Thursday, November 22, 2007

The Purrfect Murder-Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown

The Purrfect Murder
Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown
Bantam, Feb 2008, $26.00
ISBN: 9780553803655

The town of Crozet, Virginia is growing rapidly with the upper crust building McMansions trying to outdo each other. “Harry” Haristeen is not interested in material wealth having remarried the love of her life and is doing work she loves by creating a winery. Murder once again hits the people of Crozet hard when their beloved doctor William Wylde is murdered by a sniper’s bullet. Most people think it was a fanatic who wanted to stop the doctor from performing abortions. The police think that the killer shot the physician from a roof across the street but the only thing on the roof on a Virginia Slim’s cigarette butt.

The upper crust of Crozet is attending a charity gala when a scream rings out. Deputy Cynthia Cooper sees Carla Paulson murdered; her throat cut and the architect who is building her house Tazio Chappars is standing over the body with a knife in her hand. Harry’s intuition tells her that the woman is innocent despite the evidence. “Harry’s cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and her corgi Tee Tucker find out from the pack rats that live in the building where the gala was held that they found a Virginia Slim butt. Harry intends to find out who the real killer is so an innocent woman can regain her freedom even if it puts her in danger.

Crozet residents (two and four legged) are shook up by a big crime wave. Someone is blackmailing the women who had abortions and a building inspector seems shady to Harry even if she has no proof. As long time friends know her animal friends talk to each other and with other species enabling them to help in her investigation. This provides an air of enchantment to the storyline. Readers will thoroughly enjoy this magical tale where suspects abound despite the arrest of the most likely killer. Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown have written a fantastic regional mystery.

Harriet Klausner

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