Cat's Eyewitness (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)

Rating:
Summary: A well-rounded story with good characters and smart critters
Review: At the top of Afton Mountain, at the Carmelite Greyfriar monastery, a statue of the Virgin Mary is crying tears of blood. Some of those in the nearby town of Crozet, Virginia believe it to be a heaven-sent miracle while others are skeptical. But everyone is talking. Things on the mountain get even more interesting when kindly old Brother Thomas is found dead, kneeling in the snow in front of the statue. Did he die of a heart attack during prayers? Or is this a case of foul play?

So begins CAT'S EYEWITNESS, the latest "Mrs. Murphy" mystery by Rita Mae Brown and her fabulous feline co-author, Sneaky Pie Brown. Brown's intrepid heroine Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen is back, along with her animal companions, cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and corgi Tee Tucker. Harry thinks that the crying statue is a hoax and Brother Thomas's death anything but natural. And when local television reporter Nordy Elliot also turns up dead, she cannot help but get involved in solving what she thinks are related mysteries.

Brown's writing style is simple and straightforward, and her characters are, for the most part, too good to be true. Despite its murders and mid-life crises, Crozet's citizens are an enviable lot. In fact, there is even a resident movie star. This is a fun fireside-type read; a winter whodunit to enjoy on a long, cold evening.

Of course, most characteristic of Brown --- and fairly unique in adult fiction --- are the talking animals. The dogs and cats, and even birds, mice and possum all have something to say. The animals are a bit like a Greek chorus --- restating themes, adding important bits of information and helping to move the story along. Plus, they are interesting and more developed than many other characters in the story.

With the two deaths (and one missing corpse), a marriage proposal from her ex-husband, her best friends' extreme stress, a snowy winter, financial problems and career issues --- not to mention Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching --- Harry has her hands full. Actually, the murders and bleeding statue are almost secondary here. They give the characters something to talk about and rally around. But it is the characters themselves who are the real story. Here we have a glimpse into a small southern town, a close-knit community where, despite violent and traumatic tragedy, people are essentially good, honest and trustworthy.

CAT'S EYEWITNESS is not overly complicated or even too complicated. It is an old-fashioned mystery full of good characters and smart critters. And there is just enough romance and quite a bit of religion to make the story well-rounded. It is easy to see why Brown's original mysteries are bestsellers.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Rating:
Summary: Another worthy installment in the series
Review: Checking in with Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her friends in Crozet, Virginia, is like coming home again. It's winter, and the book opens during a Thanksgiving snowstorm. This time the Piedmont community has to deal with several murders related to what appears to be a sacred miracle: tears of blood streaming from the eyes of a Virgin Mary statue at a nearby Blue Ridge mountain monastery. In addition to unraveling the story behind the story, Harry and the gang do some individual soul-searching about their religious beliefs and also over personal issues like mid-life crises and sexual orientation. Harry herself is at both a personal and a professional crossroad: she's out of a job at the post office, and her ex-husband has proposed to her again. What to do, what to do? Don't worry: by the last page, her future becomes clearer.

In the meantime, the Crozet pets talk to each other, as has become their habit. They continue to muse about the failings of humans: from their propensity to sit for hours looking at a computer screen, to the wars they wage upon each other. Some of the most insightful conversations in the book take place among the cats and dogs. After all, they are the REAL investigators in each mystery. One has to wonder why they don't mind traipsing through the snow after their masters, especially the cats. Most felines I've known would rather watch the snowflakes from a warm windowsill than set one foot in a snowbank. Mrs. Murphy and Pewter must be the exceptions.

Nevertheless, this is an interesting episode in the Mrs. Murphy series. Best read during a snowstorm of your own, with a cup of hot tea and a steaming buttered scone at the ready, and (of course!) a cat curled up on your lap.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I enjoyed this one a great deal. Well thought out and wonderful fun. A little short on Miranda, and I do miss the post office a little. I must admit I was a little shocked at Boom Boom, but I'm uterly thrilled the possiblities for that situation. I was also so happy at the last sentence that I nearly cried. I hope Rita & Sneaky keep these going strong.

Rating:
Summary: A let Down
Review: I have always loved this series, Brown is such a fine writer.
This book is however not in keeping with the series we have come to know. The writer has decided to take a turn in her story lines, and this book suffers for it.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I love the Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries (although I find the "Virginia is best" attitude a bit much to take at times). I found this story less interesting than all the others. It took a long time to catch my interest and the ending appeared to be an afterthought that was tacked on. I read it in a few hours simply because I skipped much of the book. I should have waited until it came out in paperback.

Rating:
Summary: A breeze to read this book, could not put it down
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I am a true fan of Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries and I have collected them all and can read them over and over. She has a knack to describe horrific scene with the utmost detachment which amazes me. You have to love Harry and her canine & feline sleuth counterpart and all the characters in her books.

I truly recommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: Always a pleasure to read a book by this author
Review: In a small hamlet in Virginia, animals talk to each other across species lines and the only ones unable to understand is the dumbest species: humans. Mary Minor "Harry " Haristeen loves her two cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and her corgi Tee Tucker; they reciprocate her feelings, going so far as to help her when she becomes too deeply involved in a murder investigation and puts her life in danger.

The Greyfiars Monastery's has a Virgin Mary statue on their property that starts weeping bloody tears. Many people including some of the monks think it is a miracle. Monk Thomas is found frozen to death in a kneeling position besides the statue. Harry's intuition screams murder and her four legged protectors know a cardinal witnessed the homicide. The journalist covering this phenomenon is killed when someone sticks a pen in his eye. Harry thinks the killings and the tears are linked; she investigates but it is only because of her animal friends that she doesn't become the third murder victim.

It is always a pleasure to read a book starring Harry and Mrs. Murphy but the CAT'S EYEWITNESS is particularly good as several changes in Harry's life has occurred. The heroine's ex-husband gives Harry a marriage proposal ultimatum or he will look elsewhere for love. Harry no longer works in the post office because she cannot bring her animals into the new facility. Susan, Harry's best friend, reveals a secret she kept for over two decades, and the sexpot Boom Boom finds a surprising new lover. Readers will find it impossible to figure out who the perpetrator is among the even tempered monks. Rita Mae Brown delights her fans with this fantastic feline mystery.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: Modern day monks in Virginia
Review: This latest in the Mrs. Murphy series is a pretty good one. In it we have a monastery with monks trying to make it in the modern world. We also have a Virgin Mary statue that appears to be crying real blood. Of course Harry and her pals can't believe in this stigmata, so she must try to find out what causes the phenomenon. While they're investigating, an old monk dies. Harry doesn't think it's natural causes, and when his body goes missing from his grave, the rest of Crozet know they've got a problem. Never fear Harry, Tucker, Mrs. Murphy and Pewter will solve the case, but not before more death, and danger to Harry. I do enjoy this series. It's light and entertaining. So what if I figure out the mystery before the end of the book! It's quite a bit of fun getting there.