Mrs. Murphy Mystery postmistress Mary Minor (Harry) Hairsteen Series by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown
Book 13: Cat's Eyewitness
After she decides to quit her job as the Crozet, Va., postmistress because her animal companions-cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and corgi Tee Tucker-are no longer permitted to accompany her to work, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and best friend Susan Tucker retreat to a Blue Ridge Mountains monastery, where a statue of the Virgin Mary suddenly begins to bleed from the eyes. This curiosity, which attracts national media attention after a local reporter, Nordy Elliott, files a short piece on it, becomes more of a concern when Susan's beloved great-uncle, a monk, turns up dead at the foot of the statue. While Harry, her two cats and her dog investigate, Nordy becomes the next murder victim, in a symbolic manner linked to the supposed miracle.
This was a bit more preachy than previous of the series. We even see Boom-Boom falling in love with a woman! I think this book has focused much more on the emotions of the various characters and less on the mystery. Listened to on tape so perhaps that is why I noticed it more.
Book 12: Whisker of Evil
This mystery concerns the death of Barry Monteith, a local horse breeder. Even more mysterious is that fact that Barry, although viciously murdered, was also infected with rabies. Harry soon finds the class ring of Mary Pat Reines, a local horsebreeder who disappeared in 1967 with her prize stallion. Two more deaths soon follow, and the entire close-knit town is shaken, trying to discover the murderer and the source of Barry's rabies. A lot of personal growth happens to Harry as well. She finally opens up her heart to love again and decides to quit working at the postoffice when she is told she can't have her animals working with her. Overall a good read but I do get a little tired of the horse stuff. A must read in the series or you'll come in an go huh?!? when she isn't working at the postoffice.
Book 11: Tail of the tip-off
Set in the middle of UofA woman's basketball season and murder is personal! Construction company owner H.H. Donaldson falls dead in the parking lot of the Clam, the University of Virginia's giant sports complex. The police and Harry are barely into trying to find out who killed H.H.-and how-when a second mysterious death occurs at the arena. Will she find out who did it before she is the next victim. I honestly did not figure it out, much more complicated than most of these mysteries.
Book 10: Catch as Cat Can
When Roger O'Bannon dies during the spring festivities at Crozet, Virginia, it's up to Postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen's coterie of animals--her Welsh corgi, Tucker, her portly gray cat, Pewter, and, of course, feline sleuth extraordinaire Mrs. Murphy--to get to the bottom of the murder connection. I listened to this on tape. This is a very fun series. I have read all, but periodically go through and re-read every couple of years. It helps me remember who and why people are important to Harry.
9. Claws and Effect
8. Pawing Through the Past
7. Cat on the Scent
6. Murder on the Prowl
5. Murder, She Meowed
4. Pay Dirt
3. Murder at Monticello
2. Rest in Pieces
1. Wish You Were Here
Monday, March 17, 2003
President's Daughter by Mariah Stewart features Journalist Simon Keller and Dina McDermott. Simon unearths an unsettling story about former president Graham Hayward and a 30 year old murder. He finds that Hayward had a secret affair that ended with his mistress being killed by a hit and run driver. Through his discoveries he discovers successful businesswoman Dina McDermott who is the result of Hayward's affair. Shaken by a shattering truth, Dina is suddenly thrust into the crosshairs of a cold-blooded killer and on the run for her life.
An interesting story that I read it as the sequel is out and supposed to be good. We'll see. It was an alright story and not that hard or shocking to see who the real murderer is.
An interesting story that I read it as the sequel is out and supposed to be good. We'll see. It was an alright story and not that hard or shocking to see who the real murderer is.
Thursday, March 13, 2003
Mitford series by Jan Karon features the quiet life of Mitford through the eyes of it's pastor, Father Tim. I listened to each one on tape/CD in my car as I drive to and from work. It really helps pass the time. As I finish each book in the series I find that I'm missing it and can't wait until the next one comes out. I'm very thankful that I allowed myself to enjoy this lovely series.
Book 1 - At Home in Mitford Father Tim, the bachelor rector, enjoys his little quiet parish but wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's sixty years old. Suddenly, Father Tim gets more than he bargained for. And readers get a rich comedy about ordinary people and their ordinary lives. OK, I resisted reading these books when it first came out. But finally felt it was time to start reading it. It is a lovely read perfect for rainy days in front of a fire with a cupa.
Book 2 - In A Light in the Window His attractive neighbor, Cynthia, is tugging at his heartstrings. A wealthy widow is pursuing him with hot casseroles. And his red-haired Cousin Meg has moved into the rectory, uninvited. I listened to this on tape and enjoyed it as much as the first. This is a good tape to take on a long car trip as it is 12 cassettes. We find out much more about our favorite priest and all the people in lovely town called Mitford.
Book 3 - These High, Green Hills Since I skipped Book 3 & 4 and read book 5 out of sequence book 5 is starting to make more sense to me now. After becoming trapped in a tunnel with his wife Cynthia he comes to terms with issues about retirement and his father. He has been married for about 3 months and Father Tim adjusting to married life, dealing with a new church computer, confronting issues of domestic violence and child abuse, providing courtship advice to the local newspaper editor, and facing the prospect of retirement. He discoveres that Dooley's mother is living in poor side of the creek, but doesn't come to grips with it until she is brought in as a burn victim the hospital. You feel his struggle with letting Dooley make his own choices about his life and sometimes you have to love someone enough to let them go. With the usual blend of humor, saddness and friendship one is again home in Mitford.
Book 4 - Out to Canaan Father Tim, the Episcopal rector, and his talented and vivacious wife, Cynthia, are pondering the murky uncertainties of retirement. They're also trying to locate the scattered siblings of Dooley Barlowe, the mountain boy they love as their own. A brash new mayoral candidate is calling for aggressive development, and a tough survivor must hunker down for the fight of her life. Worse, the Sweet Stuff Bakery may be closing, and a suspicious real estate agent is trying to turn the beloved house on the hill into a spa. Can change be coming to Mitford? The buzz on Main Street says yes. Change is certainly coming to the tenderest regions of several townspeople's lives.
Book 5 - In A New Song, Mitford's longtime Episcopal priest, Father Tim, retires. However, new challenges and adventures await when he agrees to serve as interim minister of a small church on Whitecap Island. He and his wife, Cynthia, soon find that Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters: a church organist with a mysterious past, a lovelorn bachelor placing personal ads, a mother battling paralyzing depression. They also find that Mitford is never far away when circumstances "back home" keep their phone ringing off the hook.
I listened to this on tape and enjoyed getting to know the people of Whitecap Island but we do get visits from our old familiar favorites from Mitford. I read this out of order thinking it was the 3rd book - hence was confused by some things that seemed to have changed so rapidly.
Book 6 - A Common Life which actually goes back to Father Tim & Cynthia's wedding. It is very short but nostalgic look at their marriage day as well as of several other main characters first loves.
Book 7 - In This Moutain Father Tim and Cynthia return to Mitford. Father Tim, disliking retirement, takes on a difficult ministry. At first he likes the challenge until an unexpected event propels him on a journey that shakes his faith, his marriage and the town of Mitford. We get a much more indepth look at Father Tim and his relationships with people in the community and with God.
Book 8 - Shepherds abiding
When Father Tim finds a battered nativity scene in an antique shop, he embarks on a renovation project that touches many. We also see the closing of the grill on Christmas eve. The usual cast of characters that make Mitford so unique. There is new love for Hope, manager of the Happy Endings bookstore, as she lets God take control of her life and her wildest dreams comes true. With typical fashion Father Tim is unable to keep a secret of what he is giving his wife for Christmas so everyone in town knows and lends a hand. With an almost Henry O' type ending we see Tim and Cynthia give each other the perfect gifts of Christmas.
This short novella includes two short stories: Esther's gift: Esther isn't so sure that she should spend so much time and money making her famous two-layer marmalade cake for holiday gifts, but then she remembers the meaning of Christmas. The Mitford snowmen: The citizens of Mitford have a spontaneous snowman-building contest.
Book 9 - Light from heaven
Father Tim and his wife Cynthia are housesitting on Meadowgate Farm, where the couple are staying for a year. Between Dooley's brother Sammy showing up, dust storms and the chimney collasping and finding someone to help clean up the mess plus keeping track of the animals, it is becoming difficult to stop and count their blessings. We meet the numerous and multitalented Flower Girls; there's a poacher on the farm. Plus we see Father Tim confront Dooley's father who is trying to get one of his sons, Sammy, back.
Then, high atop a nearby mountain, a tremendous challenge presents itself. An old, abandoned church, Holy Trinity, is in need of immediate revival--if Father Tim is up to the task. Preparing to become a vicar to a rural church closed for nearly 40 years, Father Tim considers the challenges ahead. We are introduced to a wide range of vivid characters. There's loquacious five-year-old Sissie; Jubal Adderholt and his squirrel-tail decorated home; Clarence, a gifted (and deaf) woodworker; and his mother Agnes, an Episcopal deacon. Still, Mitford is not far away, and Father Tim takes us on regular trips there.
Father Tim also struggles with the question of when to tell Dooley about his inheritance from Miss Sadie, looks for some money Louella has just remembered that Miss Sadie hid in a car, and engages in e-mail correspondence with former secretary Emma about her forthcoming trip to England. Two deaths occur in Mitford (Uncle Billy's death inspires the townspeople to take on an engaging new habit), as well as a wedding. Plus finally the missing brother comes home on a Christmas eve reunion that will bring you to tears.
Thankfully they go to Mitford often so we don't loose all our favorite characters plus there are so many new ones we get to meet. The ending was a bit rushed as she ties up loose ends to end this lovely series. I almost wish she could have been made it into two books as I felt it jump so much at the end. Oh, well all good things must come to an end.
Book 1 - At Home in Mitford Father Tim, the bachelor rector, enjoys his little quiet parish but wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's sixty years old. Suddenly, Father Tim gets more than he bargained for. And readers get a rich comedy about ordinary people and their ordinary lives. OK, I resisted reading these books when it first came out. But finally felt it was time to start reading it. It is a lovely read perfect for rainy days in front of a fire with a cupa.
Book 2 - In A Light in the Window His attractive neighbor, Cynthia, is tugging at his heartstrings. A wealthy widow is pursuing him with hot casseroles. And his red-haired Cousin Meg has moved into the rectory, uninvited. I listened to this on tape and enjoyed it as much as the first. This is a good tape to take on a long car trip as it is 12 cassettes. We find out much more about our favorite priest and all the people in lovely town called Mitford.
Book 3 - These High, Green Hills Since I skipped Book 3 & 4 and read book 5 out of sequence book 5 is starting to make more sense to me now. After becoming trapped in a tunnel with his wife Cynthia he comes to terms with issues about retirement and his father. He has been married for about 3 months and Father Tim adjusting to married life, dealing with a new church computer, confronting issues of domestic violence and child abuse, providing courtship advice to the local newspaper editor, and facing the prospect of retirement. He discoveres that Dooley's mother is living in poor side of the creek, but doesn't come to grips with it until she is brought in as a burn victim the hospital. You feel his struggle with letting Dooley make his own choices about his life and sometimes you have to love someone enough to let them go. With the usual blend of humor, saddness and friendship one is again home in Mitford.
Book 4 - Out to Canaan Father Tim, the Episcopal rector, and his talented and vivacious wife, Cynthia, are pondering the murky uncertainties of retirement. They're also trying to locate the scattered siblings of Dooley Barlowe, the mountain boy they love as their own. A brash new mayoral candidate is calling for aggressive development, and a tough survivor must hunker down for the fight of her life. Worse, the Sweet Stuff Bakery may be closing, and a suspicious real estate agent is trying to turn the beloved house on the hill into a spa. Can change be coming to Mitford? The buzz on Main Street says yes. Change is certainly coming to the tenderest regions of several townspeople's lives.
Book 5 - In A New Song, Mitford's longtime Episcopal priest, Father Tim, retires. However, new challenges and adventures await when he agrees to serve as interim minister of a small church on Whitecap Island. He and his wife, Cynthia, soon find that Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters: a church organist with a mysterious past, a lovelorn bachelor placing personal ads, a mother battling paralyzing depression. They also find that Mitford is never far away when circumstances "back home" keep their phone ringing off the hook.
I listened to this on tape and enjoyed getting to know the people of Whitecap Island but we do get visits from our old familiar favorites from Mitford. I read this out of order thinking it was the 3rd book - hence was confused by some things that seemed to have changed so rapidly.
Book 6 - A Common Life which actually goes back to Father Tim & Cynthia's wedding. It is very short but nostalgic look at their marriage day as well as of several other main characters first loves.
Book 7 - In This Moutain Father Tim and Cynthia return to Mitford. Father Tim, disliking retirement, takes on a difficult ministry. At first he likes the challenge until an unexpected event propels him on a journey that shakes his faith, his marriage and the town of Mitford. We get a much more indepth look at Father Tim and his relationships with people in the community and with God.
Book 8 - Shepherds abiding
When Father Tim finds a battered nativity scene in an antique shop, he embarks on a renovation project that touches many. We also see the closing of the grill on Christmas eve. The usual cast of characters that make Mitford so unique. There is new love for Hope, manager of the Happy Endings bookstore, as she lets God take control of her life and her wildest dreams comes true. With typical fashion Father Tim is unable to keep a secret of what he is giving his wife for Christmas so everyone in town knows and lends a hand. With an almost Henry O' type ending we see Tim and Cynthia give each other the perfect gifts of Christmas.
This short novella includes two short stories: Esther's gift: Esther isn't so sure that she should spend so much time and money making her famous two-layer marmalade cake for holiday gifts, but then she remembers the meaning of Christmas. The Mitford snowmen: The citizens of Mitford have a spontaneous snowman-building contest.
Book 9 - Light from heaven
Father Tim and his wife Cynthia are housesitting on Meadowgate Farm, where the couple are staying for a year. Between Dooley's brother Sammy showing up, dust storms and the chimney collasping and finding someone to help clean up the mess plus keeping track of the animals, it is becoming difficult to stop and count their blessings. We meet the numerous and multitalented Flower Girls; there's a poacher on the farm. Plus we see Father Tim confront Dooley's father who is trying to get one of his sons, Sammy, back.
Then, high atop a nearby mountain, a tremendous challenge presents itself. An old, abandoned church, Holy Trinity, is in need of immediate revival--if Father Tim is up to the task. Preparing to become a vicar to a rural church closed for nearly 40 years, Father Tim considers the challenges ahead. We are introduced to a wide range of vivid characters. There's loquacious five-year-old Sissie; Jubal Adderholt and his squirrel-tail decorated home; Clarence, a gifted (and deaf) woodworker; and his mother Agnes, an Episcopal deacon. Still, Mitford is not far away, and Father Tim takes us on regular trips there.
Father Tim also struggles with the question of when to tell Dooley about his inheritance from Miss Sadie, looks for some money Louella has just remembered that Miss Sadie hid in a car, and engages in e-mail correspondence with former secretary Emma about her forthcoming trip to England. Two deaths occur in Mitford (Uncle Billy's death inspires the townspeople to take on an engaging new habit), as well as a wedding. Plus finally the missing brother comes home on a Christmas eve reunion that will bring you to tears.
Thankfully they go to Mitford often so we don't loose all our favorite characters plus there are so many new ones we get to meet. The ending was a bit rushed as she ties up loose ends to end this lovely series. I almost wish she could have been made it into two books as I felt it jump so much at the end. Oh, well all good things must come to an end.
Thursday, March 06, 2003
Joe Gray msyteries by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Cat on the Edge features Joe Gray, a cat, who discovers that he can understand, speak and read human language and feel such human emotions as guilt and sympathy, but when he witnesses Beckwith's murder, he begins to wish that he was just a regular cat. This very fun mystery series is more of an fantasy as Joe Gray finds he can understand human speak and even speak it himself. He discovers another cat who is like him as well as a human who can turn herself into a cat and back to human again. But I will definitely read more of this series.
Cat on the Edge features Joe Gray, a cat, who discovers that he can understand, speak and read human language and feel such human emotions as guilt and sympathy, but when he witnesses Beckwith's murder, he begins to wish that he was just a regular cat. This very fun mystery series is more of an fantasy as Joe Gray finds he can understand human speak and even speak it himself. He discovers another cat who is like him as well as a human who can turn herself into a cat and back to human again. But I will definitely read more of this series.
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