Instead of a proper second honeymoon, the newly remarried Harry and Fair Haristeen leave cozy Crozet, Virginia, for Shelbyville, Kentucky, site of...
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reviews
Mar 14, 2008
Cyndee
rated it: 
Rita Mae Brown is surely one of my favorite authors--a great storyteller with wit to spare. Her Sneaky Pie mysteries are among my favorite of the cozy mysteries. The reason I don't give it 5 stars is because although the mystery happens in an interesting and different setting, I missed the richness of the missing regular characters.
May 09, 2009
Janet
rated it: 
This was not one of Brown’s stronger entries. Her books are always sort of “horsy,” but she usually does a pretty good job of explaining slang and the multitude of special tools and terms. This time around I was completely lost. There were so many new characters to keep up with I lost track about half-way through the story. I didn’t particularly care that the victim was murdered, and I was only lukewarm when the bad guy got his comeuppance. I’ve noticed Brown has started using her books as mouth
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Nov 09, 2009
Janet
rated it:
This book was not my cup of tea although it wasn't an awful book or story. If it hadn't been given to me, I would never have chosen it myself. First of all, it seemed rather odd to have the animals talking to each other and helping to solve the mystery. At least the animals weren't talking to the people and the people understood them. It just didn't seem to go with the seriousness of the crimes committed - a couple of murders and talking animals? It was also set in a world I have no interes
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Mar 28, 2010
Sean
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This series has just taken a nose-dive in quality lately. Although I appreciate the attempt to freshen this latest book by having it set outside its usual boundaries of Crozet, the story sorely missed the regular cast we have come to know and love. The new characters just weren't that interesting. Plus, there is an undercurrent of meanness in this book that hasn't ever really been apparent before. To top it all off, for a book that features animal characters and a love for all animals above
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Mar 23, 2009
Emma
rated it: 
3 1/2 stars? I enjoy this series, the smarter of the "cats and mystery" series' out there. They dialogue with the animals talking is a bit strange, but after you get used to it you see the usefulness. The authors political leanings are apparant all over her latest books, which is also a bit odd, but the stories are good, the characters are good, and you learn all sorts of interesting things about horses, foxhunting (no fox killing) and other things. I actually like her foxhunting novel
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Jun 28, 2011
Baseni
rated it:
"Mrs. Murphy hat es diesmal mit einer verschwundenen Brosche, einem entführten Pferd und dem Mord an einem Stallburschen zu tun. Mary Minor ""Harry"" Haristeen besucht nämlich mit ihren Katzen Mrs. Murphy und Pewter, dem Hund Tucker und ihrem Wiederehemann eine mehrtägige Pferdeschau. Hierzu mußten sich die Protagonisten von Virginia nach Kentucky begeben und dort treffen sie, wie bei Rita Mae Brown üblich, eine Vielzahl von Personen. Kenner der übrigen Romane um Mrs. Mu
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Apr 03, 2008
Oceana2602
rated it:
Speaking of guilty pleasures... (not that we were). I finally read Puss'n Cahoots, the not so new book in the Mrs. Murphy series of Rita Mae Brown (yes, I waited for the mass-market paperback, sue me). I was, well, I can't say I was diappointed, because for being disappointed you have to have real expectations, but I wasn't fully satisfied. My only expectations for Mrs. Murphy books are
1) smart, talking animals; (*hides*)
2) horses;
3) dogs;
4) cats;
5) mystery (with More...
1) smart, talking animals; (*hides*)
2) horses;
3) dogs;
4) cats;
5) mystery (with More...
Oct 21, 2009
Kristy
rated it:
Harry and Fair Haristeen head to the saddlebread horse show in Shelbyville, KY, as a second honeymoon of sorts. As usual, the two cats, Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and the corgi, Tee Tucker, follow along. While at the show, a pin is stolen, then a horse is stolen, and eventually a groom ends up murdered. The Haristeen's pets, with their superior senses of hearing and scent coupled with their ability to communicate with other animals, solve the mystery first. Will their humans ever catch up??
Aug 02, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
I'm a total sucker for these books. They're entertaining and quick reads, and you'll always get a bit of a mystery and quite a few laughs. Don't expect any prize-winning writing - there's definitely a fair amount of unnecessary wording at some points, but it's still a good little read. And if you have ever lived near horses or worked with them, you'll enjoy this one as well.
Dec 27, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
Very quick read, and I loved that it was centered around the American Saddlebred. Wish she'd used proper terminology, such as "slow gait" and "rack" instead of "slow rack" and "fast rack"; and the big show in Lexington, VA is the Bonnie Blue Horse Show, not Bonnie Bell. Little nitpicky things, I know, but they make a difference to someone who's involved with Saddlebreds. Still fun to read, and it was fun to try to figure out if she was depicting certain
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Aug 20, 2011
Sheena
rated it: 
I did not enjoy this story. In fact, I didn't even finish the book, which is extremely rare for me. It's a shame, because it has all the things that I like: cats, mystery, a book written by a cat. But I found the writing to be sub-par. The dialogue felt unrealistic, very forced. And the story itself didn't flow for me; it felt stilted.
Mar 28, 2011
Ellen
rated it:
Good enough for road reading, but pretty far from being a favorite. I had some trouble keeping the characters straight (may be more my problem than the book because I was traveling). I hated the monkey. So glad that repugnant character will not be continuing forward in the series.
Sep 16, 2011
Stephy
rated it:
I have loved Rita Mae Brown since first I picked up her first book. And then along came Rubyfruit Jungle, and I was gathered in!
Along came this mystery series, written with her cat, no less, and Harry Minor Harristeen could do no wrong. As she has written more of these books, her grammar has become sloppy. Her plots are starting to read like the same story told many different ways. I think now I mostly read them because I love the animals and their conversations. It's more of a comfo More...
Along came this mystery series, written with her cat, no less, and Harry Minor Harristeen could do no wrong. As she has written more of these books, her grammar has become sloppy. Her plots are starting to read like the same story told many different ways. I think now I mostly read them because I love the animals and their conversations. It's more of a comfo More...
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Feb 11, 2009
Helen
rated it: 
I LOVE this series :oP. Best thing ever for rainy days and yummy snacks or trips or vacations! Total fluff, not meant to be taken seriously obviously, but I love the setting, the characters, the twists, everything. :) YAY!!
Aug 20, 2011
Mekhi
rated it:
I always enjoy the sleuthing skills of Mrs. Murphy and her animal "cahoots" and this book did not disappoint. However, the numerous and lengthy horse-show information really bored the heck out of me. Miss Nasty is one heck of a character, unforgettable even! A good read but I doubt I'll want to read it again.
Jul 08, 2009
author uses her cat, Sneaky Pie Brown, withing the story to help solve the mystery - a little corny but if you have a cat or pet you could visualize them making the comments they make in the book. Good beach reading.
Apr 17, 2011
David
rated it:
What I didn't realize when I started this book was that it's the 15th in the series! In spite of that, it is a very accessible tale, and I did enjoy it. I'll definitely be on the lookout for earlier books in the series in CD format, as it was a great book for listening to on the long ride home every day.
Jan 03, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
Rita Mae Brown has created a cast of characters to care about, both human and animal. In this outing, a major horse show provides cover for a ring of horse breeders involved in smuggling in Mexican laborers.
May 03, 2009
Dymphna
rated it:
I am really disappointed in Ms. Brown. I've enjoyed her books for quite a while now, but since she now apparently feels it necessary to pepper her character's conversations with one sided political non-discussion, I will be forced to look elsewhere for reading material.
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Jul 29, 2011
Rivkah.
rated it:
I loved the way Rita Mae Brown writes a mystery from the animal's point of view. So often I wonder what the animals would say/think if they could tell us what was going on.
Jan 29, 2009
Mrs.Y.
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These wonderful Mrs. Murphy mystery books are written from the point of view of two cats and a Welsh Corgi dog! I have read them all!
Jul 13, 2009
Melanie
rated it:
Cute idea, but the pet characters detract rather than add to the book. Twice as many characters to remember, too much contrived kitty brassiness.
Feb 28, 2009
Bev
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Love all Sneaky Pie series. Missed the regular characters in this book tho. Great for light reading and good entertainment.
May 07, 2008
Kenzie
rated it:
OK - I am a sucker for Rita Mae Brown Books. if you don't find it amusing to have cats and dogs voicing their thoughts throughout the book, then this book is not for you. but if you are an animal lover who knows that your pets are sometimes trying to tell you something that you just are not understanding....then you will love the Rita Mae Brown (who writes "with" Sneaky Pie Brown, her cat) series. This one was particularly good as it was about horse shows (particularly Saddlebred) in t
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Feb 08, 2010
Kim
rated it:
I love Rita Mae Brown's books. You get a nice, no stress story and learn some things along the way. A nice afternoon read.
Jul 14, 2009
Jennifer
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Talking animals are not my cup of tea, but it was a book discussion title, so I persevered. I read the first one in the series and it was better, but still not my thing.
Feb 11, 2009
So far so good. The setting is Kentucky instead of Crozet with a different cast of characters. Great change!
Aug 06, 2011
kathryn
rated it:
ridiculous, and no,i don't think i'll check out another cat mystery book...but it is a mystery and i'm a sucker
Apr 16, 2011
Diane
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This series of light mysteries are a delight! You miss the characters when the story ends.
Nov 26, 2008
Karen
rated it:
There are a lot of characters in this book...gets a little confusing at times.
