Customer Reviews

Hounded to Death: A Novel

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rita Mae Brown delivers a winner in this installment of her Sister Jane "Outfoxed Series". Where her last title seemed rushed to production and the plotline was not well-developed, "Hounded to Death" is a welcome return to a great read for Rita Mae fans.
The story begins in late Spring in Kentucky at the Mid-America Hound Show where evil quickly raises its ugly head and starts the novel on its "whodunit" path while simultaneously explaining hound shows and searching for a stolen hound. Then, a suicide of a friend occurs, but Sister is not willing to believe that it was a suicide. Hmmm. Intermingled are interesting discussions of Kentucky bourbon, human nature, descriptions of opening new hunt territory, carrion eating habits, graduation from Custis Hall by "the girls", moonshining, and animal cruelty allegations.
As usual with this series, Rita Mae gives great accounts that educate us on foxhunting and animals without the feeling that we are being educated. And yes, the animals have some great conversations--a Rita Mae device to give us more clues and education.
While the book moves through the summer, there are no accounts of actual hunts so the reader must wait until hunting season just as foxhunters must wait. As with real foxhunting, the wait is worthwhile, as several wonderful accounts finally take place. As often happens in this series, a body is discovered during a hunt, and similarly, the unmasking of the killer is discovered, and he is accounted for at the end of a hunt.
Several old friends from previous books play important parts, including Tootie, Shaker and Gray. New characters include the despicable Mo Schneider; a horse vet--Hope Rogers; retired Judge Barry Baker; pet food maker, Grant Fuller; and new landowners, Dr. and Mrs. Mitch Fisher.
The writing is entertaining and sometimes thought provoking. It is also quite poetic and descriptive as evidenced by the following passage:

"Red!" Dreamboat called out.
As this hound was only in his second year, Cora checked it.
Asa came over, put his nose down, then lifted his head along with Cora and the curtain was raised.

This is a fun read, and we are there with them. I'll recommend this one to all my friends.
+

I was glad to see a return to some better plot lines. Although I miss my "friends" like Crawford Howard, being a foxhunter myself, I know how these relationships tend to take a back seat in the summer. I am waiting for that Jane Arnold mystery that will make me not want to put the book down, like earlier ones Outfoxed and Hotspur. I must say that hound shows are a part of hunting I know nothing about, so it was quite interesting to read the ins and outs of hound showing. It has made me want to go view one next year. So, all in all, this one was better, not her best work but I'm glad to see a return to more storyline.

I am a big fan of Rita Mae Brown's fox hunting series. However, her latest intallment is way off the mark. The wonderful characters that are so important to the books are lost. The wonderful animal characters are almost non existant. I love to read the foxes' comments and thoughts, but Inky, (my personal favorite) the wonderful Balck fox, is not involved. The rest of the animal characters are also absent. These characters have always added depth, humor and interest to the previous books. Sister Jane has always been a wonderful warm, honest and above board person. She is different in this book, and not a good different. Shaker is also different in this book, and not very involved. Shaker and Lorraine's relationship has gone no further and is lost to us readers. The rest of the members of the Jefferson Hunt are mere shadows of themselves and not truly involved in the investigations of the murders. The murderer himself is also a huge contradiction and confusing character. I don't know whether to like, dislike, hate or what to feel about him. The young girls from Custis Hall are back, but are not quite what we are used to, much more shallow and in Felicity's case BLAH. Crawford, Sister Jane's great nemisis, makes only a short uninteresting appearance. Character development has not only stopped in this book, it has regressed. The hunting sequences are absent until the end and are very drab. The plot is also convoluted and at times does not make any sense. The death of the vet is deeply troubling and is never truly explained in a satisfactory manner. The several deaths involved in the book are especially cruel and their explanations trite. This book feels like a rough draft of what could have been a great addition to the Sister Jane fox hunting books. Instead, it is lack luster, confusing and a big disapointment. I recieved this book as a gift. If I had purchased it for myself, I may have asked for a refund.

I keep reading the so called "editorial reviews" and wondering if they actually read anything but modern literature? It took Proust twenty odd pages of wafting through the smell of madelines and delineating every piece of furniture in his house (and mind) to begin to introduce a character or plot. THAT was a bit slow for me. But, I *love* what I learn each book about the details of Sister Jane Arnold's life. It is a delightful quirk that she knows so many esoteric things about the saints. Just as children await every detail of what it might be like to go to school at Hogwart's, I await these books to add to my expanding knowledge of Sister Jane and her world. I AM a horse person; but never did hunt. (I am past the time in my life to even be a hill-topper, but I can enjoy "hunting" along with the Jefferson Hunt). I am delighted to see the nuances set forth in this book regarding the difference between animal welfare and animal rightists. It is done with such delicacy that the reader is not tromped on by the politics to the detriment of an exceedingly good reading experience. I think that this one is my favorite so far. I am left with a both a feeling of satisfaction, and also with anticipation of the next book. I sincerely look forward to Sister Jane's mentoring and all of the many wonderful details that absolutely suspend my disbelief. (I keep looking on maps to figure out where, exactly, is the farm) as I do visit the Blue Ridge mountains from time to time. Sister Jane is like the hale and hearty people who live in the Himalayas; her outdoor life has given her tremendous strength of health and character. Her ethics are impeccable; the spiritual component of these books is not lost on the reader. I do miss some of my other favorite characters and do hope that they will reappear in later books, and that Sister Jane and the Jefferson Hunt will live to a hundred so that I can get to know them better with the passing years. This series is one of my two favorite series of all time. And, I am a rabid reader and was a literature major in college. Sister Jane is not the only MFH; so is Ms. Brown and she is also a master at her craft. Buy and ENJOY!

The girls are leaving for college as Sister Jane scrambles to solve this series of deaths associated with Hound Shows and Hunts. The victims in these deaths are not the nicest people, so there are plenty of motives to sort through before she can find this killer. Will the love of her hounds cause Sister Jane's death?

This was the first foxhunting mystery by Rita Mae Brown I'd read. I have read all her Sneaky Pie Brown/Mrs. Murphy mysteries, and wasn't sure I could handle "foxhunting" per se. This is Rita Mae Brown's newest foxhunting novel and it was tough getting into all the FH terminology, etc. But I'm hooked and persuaded that the foxes win every time. Something new and fascinating to read. It's what we're all looking for, isn't it?

Septuagenarian Jane "Sister" Arnold is the highly regarded master of the Jefferson Hunt Club in Virginia. She is currently attending the Mid-America Hound Show, a major event in Kentucky, accompanied by her huntsman Shaker Crown and her apprentice Tootie.

When one of her American foxhounds is stolen, her initial inclination is that odious Mo Schneider abducted her prized animal. However, she soon finds her canine next to Mo's corpse. Back home, she takes her injured horse to veterinarian Hope Rogers, who soon afterward is found dead; the police rule suicide but Sister believes otherwise as she knew the vet too well. She plans to investigate, but during the Virginia Hound Show, a club member vanishes, leaving Sister stunned with what is going on.

This is a fun tale especially for pet lovers because her latest fox and hound personification mystery (see THE TELL-TALE HORSE) is an engaging amateur sleuth starring of course Sister and her allies (including her hounds). Although there are too many sidebar discussions that leave the story line idling in neutral at times, fans of the Sister foxhunting series will enjoy another visit to the Jefferson Hunt Club.

Harriet Klausner

I have enjoyed all of the Rita Mae Brown books I have read. They are a great read for an animal lover

Is it just me, or is anyone else sick of Tootie and the Custis Hall girls? They were okay for one book, but now it seems they have developed into main characters. Too bad as they are just not that interesting. Please, Rita, send them off to college already. They can write the occasional letter to Sister Jane, can't they?

I have loved, loved, loved this series, but this book was such a disappointment. So much talking - a lot done by Sister about her views on nonsensical things that didn't advance the plot - and practically no action. Where were the heart-stopping descriptions of a thrilling hunt? Where were the foxes? And ** only somewhat of a spoiler** why was such an interesting, slimy character introduced early in the book done away with so quickly? I was looking forward to reading more about him - then *poof* he's gone.

I really hope conniving, manipulative, INTERESTING Crawford comes back. We've been teased in previous books about him forming his own hunt, but nothing's come of that. There's certainly some fertile ground there to explore for conflict.

Not the best of the Sister Jane series, not the worst. Glad I read it, but I hope the next one is much better than this one. The first three were fabulous, then it started becoming a bit hit or miss. This one is a bit of a miss. That said, a so-so Sister Jane novel is still better than most books!