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A review by bickleyhouse
Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I've been shelving and walking by Rita Mae Brown books ever since I started working at this library, so I finally decided to try one. I found the first of the Mrs. Murphy mysteries, and checked it out. Allegedly written by Sneaky Pie Brown, Rita Mae's cat, this book is a hoot. It is great fun, from start to finish.
There are two cats and a dog featured in this story; Mrs. Murphy, our "star," and her friend Tucker, a Welsh Corgi, and another cat named "Pewter," who lives nearby. They talk to each other frequently, and we are in on their dialogue, while their human companions, of course, only hear mews and woofs.
The owner of Murphy and Tucker is Mary Minor Haristeen, aka "Harry," who is the town's postmistress. As she is going through the mail one day, she finds a postcard with a French postmark. It is addressed to one of the locals, and includes a picture of a tombstone somewhere, and a computer-printed message that simply says, "Wish you were here." There is no signature.
Within a day, the person who received the postcard is dead. This sets the small town of Corzet, Virginia into frenzy of conjecture and gossip, and Harry is at the center of it.
The animals are adorable. Being a cat lover myself (and also having owned a Corgi), I am enthralled with Ms. Brown's use of the animals in the story, and their interactions with each other and the humans. The animals, of course, think the humans to be quite dense and slow on the take.
Mrs. Murphy and Tucker (and Pewter, sometimes) assist Harry and the local police in solving the crime(s). I mean, of course there are more, right?
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and Ms. Brown's (um, I mean Sneaky Pie) writing style, and fully intend to continue on in the series. There are plenty of them to read, as they are still going, with Feline Fatale having been released this year.
Recommended for lovers of animals and cozy, small-town vibe, mysteries.
There are two cats and a dog featured in this story; Mrs. Murphy, our "star," and her friend Tucker, a Welsh Corgi, and another cat named "Pewter," who lives nearby. They talk to each other frequently, and we are in on their dialogue, while their human companions, of course, only hear mews and woofs.
The owner of Murphy and Tucker is Mary Minor Haristeen, aka "Harry," who is the town's postmistress. As she is going through the mail one day, she finds a postcard with a French postmark. It is addressed to one of the locals, and includes a picture of a tombstone somewhere, and a computer-printed message that simply says, "Wish you were here." There is no signature.
Within a day, the person who received the postcard is dead. This sets the small town of Corzet, Virginia into frenzy of conjecture and gossip, and Harry is at the center of it.
The animals are adorable. Being a cat lover myself (and also having owned a Corgi), I am enthralled with Ms. Brown's use of the animals in the story, and their interactions with each other and the humans. The animals, of course, think the humans to be quite dense and slow on the take.
Mrs. Murphy and Tucker (and Pewter, sometimes) assist Harry and the local police in solving the crime(s). I mean, of course there are more, right?
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and Ms. Brown's (um, I mean Sneaky Pie) writing style, and fully intend to continue on in the series. There are plenty of them to read, as they are still going, with Feline Fatale having been released this year.
Recommended for lovers of animals and cozy, small-town vibe, mysteries.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Violence
Minor: Cursing