Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I've read and loved the Sneaky Pie mysteries for years, but had fallen 2 books behind when I picked up Pawing Through the Past and Claws and Effect. Now, I realize I'm in a specialized area and am nitpicking this book because of my personal experiences, but this book really bugged me. Through 7 books we've been exposed to "tiny" Crozet, Virginia (in one book, its population was given as 1700 people). But here we are supposed to believe it has a world-class teaching hospital which has a pediatric intensive care unit (Tussie Logan at one point refers to a child from Guatemala she's taking care of), specialists like orthopedic surgeons (Buxton, "one of the leading knee specialists in the country"!)and worst, A TRANSPLANT CENTER!!! I work in a hospital in a city of 500,000 people, and none of our 5 hospitals has a transplant center (there's only one in the state, in the capital city). I came from a city of 20,000 which has a 25-bed hospital, with a usual census of 5-10 patients! Harry speculates that 3 people with healthy organs die per week at Crozet Hospital (remember, a town of 1700 people). It just goes on and on!I am disappointed that Ms. Brown has such a low opinion of her readers (or that she doesn't feel it's necessary to at least make these mysteries minimally realistic because they're making her millions). If you need to read this one to complete the series, do it. If you're starting here, it's obvious to me Ms. Brown is just grinding these stories out because she has a successful franchise. Go back and read the first books, they're fun and, while not totally believable, at least not ludicrous. We'll see how Catch as Cat Can goes... I may have to give them up.
Rating: 
Summary: Up to par and surprising
Review: In every Mrs. Murphy mystery, someone gets killed. Who that will be is part of the mystery. In this volume, the victim is the real surprise. And as the story progresses, the readers of this series get closer to the residents of Crozet, Virginia, learning more about each. In this particular story Big Mim stands out and we find her even more human than before. The resolution is satisfying and Harry (Mary Minor Harristeen) is her usual curious and clever self, with the help of her three pets, of course
The question of whether Harry and her ex, Fair, will get back together is still up in the air, but they are getting along better as the series progresses.
Once more, a visit to Crozet leaves the reader with a mystery solved and the chracters more fully realized.
Rating: 
Summary: Less Frothy but Still Enjoyable
Review: Like all of Rita Mae Brown's "Mrs. Murphy" series, CLAWS AND EFFECT reintroduces us to the residents of tiny Crozet, Virginia, a community of small-town archetypes in which the animal friends of various residents occasionally help their humans solve a murder in their midst. And this time the murder is a particularly bloody one: a member of the hospital staff is found with his throat cut ear to ear in the hospital boiler room. As usual, the mystrey entices Postmistress Mary "Harry" Harristeen--and when her own safety is threatened, her two cats (Mrs. Murphy and Pewter) and dog (Tee-Tucker) come to the rescue by investigating the crime for themselves. The Mrs. Murphy series is light reading, of course, and taking it too seriously undermines the fun. As usual, the great attraction here is not the plot--for Brown has never really bothered to work out the tightly puzzle prized by hard-core mystery fans--but the way in which the thing is written: frothy, funny, and amusing. Unfortunately, CLAWS AND EFFECT has little of the froth we usually expect, and it may be that Brown has begun to tire of her creation, but it still makes for an entertaining way to pass an evening. Fans will enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic new feline detective mystery!
Review: Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tee-Tucker do it again! This latest mystery, featuring small-town postmistress Mary Minor Haristeen (Harry) and her buddies, human and otherwise, is a real romp. Set in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, this tale (Or should that be 'tail'?) is a must read for cat-mystery folks. You'd think a mystery featuring talking detective cats(and a dog!) would be unpalatably sweet--not so! This author's engaging human characters, well-paced plot and clever juxtaposition of human and animal dialog provide all the amusement needed. Five stars for Rita Mae Brown!
Rating:
Summary: Find The Cat, Stat!
Review: Mrs. Murphy, the most talented cat in Crozet, Virginia, is out stalking the answers to her ninth mystery in Claws And Effect by Rita Mae Brown [and her kitty muse, Sneaky Pie Brown]. Crozet Hospital, normally a place of healing, seems to be the source of a growing contagion of dead bodies. Harry Haristeen, postmistress of Crozet, and her unusually talented companion animals are sniffing around town for clues between farm chores, sorting the mail, and fox hunting. The Underground Railroad and its connection to the oldest part of the Crozet Hospital is touched upon [I would have liked have to seen this part of the story expanded]. There is one brief moment when it became hard to suspend my disbelief concerning the animals [it is a prerequisite of the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries that you accept the fact that the animals can talk to each other and that they can solve the mysteries faster than the humans], but nothing like the outrageous car scene in Cat On The Scent. This was an enjoyable lite read, but not quite up to the best books in the series. I'd give it a 4.4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Find The Cat, Stat!
Review: Mrs. Murphy, the most talented cat in Crozet, Virginia, is out stalking the answers to her ninth mystery in Claws And Effect by Rita Mae Brown [and her kitty muse, Sneaky Pie Brown]. Crozet Hospital, normally a place of healing, seems to be the source of a growing contagion of dead bodies. Harry Haristeen, postmistress of Crozet, and her unusually talented companion animals are sniffing around town for clues between farm chores, sorting the mail, and fox hunting. The Underground Railroad and its connection to the oldest part of the Crozet Hospital is touched upon [I would have liked have to seen this part of the story expanded]. There is one brief moment when it became hard to suspend my disbelief concerning the animals [it is a prerequisite of the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries that you accept the fact that the animals can talk to each other and that they can solve the mysteries faster than the humans], but nothing like the outrageous car scene in Cat On The Scent. This was an enjoyable lite read, but not quite up to the best books in the series. I'd give it a 4.4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: It's the Cat's Meow by Algerina's Cats
Review: Normally our person writes these reviews but we sit on the top of her chair and read along. So we are writing this because Mrs Murphy and Pewter our heros to us. They are clever. We like the way they enlisted their animal friends to solve the crimes. Oh yes and there was the dog. He was okay too. The plot in this book was very interesting. Many twists and turns lead to an excellent conclusion. There were many red herrings. (We always love herring)The murder in the hospital had all the aspects of a soap opera. Old loves and new loves added spice to the story. We never get tried of reading these tales. We highly recommend this book. Read it with your cats.
Rating:
Summary: I Just Love This Series!
Review: OK, so it's not Shakespeare, if I wanted that kind of reading I would read the master himself. This is a wonderful; get away from it all, type of book and series. Mrs. Murphy and the gang are just pure fun. Let's get real; if animals can talk to each other, they can do whatever they want to do. I remember very clearly picking this book up out of the fiction section at the bookstore. And if you ever have a doubt about animals being smart, take a look at their lives. They know what things are important in life, rest, food and fun, usually in that order. So you go to it, Rita, give us a bunch more of Mrs. Murphy and the gang.
Rating:
Summary: Confusing for New Reader
Review: Okay, I want to preface this, by saying, that this is my first Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown Novel. I have never read any of the other books, but having seen that this was a 'cat and dog' mystery, I had to check it out. As far as I can gather, this story is about a woman named Harry who works at a post office. She has two cats and a dog which can communicate with each other and are smarter than most humans. This sounds like a cute premise, but is sort of confusing...There really ARE a ton of characters who are alike,and prior knowledge of this series is mandatory. Harry, runs about doing her 'day to day' work, while trying to solve a mystery. Many characters drop in and out, including Harry's ex Fair. Overall, I thought the mystery was fairly predictable, the cats 'omniscience' a little overdone, and Harry's lack of character growth a little numbing. And what was up with the 'chain letter?' That plot thread went nowhere. I will definitely try another sneaky pie brown novel.... but this one seemed average and a little difficult for this 'new reader' to get into. Maybe a 'new romance' would liven up Harry's life?
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother picking this one up.
Review: Reading this book, I was so aghast at the awful writing that I hardly remember what the plot was about. The only reason I forced myself to finish was because I had paid money for the book. I've learned two important lessons: First, next time I find a book at the used book store which looks "new" I'll know its because the book was so bad the previous owner didn't read it. And second, no more Rita Mae Brown! Anybody who was a fan of her older works should look else where.
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