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Pawing Through the Past (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries) [Library Binding]

Rita Mae Brown (Author), Sneaky Pie Brown (Author), Itoko Maeno (Illustrator)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)


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Book Description

January 2001 Mrs. Murphy Mysteries
It Takes a Cat to Write the Purr-fect Mystery.

From award-winning author Rita Mae Brown and her equally celebrated feline collaborator, Sneaky Pie Brown, comes another delightfully suspenseful mystery featuring that most cunning of creatures and uncanny of sleuths, famed tiger cat Mrs. Murphy. This time out, the irrepressible Mrs. Murphy finds herself paw-deep in a compelling case of old ties, old sins, and all-too-present danger.

Emotions are running high around tiny Crozet, Virginia, among the Class of 1980, as plans get under way for the upcoming twentieth high school reunion. There's nothing like a reunion to stir up memories, rivalries, and insecurities. It's even put Crozet's normally placid postmistress, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, who's on the organizing committee, on edge, as she wonders if everything will come together on time.

Still, when each member of the class receives an anonymous letter edged in the Crozet High School colors that reads "You'll never get old," Harry takes it as a compliment. Others think it's a joke. But even blitzed out on fresh catnip, Mrs. Murphy senses a much more sinister meaning. And the sly tiger cat is soon proven right...when divinely handsome Charlie Ashcraft, the class womanizer, turns up dead with a bullet between his eyes. At first folks around Crozet figure that when a man is sleeping with other men's wives, trouble is sure to follow. But when another threatening note to the members of the Class of 1980 is followed by the murder of a second classmate, it becomes all too clear that someone is determined to spoil this reunion...someone who has waited twenty years to take bitter revenge.

What could have happened so long ago to trigger such rage? While Harry, whose high school memories consist of football games and first love, tries to make sense of the crimes, it's up to Mrs. Murphy, her feline pal Pewter, and the corgi Tee Tucker to try to sniff out the truth. Yet when ugly rumors surface and Harry herself has a brush with violence, Mrs. Murphy is the first to realize that in the killer's mind, Harry's been chosen Most Likely to Die. And now, unless the daring tiger cat and her animal pals can stop a relentless killer, Crozet High's twentieth reunion may very well be Harry Haristeen's last....
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When a mystery author claims her cat as coauthor, it's a fairly safe bet that the team won't be producing disturbing psychological thrillers or hard-edged legal procedurals. And indeed, Rita Mae Brown and her cat, Sneaky Pie, have carved out a comfortable niche for themselves in the cozy category, spinning tales (Rest in Pieces; Murder, She Meowed; Cat on the Scent) around the goings-on in Crozet, a small Virginia town where everyone knows everyone else and recipes and gossip are exchanged over the post office counter. Mary Minor Haristeen ("Harry") is Crozet's postmistress and the proud owner of two cats, Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and one corgi, Tee Tucker--animals with an uncanny ability to sniff out secrets and hidden motives as well as mice and roast beef.

Pawing Through the Past capitalizes on the myriad subtle relationships that form the backbone of small-town culture, and which Brown and Sneaky Pie have carefully woven throughout the Mrs. Murphy series. In a nicely appropriate nod to that culture's rivalries and alliances, Brown has chosen a high school reunion--traditional hotbed of simmering unease--as her mise-en-scène. When each member of the Crozet High Class of 1980 receives an anonymous note stating, "You'll never get old," most take it as a joke or a compliment. But when the class womanizer turns up with a bullet between his eyes, and more notes--and more bodies--start appearing, Harry and her menagerie find themselves at the center of a revenge plot 20 years in the making.

Brown's latest is replete with the sly asides that have endeared her to animal lovers--"Cats are by instinct and inclination dedicated anarchists"--and with the naively humorous "conversations" between the animals themselves. When Pewter, watching a team of police officers wrestling a stiff corpse out of a dumpster, wonders, "Why don't they just break his arms and legs?" Murphy replies knowingly, "They'd pass out. Humans are touchy about their dead." Unfortunately, these favorable attributes can't quite mask an incoherent plot, nor Brown's awkwardly pompous social commentary: "By and large, the women looked better than the men, testimony to the cultural pressure for women to fuss over themselves." But Brown's legions of fans will doubtlessly forgive these shortcomings, concentrating instead on the antics of a memorable four-legged and furry trio. --Kelly Flynn --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her intrepid trio of animal sleuths are back for an eighth--and winsome--adventure (following Cat on the Scent). Harry, postmistress of seemingly bucolic Crozet, Va., and her classmates are excited about their upcoming 20th high school reunion. They share bittersweet memories of that time when everything seemed possible, as preparations proceed to welcome back far-flung classmates. But it quickly becomes apparent that one person's memories are only bitter: weeks before the celebration, each classmate receives an anonymous letter reading, "You'll never get old." The class Casanova then gets a bullet between the eyes; more threatening letters follow. While the humans involved argue, dither and try to figure out what's behind the murderous rage turning their reunion into a killing ground, Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tee Tucker (Harry's sage tiger cat, plump gray cat and Welsh corgi, respectively) conduct their own investigation. Brown's appealing sense of humor, well-constructed setting and competent plotting carry the day. Her talking, thinking animals are funny and, for those who like this sort of thing, even adorable. Illus. by Itoko Maeno. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Library Binding
  • Publisher: San Val (January 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1417752394
  • ISBN-13: 978-1417752393
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,152,567 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

30 Reviews
5 star:
 (21)
4 star:
 (8)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (30 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best in the Mrs. Murphy series to date., June 6, 2000
By 
James A. White (Cookeville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
Harry gets a little braver, Miranda and Mim get a little looser, and other characters become more well known. Crozet is holding a twentieth year high-school reunion (Harry's) and a fiftieth year reunion (Miranda's) at the same time, the only difference in the two being the cause for excitement. In Harry's a killer is running loose and class members are dropping like flies. In Miranda's a love interest comes. The suspense steadily mounts throughout the book as Brown creates a web of age-old secrets. The book is slightly reminiscent of "Wish You Were Here" in the way the victims are notified of their impending death. This mystery has a mind-boggling, suspense-filled ending.

The animals are a little more sensible in this book as compared to Brown's last one. They no longer do outlandish things such as drive cars, but they continue with their catty and sarcastic remarks.

The past of several town members becomes more well-known in this book and anchors them in our minds better. When I finished it, for a day or two I found myself slightly lost without these witty and wonderful characters.

All in all, this is a great mystery sure to be enjoyed. Just remember, in a small town, nothing is ever as it seems!

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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best!, May 11, 2000
Ms. Brown's latest adventure featuring the folks of Cozet is just delightful. I've been a avid fan of this Mrs. Murphy series from the beginning and this 8th book is one of the best. Ms. Brown has weaved a delicious murder mystery centering around Harry's 20th class reunion. But although the construction of the mystery would be enough to keep most mystery readers turning the pages until the early hours, it is the continuation of the evolution of the characters that had me saying, "OK--just *one* more chapter before bed." I just had to know what was happening between Harry and Fair and, to my delight--Miranda and an old beau! This latest Mrs. Murphy Mystery is a true "must read" for all the fans of the folks and critters of this wonderful series.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Class of 1980 - or what's left of it, February 8, 2004
By A Customer
When the toast at the 20th class reunion is "To the class of '80 - or what's left of it" you know there is more going on than reminiscing about old times. This book is an excellent mystery in Crozet as members of Harry's class are mysteriously murdered - and Harry may be next! The author's grasp of human nature is dead on here - and her grasp of animal nature can't be beat. Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tucker, who talk to each other and can understand humans, but cannot be understood by them, are hilarious. The animals' personalities really come forth in this book, which triples the fun. This is a delightful, original mystery which I would recommend to anyone, and I look forward eagerly to reading her other Mrs. Murphy books.
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Dennis Rablan, Hank Bittner, Bob Shoaf, Charlie Ashcraft, Chris Sharpton, Little Mim, Tracy Raz, Bonnie Baltier, Big Mim, Market Shiflett, Crozet High, Fair Haristeen, New York, Leo Burkey, Ron Brindell, Sheriff Shaw, Bitsy Valenzuela, Rex Harnett, Jim Sanburne, Marcy Wiggins, Susan Tucker, Cynthia Cooper, Bill Wiggins, Rick Shaw, Art Bushey
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