Synopses & Reviews
The annual steeplechase races at Montpelier, once the home of James and Dolley Madison, are the high point in the social calendar of the horse-mad Virginians of cozy Crozet. The race meet offers a cracking good time with old friends and a chance to get even—on the racecourse—with old enemies. Postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen will be in the thick of the action on this day of high spirits and fierce competition. But the glorious thoroughbreds and the pinks and greens and purples worn by the riders do not blind Harry to the dangerous undercurrents that start to surface. There's sure to be some emotional fireworks at Montpelier. Still, no one expects the day to end in tragedy.
Found dead in the main barn is one of the day's riders, a knife plunged through the jockey's heart. The only clue is a playing card, the Queen of Clubs, impaled over the fatal wound. Within the wealthy, tight-knit world of horse owners, trainers, and jockeys, the victim had both admirers and enemies.
Was the murderer's motive greed, drugs--a pervasive evil in the race world—or sexual rivalry? Luckily for Crozet's humans, the tiger cat Mrs. Murphy is right at home in the stable yard...and on the trail of the shocking truth. But will Harry catch on in time to stop a killer grown bloodthirsty with success?
In Murder, She Meowed Sneaky Pie Brown and her co-author, Rita Mae Brown, have penned another clever and sassy mystery that probes the depths of human depravity and the heights of feline genius.
Synopsis
"As feline collaborators go, you couldn't ask for better than Sneaky Pie Brown, the canny tiger cat. . . . Solid storytelling."--The New York Times Book Review
The annual steeplechase races are the high point in the social calendar of the horse-mad Virginians of cozy Crozet. But when one of the jockeys is found murdered in the main barn, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen finds herself in a desperate race of her own--to trap the killer. Luckily for her, she has an experienced ally: her sage tiger cat, Mrs. Murphy. Utilizing her feline genius to plumb the depths of human depravity, Mrs. Murphy finds herself on a trail that leads to the shocking truth behind the murder. But will her human companion catch on in time to beat the killer to the gruesome finish line?
"The browns Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie] once again blend plot, character, and atmosphere with plenty of wit and charm to create a delightful entertainment."--Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Rita Mae Brown is the bestselling author of
Rubyfruit Jungle,
In Her Day,
Six of One,
Southern Discomfort,
Sudden Death,
High Hearts,
Bingo,
Starting From Scratch: A Different Kind of Writers' Manual,
Venus Envy,
Dolley: A Novel of Dolley Madison in Love and War,
Riding Shotgun, and
Rita Will: Memoir of a Literary Rabble-Rouser. An Emmy nominated screenwriter and a poet, she lives in Afton, VA.
Sneaky Pie Brown, a tiger cat born somewhere in Albemarle County, Virginia, was discovered by Rita Mae Brown at her local SPCA. In addition to Sneaky Pie's Cookbook for Mystery Lovers, Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie have collaborated on twelve Mrs. Murphy mysteries: Wish You Were Here, Rest in Pieces, Murder at Monticello, Pay Dirt, Murder, She Meowed, Murder on the Prowl, Cat on the Scent, Pawing Through the Past, Claws and Effect, Catch as Cat Can, The Tail of the Tip-Off, and Whisker of Evil.?