Product Description

The Tail of the Tip-Off

When winter hits Crozet, Virginia, it hits hard--and hangs on for months. That’s nothing new to postmistress Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen and her friends, who keep warm with hard work, hot toddies, and rabid rooting for the University of Virginia’s women’s basketball team at the old stadium affectionately dubbed “The Clam.” But the usual postgame high spirits are laid low when contractor H. H. Donaldson drops dead in the parking lot. And pretty soon word has spread that it wasn’t a heart attack that did him in. It just doesn’t sit right with Harry that one of her fellow fans--perhaps even an acquaintance or neighbor sitting close by in the stands--is a murderer. And as tiger cat Mrs. Murphy is all too aware, things that don’t sit right with Harry make her restless, curious, and prone to poking her not-very-sensitive human nose into dangerous places. So the animals start paying closer attention to what the people around them are doing--and they’re the first ones to realize when the next murder occurs.

It seems obvious to Harry that the deaths are connected--and she intends to find out exactly how. There’s no shortage of suspects, considering that H.H. was a ladies’ man who’d left a trail of broken hearts all over town--the most recent belonging to his wife-- and that the second murder victim was not very popular in Crozet.As the police launch their investigation, Harry picks up clues through savvy questioning of everyone she knows. But it’s the critters who are most attuned to trouble--they scent something wicked wafting Harry’s way on the tail of the next snowstorm. And as Harry draws closer to the truth about a brutal killer, Mrs. Murphy and her friends realize it’s up to them to make sure their intrepid mom lands on her feet.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50913 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-30
• Released on: 2004-03-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

From Publishers Weekly
You don't have to be a cat lover to enjoy Brown's 11th Mrs. Murphy novel (after 2002's Catch as Cat Can), which centers on the "Clam," the University of Virginia's giant sports complex. After a women's basketball game, construction company owner H.H. Donaldson falls dead in the parking lot. The police and Crozet, Va., postmistress Mary Minor (Harry) Hairsteen are barely into trying to find out who killed H.H.-and how-when a second mysterious death occurs at the arena. While Harry snoops around, her cats, Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and corgi, Tucker, do their best to help and protect their mistress. Thinking and talking pets may not be to every taste, but Brown writes so compellingly of the sprightly residents of the Virginia Piedmont, both human and animal, that you have to be a real curmudgeon not to be won over. The author breathes believability into every aspect of this smart and sassy novel.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
When a contractor drops dead at the local basketball game after an unfortunate encounter with poison, Mrs. Murphy is not amused. The fluffy feline takes on her 11th case.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Brown's eleventh Mrs. Murphy mystery finds Mary Minor ("Harry") Haristeen, who is postmistress in the small town of Crozet, Virginia, and also runs a farm, insinuating herself into a murder investigation. When H. H. Donaldson, head of a local construction firm, is murdered in the parking lot of a sports arena, Harry and her fellow four-footed amateur detectives--tiger cat Mrs. Murphy; the fat gray Pewter; and corgi Tee Tucker--try to figure out how and why he was murdered. Suddenly, Harry is looking at her longtime friends and neighbors with an uneasy suspicion and getting an inkling of the level of corruption in the construction industry. Meanwhile, the animals have their own agendas, as they amuse themselves by raiding the supply closet of the local Lutheran church and offer wry running commentary (set off in italics) on the foibles of humans. The politics of small-town life and the building trade are seamlessly woven into this lighthearted, facile tale that will appeal to loyal fans of the series. Others may find the anthropomorphic aspects of the story difficult to take, but it's hard to dislike Harry's giggle-prone, furry brood. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Entertaining story of rural Virginia--and cats and dogs
Life in rural Virginia seems simple, committee meetings to determine whether the church can afford new carpeting, snowfall, University of Virginia woman's basketball, and casual meetings of women to discuss the weather, children, and relationships. But these superficial goings on don't completely hide the reality of adultery, crime, and murder. When post office manager Harry Harristeen sees a construction contractor die of an apparent heart attack, and then learns that it was a cleverly disguised murder, she resolves to find out the truth. Harry is aided in her relentless curiosity by her two cats and one dog, all superhumanly intelligent but saddened by humans' inability to understand what they say oh too clearly.

Harry has her own problems--problems relating to her ex-husband, Fair, and the woman that Fair once had an affair with (Boomboom). She can't get Fair's unfaithfulness out of her system, but she doesn't want to let him go either. As for Boomboom, Harry likes to believe the worst of her, despite Boomboom's assurances that the affair happened only after Harry and Fair had separated.

Author Rita Mae Brown, along with her cat, Sneaky Pie Brown, create a compelling tone of rural life and death. Brown details a social structure that seems to have survived intact from pre-civil war days with women dominating the important events of the society and men providing entertainment and heartache. Pets, of course, are hugely important and the animal insights into humanity, religion, and nature, add to the enjoyment.

Brown resrains her pets in this story--there are no pet-driven vehicles, for example, but the animals manage to save the day once again as Harry's impetuous curiosity comes close to getting her killed.

not bad but not vintage Mrs. Murphy either
It looks as if I'm in the minority here but I was not overly impressed with "The Tail of the Tip-Off." This latest Mrs. Murphy mystery novel is not a terrible read, but it is not vintage Rita Mae Brown either. For me, this book lacked focus. The mystery was an interesting one with plenty of promise, with lots of really interesting character realizations, and the usual humourous antics of Mrs. Murphy, Tucker and Pewter (plus their assorted friends) -- but I still finished the book feeling fairly unsatisfied.

The town of Crozet, Virginia is currently in the grip of both winter and basketball mania. And while tempers are running a little high, no one expected murder to work its way into the latest University of Virginia's women's basketball game. But that's exactly what happens when building contractor H. H. Donaldson suddenly collapses and dies after a game, and an autopsy soon reveals that he was mysteriously poisoned during the game. Bored and restless, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen (post mistress of Crozet, amateur sleuth and owner of Mrs. Murphy, Tucker and Pewter) is eager to figure out the who, why and how of the murder. (Anything is better than trying to decide once and for all if she should allow her ex-husband, Fair, to work his way back into her life on a more intimate footing.) Was H. H. murdered because of some past project and because he crossed someone in business? Or was he murdered because of his extracurricular marital affairs? How did the murderer manage to poison him in the full view of everyone at the stadium? Was his murderer his long suffering wife, Anne? Or a spurned lover? Harry and her furry friends, Mrs. Murphy, Tucker and Pewter are determined to get to the bottom of this latest murder...

There were loads of things I liked about this novel -- like the descriptions of the Virginian countryside in all its glory; the conversations that the animals had with each other; the (hopefully) new characters that Ms Brown has added to the series; and the murder plot premise. But, there were also (for me at least) things that detracted -- like the fact the plot was not quite tight enough, and the pacing a little off, and the fact even to the very end, the motives and actions of some characters (like the H. H. & the murderer) were never really clearly explained/realised. And there was the fact that the authour doesn't really deal with the fact that the second murder victim might have been saved. Oh, Tucker feels the guilt and the remorse, but the humans never really talk about this. I found this very baffling, and a little disconcerting.

All in all, while "The Tale of the Tip-Off" was not a bad read, it was not one of the better Mrs. Murphy mystery novels either (at least no where near "Rest in Pieces" & "Wish You Were Here"), and as a fan, I was a tad disappointed with this book.

Another one drops dead in Crozet, Virginia...
I just realized that selling a house in Harry's hometown of Crozet would be very hard to do given the amount of people who manage to get themselves killed there. Maybe the residents hold grudges a bit more than most, or maybe the area just seems to attract irritating people. I have to admit, many of the people who get killed there would drive me batty, but resorting to murder seems a little over the line answer to the problems.

Anyhow, having two cats and a dog myself, I can testify to their general nosiness and their tendency to get 'into' things you don't want them to get into. Over the years I've come to realize that scientists are definitely wrong about a lot of things concerning animals and their abilty to understand. When I was growing up I remember a rather famous scientist stating that animals don't 'play' and we should stop anthromorphizing them (meaning: don't give them human characteristics). Since then, I've seen significant amount of evidence that animals do 'play', and do many other things we don't understand. I won't go so far as to give them the ability to solve crime...but I am willing to suspend judgement so I can enjoy Brown's books.

Part of the reason Brown's books are enjoyable is the fact that she characterizes well. It would be lovely if we could all live in small towns where people really know each other and their quirks. But the reality is that most of us don't stop to take the time to get to know people and enjoy them, as well as the animals around us.

Harry always manages to be involved some way or another in these crimes. In this case the guy who was sitting behind her during Crozet's beloved basketball games, manages to keel over in the parking lot. Harry is nosy and very observant, and not only does she notice a needle-sized hole in the man's neck, she feels something 'whoosh' past her during the game. Funny thing is that, Brown never seems to go back to that particular clue...I kept waiting for it and it never was mentioned again (the 'whooshing'), though the cops and Harry did manage to figure out how the poison was administered to the man without leaving a needle or some other trace.

Other than that, this was typical fun with Harry and her beloved animals, who she can't live without. I know the feeling. My house will never be free of animal life completely while I have any say in it...much to the chagrin of my very neat mother!

Karen sAdler