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When a mystery author claims her cat as coauthor, it's a fairly safe bet that the team won't be producing disturbing psychological thrillers or hard-edged legal procedurals. And indeed, Rita Mae Brown and her cat, Sneaky Pie, have carved out a comfortable niche for themselves in the cozy category, spinning tales (Rest in Pieces;Murder, She Meowed;Cat on the Scent) around the goings-on in Crozet, a small Virginia town where everyone knows everyone else and recipes and gossip are exchanged over the post office counter. Mary Minor Haristeen ("Harry") is Crozet's postmistress and the proud owner of two cats, Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and one corgi, Tee Tucker--animals with an uncanny ability to sniff out secrets and hidden motives as well as mice and roast beef.
Pawing Through the Pastcapitalizes on the myriad subtle relationships that form the backbone of small-town culture, and which Brown and Sneaky Pie have carefully woven throughout the Mrs. Murphy series. In a nicely appropriate nod to that culture's rivalries and alliances, Brown has chosen a high school reunion--traditional hotbed of simmering unease--as her mise-en-scène. When each member of the Crozet High Class of 1980 receives an anonymous note stating, "You'll never get old," most take it as a joke or a compliment. But when the class womanizer turns up with a bullet between his eyes, and more notes--and more bodies--start appearing, Harry and her menagerie find themselves at the center of a revenge plot 20 years in the making.
Brown's latest is replete with the sly asides that have endeared her to animal lovers--"Cats are by instinct and inclination dedicated anarchists"--and with the naively humorous "conversations" between the animals themselves. When Pewter, watching a team of police officers wrestling a stiff corpse out of a dumpster, wonders, "Why don't they just break his arms and legs?" Murphy replies knowingly, "They'd pass out. Humans are touchy about their dead." Unfortunately, these favorable attributes can't quite mask an incoherent plot, nor Brown's awkwardly pompous social commentary: "By and large, the women looked better than the men, testimony to the cultural pressure for women to fuss over themselves." But Brown's legions of fans will doubtlessly forgive these shortcomings, concentrating instead on the antics of a memorable four-legged and furry trio.--Kelly Flynn
These books are a lot of fun! This latest in the Mrs. Murphy series is one of the best for awhile. In it we see Harry and her friends planning for a 20th School Reunion. Someone else is planning to make a splash at this reunion. This person hopes to leave a mark by killing off the Class of 1980 one by one. Does this person have a motive for killing certain people, or is it just random acts of violence? There are a large number of deaths in this book, but that adds to the excitement, but if people in Crozet keep getting murdered, there soon won't be anyone left. I love the characters, both animal and human, in this series, and am happy that I still have a few more Mrs.Murphy adventures to read. Murphy, Pewter and Tucker are wonderful (and they're pretty good sleuths too).
Another winner By the time a reader gets to the 7th in a series, they are hooked. And in the case of the Sneaky Pie Brown's works, they are also accustomed to and forgiving of the literary mistakes that occur in each volume. It's amazing how you can read such things as point of view shifts, unidentified speakers, etc., and still enjoy the book. In the case of the Mrs. Murphy mysteries, this has never been truer.
Once more new characters are introduced, this time for the high school reunions of the classes of 1980 and 1950. It's the 1980 bunch who are being murdered off, and no one knows why. And once again Mary Minor Haristeen is right in the middle. She and her pets and friends are all in danger, although they are not the initial targets.The methods of murder continue to be bizarre -- or at the very least odd -- and often brutal.
One of the more satisfying events in Pawing through the Past is the reuniting of Miranda Hogendobber and her high school sweetheart, Tracy Raz. Newly returned from his sojourn in Hawaii, he is being embraced by everyone, not only because he's a nice guy, but also because of the esteem in which Miranda is held by nearly everyone.
Fair Haristeen is still there, trying to convince Harry to marry him again by being brave, honorable, loving, and very good looking. The rest of the usual characters -- Susan Tucker, BoomBoom Craycroft, Big Mim and Little Mim, Deputy Cooper, and Sheriff Shaw among them -- step into their roles, delightfully.
These stories are always pleasurable and quick reads. Anyone wanting to check out the series could pick up any volume, but if the first, Wish You Were Here, is available, try starting there.The Class of 1980 - or what's left of it When the toast at the 20th class reunion is "To the class of '80 - or what's left of it" you know there is more going on than reminiscing about old times. This book is an excellent mystery in Crozet as members of Harry's class are mysteriously murdered - and Harry may be next! The author's grasp of human nature is dead on here - and her grasp of animal nature can't be beat. Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tucker, who talk to each other and can understand humans, but cannot be understood by them, are hilarious. The animals' personalities really come forth in this book, which triples the fun. This is a delightful, original mystery which I would recommend to anyone, and I look forward eagerly to reading her other Mrs. Murphy books.
