Pawing through the Past (Mrs. Murphy Series #8)

From Barnes & Noble

A Tail of Murder

That felicitous and furry feline author, Sneaky Pie Brown, has teamed up once again with her human counterpart, Rita Mae Brown, to bring another fun and fascinating mystery to light. If you've experienced the whimsical high jinks of Brown's four-footed sleuths before, it's easy to see why this delightful series is so popular. If you haven't, then Pawing through the Past is the purr-fect way to get acquainted.

In the deceptively sleepy town of Crozet, Virginia, people have a way of turning up dead. So when the past comes back to haunt the alumni of Crozet High's class of 1980, it has a very lethal effect. Fortunately, America's favorite feline sleuth -- Mary Hairsteen's top cat, Mrs. Murphy -- is on the case and tracking the killer. But even Mrs. Murphy and her furry, able-bodied assistants are puzzled by this one, for the killer is a masterful planner with a devious mind.

In addition to her duties as postmistress, Mary Hairsteen, or Harry as everyone in Crozet knows her, is helping to plan her 20th class reunion. Things get off to a shaky start when several class members get a mysterious mailing, an anonymous letter that says simply, "You'll never get old." Although some see the curious letter as a compliment, and others think it's merely a joke, Harry and her cadre of pets find it discomfiting. When one of Harry's fellow classmates -- a notorious lothario with a long list of enemies -- turns up murdered, the words in the letter take on a whole new and far more sinister meaning. Especially when a second letter arrives, this one making it clear that the first murder won't be the last.

Harry's on the case in record time, and she quickly turns up an ugly incident from the past, one that led to another classmate's suicide years ago. Would those involved be so intent upon keeping their secret that they'd kill to do so? As the body count climbs, Harry starts to think so. But the list of potential killers is quickly whittled down as those on it start turning up dead. Harry's inquiries eventually lead her to the truth, but they also add her to the killer's hit list.

Mrs. Murphy, along with Tee Tucker, the Welsh corgi, and a gray cat named Pewter, are working right alongside Harry, trying to solve the case and keep their mistress safe. Their humorous and puzzled observations of human nature provide an entertaining contrast to their own instinctive knowledge and abilities. Their dogged efforts do pay off, but by the time they ferret out the truth and discover the startling identity of this weaselly killer, they are forced to employ some rather desperate measures in hopes of keeping Harry alive. Before it's all over, plenty of fur is flying.

In the hands of a writer less talented than Ms. Brown, a mystery series that includes the points of view of a menagerie of pets might seem trite and forced. But these critters blend into the story without a hitch, and their wry observations of their human counterparts along with their own characteristic behaviors only add to the fun. And the plot is tight enough to keep even the most sophisticated mystery fans guessing right up until the final denouement.

—Beth Amos

Toby Bromberg

Pawning Through The Past is a delightful cozy mystery, all the more so because of the active role the pets take in solving the crime. There’s a bit of romance as well and the puzzling mystery will shock and delight you.
— Romantic Times

Barnes & Noble Guide to New Fiction

America's favorite feline sleuth finds herself paw-deep in a "fun" case of old ties, old sins, and all-too-present danger as she investigates a mystery surrounding the twentieth reunion of the Crozet High Class of 1980. Utterly "transporting." "Norman Rockwell scenes come to life - the best feline-human duo's whodunit yet!"

Publishers Weekly

Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her intrepid trio of animal sleuths are back for an eighth--and winsome--adventure (following Cat on the Scent). Harry, postmistress of seemingly bucolic Crozet, Va., and her classmates are excited about their upcoming 20th high school reunion. They share bittersweet memories of that time when everything seemed possible, as preparations proceed to welcome back far-flung classmates. But it quickly becomes apparent that one person's memories are only bitter: weeks before the celebration, each classmate receives an anonymous letter reading, "You'll never get old." The class Casanova then gets a bullet between the eyes; more threatening letters follow. While the humans involved argue, dither and try to figure out what's behind the murderous rage turning their reunion into a killing ground, Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tee Tucker (Harry's sage tiger cat, plump gray cat and Welsh corgi, respectively) conduct their own investigation. Brown's appealing sense of humor, well-constructed setting and competent plotting carry the day. Her talking, thinking animals are funny and, for those who like this sort of thing, even adorable. Illus. by Itoko Maeno. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Kirkus Reviews

Another visit to Crozet, Virginia (Cat on the Scent, 1999, etc.), and the farm where postmistress Mary Minor ("Harry") Haristeen lives with Welsh Corgi Tee Tucker and cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter. Harry and half the village are agog over preparations for the town's upcoming 20th high-school reunion. Fair Haristeen, Harry's ex, will be there, along with her best friends and even newcomer to town Chris Sharpton. In addition, there's a smaller 40th reunion that's drawn retired army officer Tracy Raz from Florida to rent rooms from Harry and renew an old friendship with Miranda Hogendobber, now Harry's assistant at the post office. Reunion festivities have scarcely begun when the incorrigible womanizer Charlie Ashcroft is found shot to death in the locker room of a nearby country club. Soon after, another alumnus becomes shooting victim number two: Leo Burkey, found in the dumpster behind the Market Shiflet's grocery store. Sheriff Rick Shaw and his deputy Cynthia Cooper have learned that Ashcroft fathered an illegitimate child years ago and that he was HIV positive. But none of their discoveries bring the anonymous notes or the killings to a halt, maybe because they're part of the revenge someone is taking for a savage incident from the past. Only the help of her animal family saves Harry from becoming another victim as the absurd plot winds to its finish. Fun for animal lovers. Sporadically interesting for people more interested in people.