In this fast-paced mystery by Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown, Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen and her animal friends seek to solve a whodunit rooted in eighteenth-century Virginia—uncovering a shocking secret that refuses to stay buried. TALL TAIL At any moment a perfect summer day in Crozet, Virginia—nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains—might turn stormy and … Mountains—might turn stormy and tempestuous, as Harry knows too well when a squall suddenly sweeps in. In a blink, Harry’s pickup nearly collides with a careening red car that then swerves into a ditch. Harry recognizes the dead driver slumped over the vehicle’s steering wheel: Barbara Leader was nurse and confidante to former Virginia governor Sam Holloway.
Though Barbara’s death is ruled a heart attack, dissenting opinions abound. After all, she was the picture of health, which gives Harry and her four-legged companions pause. A baffling break-in at a local business leads Harry to further suspect that a person with malevolent intent lurks just out of sight: Something evil is afoot.
As it happens, Barbara died in the shadow of the local cemetery’s statue of the Avenging Angel. Just below that imposing funereal monument lie the remains of one Francisco Selisse, brutally murdered in 1784. Harry’s present-day sleuthing draws her back to Virginia’s slave-holding past and the hunt for Selisse’s killer. Now it’s up to Harry and her furry detectives—Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tee Tucker—to expose the bitter truth, even if it means staring into the unforgiving eyes of history and cornering a callous killer poised to pounce.
Praise for the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
“As feline collaborators go, you couldn’t ask for better than Sneaky Pie Brown.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Mrs. Murphy mysteries are fun, sweet, and beautifully adventurous.”—Bustle
“Brown [is] the queen of the talking animal cozy.”—Publishers Weekly
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Always love Sneakie Pie’s books, even this late in a series. Crozet, Virginia and the animals there in are an entertaining group, better at solving mysteries than the humans
I’ve read the whole series, very enjoyable if you like mysteries, cats and dogs.
A great author and the best characters.
I hated the cats! They’re why I quit reading. (I do, however, strongly recommend RMB’s earlier books, “Rubyfruit Jungle” and “Six of One.”)
All Rita Mae Brown/Mrs Murphy books are darn good reads!
I’m not even sure why Rita Mae Brown keeps writing these, her heart clearly isn’t in it anymore.
Wonderful!
Very political both old and new politics.
I recently discovered Rita Mae Brown & I’m hooked!
Although charming, this book needs a good editor to clean it up.
I love all of her bools needless to say that I love cats and this one is entering.
I love cats and so it was so informative to have the cats as well as dogs help solve the mystery. I believe that our animals are smarter than we give them credit.
Have loved Rita Mae Brown books for a long time! These historical stories are very interesting to me and she does keep the characters interesting! And I love Mrs. Murphy and her friends too!
The plot twist of two different time periods interrelated would have been better with greater attention to historical accuracy, but some readers would not be bothered by that, and this author’s characters are always entertaining.
Too many charactors. Not enough plot. Too much of the authors personal, political opinions.
Love all the animals.
Easy reading. Like able characters.
A great melding of history with a current happening. The story makes you think about the turmoil of today and how it has been affected by the events 200 years ago. Great Reading.
Love the entire Rita Mae
Sneaky Brown series. Great characters including a few humans as well. It’s easy to get involved with their lived
Have loved her entire series. Also, like the social commentary and historical bits slipped in.