"The Purrfect Murder" Review

by Rita Mae Brown

Bantam
Hardcover
$25.00 or as low as $15.30 from Amazon.com

Our favorite feline sleuth Mrs. Murphy is back with her human Mary "Harry" Haristeen, the Jessica Fletcher of Cozet, Virginia - except that she raises sunflowers and, most recently, grapes. Harry and her friends lament at how the world is changing, especially their own little corner of it. When a rich newcomer, Mrs. Carla Paulson, hires her friend Tazio to build a Taj Mahal of a mansion, the locals are definitely peeved. And just as in "Murder, She Wrote", it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know early on that Mrs. Paulson's days are numbered. But the problem for Harry is that her friend Tazio is the prime suspect. Its up to Mrs. Murphy and company to keep Harry on the right track.

This short little mystery would be perfect for a winter weekend's read. Its not Rita Mae Brown's best work, but there's lots of fun with the cats and the other critters as they discuss the shortcomings of the humans and each other.