Puss 'n Cahoots

Mrs. Murphy #15

by sneaky-pie-brown-rita-mae-brown-michael-gellatly, Sneaky Pie Brown, Michael Gellatly (Illustrator)

Traveling to the Saddlebred show in Shelbyville, Kentucky, Harry and Fair Haristeen stumble into the midst of a crime wave when their hosts are robbed on the day they arrive, a valuable mare is stolen, and a groom is found murdered.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Animals, Cats, Crime, Audiobook

419 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Randee]

Number 15 was entertaining to me especially because Pewter and a monkey named, Miss Nasty, loathe each other and trade amusing insults through out the story. Pewter is the comic relief of the regular cast and reminds me so much of my own naughty (but lovable) cats. There is not a doubt in my mind if my cats could talk, they would echo Pewter's sarcasm and spite. This story takes place at a horse show in Kentucky and I would say that of the first 15 books in the series, this is definitely one of my favorites.

[ShareStories]

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.

[Amanda]

Not one of my favorites, but not my least favorite, either. She bordered on tax/government-related rants again. I understand her wanting to insert her opinion about such things (it's her book, after all), but when it really has nothing to do with the plot line, it just feels clunky, disruptive, and misplaced. She also picked up a new habit that drove me nuts: the characters seem to have lost the ability to speak in full sentences. For instance, one conversation went: "Ruin your shoes." "Bought four pair. Have another in the truck." Or when Harry is asked if she remembers a conversation, her only response is, "Do." Who talks that way? Beyond my personal peeves about writing style, however, the story was decent. Again, not my favorite, but not the worst. A few books ago I thought I'd quit the series, but luckily the past 2 books have been enough to keep me going.

[Patricia English]

I did not know if I would like this series or not, that is why I got it on Cd. I ended up enjoying the narrative more than I thought. Although not enough to go back and read the books, but If I find another Cd at goodwill or halfprice books I would pick it up.
I don't know if they all have to do with horses but this one did, all of the sudden things start going missing including a horse. The humans and the animals work together to solve the puzzle of the missing horse and missing broach.

[Cyndee]

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.

[Catherine]

I am hooked. Love Mrs. Murphy and her animal friends. They seem smarter than the average human.

[Cheyenne]

Puss N Cahoots is one of the more enjoyable Mrs. Murphy stories, however it isn’t structured as a “whodunnit.” I guess you could take an educated guess but it was missing the traditional “whodunnit” clues.

It’s also 25% explanations about horse jargon. I hated this aspect when I first started reading the Mrs. Murphy books but I’ve come around.

[Rhonda]

I usually like this series, but I'd almost swear this was written by a different author. If this had been the first of the series I'd read, I would never have picked up another one. So much time is spent having the various characters espouse political views that there is little time left for sense of place, character development, or plot. At the moment I don't have the book handy to check the publication date, but it MUST have been written during an election year or something. It's not even that I particularly disagree with the opinions, it's just that they make for really awkward conversation between the characters. Though I've really enjoyed others in the series, this particular one is NOT a cozy mystery, but instead a very thinly veiled soapbox. So little happens between the characters that you could skip this one and miss nothing. I'm hoping that this was an abberation and that the real Mrs. Murphy returns.

[Christine (KizzieReads)]

This one was a bit preachy to me. Too many personal viewpoints were peppered throughout the book and took away from the mystery. Also, it starts off with a comment about a character named Joan who is Harry's best friend, yet this is book 15 and we are just hearing about her now. I missed all the other usual characters from Crozet and I'm hoping that the next book gets back to normal.

[Magpie]

A dull book full of Southernisms, politics, and a whole lot about horses and horse shows. If it focused only on the mystery, this book could easily be half the length. I disliked all human characters and just like when I was younger, kept looking forward to the next bit with the animals.

It has been some time since my last foray into a Mrs. Murphy mystery. I remember struggling with it when I was younger and sadly I still struggled. For a mystery book there was very little crime solving and it was mostly politics. I didn't want to know the authors feelings on Republican matters but sadly I now know too much. I know a lot about horses, horse shows and how to milk snake venom, but not anything about the killer's motivation beyond...money I guess. I figured out the mystery of the stolen pin right away while the main characters dawdled along on excruciatingly boring path before just stumbling into who the killer was. All this time I thought I disliked mystery books, but perhaps it's just these ones I take issue with.

I forgot how dense and wordy the Mrs. Murphy mysteries are and how difficult they were for me to read when I was younger.

It's full of disarming political opinions, from how steroids should be legal to how illegal immigrants are a necessary service. The humans talk so much I just wanted the animals to come back.

This is so dull I keep forgetting there's a mystery, I think the characters have also forgotten.

The writing style is strangely drab and lackluster. I know events are supposed to be gripping, but they're stated like an afterthought..

The hell sort of a name is Booty? I understand he's the killer because it told me outright "Booty killed Jorge" but his motivations are never elaborated on. Also he was caught not due to clever crime solving, but by being stupid. Harry just stumbled upon the poisoned glass and that's all it took.

I'm very disappointed in how Miss Nasty was handled. She wasn't a nice character, but killing her in such a stupid way is disrespectful. Booty offered her wine from the poisoned glass and was surprised she drank it before being viscously mauled by a cat.

I think a better outcome would be her being abandoned after Booty's arrest and being rehomed. Perhaps with her being contrite since she loves Booty and is lost without him.

Fair went to all the trouble to buy Harry an expensive ring and the book doesn't even grace us with her reaction because he hasn't given it to her by the end of the book.

[Emily Clevenger]

I’ve been WAITING to give this book a one star review!

(Do note, the only reasons I purchased this book was 1. It was $2, 2. The description made it very clear this would be told thru the perspective of a cat and a corgi)

The main beef I have with this book is that it was nothing like its description! I was expecting to hear about fun animal life, instead I read humans talking to each other about their horse farm!

The other main beef I have with this book is the plot? Where did it go? Was there ever one? It contains many side quests and I like one big main quest personally.

Also, there are so many different names in this book it was so hard to keep them straight. They have a character list and short description in the front of this book but I don’t want to have to keep flipping back to those pages, yanno?

Yeah, don’t read this book!

[Cathy]

This book is fun and full of horse competitions. I was confused about a lot of the horse competitions, but it was interesting. I was glad the little troublemaker got her just rewards. I love all of the books in this series. The illustrations in the books are so fun, I love them all.

[Valeri]

Horses, murder, a cocaine stealing monkey, INS, and more murder. You never know what you’re going to get with Mrs. Murphy and crew

[Susie James]

I picked up a few older Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown's mysteries last week and savored this one over New Year's. "Puss 'N Cahoots" involves skullduggery and a nasty chap or two, plus a very nasty Miss Nasty, which gets into her master's cache of drugs from time to time. Oooooooh.

[Judy Hall]

Newly remarried, Harry and Fair take their fur babies to the annual Shelbyville Horse Show as a belated second honeymoon. They are visiting Harry's friend Joan and her husband Larry, one of the top trainers at the show. They are having a wonderful time when there starts to be drama, from a stolen luck brooch to a raid by INS to murder.

Harry can't help herself and works to solve all the mysteries.

This was a decent entry in the series. It made me curious about Saddlebreds and even gave a shout out to William Shatner. Always a plus for me. I think I just missed Crozet and that's what kept this from being a top selection in the the series for me.

[Laurel Bradshaw]

Reread. This is not a review. Comments are for my own recollection and may contain spoilers...

Time and place: Takes place in August. Harry is about to turn 40 (August 7?). Harry and Fair have gone to Kentucky for a delayed honeymoon.

Characters: Harry and Fair. Friends in Kentucky: Joan and Larry. Renata, actress.

Animals: Tee Tucker, Mrs. Murphy, Pewter. In Kentucky - horses, and a very rude monkey, Miss Nasty.

4 red stars.

The change in location to Kentucky is a nice change of pace. Naturally, there is a focus on horses and horse racing, and some interesting asides. Not so much political commentary this time, which was nice.

Description: The famous Saddlebred show in Shelbyville, Kentucky, is the perfect opportunity for remarried newlyweds Harry and Fair Haristeen to finally go on their long-delayed (second) honeymoon: a chance to combine business and pleasure, as well as to drop in on some old friends. Mrs. Murphy (a tabby cat), Tucker (a Corgi), and Pewter (a fat gray kitty), are all along for the trip as well, and when their hosts are robbed the very first day they arrive, Mrs. Murphy pounces right on solving the mystery. Soon, however, they are all sidetracked by even bigger crimes: a $200,000 mare owned by a young film star is stolen in broad daylight, and worst of all, a groom is found murdered. Clearly, winning at Shelbyville is secondary; first prize is survival.

[Lindsey]

I love the nod to Karin Slaughter in this book’s epilogue; she loves monkeys, and so Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown created the character Miss Nasty for her. Miss Nasty is aptly named, although you can’t help but feel sorry for her. Booty Pollard named her in honor of his ex-wife, and even though he spoiled her, she was destined to be mean.

This title in the Mrs. Murphy series centers on a Saddlebred competition, and so most of the story is equestrian-based. As a reader utterly unfamiliar with horses in any capacity, I still enjoyed the story and didn’t feel lost or unclear. I think the focus on the sport did detract a little bit from the relationships among the animals, as this book seemed more focused on the people than on the critters working to solve the mystery. And I did miss the familiar faces of Crozet, especially Miranda. But it was nice to read about Harry and Fair on their honeymoon, spending time with friends and fellow horsemen in Kentucky. I’m looking forward to moving right along in this delightful cozy mystery series.

[Carolyn]

To be perfectly honest, I found this book to be quite tiresome. I read the very early Mrs. Murphy mysteries--nearly 30 years ago now--and enjoyed them, but I haven't read any in a very long time, so I don't know whether I would now find the first few tiresome too, or whether the writing has gotten tired after trying to stretch out a basically cute, but not very robust, gimmick. The dialogue in this book is pretty dreadful (page 88: exchange about whether a man can use the word "potty" is a good example of the bad), and the book is extremely preachy about practically everything: animal rights, the environment, illegal immigration, tax law, the state of agriculture, and on and on. I don't think a fluffy (pardon the pun) murder mystery is the place for that, even though I agree with the various position that Brown espouses. Someone gave me this book; I won't be bothering with any of the other 20 or so that I haven't read.

[Sean Kennedy]

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 everything else, for animal-rights activists to be discussed as 'nuts' just seems to go against the grain of everything this series used to stand for.

[Yvensong]

This book in the series felt less like a mystery and more like a book about horses, and the world of saddlebred horses, in particular. There were a murder, a stolen heirloom, and several suspicious characters, yet that arc almost felt like the background. The four-legged heroes of our story are front and center, which I enjoyed quite a bit. They are very entertaining to follow.

(I wish I had written this review when I had finished this book. I know there was a few things I wanted to discuss, but don't remember what they were.)

[Franci]

Awful. I barely finished it. I liked most of her other books, but this one got so bogged down in terminology and tidbits that it was insanely tedious. The only reason I kept reading is that I am hoping the rest of the series takes an upturn. She got so lost in the horsey-ness that the characters were flat, the story-line was foolish, and the dialogue was painful. In the end I didn't care who killed who. In fact, I was rooting for more people to get killed off so I could stop reading!

[Kate Cullinane]

The title had me hysterically laughing in the bookstore but when my bookmark fell out when I sat down to finish it I felt like that was my sign to put it down and accept the last thing I read as the ending.

[Kim]

couldn't get into this at all

[Kathryn]

This book is the fifteenth in the series featuring Mrs. Murphy, a Grey tiger short-hair cat who, along with a Welsh corgi dog named Tee Tucker, and the stout grey cat Pewter, solves mysteries with the assistance of Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen, a farmer now remarried to Fair Haristeen, an equine veterinarian, outside the small town of Crozet, Virginia, some ten miles west of Charlottesville. (It should be noted that all animals can talk to each other, and that they all understand humans, but humans, being dense imperfect beings, cannot understand the animals.) And these are fun mysteries to read.

Fair, Harry, and the animals have gone to the American Saddlebred Competition in Shelbyville, Kentucky, some nine hours from home. They are enjoying a honeymoon, and Harry is a few days short of turning forty. Their friends Joan Hamilton, who runs Kalamara Farm and breeds Saddlebreds, and her husband, Larry Hodge, who trains Saddlebreds, are in the competition; Paul and Frances Hamilton, Joan’s parents, are still active in the Saddlebred world. Other breeders/trainers at the Competition are Booty Pollard, who thinks a lot of himself (he raises snakes, and brings his pet monkey, Miss Nasty, everywhere, and dresses the monkey like his ex-wife), Charly Trackwell, who trains Saddlebreds for an exclusive client list, and Ward Finley, who runs a very small training establishment but who is ambitious. Also at the Competition is movie star Renata DeCarlo; she is the most exclusive client on Charly Trackwell’s list, and a host of Mexican grooms and other workers. In fairly short order Renata’s prized horse, Queen Esther, is missing from the show, and one of the Mexican grooms who works for Kalamara Farms is found dead, with a double cross carved into one of his palms. As usual, Harry wants to find the solution to this and to other mysteries at the Competition, and as usual her cats and her dog are devoted to helping her and keeping her (and Fair) safe.

After reading this book, I know more about the American Saddlebred than I ever knew before (which was nil); this book is a love letter to those horses. And I am quite sure that, as we never heard mention of American Saddlebreds in the previous books in this series, we will never hear of them again. But this was a very good entry in the series.

[Jae]

Puss in Cahoots by Rita Mae Brown (and Sneaky Pie Brown) is the 15th book in the "Mrs Murphy" series of cozy cat mysteries.

Newly (re)married Harry and Fair Haristeen have traveled to Shelbyville, KY for their second honeymoon. There, they plan to visit their friends, Joan and Larry, and take in the famous Saddlebred horse show. Accompanying them on the trip are cats Mrs Murphy and Pewter, and corgi Tee Tucker. Not long after the horse show begins, Joan's heirloom pin is stolen, then someone's prize mare comes up missing. As if that wasn't enough to deal with, a stablehand is found murdered, and INS conducts a raid, searching for illegal immigrants. With so much going on, it's almost enough to make Harry forget her fast-approaching fortieth birthday. She puts her keen mind to searching for clues and trying to suss out motives. Rivalries and blood run hot among owners, trainers, and riders, and it's anyone's guess as to how everything fits together.

Another excellent story in this series. Most of the characters were new, since the action took place in another state, but all characters were three-dimensional, right down to the other animals that Mrs Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker encounter. Some things I figured out readily, such as who stole Joan's pin, but others kept me guessing right up to the end. Pacing was good and kept me engaged, and the narrative proceeded in a smooth, sensible fashion.

Exciting and enthralling, five stars!

[James Garman]

First of all, a disclaimer. I didn't know what to expect with this novel. It is a mystery at a horse show in Shelbyville, Ky and the list of characters are all involved in the horse show.

This particular book is the 15th in a series and some of the characters are continuing, some may be "one time" appearances. It is a caste of Harry and her new once again husband going from their home in Virginia to Kentucky to support Harry's friend Joan who runs a horse training farm. In the same area there are three rival handlers all having investments in the outcome of the events.

Suddenly, one of their grooms is killed. Of course it turns out to be murder...and just the first. Harry is not really the detective. That duty belongs to her two cats and her dog, along with Joan's dog. There is a villain in the form of a monkey with a nasty mouth, a movie star trying to decide what is next and horses with real personalities.

I like mysteries, but it is not my favorite genue and trying to keep huge numbers of characters separate isn't either. However, overall the book is rather entertaining although I found it so only after I gave up on keeping up with all the personalities involved in detail.

[Lindsay Luke]

Harry, Fair, Mrs Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker have gone to Kentucky for a Saddlebred horse show. They're on the lookout for a horse for their friend Alicia. I've vacationed in Kentucky, I've read Dick Francis books, and I have some horsey friends, so I enjoyed the topic. Although the book was written in 2008, the subplot about trafficking in Mexican workers was still timely. The only change was the use of "INS" instead of "ICE". Although there was the familiar complaining about the government, people complain so much more now days that it was fairly easy to ignore.
One of the horse trainers has an ill-mannered pet monkey named Miss Nasty, who was an amusing foil for the cats and dog. Otherwise, the horse folks had similar foibles to the Crozet regulars. Someone's valuable pin gets stolen, then a horse disappears but is found under questionable circumstances, and eventually, someone ends up dead. It all gets sorted out it in the end, and there are hints on of the horse people may come visit Crozet in the future. I enjoyed it.

[Diane Philyaw]

This book is a playground for horse enthusiasts. The atmosphere of the Shelbyville fairgrounds is brilliantly detailed—capturing the intense rivalries between hotheaded trainers, jealous ex-spouses, and demanding movie stars. However, from a structural perspective, the balance leans incredibly heavy into the cultural exposition of horse breeding. If you aren’t an avid equestrian, the mid-book pacing can feel a bit sluggish under the weight of the specialized terminology and descriptions.
The Sleuthing Execution: Fortunately, the four-legged detective unit of Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tee Tucker rescues the pacing. Because Harry and Fair are completely out of their depth inside the Kentucky show-circuit social hierarchy, the animals do the actual heavy lifting of tracing the physical location of the stolen mare and tracking the killer. A highly entertaining entry, even if it requires a slight suspension of disbelief regarding how easily the pets navigate a massive, unfamiliar fairground.

[Christyn]

2.5/5 Stars

If there is one thing I can say about these books, it's that they are consistent. If you've followed the series you know what you're getting into, something to pass the time - easy reading. I will say in this one, I feel like there was quite a bit I learned about horses, what will stick is another story. There are definitely "preachy" moments that come up in the book, but it tends to be a trend in the series.

In this one we don't get to see the whole Crozet gang which I was a little disappointed by, but we did still get to catch up a little with Harry, Fair, Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tucker which I liked. We also got to meet a mean, devious, but well-dressed (if ill mannered) little monkey (and Pewter's nemesis) aptly named Miss Nasty. I'm going to be honest, I wasn't particularly taken with this mystery but we'll see how the next one goes.

[Angela (Kentuckybooklover) Brocato-Skaggs]

It has been several years since I’ve read this series. I found it was one that while I heartily enjoy I needed a break. The change from Harry being postmistress to not was hard to accept. I picked up this book for my cozy mystery book bingo and it was perfect.

It opens at the beginning of August at the Shelbyville, KY saddlebred horse show. Harry and Fair are on a honeymoon type trip and visiting friends while attending the show. A groom is murdered and a valuable jeweled pin is stolen. Are the two crimes related or just a coincidence? Can Harry and her pet crew figure out what is happening or will they find themselves on the wrong side of the arena?

A good read filled with a lot of saddlebred knowledge. I found that interesting since I live in Louisville and hear about the horse show at the fair every year. The horses at the fair are a sight to behold.