Rest in Pieces (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Rita Mae Brown (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mrs. Murphy Mysteries | Publication Date: June 1, 1993

Mrs. Murphy thinks the new man in town is the  cat's meow.... Maybe she should think again.  Small towns don't take kindly to strangers--unless  the stranger happens to be a drop-dead gorgeous and  seemingly unattached male. When Blair Bainbridge  comes to Crozet, Virginia, the local matchmakers  lose no time in declaring him perfect for their  newly divorced postmistress, Marry Minor "Harry  Haristeen." Even Harry's tiger cat, Ms.  Murphy, and her Welsh Corgi, Tee Tucker, believe he  smells A-okay. Could his one little imperfection  be that he's a killer? Blair becomes the most  likely suspect when the pieces of a dismembered corpse  begin tuming up around Crozet. No one knows who  the dead man is, but when a grisly clue makes a  spectacular appearance in the middle of the fall  festivities, more than an early winter snow begins  chilling the blood of Crozet's very best people.  That's when Ms. Murphy, her friend Tucker, and her  human companion Harry begin to sort throughout the  clues . . . only to find themselves a whisker away  from becoming the killer's next  victims.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mystery fans who dote on their pets will welcome this second tale of murder co-authored by Brown and her cat, Sneaky Pie. A follow-up to the duo's Wish You Were Here, it reintroduces characters and settings in the tiny town of Crozet, Va. Central to the tale are postmistress and knowledgeable farmhand Mary Minor Haristeen (Harry), her cat Mrs. Murphy and her Welsh corgi Tee Tucker. Mrs. Murphy, as it happens, "bears an uncanny resemblance to authoress Sneaky Pie," and virtually every reference to her is amusingly flattering. Other key Crozet denizens include the nosy, well-meaning widow Mrs. Hoggendobber; the haughty, monied Sanburne family; Harry's ex-husband and his new love interest, a woman nicknamed "Boom Boom." Gossip is at a low ebb in Crozet until male model Blair Bainbridge moves to the farm bordering Harry's. Matchmakers start to buzz, but they are rudely interrupted when assorted parts of a dismembered body are found on Blair's land. The animals, whose speech is italicized in the text and generally misunderstood by humans, form their own hypotheses about the murder, and naturally have a hand/paw in solving the crime. The Browns expertly depict small-town life, detailing holiday parties, a fox hunt and Harry's chores during a bucolic winter. Although talking, sleuthing animals may seem cloying to serious folk, this is in actuality a spooky, baffling tale complete with (Rita Mae) Brown's trademark surprise ending.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Second in Brown's ``Mrs. Murphy'' mystery series. The liveliness evident in Brown's earlier novels (Rubyfruit Jungle, Southern Discomfort, etc.) ripples on in the twit and josh among old acquaintances in the small hunt-club-Waspy town of Crozet, Virginia, but readers will need a twin tolerance: animals that talk amongst themselves, and grue piled higher and deeper as a corpse is discovered--first a hand, then more until the full corpse doth appear in--aargh!--a Halloween pumpkin. As in Wish You Were Here (1990), Harry--a 30-ish postmistress and horsewoman--leads the way in puzzling over the murders of an unknown vagrant and then a bank manager, amid mailed threats, a lost earring, and gossip about a handsome new neighbor. The animals--Mrs. Murphy the cat, Tucker the dog, Simon the possum, etc.--talk things over and save ``Mom's'' life, too. Animal-lovers know better, but will probably be hooked in anyway. An adequate mystery, with plenty of jolly chat. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (June 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553562398
• ISBN-13: 978-0553562392
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #585,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun for a Saturday afternoon..., April 20, 2002

By 

Miss D. AwesomePants "Amazon Junkie" (Hoboken, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rest in Pieces (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

The second in the Mrs. Murphy series... "Rest in Pieces" is equally as cute as the first one, "Wish You Were Here." The plot is very simple, the ending predictable... but fun nonetheless.
The relationships between the animals (and this book includes more than just the cat and the dog... but a possum, 2 horses, a snake, and an owl as well) is fun and cute to read. And the relationships between the characters are developing well... the reader is introduced to everyone in the first book... and reading the second one is like being re-united with old friends. And i am looking forward to the third one to see if the budding romance from this novel continues.

Whereas i'd hardly call this book quality literature... it was a lot of fun for a rainy saturday afternoon... and for [money] is a lot better than most of the movies in theaters now! It's a great read for animal/mystery lovers.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As True a Picture You'll Get of Folks from a Small Town., October 11, 2004

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rest in Pieces (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed this second book in the Mrs. Murphy series much more than the first, and the main reason for that is that the author has painted a true-to-life picture of what it's like to live in the country and in a small town. I certainly could see parallels to my own life in the descriptions of country living and folks helping others. Also, I didn't find the animals as distracting this time (maybe because I knew what to expect this time round). Anyway, the mystery in this book is a good one and it will keep you guessing until the end. In it we get to know Harry a little better, as well as her numerous wonderful friends. Ms. Brown does a good job of characterization for her somewhat eccentric cast of characters. The story starts with various human body parts showing up in very strange places. It certainly puts the citizens of Crozon on the alert and sets the stage for more murder and mayhem. All in all a pretty good read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The adventure continues, August 29, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: Rest in Pieces (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Rest in Pieces, the second in the Mrs. Murphy mystery series, begins when Blair Bainbridge, a male model, moves into Crozet. The cast of female characters immediately begin to matchmake, particularly with Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen, postmistress and recently divorced. But as has become the norm in the small town, murder gets in the way of everyone's plans. It all begins when Tee Tucker, Harry's corgi, finds a body part in the family burial plot on Blair's farm.

As the mystery unfolds, the readers learn more and more about Harry, her neighbors, and their pets. At the top of the pyramid are Marilyn Sanburne and her recently married daughter, Little Marilyn. Although not a marriage of love, at first, she and Fitz-Gilbert have come to care for each other in a short time. But as usual in Crozet, things are not as they appear.

While no one in the small town wants to believe that one of them is a murderer, another body turns up. Each is beginning to believe he or shee may be in danger. But why? The end is surprising and satisfying. This is a good quick read and leads the reader into the next in the series.