with the Mrs Murphy series the books have become a way for Mrs. Brown to broadcast her opinions on every she considers wrong with the world. None of them improve the story in the slightest. I've got my own views on things and I don't need to be preached to in the middle of a "cozy" mystery. If the next book is more of the same I will move on to another series with a more considerate author.



3. I enjoyed this book as I have all the others in this series, the author, being a "Master" herself writes of something she knows and loves and it shows in her stories.



4. I have all of the books in this series and always pre-purchase the next one out in my anticipation of the fun to come. The stories are always a fun read, the mysteries o.k., but the characters and the hunting details are awesome. I just love when Brown goes in to great detail regarding hunt etiquette, the horses, and the dogs. The terminology and descriptions are fascinating. Also, I am not at all offended when she makes political observations, especially when I agree with most all of them!
   
   I've recommended this series to my trainer and the kids in the local Pony Club to read, and for anyone frustrated by adult horse fiction. Usually the authors get it all wrong i.e. children riding stallions, green riders as assistant trainers, etc. but Rita Mae Brown is always 'spot on'.



5. Many writers use the mystery genre to write about something else. This writer has produced a slap-dash murder mystery set among the fox hunting set in Virginia. People who are fanatic about something are a self-absorbed lot about it and these foxhunters are no exception and the writer pads the book with fairly repetitive details of a number of hunts that occur. An interesting, but rather precious device (in this book at least), is that the animals can converse with each other. Other than some thin humor, however, the writer does nothing particularly interesting with this device. It might have been interesting to have a little of the fox's perspective on being chased by dogs and horses. I cannot imagine it ever being pleasant, but in this book the implication seems to be that the jelly beans and peanut butter and such put out to feed them is a fair trade-off. Hmm.
   
   Oh that's right, the murder mystery. Never a good sign when one becomes bored with reading the details and skips ahead to see if anything of significance will ever happen. In real life there are chance discoveries and blurted confessions, but to use such in a mystery novel is a great disappointment. A good mystery unfolds before the reader and is written so that little things one easily might pass over are later shown to have great significance. That's why Presumed Innocent was such a good mystery and this book is not.

5 comments about Hounded to Death.

1. Book arrived in great shape. Wonderful book but I like the cat books best.



2. I've become addicted to Rita Mae Brown's foxhunting series. This is another that not only engages me to solve the mystery, it delights me to learn about the characters and their lives. I particularly enjoy Rita Mae Brown's cast of talking and thinking animals. Their maneuvers and interaction with the humans is not only clever, it actually furthers the plot.



3. What a book and what a author. As Iam not to far from her age and her likes in horse I can some time just feel what she is writing about. Fun books and very accurate in what she writes about so she know her dogs and horses. That is what really holds your interest. Keep the books coming. If you are a first time reader of this series please go and start at the beginning and get all the books you will not be disappointed.



4. Septuagenarian Jane "Sister" Arnold is the highly regarded master of the Jefferson Hunt Club in Virginia. She is currently attending the Mid-America Hound Show, a major event in Kentucky, accompanied by her huntsman Shaker Crown and her apprentice Tootie.
   
   When one of her American foxhounds is stolen, her initial inclination is that odious Mo Schneider abducted her prized animal. However, she soon finds her canine next to Mo's corpse. Back home, she takes her injured horse to veterinarian Hope Rogers, who soon afterward is found dead; the police rule suicide but Sister believes otherwise as she knew the vet too well. She plans to investigate, but during the Virginia Hound Show, a club member vanishes, leaving Sister stunned with what is going on.
   
   This is a fun tale especially for pet lovers because her latest fox and hound personification mystery (see THE TELL-TALE HORSE) is an engaging amateur sleuth starring of course Sister and her allies (including her hounds). Although there are too many sidebar discussions that leave the story line idling in neutral at times, fans of the Sister foxhunting series will enjoy another visit to the Jefferson Hunt Club.
   
   Harriet Klausner



5. This was the first foxhunting mystery by Rita Mae Brown I'd read. I have read all her Sneaky Pie Brown/Mrs. Murphy mysteries, and wasn't sure I could handle "foxhunting" per se. This is Rita Mae Brown's newest foxhunting novel and it was tough getting into all the FH terminology, etc. But I'm hooked and persuaded that the foxes win every time. Something new and fascinating to read. It's what we're all looking for, isn't it?

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

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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



4. 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.



5. I absolutely loved this. It was the first time I've read from this series. Actually, I borrowed the CD version to listen to during my commutes.
   
   I was aware it would be about grapes and technical "stuff" because I READ THE SYNOPSIS!!
   
   Anyway, I found it enjoyable and I'm looking for another....

5 comments about Animal Magnetism: My Life with Creatures Great and Small.

1. This book should be required reading for those with any curiosity about the true nature of animals, wild and domestic.



2. A so-so book. The parts about her life and animals are good (especially the stories about animals), but she falls into the trap that so many popular writers seem to - they start filling their books with rants and diatribes filled with their political views which is NOT why I read their books. And in her case I disagree with her politics so I really hate it. It gets tiresome really quickly when any author does it and I have dropped many an author off my list because they start doing that. I may have to add her.
   
   Which would be a shame. I love her Sneaky Pie Brown stories (I have a Corgi myself) but the rants are so annoying.
   
   Still, when I skipped over the rants (some longer, some shorter), the parts concerning animals were interesting and, in many cases, moving. Read the book if you are a big Rita Mae Brown fan; pick another one if you aren't.



3. Lessons of love and their intelligence in sensing impending death or trouble are abound in books like A cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers. The author's first lessons from animals she lived with from her childhood are pretty much the same. So we can believe her lessons from her long experience with animals in foxhunting.
   The news for me are the ones about dog shows antiquating some breeds by their nature, hunting behavior of owl, fox, listening to the animal, disabled animals being shunned, a child's tears might not get you a toy unless the toy is a suffering animal, hierarchies in herd and pack animals, patience, coat characterstic dependence on heat tolerance.



4. In sometimes funny, always heartwarming stories, Brown introduces us to the animals that have touched her life: Franklin, a parrot with a wicked sense of humor; Suzie Q, the horse who taught her the meaning of hard work; Baby Jesus, a tough tiger cat from New York City with an attitude to match; and of course, Sneaky Pie, who needs no introduction to the legions of fans of the Sneaky Pie Brown murder mystery series. Brown shares stories of these animals, and the lessons they taught her. She makes no secret of the fact that she prefers the company of animals to people. As Brown explains, "There's no such thing as a dumb dog, but God knows there are continents filled with dumb humans." By observing the animals on her farm and in her life, Brown has gained insights into herself and other human beings that she shares in her inimitable prose.
   
   As someone who just published a book about the lessons one little cat taught me, this book resonated with me on many levels, but at times, I felt a bit lost in the author's lengthy descriptions of fox hunting. However, even though this is not a topic that is close to my heart, I was captivated by the passion with which Brown describes it, and I gained a better understanding of the practice in the process. You know you're reading a book by a great writer when they can make you keep reading about a topic you didn't think you really cared about!
   
   I loved these words from the book, that perfectly summarize what the book is all about: "I hope you are lifted by the love of a cat, dog, horse, even a parrot... More, I hope you recognize it and return it. ... We are all in this life together. We need one another."
   
   A wonderful book for all animal lovers, as well as fans of Brown's Sneaky Pie Brown and Sister Jane novels.
   
   Ingrid King, Author Buckley's Story



5. I enjoy a book that is well written, informative, entertaining, and heartfelt. This book included all of the above and more.

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

1. Enjoyed this book very much. It was just as good as the first one I read. Love Mrs. Murphy.



2. I await these books eagerly. But since the post office closed and Harry is no longer torn about Fair and Miranda no longer bakes cinnamon orange rolls for everyone, I've been less enthusiastic. (Note to Janet Evanovich, don't EVER let Stphanie Plum choose Ranger or Morelli permanently!)
   
   But this book just put a burr under my saddle to use a horse-reference. It wasn't the abortion storyline - although I think it was a jarring topic for cozy mysteries, perhaps better suited to the horsey book series. (Has everyone who's anyone in Crozet had an abortion? Eesh!)
   
   It's the constant bashing of the "Nawth." My sister told me this a few books ago. It was so apparent to me in this one. The book is now filled with rich, white snobs (Tazio not included) who live in a bubble where only Virginia matters.
   
   And Boom Boom is gay now, right? Sort of? Even she was missing from this book.
   
   I'm glad I bought it on my Kindle. If Amazon decides to take this one back, I won't mind...



3. Good Bye old friends of Crozet. I will miss the Post Office, Miranda, penny pinching, and jiggley, man crazy, Boom Boom - oh, wait, they don't exist any more. I won't miss the bashing of Northerners nor the hot button topics that do not belong in this genre. As a Northern girl (who lived in Virginia for 11 years), and a former horsewoman, I've taken all of the insults that I can handle. I certainly hope that my neighbors here in Texas do not talk about me the way Rita Mae's 'southern belles' put down their Northern neighbors. I no longer eagerly await her next installment. Don't get me going about the sloppy writing and lack of beloved characters gone AWOL. Harry will have to soldier on without my hard earned, Yankee, money supporting her books. What happened to you, Dear Rita Mae?



4. I use to Love Mrs Murphy but this book was more about trashing republicans, some by name ( Karl Rowe). She used her characters to "show" the perfidy and stupidity of the right . Christians were targeted along with anti-abortionist. It was also a abortion agenda book, very pro abortion. She took everyone to task that wasn't a democrat or pro-abortion with some serious name calling . One of the main characters saw the error of her ways and came out and made a statement that she was " wrong" about abortion and was now for it. I wanted to read a mystery , not Brown's view of our country and was very offended about some of her statements . If this is what she is putting forth now ,I don't think I want to read her anymore. I read enough books on government without being tortured by this junk when I just want to relax and read.



5. Having read the entire series, and having no intention of not continuing to read all new ones, I do want to ask one pertinent question: Sneaky Pie, where the heck are you? When you wrote the books and your mom collaborated, the books were Purrfect. You know how humans are, Sneaky Pie: turn your back on them for one minute while you enjoy a snort of catnip, and they run amok. Standards fall. Human opinions surface and take over. Girl Cat, put down the catnip sockie and get back on the job! Your mom has lost her way with the series and needs your firm paw to guide her back. We the readers want more of you and the other animals. We want Miranda back full time. We do miss the PO. Yes, we are happy that your mom and dad have remarried and are trudging happily forward in life, but please, get your mom into retroactive gear once in a while. You do the writing and let her edit. How about going back in time and filling in the blanks on some of those Post Office years? And tell your mom that we readers don't want the evening news' topics stealing space away from you 2 and 4 footed Crozeteers! Purrs, A Fan

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

1. My mom found (literally "found") this book in her travels. She couldn't get past the first ten pages and passed it along to me. Her explanation was that she doesn't enjoy books with loads of characters. Now I've read sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, romance, heck even a little horror. I'm new to the RMB Cat series, and I'm just about half way through the book, but still can find little to recommend it. There are storycrafting techniques barely worthy of a first novel...certainly not a fortieth! For instance:
   
   There are more characters in this story than are really necessary. Whenever an author puts a list of characters in the front (or back) of the book, that always sends up a red flag for me. If the reader can't keep track of the characters, the author has done a poor job bringing them to life. Does Harry really need to have TWO cats AND TWO dogs? True, I may have just ticked off all of RMB's fans with this, but a good author needs keep in mind that not everyone who reads this book has read everything else before it and needs to have EVERY character from EVERY previous installment appear (I'm looking at YOU, Spider Robinson!)
   
   Do we have to make things extra confusing by giving our two main characters gender-confusing names? The guy is called "Fair" and the gal is called "Harry".
   
   All of our protagonists have nothing but good qualities. This is so "Mary-Sue" it's insipid. The closest thing that comes to a fault is that Pewter is fat. Oh, and the humans can't sense as acutely as the animals. Oh, gee whiz!
   
   On the one hand, there is w-a-a-a-y too much information on Saddlebred horses, and on the other, the information given seems rather pointless and is awkwardly jammed into the narrative...it doesn't flow from the characters' mouths. Fiction shouldn't have sidebars.
   
   Probably the worst sin of all, is that the story has a lot of TELLING and very little SHOWING. What few descriptions there are seem to be brief, mechanical, and cursory. I know Pewter is gray, Murphy's a tiger, and Tucker's a corgi...but it took I don't know how many pages to find out that Cookie was a dog, much less a Jack Russel. I couldn't tell you what the humans looked like, other than Renata was beautiful, and Fair was tall and around 41.
   
   I never thought I'd rip an author a new one over something as trivial as the Acknowledgments, but the sheer arrogance of those in this book earns RMB this rare privilege. Who the heck thanks their researcher in the first paragraph, a local physician in the second, and then writes this as a third paragraph, "You know how authors always write 'Whatever mistakes are made are entirely my own'? I much prefer to blame the above."?
   
   I will not pay money to read anything by this author. Ever. I don't like giving my money to arrogant people.
   
   I'm sorry, Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie, but this book is just plain sophomoric. I don't know which one of you is doing the majority of the writing, but I think it's time to pass it over to your partner. One of you is not doing a good job.



2. I bought this book to replace an actual libray book I thought I lost. Wouldn't you know after I bought it from Amazon, with a great price, I found the actual library book. I returned both books to the library, dontaing this one in memory of Toby, my cat that just passed.
   
   Being an animal lover, I really enjoy the Miss Murphy series by Rita Mea & Snealy Pie Brown. I recommend the stories to anyone who loves pets, and/or young readers looking for something different to read.



3. The 15th entry into the popular cozy series finds the once-and-again newlyweds, Harry and Fair Haristeen, enjoying a delayed honeymoon at the great Saddlebred horse show in Shelbyville, KY--accompanied by their animal friends, Tee Tucker the corgi and Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, the cats. Though the quintet is out of its regular stomping grounds, it soon becomes apparent that crime and intrigue know no boundaries. First a valuable horseshoe pin disappears; then Queen Esther, a beautiful mare belonging to a famous movie actress, vanishes; then the woman finds a Mexican groom in a stall with his throat cut; and the show is disrupted when an Immigration task force descends on the fairgrounds in a sweep for illegals--most of whom share the victim's nationality. With romantic rivalry, professional jealousy, competition for prizes, and a most irritating pet monkey thrown into the mix, it's a case unlike any other ever addressed by Harry and her trio of pets. Most of the characters will be new to long-time readers of the series, but all are well delineated, including Cookie, a breeder's Jack Russell terrier, and Spike, a tough barn cat, along with several horses both showing and retired. Fair Haristeen, remarried to his wife less than three months, finds himself drawn into her detections against his better judgment and his own advice. And as always, Brown throws in a bit of thought-provoking commentary when she inserts a discussion about the place of steroids in sport and what should be done about them. Though the connection between the raid and the murdered man may seem fairly clear, there are still twists enough to keep you guessing almost till the very last page. Faithful followers of the series may be disappointed by this volume's new location and the relative paucity of bodies, but it's still just as enjoyable as any of its predecessors.



4. Another great series seems to have lost its way. In this book, the recently re-married Fair and Harry go to visit a friend and attend a horse show in Kentucky. Different state; different kind of horse show; and, of course, a murder mystery to solve, right?
   
   Wrong!
   
   Only in a story like this would one expect the newlyweds to not only take along the cats and dog, but also the vet truck equipped with everything needed to conduct surgery in the field with the exception of a portable X-ray machine! And ... it is mentioned as needed!!!!
   
   I would have thought that part of the purpose of locating this book in Kentucky is to give the author the opportunity to describe Kentucky and how it differs from Virgina. Part of the charm of earlier novels in this series were the great descriptions of rural Virginia as well as the people and what made them become the kinds of people that they were, as well as the culture. However, none of that is really present here. At one point, Harry and Fair take a ride in the countryside but we only hear that location X is so many miles from location Y. Where are the descriptions that would make this come alive?
   
   A big part of the schtick of these books is the animals who ferret out key information which is then communicated in one fashion or another to the humans. In this volume there is a lot of complaining by the animals of how stupid and restricted humans are, and there is no sleuthing going on at all. Both the cats, the dog, and Harry are present in an early chapter at a key moment that explains what is going on, but there is no commentary on whether that moment is strange. So, I was left wondering what is going on. The rest of the mystery part is not mysterious either. The only part that is somewhat mysterious is who stole the girlfriend's lucky pin. That takes a while to resolve, but the main plot: who is the murderer, who is the horse thief, who is the bomber, and so on - all of those were predictable and obvious from the get-go.
   
   Other reviewers have commented on how the author has started using her characters more and more as mouth pieces for her own political views. This is a very obvious slant for this book and greatly detracts from it. Whether or not you share her opinions, they have very little place in this type of book and certainly should not be accorded as much space as they have been.
   
   All in all, this book is a disappointment. I am giving it three stars more for the memories and pleasure previous volumes brought me than the merits of this one particular one. I hope Ms. Brown goes back to the writing style that made this series such a favorite in the future.



5. I LOVED this series. Start with the early books, preferably in order, if you've never read any. Read this one ONLY if you are desperate, and be prepared to skim many pages just to move it along. The "story" is not interesting, highly disjointed, more like her outline of ideas pasted between a lot of LOOOONG technical descriptions of horse show stuff (not interesting to 99% of us, just long) and a lot of personal opinions that aren't even well-disguised as the characters own natural dialogue. If I wanted a book on horse shows I would buy one. And I don't know why the post-office gig had to go away. It was the perfect thing for the mysteries to center around, and while I know writing the same people over and over must get a little old, this attempt at a new location for a brief change of scenery and people flops. So disappointed.

5 comments about The Hunt Ball (Foxhunting Mysteries).

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. I love the way Rita mae Brown makes you feel you are right there on the hunt and a part of the hunting community with her vivid descriptions. And as an animal lover, I enjoy the talking animals as they add so much spice to the mix. So I say if you want a fun read get the whole "Sister Jane" series and gallop on!



4. Wonderful Characters and story line. Suspend your beliefs and enjoy the animals and the people. Lots of info on fox hunting and the people and hounds and horses who participate. Really good mystery is added joy in this excellantly written book.



5. Great book. I love all her horse, animal mysteries and fiction.
   
   Suzi

5 comments about The Hounds and the Fury.

1. 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.



2. I always enjoy Rita Mae Browns books. Her maine characters are people I would like to have as friends. I also love animals and like reading about them.



3. 
   
   I have all of the books in this series and always pre-purchase the next one out in my anticipation of the fun to come. The stories are always a fun read, the mysteries o.k., but the characters and the hunting details are awesome. I just love when Brown goes in to great detail regarding hunt etiquette, the horses, and the dogs. The terminology and descriptions are fascinating. Also, I am not at all offended when she makes political observations, especially when I agree with most all of them!
   
   I've recommended this series to my trainer and the kids in the local Pony Club to read, and for anyone frustrated by adult horse fiction. Usually the authors get it all wrong i.e. children riding stallions, green riders as assistant trainers, etc. but Rita Mae Brown is always 'spot on'.



4. After stumbling across Rita Mae Brown's Fox Hunting series totally by accident, I've become an addict. This is yet another in an exciting, informative, well written thread. Read by the author, I found this recording difficult to turn off. I had read the book, but the insight provided by the author's own intonation and pronunciation added a totally enjoyable level to a fine story. I strongly recommend this recording and the book behind it.



5. Although Brown is one of my all time favorite authors, this time around there is too much filler and not enough story. Characters are true to themselves, but there is too much time between story actions to keep you completely interested and reading.

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

1. 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.



2. 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



3. 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.



4. When I first came across this series all I could do was look at my family of four legget beasties and imagine them talking with each other and thinking what a great life they have with all those waiters and waitress taking care of them. Ha Ha on us.



5. This book was just awful. I was suggested this series by 2 family members so I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, it was blatantly obvious who the murderer was from the beginning, and perhaps only 4 chapters even discussed the murder, while the rest of it consists of, "my husband is cheating on me *whine whine whine*" "nahh, giiiirl, I would know since my ex-husband soon to be husband again slept with our dear friend BoomBoom, nick-named after her large bosoms who, by the way, is now in love with our 60 year old, Angelica, a former actress who is so much more beautiful than meeee". If you like unnecessary women drama, talk about who the town slut is, who isn't, and Monks who own computers and use them for their business, get drunk, smoke, and do drugs in the mountains, then, please, by my guest and purchase this book. If you want a GOOD mystery book with fun characters try Melinda Wells, Maggie Sefton, or Lorna Barrett.