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67th out of 122 books
—
9 voters
The Big Cat Nap: The 20th Anniversary Mrs. Murphy Mystery (Mrs. Murphy #20)
To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the beloved Mrs. Murphy mystery series, Rita Mae Brown and her intrepid feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown return with a charming claw-biting tale starring Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen. Of course prowling faithfully at Harry’s side are the sleuthing cats Mrs. Murphy, ever wise, and Pewter, reliably cranky and always primed with a ra...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
April 3rd 2012
by Bantam
(first published January 1st 2012)
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First I must note that I am a great fan of Rita Mae & her animal friends; therefore, I was wildly anticipating this book, the "20th Anniversary" of Mrs Murphy, sleuth cat. However, the animals are much less involved this time around and don't even save any lives! Seriously, the cats and dog involvement here is minimal, mostly they are observers, and frankly, I find them more interesting than some of the human characters. (Oh, by the way, WHAT is with all the animal fighting in this book??? W...more
It’s early summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and more than just the weather is heating up. Miranda and Rev. Jones both have vehicles in the repair shop. When Susan and Harry go with Rev. Jones to check on his truck, they discover the lifeless body of mechanic Walt Richardson on the garage floor. Then Nick Ashby, another mechanic at ReNu automobile repair, is shot in the driveway of his girlfriend’s home. Something is connecting the two and Harry just can’t leave it alone. But can sh...more
Dear Sneaky Pie: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I wrote you earlier after reading Hiss of Death asking you to please convince Rita Mae to tone down her political rants in what are admittedly your books. I don't know if the two of you had a heart-to-heart or whether you have used your little editing paws aggressively, but the difference is impressive. While I still am aware of Rita Mae's political attitudes, I didn't feel that I was being hit over the head with them in this book. Kudos. On to t...more
It’s incredible that “The Big Cat Nap” (love the title!) is the twentieth anniversary “collaboration” between tiger cat Sneaky Pie Brown and her human, Rita Mae Brown. This delightful series has more than 4.5 million copies in print, and has frequently been on the New York Times bestseller list. With good reason.
The twentieth adventure begins with a series of inexplicable car accidents in the picturesque town of Crozet, Virginia. They’re all attributed to driver error, but lead character and sel...more
The twentieth adventure begins with a series of inexplicable car accidents in the picturesque town of Crozet, Virginia. They’re all attributed to driver error, but lead character and sel...more
When several of Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen’s friends have minor car accidents that end up with their cars needing major repairs, Harry becomes more than a little suspicious about the repair shop. Harry, being Harry, starts asking questions but before she can learn much, one of the mechanics is murdered. Soon the bodies start piling up and Harry is determined to find out what is going on. However, she needs to be careful or her curiosity may get her killed.
I used to read Rita Mae Brown’s Mrs. M...more
I used to read Rita Mae Brown’s Mrs. M...more
Fans of Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown will be highly entertained by this latest mystery in the series. While animal lovers will enjoy the repartee between Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, the two cats who steal the show, along with Tucker, the faithful corgi who diligently endeavors to keep them in line, there is plenty of plot to keep the non-animal lover reading. Ms. Brown does make her own opinions known through the opinions of her characters, animal ones included, but this does nothing to detract fro...more
With this book and also with "Hiss of Death" Rita Mae Brown is (almost) back to her old standards again! After 5+ years of mediocre novels she has written two pretty good ones again. They still aren't as good as the very old ones - I really miss the times when Harry was still Crozet's postmistress - but the logic in the murders is back.
In their 20th adventure Harry and her feline/canine friends are confronted with several brutal murders in a local garage. Harry's passion for cars and her usual c...more
In their 20th adventure Harry and her feline/canine friends are confronted with several brutal murders in a local garage. Harry's passion for cars and her usual c...more
Ms. Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown seen to be giving me, as a reader, more to think about besides the multiple murders in each novel. This novel introduced me to the world of Automobile insurance, repair, parts, and replacements.
Harry is out for a spin with Miriam Hogendobber, when for no obvious reason, the car's airbags deploy. Miriam, with a show of expert driving, manages to get to the side of the road. With confidence, Miriam phones her local insurance provider and he comes to their ai...more
Harry is out for a spin with Miriam Hogendobber, when for no obvious reason, the car's airbags deploy. Miriam, with a show of expert driving, manages to get to the side of the road. With confidence, Miriam phones her local insurance provider and he comes to their ai...more
The title sums it up. I love Rita Mae Brown and this has always been a fun, comfort-read series for me. I was very disappointed in this one - almost felt like someone much less experienced was writing it. Rather than letting the characters develop there was the constant "narrating" of background and thoughts on behalf of the characters. There were also many "statements" made in the book generally on "behalf" of Harry, but even though I have to say I agreed with the various statements, they weren...more
I've read all of the books in this series thus far, and the last several haven't left a good taste in my mouth.
I enjoy the cozy mystery and the characters, animal and human, for the most part. What bugs me are the political tangents that some characters (Harry imparticular) go off on. You end up reading mini Jeffersonian lectures about the evils of gun control, government involvement in the economy, etc... that aren't really needed to move the story forward. For me, since I don't agree with man...more
I enjoy the cozy mystery and the characters, animal and human, for the most part. What bugs me are the political tangents that some characters (Harry imparticular) go off on. You end up reading mini Jeffersonian lectures about the evils of gun control, government involvement in the economy, etc... that aren't really needed to move the story forward. For me, since I don't agree with man...more
I finished this book because I have loved the others in the series and kept hoping it would get better. It did not. The story contains the usual cast of characters, both animal and human and the plot is the usual cozy murder plot. But Brown seems to be running out of steam. Many of her attempts at character development seemed tired and the plot sort of...old. At times it was as if the plot was merely an add on to the political stands Brown wants to put forward. And that's what I found most disap...more
It was okay for me, but I have to admit I listened to the audio version and was not giving it my full attention. I borrowed it from the public library's audio download service because it was available and had a cat on the cover! This was the first book I have read from this series so I was not familiar with the characters and did not know enough backstory to connect with them, but overall it was a fairly satisfying little small town type mystery with a few fur faced sleuths thrown in for fun and...more
This book was poorly written with a weak plot. Much too much of the book was spent showing us the viewpoint of the main character on many issues. Not enough of the book was written from the cats' point of view, which is one of the things I liked best about the earlier books. Plus, most of the secondary characters were thrown in for no reason that I could tell, other than that fans of the series might wan them to appear. They didn't add to the plot. Also, the editors did a poor job. There were ma...more
What I enjoy about this series is that they are nice fast reads, very light. Usually the heroine stumbles upon a mystery, gets in too deep, witty banter ensues, her pets save her butt. Cheesiness is inherent to the cat mystery, and I'm down with that. I tend to read these out of order, generally according to whichever one happens to be on the library shelf, so perhaps more recent books in the series have devolved, but I was surprised by the lack of effort in this one.
It was terribly predictable;...more
It was terribly predictable;...more
I was really disappointed with this one. I normally enjoy books in this series because they're a nice easy read with a fun mystery, but this one did more than just fall flat. It felt like the author was trying to sell products and beliefs- everything from Subarus to only buying real replacement parts for autos. It made me think that the author has become one of those old ladies who just goes on and on about subjects that she's passionate about, but that nobody really wants to hear that much abou...more
I listened to this on CD driving to and from the horse barn. I've liked many of the Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries, but this one was a dud. A whole chapter about a cat fight?! A lot of stuff about cars. Rants about regulation. Let's see: food safety, highway safety, air travel safety, work-place safely, air quality, water quality. Which ones would you like to abolish, "Harry"? Not for this reader/listener. Brown cranks out a book a year. I think her gears need oil. The 20th Anniversary should have h...more
I received this book through Goodreads Firstreads. This is the first book that I have read from the Mrs. Murphy mystery series, and I was pretty excited to start it, since I live in Virginia and am familiar with the towns and places that the author writes about. However, the book did not have much in the way of substance or depth. The writing style that the author uses reads as if she were writing for a younger audience that has not developed the language skills an adult would possess. I also fe...more
The 20th Mrs. Murphy mystery by Rita Mae Brown, "The Big Cat Nap" harkens back to reasons why this series works at its best. This time around we have a series of automobile accidents that land a lot of the cars at the local garage called ReNu. When one of those mechanics comes up dead via a tire iron, Harry & her band of furry friends embark on yet another mystery to solve this crime & a couple others that turn up involving other employees at the shop. The mystery itself is actually very...more
Jun 22, 2012
Bettie
added it
I'm not giving this one any stars at all. Goodness! I thought I liked the Rita Mae Brown/Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries in the past but I really do not like this one! Maybe I've "outgrown" this author. Her writing is juvenile in that she somehow manages to 'preach' her opinions about a wide variety of topics from within the story. And the characters are all paragons of virtue, the places all idyllic. As annoying as it is, I'm going to finish it so I can find out who is killing all these young men!
Talking thinking animals bother me but for some reason I have always like these cats and this dog. Maybe it's because we had a possum at our old house we named Simon. Who knows but these furry critters always seem to help Harry just enough to keep her alive and solving murders. One of my many guilty pleasures books as I always feel guilty that I'm reading these instead of reading books I need to for school. Oh well, I'll just keep on giving into my guilty pleasures. If you think you will like mu...more
So, if there had to be a 20th anniversary book, why not make it totally off the wall? I still read every one of these to keep up with the pets and in hopes of more character development. I miss the days when Harry was independent and her husband was trying to find his way back into her good graces. I learned a lot about auto insurance and mechanics, I guess, but I missed the light-hearted tone of some of the previous titles.
I love Mrs. Murphy mysteries. It's like going to your hometown and catching up on all the people you've known for years....plus hearing about all the murders going on because in Crozet, people are always dying! Harry is cancer free, Pewter is sassy as ever, Tucker is happy (what's new) and Ms. Murphy is as wise as ever. One of the first books I can remember where the animals don't solve the mystery. A pleasure to read each new story.
I love Rita Mae. Sneaky Pie is great too - and perhaps I rate this book 5 stars because this is the one I finally met the author on! As ever, the story clips right along, and this time revolves around drag racing and the terrible practice of insurance companies and cheap parts - those non-manufacturer parts could cost you your life, if they fail and cause an accident, and this isn't just a plot twist in a light mystery, this a for real danger on the roads with you every day!
As always when I read...more
As always when I read...more
First of all, I'm not Rita Mae Brown's demographic, and she probably doesn't care at all what I think about this novel. That said, I enjoyed it, in a "junk food" way. I read "Rubyfruit Jungle", and that was much more real and raw. "The Big Cat Nap" is light and fun and funny and cute, with a (very small) touch of suspense and danger thrown in. As a mystery, it isn't much of a mystery. As a thriller, there aren't many thrills. Rita Mae Brown seems most interested in strong, independent women char...more
Read "Drebbles" review below - I'll just say ditto to that. I'll add that I'm so weary of the whole 'Wise Common Man/Woman' motif. Rita Mae LOVES the hayseed philosopher - the tractor mechanic that is noble and the salvage lady with her depth of knowledge. I'm not saying that the average person (like me) can't be intelligent, but Rita Mae has them discoursing like college professors.
Predictable? yes ... Formulaic, even? yes ... Enjoyable read? yes!
Reading a new book in a series by a favorite author is kindof like visiting a favorite restaurant to see what's new on the menu, or calling an old friend to chat. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's nice to see what the familiar characters in Crozet are up to now.
Reading a new book in a series by a favorite author is kindof like visiting a favorite restaurant to see what's new on the menu, or calling an old friend to chat. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's nice to see what the familiar characters in Crozet are up to now.
Since my granddaughter is an inveterate cat-lover, I thought I would read one of these books to see if it was appropriate for her. It's still a little too advanced for her, and I wasn't thrilled with it -- a little too much product placement for my taste. I read for enjoyment, not commercials.
I always love Rita Mae Brown's (and Sneaky Pie Brown's) Mrs. Murphy mysteries! Cats, corgis, and mysteries: what more can I ask for? Brown has an amazing ability to make the conversations between the animals so believable that it makes me wonder if my cats and corgi talk about me!
After the last couple of books in the series, I was not really expecting much when I read this installment. I was very pleased to discover that this book was more like the first books in the series than the recent ones. I found there was a bit to much brand-name dropping, as though the author wants to fill the books with fancy things, only making readers jealous of the seemingly easy lives the characters lead. But that aside, and most of the name dropping was to do with cars, this was a good Mrs...more
I enjoyed this more than "Sneaky Pie for President" but it is really not might type of book. If someone gave me another from this series I would probably read it but I would not go out of my way to track one down. Good writing, fun read but I would rather pursue something else.
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Rita Mae Brown is a prolific American writer, most known for her mysteries and other novels (Rubyfruit Jungle). She is also an Emmy-nominated screenwriter.
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Jan 16, 2012 08:49am