Product Description

It takes a cat to write the purr-fect mystery--.

"People who love cats...have a friend in Rita Mae Brown," declares The New York Times Book Review. And nowhere is it more obvious than in this, her sixth deliciously witty foray into detective fiction written with the paws-on help of collaborator Sneaky Pie Brown, and starring that irrepressible crime-solving tiger cat, Mrs. Murphy.

As the principal of St. Elizabeth's, an exclusive private school that caters to Crozet, Virginia's, best families, Roscoe Fletcher has proven himself to be a highly effective and vastly popular administrator. So when his obituary appears in the local paper, everyone in town is upset. Yet nothing compares to the shock they feel when they discover that Roscoe Fletcher isn't dead at all. Someone has stooped to putting a phony obituary in the newspaper. But is it a sick joke or a sinister warning?

Only Mrs. Murphy, the canny tiger cat, senses the pure malice behind the act. And when a second false obit appears, this time of a Hollywood has-been who is Roscoe Fletcher's best friend, Mrs. Murphy invites her friends, the corgi Tee Tucker, and fat cat Pewter, to do a bit of sleuthing. It's obvious to this shrewd puss that two phony death notices add up to deadly trouble. And her theory is borne out when one of the men is fiendishly murdered.

"Harry" Haristeen, in her position as Crozet's postmistress, is the first to hear all the theories on whodunit--starting with the man's jealous wife. Then a second bloody homicide follows, and a third. People are dropping like flies in Crozet and no one seems to know why.

Fearlessly exploring all the places where humans never think to go, Mrs. Murphy manages to untangle the knots of passion, duplicity, and greed that have sent someone into a killing frenzy. Yet knowing the truth isn't enough. Mrs. Murphy must somehow lead Harry, her favorite human, down a trail that is perilous...to a killer who is deadly...and a climax that mystery lovers will relish.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84649 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02-02
• Released on: 1999-02-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 416 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780553575408
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
YA-Murders continue to be solved by English-speaking animals in the tiny town of Crozet, VA. When first one and then a second obituary are published prior to the murders, the curiosity of sleuths Harry Haristeen and her pets is set afire. The involvement of high school students and staff will appeal to teens. The quick wit and blunt speech giving the animals' perceptions of the humans involved are the special drawing cards to this series. The appealing line drawings help to pull readers into this fast-moving story.
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In their sixth collaboration, Brown and her tiger cat Sneaky Pie move locale from historic Virginia sites, such as Monticello and Montpelier, to St. Elizabeth's, the exclusive private school in Crozet where philandering headmaster Roscoe Fletcher hopes to establish a new film department with financial assistance from director Maury McKinchie. When fake obituaries of the two are followed by their actual demise, it's up to Crozet's postmistress Mary Minor ("Harry") Haristeen and her fellow, four-footed amateur detectives--tiger cat Mrs. Murphy, fat cat Pewter, and corgi Tee Tucker--to sniff out what's rotten in St. Elizabeth's. The frailties of the human characters (mostly, who slept with whom) seem less interesting than the perspicacious, amusing, and often irreverent commentary of the talking animals, who also take an active part in affairs. Note: Readers will be pleased with indications that Harry and her ex-husband, veterinarian Fair Haristeen, may get back together again--perhaps in the next Mrs. Murphy mystery? Barbara Duree

Review
"Mrs. Murphy is [a] cat who detects her way into our hearts."
--San Francisco Chronicle & Examiner Book Review -- Review

Customer Reviews

Another quick read
Reading the Mrs. Murphy mysteries out of order is not too bad as long as the reader knows she is doing that. The underlying stories of the lead characters, including Harry, Fair, Susan, Miranda, Mim, BoomBoom, etc., does run through the books, but the individual mysteries stand alone, since it's usually the . . . Well, mustn't give too much away.

This mystery starts when false obituaries are printed in a local newspaper. The two subjects are members of St. Elizabeth's a private school. When both of the victims of the pranks end up victims of murder, the chase is on.

Harry just can't ignore a mystery and her friends have not only come to expect her sleuthing, they join in. After all, they know everyone in town and the surrounding area. The setting is well described, although there may have been a couple of mistakes in Brown's description of Waynesboro, and residents and former residents will know exactly where she has taken us.

These mysteries are always good quick reads with characters we can care about. Be sure to read them all.

Exciting Mystery
When phony obituaries begin appearing in the Crozet, Virginia's local newspaper Harry knows that something strange is going on. But when dead bodies start turning up, she begins investigating. But even before she can find out what's going on her furry companions, Tee Tucker (Welsh Corgi), and Pewter and Mrs. Murphy (cats) are on the case trying to find out who will turn up murdered next, and trying to keep their owner out of danger.

Rita Mae Brown has done it again. This is one of the best Mrs. Murphy mysteries to date, and a must-read for fans of the cat-cozy genre.

Great...give teens another 'bright' idea...
Actually, this stunt (putting a person's obit in before their death) sounds a little more on the college-age level than on high-school age level. And if it was done giving someone a great obit for being a great person, it could have been complimentary. But everyone who has read Brown's books, knows that when something like this happens, a body is sure to follow...and Harry is sure to follow the body to where it leads her; whether or not it is her business.

My animals roll their eyes at things I do too, so I am sure they don't think my IQ is very high in certain area. They are also prone to charge across my table when it is spread with homework from my chemistry students or papers I am referencing...leading to considerable time spent putting the papers back in order. They amuse me, and I feed them. That's the deal. They also answer the door for the deaf person...me.

I love Brown's descriptions of her characters and the area in Virginia. Under normal circumstances I would love to live in an area like Crozet, though I'd be more in Harry's financial circumstances. Unfortunately, the occurrence of murder in Crozet happens a little to often for my taste (come to think about it, there are a few areas around Pittsburgh where murders are happening too often too now, but the means and motive differ considerably).

Harry and her animals, and her friends make for great light reading. The writing is intelligent, you learn something new everytime, and the characterization is wonderful. And unlike other mystery writers at this time, Brown does not feel the need to fill her books with bad language and sex. A lot of that stuff can be implied without having to resort to cluttering up the readers' mind with trash...

Karen Sadler