Bestselling authors Rita Mae Brown and her feline partner, Sneaky Pie Brown, are back for the holidays in a mystery featuring Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen, the sleuthing cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and corgi Tee Tucker. Can they save the season from a killjoy who’s decided to gift the festive little town . . . with murder? As Harry well knows, there’s hardly a place on earth cozier than Crozet, … cozier than Crozet, Virginia, at Christmastime. The snowflakes drifting lazily down, the soft glow of the winter light, the sound of old carols in the streets…even cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter get into the spirit batting ornaments and climbing the holiday tree. In fact, it’s this year’s tree that Harry and her husband, Fair, have gone to fetch when they find the one they’ve chosen grimly decorated with a dead body.
The tree farm is run by The Brothers of Love, a semimonastic organization that tends to AIDS patients. The brothers live in a monastery atop the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains. Harry is surprised to find an old high-school friend associated with The Brothers of Love. Christopher Hewitt wasn’t a bad man, but good works weren’t exactly one of his priorities. But then, if even Scrooge could turn over a new leaf, certainly Chris could. And after the scandal that all but destroyed his life, there were probably few in Crozet who needed the gift of a second chance more.
Harry knows she shouldn’t take it personally, but it was her tree that someone left the corpse under. Now, as the season grows merrier, a murderer is growing bolder. One by one, prominent men of Crozet are being crossed off Christmas shopping lists and added to the morgue. And if Harry and her four-legged helpers aren’t very good—and very careful—this Christmas may be her last.
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I love the Mrs. Murphy books!
This was written before Rita Mae Brown got preachy on environmental causes, there fore it was enjoyable and entertaining.
an author you never disappoints with her great characters…
I read all of Rita Mae Brown’s books…….don’t know why, but I enjoy them!
Rita Mae Brown is one of the great masters of the cozy mysteries!
Love this book was funny,and a fast read.
Enjoyable read. I love the pets involvement in the mystery. I’ve read all the books in this series. All are fun.
I love all the Mrs. Murphy books and named my newest cat Miss Murphy.
I have followed this series since it came out and have truly enjoyed each book. The characters wonderful and the kind you wish you could live close to. I definitely recommend this series.
I enjoy the setting of the books in this series and the characters. This particular book didn’t quite come together as well as some of the others have but it was entertaining.
She keeps you interested in reading this book to the end. I love the characters, and all the twist and turns in the book.
Rita Mae Brown is an excellent storyteller. I have read all of her books from the unsettling “Southern Discomfort” to this whimsical series supposedly written by Sneaky Pie Brown. The characters are well developed the plot strongly constructed and all in all , a wonderful read. Love her and her writing.
Rita Brown and Sneaky Pie never fail to entertain me. Love their books, and always wish for more when I finish reading.
I like revisiting Crozet and its quirky inhabitants. Mz. Brown usually leads us a merry chase figuring out the villains too.
A fun, quick read.
Nice light mystery.
Classic Rita Mae!!!
Loved it
Cats rule
This series of books by Rita Mae Brown checks all the boxes. Humorous, great dialog, wonderful characters and always a good story. So far I have read all in this series and loved them all.