Rating: 
Summary: Drivel Inc. on the prowl again.
Review: As some reviewers of Rita's works have suggested before: Rita is a good read for those with nothing better to do; those wanting someting light, and perhaps amusing, to read as a change of pace; or those in transit with an excess of downtime on their hands and nothing else to do but read. The animals who are supposed to be the stars of this series are getting quite brazen in their actions. In "Cat on the Scent" Rita would have us believe these things actually drove Blair's car to Harry's place with Blair in the driver's seat and unconscious. In this book she would have us believe they went after Harry's attacker with a skateboard on one ocassion; and thoroughly clawed another attacker into submission on a second ocassion. I don't buy this and neither should anyone else.
If you really must insist upon reading this sorry excuse for a serious mystery borrow it from your local library like I did with the copy I read.
Rating: 
Summary: Another brilliant cat-written mystery
Review: Crozet is one of my favorite small towns :)I love Harry's pets so much that I just named "my" stray cat's kittens Tucker, Murphy, and Pewter. Pawing Through the Past is another brilliantly-written mystery by Rita Mae Brown. Her characters are rich as chocolate mousse, and just about as satisfying. Brown's love of animals makes me want to read her books; her style makes me want to read them again. This mystery was not only "right up my alley" but reminiscent of personal friends. However, while I figured out Who Done It, I didn't figure out the REAL mystery until it was spelled out for me. It was clever, and I admire Brown for pulling the wool over my eyes.
Rating:
Summary: the cat's meow
Review: Great book, as always. Read the series from start to present, they're worth it!
Rating:
Summary: The Best in the Mrs. Murphy series to date.
Review: Harry gets a little braver, Miranda and Mim get a little looser, and other characters become more well known. Crozet is holding a twentieth year high-school reunion (Harry's) and a fiftieth year reunion (Miranda's) at the same time, the only difference in the two being the cause for excitement. In Harry's a killer is running loose and class members are dropping like flies. In Miranda's a love interest comes. The suspense steadily mounts throughout the book as Brown creates a web of age-old secrets. The book is slightly reminiscent of "Wish You Were Here" in the way the victims are notified of their impending death. This mystery has a mind-boggling, suspense-filled ending. The animals are a little more sensible in this book as compared to Brown's last one. They no longer do outlandish things such as drive cars, but they continue with their catty and sarcastic remarks. The past of several town members becomes more well-known in this book and anchors them in our minds better. When I finished it, for a day or two I found myself slightly lost without these witty and wonderful characters. All in all, this is a great mystery sure to be enjoyed. Just remember, in a small town, nothing is ever as it seems!
Rating: 
Summary: Class reunion with a deadly result
Review: Harry Haristeen and her friends are planning their class reunion. Things get serious when classmates receive a deadly warning throught the mail ("You'll never grow old") and some of them begin to die. Brown does a nice job of detailing the interrelationships which are common in a small town, and subplots such as Harry's ex-husband trying to woo her back, her employee's old friend coming to see her again and Harry buying a truck, make the book fuller and more interesting. There are the requisite number of red herrings, although Brown gave a clue towards the end which enabled me to guess the murderer. My only objection to these books is the conversations between Harry's pets, done in italics, which tend to be distracting. Overall this is an entertaining book.
Rating:
Summary: Class reunion with a deadly result
Review: Harry Haristeen and her friends are planning their class reunion. Things get serious when classmates receive a deadly warning throught the mail ("You'll never grow old") and some of them begin to die. Brown does a nice job of detailing the interrelationships which are common in a small town, and subplots such as Harry's ex-husband trying to woo her back, her employee's old friend coming to see her again and Harry buying a truck, make the book fuller and more interesting. There are the requisite number of red herrings, although Brown gave a clue towards the end which enabled me to guess the murderer. My only objection to these books is the conversations between Harry's pets, done in italics, which tend to be distracting. Overall this is an entertaining book.
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Summary: Old secrets and old loves make this book purrrfect.
Review: High school reunions can be murder but in this case it is literally true. The returning class mates have more than wrinkles,added pounds and bald spots to worry about. Someone is killing the class one by one and Harry is a suspect and possibly the next victem. The suspense builds from page to page as the committee plans the big event, Harry buys a new truck, and both Harry and Miranda are wooed by old flames. As usual the animals are a step ahead of the humans and come to the rescue when needed. I love this series. After reading the stories I take a good look at my cats and wonder what they are saying about me. Also the wisdom of Mrs Murphy always leaves me with a new thought to ponder like why do humans have to have flat faces. This is a book to cozy up with on a sunny afternoon. Don't miss it.
Rating:
Summary: Leaves one wanting more...
Review: I have read all of Rita Mae Brown's fictional works, and I love the way she uses the language. As a cat lover, I couldn't resist the books co-authored by Sneaky Pie. Reading has always been a way to go to other places, and the pictures that RM Brown creates take one there precisely. The animal characters are believable, lovable, wise and sassy. I do think that Harry's "outsider" stance in the community where she has lived her whole life is getting tiresome. She is so very much involved with everyone--as the Post Mistress she is at the very center of the action in the town--she should get over the past and move on. The only negative about the book is the illustrations. I much prefer the characterizations of the animals in the illustrations in the first five Mrs. Murphy books.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: I not only knew animals could talk, but I always knew that cats felt themselves superior to all others....I love this series of books and loved the one they turned into a tv movie, wish they would make them all into movies. I read a lot of books that have cat slueths as the central caracter! Can't wait for the next book!
Rating:
Summary: Re-dis-union
Review: In Pawing Through The Past, Rita Mae Brown [and Sneaky Pie Brown] have knocked off the best Mrs. Murphy Mystery since the early books in the series. In the 8th novel in this series, the Crozet High School Classes of 1950 and 1980 are preparing for silmultaneous class reunions. Harry Haristeen, postmistress of Crozet, and her amazing companion animals are helping to set up the 1980 reunion. Strange mass mailings start appearing in the mailboxes of the classmates of 1980 and the dead bodies begin to pile up. The killings continue at the reunions and, of course, Harry is hip deep in the mysteries. As always, I found it easy to ignore the fact that animals don't really solve mysteries [Cat On The Scent was the only book that pushed too hard on my ability to suspend disbelief] and that the real town of Crozet, Virginia isn't really the world capitol of serial killers. Beyond the usual audience, I recommend this one to anyone who is going to or has just been to their high school class reunion. This also would be a good place to start with this wonderful series of mysteries. Read this light, but highly entertaining novel with your favorite cat on your lap.
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