Whiskers in the dark A Mrs. Murphy mystery

Joined by her crime-cracking cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, plus corgi Tee Tucker, postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen tries to figure out who killed an old friend whose body is found by the hunt club's baying beagles. Copyright 2018 Library Journal.

Early in bestseller Brown's smoothly written 27th mystery featuring Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her talking animals (after 2018's Probably Claws), Harry and her fellow volunteers are clearing away debris at the National Beagle Club in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains in order to make the grounds safe for a proposed hunt when they find retired Foreign Service officer Jason Holzknect with his throat slit. Another murder at the club ups the ante. Meanwhile, a woman's skeleton dating to the 18th century and wearing a pearl necklace is discovered in the local cemetery. Flashbacks to the years after the Revolutionary War tell the story of the woman who wore the pearls, which parallels the circumstances that led to the present-day murders. In lieu of detecting, Harry feels and intuits. For series fans, atmosphere is what counts: walking the dogs, stroking the cats, listening to the birds in the meadows, mucking out the stables, all accompanied by the animals' wise observations. Brown's love of nature shines through. (June) Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly Annex.

When a body is discovered in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Harry and her pets search for the killer while ghost sighting and threats complicate their investigation.

The discovery of a body in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains dredges up mysteries that have lingered from Revolutionary Virginia through the Civil War and beyond, in a supernaturally thrilling new tale from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author SneakyPie Brown. A trial is underway in Albemarle County, where Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen and her trusty crew of two- and four-legged friends hope to catch a killer--who may not be the person accused of the crime. Since an old friend's body was discovered by the hunting club's faithful beagles, it has been up to Harry--with her crime-solving cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and Tee Tucker the corgi--to sniff out a trail of clues. Meanwhile, bloodshed dating back generations continues to haunt the current grounds of the National Beagle Club of America. Are past claims of ghost sightings still to be ignored? And what do these paranormal apparitions have to do with the very modern drama unfolding in court and the all-too-real threats confronting Harry and her companions at every turn?

A massive nor'easter on the eve of an annual National Beagle Club benefit finds Harry Harristeen and her crime-solving kitties linking the murder of a foreign services officer to an unsolved killing from the 18th century.

Death stalks the Blue Ridge Mountains as a centuries-old mystery resurfaces and murder mars the lead-up to an annual beagle competition, in a thrilling new tale from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown.'As feline collaborators go, you couldn't ask for better than Sneaky Pie Brown.''the New York Times Book Review A massive nor'easter has hit northern Virginia, where Mary Minor 'Harry' Harristeen joins groundskeeping efforts at the National Beagle Club at Aldie as the date for its springtime Hounds for Heroes veterans' benefit approaches. Harry's fellow volunteers, including her oldest friend, Susan Tucker, comprise a spirited group of hunting enthusiasts, some former service members themselves. But things take a sinister turn when, after a routine tree cleanup along the Club's hunting trails, retired foreign services officer Jason Holzknect is found dead, throat slit from ear to ear. Soon enough, another murder in their midst jolts the preparations, convincing Harry that the killer is familiar with the Club'and must be close by, masked in plain sight. The intrigue extends to the grounds of Harry's beloved local church, where the identity of an eighteenth-century skeleton wearing precious pearls remains a mystery. The anonymous woman's neck had been snapped, and marks on the grave where her body was secreted indicate that someone recently tried to remove it, leading Harry to question how well she really knows those around her. As always, Harry's crime-solving cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and Tee Tucker the Corgi share her determination to sniff out the foes among friends, even those long buried. Harry will need her four-legged companions' help more than ever: a ghostly beagle only they can see may hold the key to the culprit.