Mary Minor “Harry” Harristeen is on the hunt for a killer with a deadly green thumb when a day in the garden turns fatal in this exciting new mystery from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown. Spring arrives in northern Virginia, and as the ground thaws and the peonies begin to bloom a bright magenta, the women of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church prepare for a Homecoming … Homecoming celebration like no other. Harry, Susan Tucker, and their friends are busy planting flowers and trimming hedges to get the church grounds in shape for the big day.
But a note of a menace mars the beautiful spring: The brewery owned by Janice Childs and Mags Nielsen, two members of the gardening committee, gets robbed, with hundreds of dollars in merchandise taken off their delivery trucks in the dead of night. Is this the work of a random thief? Or is something more sinister afoot?
When Jeannie Cordle drops dead at a charity auction, poisoned by a fatal weed, Harry’s worst suspicions are confirmed: a killer lurks in their midst, one with a keen understanding of poisonous plants. Although she can’t yet prove it, Harry knows the murder is related to the thefts at Bottom’s Up Brewery.
With help from her feline sidekicks, Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, as well as Tee Tucker the corgi and sweet puppy Pirate, Harry sets out to find the weed in St. Luke’s garden—and stop a killer before they can strike again.
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~Harry Shivered. No good will come of this, she thought to herself.~
Furmidable Foes by Rita Mae Brown is the 29th Mrs. Murphy mystery which brings Mary Minor “Harry” Harristeen and the fur babies together to solve another mystery. I enjoyed the gardening theme of this mystery and the cover is beautifully designed for spring! Harry and Susan with other members of the Dorcas Guild work on the gardens at St. Luke’s to restore them to the historic design of 1787. As Harry and the ladies prepare the gardens for the homecoming celebration there is more interest in the mystery of the unknown woman whose body had been previously found in another family’s grave. The skeleton dated back to the 1700s and was adorned with the most extravagant pearl and diamond necklace with earrings. Harry also discovers a moonshine still and another body on the ridge of at the back of her property. The mysteries deepen when Jeannie dies at the charity auction and the culprit is discovered to have been caused by a poisoned lipstick! Who would want Jeannie dead? Follow the banter among Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, Tucker, and Pirate, The animals are adorable.
Publication Date: May 19, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Four stars because this isn’t quite up to RMB’s standards. The editing is a bit off. For instance, in at least two places the beloved corgi character, Tucker, is referred to as “he” when for the last umpteen books she’s decidedly been a female. However, one of Brown”s notes to readers explains that there have been some changes in her world, which perhaps have a bearing.
The story nonetheless moves right along between the two centuries (the present and the 1700s when this country was making its start). The historical mystery somewhat concludes, though there could be wiggle room for another installment. The present day tale involves the sudden death of a woman, which evolves into a murder with a motive that takes some effort on the part of Tucker, Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, along with their gangly young family member, Pirate, as well as Harry to sort.
The Revolutionary times mystery looks more into the lives of three escaped slaves in a way that brings a vivid sense of not only the life threatening trials they had to deal with, but also the context, the attitudes of white characters. I could not get over the horrible feeling of having men who specialized in capturing escaped slaves after you, the consequences you might face should they catch you, the casual violence for which there would be no recourse.
A solid page turner in this long standing series, one of my favorites for 30 years!
The 29th installment in the “A Mrs. Murphy Mystery” pet series from acclaimed author Rita Mae Brown comes Furmidable Foes. Published by Batam/Random House.
First off, I would like to say that I would have given this book a higher rating if it had contained a few things I felt were missing. Characters in this series, Harry and friends, as well as the talking pets, are well established. And that in and of itself is one of the problems. They may be so well established that a new reader will not be able to understand the different personalities and habits. Unfortunately, there is no background given for this book. Unless the reader has read the other 28 books in the series, they are unlikely to become vested in the characters, location, or the mystery.
I enjoy a story within a story, and I found the story of the slaves set in 1787, Virginia, very enjoyable. However, I did not find that their story was resolved well enough. I would have been happier reading a book based solely on the slave mystery more than the story of the modern murder. I found the talking pets entertaining but would have liked them to have more involvement throughout the book. I did not feel there was any real police investigation or evidence, redding herrings or genuine twists. I thought the killer was fairly obvious and the motive as old as the Virginia hills.
When a series has run as long as this one has, it is easy to forget that the audience has grown older, and new readers have come aboard. It’s easy to write beloved characters without a thought as to who will be reading the story. After all, writers get to know their characters so well that they think of them in everyday terms, and as such, they forget that readers may not have a clue who these people are. A list of characters at the beginning of a book is no excuse for not devoting at least a chapter to describing who the returning characters are in relationship to the story. Unfortunately, I feel that this series has become stale. Avid fans will, no doubt, love this book. However, a new audience may find it too overwhelming, filled with references; they don’t understand, and with nothing to spark their interest. Unless it is all the talking pets, animal lovers will relate to this aspect more than anything else.
A little more effort in educating the audience would go a long way to making this book far more interesting. When I read the book, the term “phoning it in” came to mind, and that is something I will never like in any publication. Furmidable Foes could have been quite enjoyable, characters and pets are quirky and spunky. The garden, sounded lovely and was described beautifully. I wish I could go back and read the other books in the series just so I could better understand what was going on in this addition, but… who has time to read 28 books just to catch up? Even in quarantine, I don’t have that kind of time!
I’ve been reading this series for years and I feel lucky to have gotten a chance to read this. As always, you get quite the history lesson. It makes it a book within a book and that’s quite enjoyable. This is just a well written whodunit full of characters and pets to love. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I’m voluntarily providing an honest review.
Furmidable Foes by Rita Mae Brown was an unexpected delight. Somehow, in all my years of reading, I have never read a book by this author and, while I was expecting a typical cozy mystery, I found, instead, a serious book, although almost whimsical in its delivery. Furmidable Foes takes place in two centuries: 2019 and 1788. The earlier story is about runaway slaves and a body disposed of on top of the coffins of two recently buried local citizens. This, of course, causes all kinds of consternation when it is discovered 230 years later. Who was she? Where did she come from? Why was she buried thusly? The more current story doesn’t really become a mystery (except for the historical one) until toward the end of the book. A mystery stumbled upon and solved almost by accident. The third, and possibly most intriguing part of the book, is the secret lives of the pets in 2019. Unbeknownst to their owners, they have conversations, likes and dislikes beyond food choices, and assist in discovering and solving the mystery. It is a most interesting writing style.
I was led to read about the author as come of the phrasing in the book seemed almost foreign, as when an Australian is writing a cowboy tome taking place in Montana. Furmidable Foes takes place in Virginia, very close to the place of residence of Brown, the author. The tone of the 2019 portion of the book is very casual. It is the daily life of the heroine, Harry, who is primarily a farmer, and very involved with historic gardens locally, most especially her church. It is her pets which hijack the book. The story of the slaves never really comes to its end, although the end may almost be assumed. It is a charming book and an interesting technique. I recommend it, primarily for its creativity, but also for its charm, it’s glimpse into Virginia history, and its mystery.
I received a free ARC of Furmidable Foes from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #furmidablefoes
This books tells two different, but intertwined stories, involving both historic and modern times. As expected of this author, this book is skillfully written with a tight plot and great 2 and 4 legged characters. I’m looking forward to the next book. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.
Here we are with the 29th mystery in the Mrs. Murphy series. I have been reading them since the first one was published and, to get the most out of every book, I would advise that they be read in order. That way each new book is like a visit with old friends knowing that a murder will need to be solved while you are there. Harry (short for Harriett) Haristeen lives a life tied closely to the land and the history of Northern Virginia. She is in tune with the seasons and the life cycle on her farm. Along with her veterinarian husband, Fair and her best from since childhood, Susan Tucker, she has two cats – Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and two dogs – Tee Tucker and Pirate plus assorted other animals who call her farm home.
As with most of the series, the murders have close ties to both the colonial past of the area and the present. When Harry and Susan are working on the church grounds to get everything ready for Spring festivities a skeleton dating from the 1700’s turns up. Who was she, how did she die and why was she wearing a very expensive necklace of diamonds and pearls? If those aren’t enough of a mystery for Harry to try to solve, soon vandalism, theft and murder by poisonous plant become her focus. What ties the two threads together? With the help of friends and family and, of course the cats and dogs, Harry will find the answers.
For the reader new to this long running series, first off, the animals are not cutesy talking characters. They observe and assist Harry in their own ways and, for me, none of it is over the top. I love the conversations the animals have amongst themselves. As for the mystery, it comes in two parts. Chapters alternate between the present crimes and the colonial crimes and the Colonial period does focus on slavery which is ugly so be aware that this is a cozy with an edge/darker side.
There is much about plants and gardens, about their history and the pace is slow. The reader will learn a lot about plants and slavery. I’m not a gardener but due to my mother being a master gardener I did grow up with a love of plants. I just can’t seem to grow much more than weeds. I loved the garden theme, even when some of it was deadly.
The mysteries unfolded well and kept me engaged from start to finish. Furmidable Foes was a very satisfying mystery and I’m already looking forward to what is in store for Harry in the next installment.
My thanks to the publisher Bantam and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is a well written book that is full of twists and turns and will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. It was not as good as some of her older books, but it was still a good read and I look forward to her next book. Thank you Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Double Mystery From Today and the Late 1700s
This is a very good book where we explore a very cold murder from the late 1700s and a complex set of crimes from today. I do wish the author had stretched the book out longer so we could learn more about the final results. It was a very quick so-and-so did it and that was that. There was no bone to chew on for the crimes. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
This book continues the side story in the 1780’s that was started in Whiskers in the Dark in addition to this current story. Harry and her friends are getting ready for St Luke’s Homecoming. When a friend dies, Harry can’t stop getting involved. Some of my favorite parts about the Mrs. Murphy series is the animals and the research behind the books. I always learn something when I read one of these books.
Thoroughly enjoyed this story.
greed, 1787, historical-research, pets, cats, dogs, cozy-mystery
There are two stories interwoven because of the land which they occupy. One is a very difficult tale of cruel people and normal people in a time of transition – 1787. The other is a tale of subterfuge and greed with a side of murder. They are connected by an artifact found on a grave before this book. I love the parts of the stories that are told among the cats and dogs who love and protect their people. I think that the mystery is excellent and the historical part of the story is the best it can be. I loved it! Beyond that is the history of horticulture and the reintroduction of heirloom plants at Montpelier as well as the relevance of the Historic Trust. Great stuff for a history geek and/or a gardening geek (that’s my sister, so I’ll have to gift her a copy).
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine
Bantam via NetGalley. Thank you!