Customer Reviews

The Tell-Tale Horse

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Tell-Tale Horse," while a well written and a rather enjoyable read, might actually be one "Sister" Jane Arnold installment that is more for fans of the series (& Rita Mae Brown) than for it is mystery readers looking for a compelling read. Don't misunderstand, "Tell -Tale Horse" is a rather absorbing read, even if the author does seem to thrive on going over much of the same material (fox hunting and what it takes to keep a good kennel -- she's gone over much of the same material in previous installments although I will admit that it is interesting to keep track of what's new with the Jefferson Hunt Club ); but I really borrowed the book in hopes of snuggling up with a good mystery. Unfortunately, my hopes were a little dashed here -- the mystery premise was a good one but it felt to me as if it never got the attention that it merited. Which was a shame.

On the way back from a lovely evening at the Casanova Hunt Club's annual ball, "Sister" Jane Arnold (master of the Jefferson Hunt Club) and good friend Marion Maggiolo, are horrified to find the body of a beautiful young woman, naked and carefully placed on top of the statue of a horse that stands outside the tact shop Marion own. Both Jane and Marion are further shocked to discover that the John Barton Payne silver bowl, a treasured fox hunting prize that enjoyed pride of place in the store, has been stolen. Are the two events linked? As the community settles into speculating as to who may behind the "Lady Godiva" murder, "Sister" Jane Arnold resolves to discover the truth in spite of her busy schedule...

I have to admit that as a novel about fox hunting and life in a small Virginian community where everyone knows each other's histories, interests and deepest secrets, "Tell-Tale Horse" is a fairly absorbing read. And really, the author does a wonderful job of painting the scene and developing her characters so that they are more than just names off a page. Though I do think that there are a few too many characters at times, and so many subplots! Perhaps I am a little narrow minded here (all right, I am a being a tad narrow minded) but I really did choose to read this book for it's promising mystery subplot. And I'm really disappointed that the subplot was never really given a chance. The first victim remains an unknown: after a while we learn her name and where she worked but that's about all. The second murder takes place towards the very end of the book, and the murderer is masked by accident. The murderer's motivations are hurriedly sketched in, and there were very little plot twists and practically no red herring suspects. On the other hand, the book is well written and in a very charming and engaging manner. And I did enjoy "Tell Tale Horse" in spite of my disappointment with the sketch mystery subplot. And that's why I'm awarding "Tell-Tale Horse" 3 stars, but recommending it is more for fans of the series and non-mystery readers than anyone else.

I was really hopeful that this would be a Rita Mae Brown comeback. I have grown to love the Jane Arnold books and wouldn't miss one, but I keep waiting for a more in depth story. I will say though, that there were things mentioned in this book that point to more interesting story lines in future books. The hunting prose is always good, although some things we have heard for many books and for newbies I guess it's worth repeating. I'd like to see a little more depth to the story, perhaps Crawford will come back and just what do his hounds think of that? I will anxiously await the next book because I've grown to enjoy the Jefferson Hunt as much as I do my own hunt club. I do have to say, the vulgarity from Jane Arnold just doesn't sound like her. Perhaps in her old age she's getting a bit more testy. (I know I am!)

As per usual,complex characters and local flavor are drawn with exquisite and loving detail.

As a horse lover and lover of other creatures both domestic and wild, Rita Mae's writing speaks to my soul.

Kat Lodge, Clarion, Iowa.

Rita Mae Brown can be a wonderful writer. Unfortunately, in this series, and in the Mrs. Murphy series, of late, she seems to have forgotten her audience. The characters are becoming wooden, and the plots are less involved, while Brown spends pages pontificating on various subjects that are not relevant to the story. Pass on this one unless you are really a die-hard fan.

Beihg a horse person, I avidly read all of Rita Mae Brown's "sister jane" books. While this story is somewhat engaging, I felt the editing and sentence structure were terrible. Every sentence was full of fragments, strung together by an over abundance of commas. Made for a disjointed read. Here's a sample: "Ilona Merriman, hairnet in place, derby correctly placed on her head - which is to say, straight across the brow -rode up to Sister, reined in Tom Tiger, her handy small Thoroughbred, gave a pregnant pause, and then tattled." Almost every sentence is structured this way. Found it very distracting from the storyline.

I love this series, and this book didn't disappoint, mostly owing to the great writing. You just get drawn in even if the plot line is a little forced. Rita Mae could probably make a trip to Kroger sound interesting. The animals gave some clues in this one but I picked up on them too late. This book was a little rushed feeling with a few errors that I will leave to the readers as mysteries for you to solve. A couple of clues: Which character was alluded to in the "Cast" but had no entry. Which term had horse and hound mixed up? And can you find the place where there was a mixup with Tootie and Val's names? Feel free to leave the answers in the comments. I'd love to proof the next title in the series.

I avidly await each new book in the Sister Jane series. This book did not let me down. I bought it in both hardback and audio...I am that addicted. First off, I think Rita Mae Brown really draws you into her stories. I love her interpretation of what animals think, she is dead on with Golly. Second, I thought it would not be right for someone other than the author to read the book on audio but I was wrong. The reader is awesome, she makes each character come to life and I could not stop listening to it. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

Many writers use the mystery genre to write about something else. This writer has produced a slap-dash murder mystery set among the fox hunting set in Virginia. People who are fanatic about something are a self-absorbed lot about it and these foxhunters are no exception and the writer pads the book with fairly repetitive details of a number of hunts that occur. An interesting, but rather precious device (in this book at least), is that the animals can converse with each other. Other than some thin humor, however, the writer does nothing particularly interesting with this device. It might have been interesting to have a little of the fox's perspective on being chased by dogs and horses. I cannot imagine it ever being pleasant, but in this book the implication seems to be that the jelly beans and peanut butter and such put out to feed them is a fair trade-off. Hmm.

Oh that's right, the murder mystery. Never a good sign when one becomes bored with reading the details and skips ahead to see if anything of significance will ever happen. In real life there are chance discoveries and blurted confessions, but to use such in a mystery novel is a great disappointment. A good mystery unfolds before the reader and is written so that little things one easily might pass over are later shown to have great significance. That's why Presumed Innocent was such a good mystery and this book is not.

I have all of the books in this series and always pre-purchase the next one out in my anticipation of the fun to come. The stories are always a fun read, the mysteries o.k., but the characters and the hunting details are awesome. I just love when Brown goes in to great detail regarding hunt etiquette, the horses, and the dogs. The terminology and descriptions are fascinating. Also, I am not at all offended when she makes political observations, especially when I agree with most all of them!

I've recommended this series to my trainer and the kids in the local Pony Club to read, and for anyone frustrated by adult horse fiction. Usually the authors get it all wrong i.e. children riding stallions, green riders as assistant trainers, etc. but Rita Mae Brown is always 'spot on'.

I enjoyed this book as I have all the others in this series, the author, being a "Master" herself writes of something she knows and loves and it shows in her stories.