Customer Reviews

Catch as Cat Can (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries (Prebound))

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia lies the small bucolic town of Crozet located in the middle of Albermarle County. It is a special, magical town unlike any other because all the animals are sentient and can talk to each other including cross-species communication with one "muted" exception: that of the inferior humans who have not evolved enough to be on their level. Since man is the only species who kills for reasons other than food and defense, the animals of Crozet may have a point.

Currently Crozet is suffering from a crime wave with three murders, a stolen truck, an unexplained $530,000 in one of the homicide victim's safe, and other lesser felonies. Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, her gray tiger cat Mrs. Murphy, Pewter a fat gray cat, and Tucker the Welsh Corgi are as usual in the middle of the investigation and hope to close the case soon.

Any new Mrs. Murphy mystery is a joyful reading experience and CATCH AS CAT CAN is no exception. Rita Mae Brown and her feline Sneaky Pie have co-authored an adult mystery that appeals to the child in all of us. Although Harry and her ex-husband are still dating, the fair maiden has a gorgeous new suitor who seems to good to be true. Still Harry and her "owners" will never allow her romance to get in the way of justice; but then again she is human.

Harriet Klausner

I'm a huge fan of the Mrs. Murphy series; they're my favourites of all the cat/crime genre. Unfortunately, the latest volume doesn't come up to the standard set forth in the series so far. It reads like a rough draft turned in under a deadline. While the actual premise is interesting enough, it's both unoriginal and so far-fetched that it's hard for this ordinary person to care about it. The writing is wooden and stilted, more a recitation of events than a good story. The new characters are lifeless -- not even a budding romance has any real zing -- and the old characters are predictable. Nothing new is happening in the town of Crozet; let's eat some orange glazed cinnamon buns. Even the animals can't really save this one; they talk a lot but don't really contribute much. A fan of the series will want to read _Catch as Cat Can_, but get it out of the library.

Catch As Cat Can is the 10th Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae [and Sneaky Pie] Brown, and this time Mrs Murphy, Pewter [the cats], and Tee Tucker [the dog] are helping their companion human, Harry Haristeen, postmistress of Crozet, Virginia, snoop around the local salvage yard. BoomBoom Craycroft, woman of ample bosom, rich widow, and Crozet's most famous sampler of lifestyles, has taken up welding sculptures out of junk metal AND sets Harry up with a Uraguayan diplomat. Miranda, Harry's helper at the post office, has her hubcaps stolen and then recovered. Harry finds a dead woodpecker and takes it to the local taxidermist. And as always, the dead bodies begin to pile up. Trust me, it all fits together. For anybody new to the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, suspension of disbelief will be required when dealing with the fact that the animals can talk to each other and the fact that they solve the mysteries faster than the humans. REMEMBER, THIS IS MYSTERY LITE! I enjoyed Catch As Cat Can, but can't rate it up with the best of this series. If you enjoy lite mysteries, I recommend you read Catch As Cat Can and the rest of the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries.

Harry Haristeen, her two cats, and her dog find themselves caught in the middle of a social whirlwind in Crozet, Virginia--a whirlwind that grows increasingly serious and increasingly less social as murder marrs the festivities. Something is rotten in Crozet--but exactly what is hard to detect. Fortunately for Harry and for Virginia, the pets are on the case. And with these pets, Harry is certain to be dragged along.

A large part of reading a Mrs. Murphy mystery is the countryside and society that Harry hangs in. Although Harry is only a postal worker, she is a key part of the town--a town that consists of a fascinating bunch of husband-hunting single women, aristocratic pretention, and good-ole-boys out for a good time. CATCH AS CAT CAN delivers on this promise--and even gives Harry a new beau.

Author Rita Mae Brown delivers another light mystery. The clever pets don't try to be impossible (no driving in this one) and Harry actually does some detecting and some heroing on her own. The mystery itself was a little over the top, but this is a story about talking animals, after all. If you want serious and believable mystery, you've come to the wrong place. If you like a lighthearted with plenty of Virginia atmosphere and intelligent pets to save the day, CATCH AS CAT CAN is a winner.

I should say first that I have read and own all of the books in the Mrs. Murphy series. Secondly, I assure you that I don't compare them to the Sharon McCone series or others with more serious plots. These books are so much fun! They are quick to read, perfect for a flight, a waiting room, anywhere that you want to be quickly absorbed into a story. What more can you ask from a "cozy"? This is one of my favorites. The variety of new characters mixed into the familiar Crozet crowd during spring social events was tantalizing. I also found the illustrations to be excellent. If you are reading for fun and you can "suspend disbelief" long enough to allow for talking animals, try these. You just might like them!

CATCH AS CAT CAN and the entire Mrs. Murphy series belong to the "cozy" school of murder mysteries. "Cozy" refers to setting in mystery genre and Crozet, Virginia, an actual place, is certainly conceived in the tradition of the pleasant English village. Even with a body count that would rival some violent inner city neighborhoods, the author makes it irresistible, evoking the beautiful western Virginia countryside through natural seasonal imagery. The series' regular human and animal characters are appealing. It is for them and the setting that you go back to this series when in need of something disposable, the storylines and some of the characterizations having become increasingly simple, almost irrelevant over the series' development. You also go back for the satire on new South/old South values and mores. As Brown observes, it would not be a proper Southern social event if someone did not get drunk or a fight did not break out--in tuxedoes and designer dresses. Brown plays with the genre as well: less confident writers worry about making realistic circumstances by which the amateur sleuth becomes involved and solves the mystery. Not here: Crozet is a place where the sheriff feels beholden to first inform the reigning social matriarch of every development and depends upon the gossip lines and family pets to get the job done. Procedure? Never heard of it. Sly irony keeps this series afloat, saves it from the saccharine.

As Spring Fever begins taking over the small town of Crozet, Virginia, and the annual Dogwood Festival approaches, resident postmistress, and part-time sleuth, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen feels it's time to put a little romance into her life. Mrs. Murphy, however, the detective tiger cat, can tell by her feline intuition that there's something in the air, and it isn't romance. It begins with some stolen hubcaps, and ends up in the mysterious death of a young mechanic. Then another death, and a shooting lead to the miraculous discovery of a half-million dollars, that look to be the work of something "dirty." While Harry is on the trail of the cold-blooded killer, Mrs. Murphy is already definite on who the murderer is, and knows who's next in line. She also knows that her beloved owner, Harry, does not have nine lives, as she does, and the one life that she does have is grasping at straws.

As a fan of every previous Mrs. Murphy mystery, I eagerly awaited my chance to read Rita Mae Brown's CATCH AS CAT CAN, and I was not in any way, shape, or form, disappointed in the outcome. As always, Mrs. Murphy is more enjoyable than ever, with her quirky dialogue, and, at times, attitudish personality. Harry is more curious than ever in this installment in the series, as she is determined to find the killer before anymore innocent lives are taken. Fans of the previous Mrs. Murphy mysteries will enjoy the chance to travel back to the cozy town of Crozet, Virginia, and catch up with some of their old friends in CATCH AS CAT CAN.

Erika Sorocco

This book really has an interesting plot and moves along with it. It is much more a mystery than usual and I enjoyed it very much. Of course there are the usual antics of the animals - they are endearing. I almost always pick up one of these books when I've had it with the world and want something comfortable to slip into. This one's a particular pleasure.

Love Sneaky Pie and friend. Wish I could live in Crozet and be one of the group. Maybe better wish I could be one of the animals. They are funny, endearing and totally wonderful.

Sorry to say this story is not up to par, it reminds me that the writter is tired of this story line and only tells this tail for the money.
Readers do have expectations, one of mine is to be able to see the person writting through the story. I have all of the Mrs. Murphy books, sorry Rita Mae.