Wish You Were Here

Rating:
Summary: More Whimsey Than Mystery
Review: If you're actually looking for a murder mystery, better skip Rita Mae Brown's "Mrs. Murphy" series; although entertainingly written, it relies more upon charm than upon detection. Still, Brown carries these books off with a light touch and considerable good humor, and WISH YOU WERE HERE, the first in the series, is actually among her better efforts in the series.

The novel introduces us to Mary "Harry" Haristeen, postmistress of a small Virgina town--and to her cat, Mrs. Murphy, and dog, Tee Tucker. When their beloved "mother" decides to help local authorities in their effort to solve a string of grotesque murders, Mrs. Murphy and Tee Tucker decide to help out. Brown's animal characters are able to talk to each other in this series, and their comments are often entertaining. If you can accept the premise, and if you're not too picky about the details of the plot, you'll enjoy Brown's characters, tone of voice, and imagination.

Rating:
Summary: More Whimsey Than Mystery
Review: If you're actually looking for a murder mystery, better skip Rita Mae Brown's "Mrs. Murphy" series; although entertainingly written, it relies more upon charm than upon detection. Still, Brown carries these books off with a light touch and considerable good humor, and WISH YOU WERE HERE, the first in the series, is actually among her better efforts in the series.

The novel introduces us to Mary "Harry" Haristeen, postmistress of a small Virgina town--and to her cat, Mrs. Murphy, and dog, Tee Tucker. When their beloved "mother" decides to help local authorities in their effort to solve a string of grotesque murders, Mrs. Murphy and Tee Tucker decide to help out. Brown's animal characters are able to talk to each other in this series, and their comments are often entertaining. If you can accept the premise, and if you're not too picky about the details of the plot, you'll enjoy Brown's characters, tone of voice, and imagination.

Rating:
Summary: For Lovers of Cats, Dogs, & Murder
Review: If you're one of those people who sometimes looks at your pet and thinks, "What is he *really* thinking?" or "I wonder how much she *really* understands?," this delightful mystery and its sequels are right up your alley. Mrs. Murphy, a gray tiger cat, and Tee Tucker, a corgi bitch, live with Mary Minor Haristeen (aka "Harry"), postmistress of the little country corner of Crozet, Va. When local paving contractor Kelly Craycroft turns up in a dismembered condition in one of his own cement mixers, Harry and her pets (assisted by Pewter, the fat gray cat who lives in the market next to the post office) are drawn inexorably into the case through Harry's realization that the killer uses anonymous picture postcards to telegraph his intentions. The gimmick is that we readers (unlike the humans in the story) can understand what the animals are saying to one another--and they prove to have very keen perceptions regarding the murder and subsequent events. And when the killer's identity is at last revealed, it's Murphy and Tee whose teeth and claws save the day.

This is the first of an ongoing series of "Mrs. Murphy Mysteries" signed by Brown and her cat Sneaky Pie. Whether Sneaky actually had a paw in the writing is for the reader to decide, but certainly Brown has a keen insight into the animal mind: the behavior of the pets and their private reflections on the human condition ring very true. The human characters, too, are unforgettable: Harry's soon-to- be-ex-husband, ambivalent veterinarian Fair (Pharamond) Haristeen; Mrs. Miranda Hogendobber, widow of Harry's predecessor and a devout member of an obscure Christian denomination; Mim Sanburne, grande dame of the village; Rick Shaw, the chain-smoking sheriff who finds himself in water deeper than he expected, and his able second-in- command, Off. Cynthia Cooper. Flavored with witty humor and vivid portrayals of the Virginia countryside and customs, "Wish You Were Here" and its sequels are not to be missed by pet-lovers and mystery aficionados.

Rating:
Summary: Short and Sweet
Review: In Wish You Were Here, Rita Mae Brown (and Sneaky Pie) have begun a mystery series that is less mystery and more the story of a small town in Virginia. Although the characters here are not quite fully developed, one suspects we will get to know them very well as the stories develop.

Although Crozet may have become another murder capital of the country, the deaths are macabre enough to almost be amusing: the bodies are mangled in a cement mixer and under the wheels of a train. The mystery is a bit thin, and the solution a bit contrived, perhaps that's the way it would be when neighbors realize that a crime has occurred.

As the residents of Crozet, led by Ms. Harry Haristeen, muddle through the clues, their pets try to tell them what they've found with their sharper senses. A legendary treasure becomes a real, modern-day one, and friends and neighbors aren't at all what they seem.

Readers who like this book might also enjoy mysteries by Dick Francis (with an English flavor) and by Tony Hillerman (with an American Indian flavor). All are quick reads, each gives a glimpse into a world most of us are not familiar with, and the characters often matter more than the mystery.



Rating:
Summary: Rita Mae's style with a kick for regional readers.
Review: Rita Mae Brown has a dedicated following, but this, the first in her Sneaky Pie mystery series definitely will add readers to her list. One of the highlights to this book is the in depth use of local subject matter. She has blessed the Deep South, the Mason-Dixon Line and Florida with her wit and lively writing and now she brings it all home to the beautiful Piedmont section of Virginia. This is a series of books that a person should start with the first (this one) and continue all the way through because Rita Mae's characters and stories are too good to miss.

Rating:
Summary: Great fun! A cat/animal lovers dream. Funny and fast paced!
Review: Sneaky Pie Brown has a wit and charm not often found in feline literature now days. "Mrs. Murphy", Pewter & Tee Tucker, are the cat's meow in this fast paced, thourghly delightful romp. Clever dialog, colorful characters and an intriguing plot, culminate in a "can't put it down" experience. Though I figured out who done it early on, Sneaky Pie kept my interest and made me doubt my resolve many times. Not a boring minute in the wole lot.

Keep it up Sneaky Pie, don't let your Mom discourage your efforts! Ive already started your next masterpiece "Rest in Pieces", and have all the others with the exception of the new hardbound. Come to the "Book Carnival" in Orange, California and sign one for me, OK?

Rating:
Summary: As parlor jokes go this one has its moments.
Review: There are precious few really good scenes in this first entry of the Murphy mystery series. These scenes are enjoyable in their own right. But, in themselves, they don't make this book worth reading, let alone buying. And this book certainly doesn't inspire me to go out and read any of Rita's other, non Murphy mystery, books.

Given the fact that being a sheriff here in the Commonwealth of Virginia means running for office every four years, one has to wonder how Rick Shaw got into office in the first place, let alone staying in office for twelve years. And what, pray tell, is he doing issuing Harry a gun on page 219? At no point in this book are we told she knows how to use one, let alone having a permit to carry one.

Rating:
Summary: Wish You Were Here
Review: This book was exciting and full of fun. The animals came to life and the fact that their conversations were in italics was helpful. This is relaxing reading and just what I was looking for.

I know this area of Virginia and that made the book more interesting and fun. I look forward to reading all of this series.

Rating:
Summary: For Both Cat & Mystery Lovers
Review: This book was very entertaining. I loved that I could know what the cats and dogs were thinking and how they tried to make their human companions understand them. Well, let's just get to the summary.

Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen has just discovered that one of her friends has been murdered. Right before his murder, Harry (who is the postmistress of Crozet) read a postcard addressed to him that pictured a graveyard and a message saying 'Wish you were here.' Soon, another friend is murdered who has also received the same mysterious postcard.

Along with her cat and dog, Mrs. Murphy and Tee Tucker, Harry sets out to find out who the killer was.

I thought this book was fun to read, although I thought the killer was a bit predictable. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book for both cat & mystery lovers.

Rating:
Summary: Curiosity Kills...
Review: This book, the author, the characters had to really grow on me. I started off reading with quite an attitude - felt it was going to be way to cutesy to continue reading. But finally the book settled in and clipped along.

The characters were crisp, once I got them lined up in my head.

I was trying to tell in many places in the book if the author was trying to use the book as a way to push some of her thoughts out on paper, in particular she writes very strong ideas about organized religion (Catholicism in particular), the culling of the weak/sick from the pack. Having been to the Charlottesville area before it was interesting to imagine this area in the story's setting.

I loved the language and odd turns of phrase/choices of words the author would throw into the book. Many other nice additions peppered her writing.

On to the next book and looking forward to it.