Murder at Monticello

Rating:
Summary: Mickey Finns anyone?
Review: For anyone who has thought that maybe their pets are trying to tell them something, this is a great book. And what makes this book stand out in a series of Mrs. Murphy (that's the name of the cat) books is the amazing mixture of past and present mystery that are seemingly unrelated. Ms. Brown gives the reader a lesson on Thomas Jefferson, the human nature, and hate as well as a lively comedy between cats, a dog, an ex-husband, and a nosy small town somewhere in Virginia. All in all, it kept me amused and I learned a lot about life at Monticello as well.

Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: For anyone who has thought that maybe their pets are trying to tell them something, this is a great book. And what makes this book stand out in a series of Mrs. Murphy (that's the name of the cat) books is the amazing mixture of past and present mystery that are seemingly unrelated. Ms. Brown gives the reader a lesson on Thomas Jefferson, the human nature, and hate as well as a lively comedy between cats, a dog, an ex-husband, and a nosy small town somewhere in Virginia. All in all, it kept me amused and I learned a lot about life at Monticello as well.

Rating:
Summary: A little flawed
Review: I enjoy the Mrs Murphey series on the whole, although I've found lately, that I don't always read through all of the animal "dialogue" like I did with the first few books; which of course makes it much faster reading! I particularly enjoy the display of equestian knowledge, because I've taken dressage lessons in the past, and find it reinforces some of what I learned. I found the logic of the plot of this particular book just slightly flawed, although I'm not certain that everyone will discover that flaw or even that those who do will necessarily care. I also found the attempt to defend the reputation of Jefferson a little cloying at times. Jefferson needs no defense; for one thing, he's dead (and therefore cannot speak in his own defense), and for another he was a man of his times and rose head and shoulders above many of those of his times with respect to his moral character, productivity, contribution to mankind, intellectual achievements, etc. To try the past seems a wasted effort; better to make certain the present lives up to it's ideals. As usual the staple characters of Croiset are a never failing delight. I always enjoy spending time with them. They've become old friends, and I read these books as much to "visit" with them as to solve the mystery.

Rating:
Summary: A little flawed
Review: I enjoy the Mrs Murphey series on the whole, although I've found lately, that I don't always read through all of the animal "dialogue" like I did with the first few books; which of course makes it much faster reading! I particularly enjoy the display of equestian knowledge, because I've taken dressage lessons in the past, and find it reinforces some of what I learned. I found the logic of the plot of this particular book just slightly flawed, although I'm not certain that everyone will discover that flaw or even that those who do will necessarily care. I also found the attempt to defend the reputation of Jefferson a little cloying at times. Jefferson needs no defense; for one thing, he's dead (and therefore cannot speak in his own defense), and for another he was a man of his times and rose head and shoulders above many of those of his times with respect to his moral character, productivity, contribution to mankind, intellectual achievements, etc. To try the past seems a wasted effort; better to make certain the present lives up to it's ideals. As usual the staple characters of Croiset are a never failing delight. I always enjoy spending time with them. They've become old friends, and I read these books as much to "visit" with them as to solve the mystery.

Rating:
Summary: All my love to Charlottesville Virginia
Review: I lived in Charlottesville for 6 years before moving to NJ, and at that time, I was reading this book, and it brought back a lot of good memories. I highly recommend people to read it (although I read it before this whole new Jefferson/Sally DNA thing started, so now there might be a different perspective, but it's still good nonetheless.). Mrs.Murphy and Tucker are really cool, and their thoughts are a very nice addtion to the book.

Rating:
Summary: OK BUT!!
Review: I love the characters but, too many ...
confusing to say the least. The books would be better with less characters. Also the cats and dog need to interact more.

Rating:
Summary: OK BUT!!
Review: I love the characters but, too many ...
confusing to say the least. The books would be better with less characters. Also the cats and dog need to interact more.

Rating:
Summary: i actually rate it 3 and a half, but that wasn't an option
Review: I LOVE the Mrs. Murphy books - the only reason i brought this one down a little is cuz i found it to be more boring than the others. however, i could find it boring just because i'm younger. In general, it was good.

Rating:
Summary: Murder Then and Now.
Review: Is this old murder from 1803 connected to the new one that just occurred in present day Crozen? Harry and her friends think so, so they begin to dig deep into old records and letters to find out what the connection could be. Can some knowledge be that great that it covers two centuries? Apparently so because it appears that someone really wants some old secrets kept secret. I enjoyed this book actually more than the previous two because I found that the two murders separated by almost 200 years were very well connected by the author. I still find the "talking" done by the animals in this series a little off-putting, but the mysteries are quite good in spite of this.

Rating:
Summary: Mrs. Murphy mysteries are fantastic!
Review: Murder at Monticello is the third of the Mrs. Murphy mysteries and it might be my favorite of the 7 Mrs. Murphy's I've read because it's so different. Actually, the whole series is different. It's co-authored by a woman and her cat(mostly the cat), and the detective team is a cat and a dog. In Murder at Monticello, the first murder(of course there are a few more) took place 200 years ago, making it all the harder to figure out whodunit, or even who was killed. The characterization is as good as the plot. I especially love how all the animals talk but the people can't hear them. This is a great book in a great series and if you haven't read them you should!