Author: Rita Mae Brown
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9780593357637
Bantam Publishing
304 Pages
$28.00; $13.99 Amazon
April 16, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spring flowers may be about to bloom in Crozet, Virginia, but Harry is thinking about snow. Her dear friend Ned Tucker is in the House of Delegates, advocating for a bill to improve road clearing during bad weather, and Harry and Ned's wife, Susan, have gone down to the statehouse to support him. Tensions are high between political parties, and no one can agree on anything for long enough to get something done.
The bill's chief detractor is the glamorous Amanda Fields, a former newscaster turned delegate whose flair for the dramatic has earned her a formidable reputation -- and made her more than a few enemies. Amanda's claws-out approach to politics might have some of her colleagues wishing she was dead, but the statehouse is rocked when one of the young pages who assists the delegates dies under mysterious circumstances.
Could his death be related to the political infighting? Or is something even more sinister threatening the lives of Virginia's finest representatives? With help from her feline sidekicks Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, as well as Tee Tucker the corgi and Irish Wolfhound Pirate, Harry is determined to find the answers and restore order once more to the Capitol.
✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽
We are back in Crozet, Virginia with farmer "Harry" Harristeen and her husband and friends, not to mention her furry pets Mrs. Murphy and Pewter (the cats), Tucker and Pirate (the dogs). Harry is braving the last of winter when the threat of another snowstorm prevails, making everyone wonder how long winter is going to last. But it is also the time when the state house representatives meet in Richmond, and both Harry and her best friend, Susan Tucker, travel there to support Susan's husband Ned while he presents a bill to the house.
Unfortunately, it isn't received well by the other side, and a heated argument ensues where delegate Amanda Fields reacts violently to a slur by Aiden Harkness of the other side, which causes more problems along the way. Amanda seems obsessed with Aiden and his antics, and Ned is just trying to keep the peace. But when a young page is killed while in the car of the videographer, questions arise. What was he doing, and was he murdered?
Harry wants answers, and if it lies in the state house, then she's going to find it. But along the way she's learning Morse code, as an elderly town resident still uses a ham radio and Harry wants to be able to speak with her on days she can't get over to see her. But what is going on in the house, and does anyone know the truth?...
This is the latest book in the Mrs. Murphy series, and I have read as many as I can. I simply love the writing style of Ms. Brown. Although in the beginning I was disappointed to learn that this was not a mystery where we travel back in time to Revolutionary days, I also read the back where she stated that not everyone enjoyed that. (Really? It's part of the charm of the books, but just my humble opinion on that! I also love history, so it's again, part of the charm of reading these novels.) Anyway, since I was already invested, I continued to read on.
In this installment, as you've probably already gathered, Harry and pals are concerned with what is happening in Richmond. Ned Tucker is too concerned with what is going on in his own office to even take time to wonder -- and here is where he avails himself of both Harry and Susan's help -- because they are trying to finish the session and that means endless paperwork (don't we all have that?).
When the young page is killed, his girlfriend and family both insist that it must have been murder, and Harry tends to believe them. So does Amanda's assistant, Lucas. But what can be done? No one is going to admit it, and someone's sudden disappearance points to them as the prime suspect.
There is a lot going on in this book; a lot about politics (and honestly, I don't read political books as there is so much in the world right now that is wrong and I read to relax, not have everything shoved at me), but I will tell you that this book doesn't do any of that, and I appreciate it. While we may not agree on our politics, the book is subtle about it and you don't feel that you are getting a lecture on what to believe or not believe. And that, my friends, is all the difference.
Once again, Ms. Brown has written another mystery that will keep you reading merely to get to the final outcome, if nothing else. It is a wonderful read, and I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Rita Mae Brown's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/rita-mae-brown/
No comments:
Post a Comment