Murder on the Prowl [Paperback]

Rita Mae Brown (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Bantam Books; First Edition edition (1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553660276
• ISBN-13: 978-0553660272
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,181,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rita Mae Brown is the bestselling author of the Sister Jane novels-Outfoxed, Hotspur, Full Cry, The Hunt Ball, The Hounds and the Fury, The Tell-Tale Horse, and Hounded to Death-as well as the Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries and Rubyfruit Jungle, In Her Day, Six of One, and The Sand Castle, among many others. An Emmy-nominated screenwriter and a poet, Brown lives in Afton, Virginia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another quick read, February 5, 2006

By 

hrladyship (Las Cruces, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder on the Prowl (Mass Market Paperback)

Reading the Mrs. Murphy mysteries out of order is not too bad as long as the reader knows she is doing that. The underlying stories of the lead characters, including Harry, Fair, Susan, Miranda, Mim, BoomBoom, etc., does run through the books, but the individual mysteries stand alone, since it's usually the . . . Well, mustn't give too much away.

This mystery starts when false obituaries are printed in a local newspaper. The two subjects are members of St. Elizabeth's a private school. When both of the victims of the pranks end up victims of murder, the chase is on.

Harry just can't ignore a mystery and her friends have not only come to expect her sleuthing, they join in. After all, they know everyone in town and the surrounding area. The setting is well described, although there may have been a couple of mistakes in Brown's description of Waynesboro, and residents and former residents will know exactly where she has taken us.

These mysteries are always good quick reads with characters we can care about. Be sure to read them all.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great...give teens another 'bright' idea..., September 10, 2005

By 

K. L Sadler "Dr. Karen L. Sadler" (Freedom, Pa. USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder on the Prowl (Mass Market Paperback)

Actually, this stunt (putting a person's obit in before their death) sounds a little more on the college-age level than on high-school age level. And if it was done giving someone a great obit for being a great person, it could have been complimentary. But everyone who has read Brown's books, knows that when something like this happens, a body is sure to follow...and Harry is sure to follow the body to where it leads her; whether or not it is her business.

My animals roll their eyes at things I do too, so I am sure they don't think my IQ is very high in certain area. They are also prone to charge across my table when it is spread with homework from my chemistry students or papers I am referencing...leading to considerable time spent putting the papers back in order. They amuse me, and I feed them. That's the deal. They also answer the door for the deaf person...me.

I love Brown's descriptions of her characters and the area in Virginia. Under normal circumstances I would love to live in an area like Crozet, though I'd be more in Harry's financial circumstances. Unfortunately, the occurrence of murder in Crozet happens a little to often for my taste (come to think about it, there are a few areas around Pittsburgh where murders are happening too often too now, but the means and motive differ considerably).

Harry and her animals, and her friends make for great light reading. The writing is intelligent, you learn something new everytime, and the characterization is wonderful. And unlike other mystery writers at this time, Brown does not feel the need to fill her books with bad language and sex. A lot of that stuff can be implied without having to resort to cluttering up the readers' mind with trash...

Karen Sadler

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Mystery, October 1, 2002

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder on the Prowl (Mass Market Paperback)

When phony obituaries begin appearing in the Crozet, Virginia's local newspaper Harry knows that something strange is going on. But when dead bodies start turning up, she begins investigating. But even before she can find out what's going on her furry companions, Tee Tucker (Welsh Corgi), and Pewter and Mrs. Murphy (cats) are on the case trying to find out who will turn up murdered next, and trying to keep their owner out of danger.

Rita Mae Brown has done it again. This is one of the best Mrs. Murphy mysteries to date, and a must-read for fans of the cat-cozy genre.