A Mrs. Murphy Mystery Book 33
Author: Rita Mae Brown
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9780593874080
Bantam
240 Pages
$30.00; $13.99 Amazon
April 22. 2025
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When a decades-forgotten car bobs to the surface of a local creek, with a body still in the driver's seat, it's up to Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her beloved cats and dogs to save the say, in this latest mystery from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author, Sneaky Pie Brown.
Spring is in full bloom, and everything is blossoming just right for Harry in Crozet, Virginia. Restorations to the long-shutted segregated school are nearly complete, and the school will be renamed to commemorate an important community member. To honor the former students, Harry and her friends are hard at work planning a reunion. It's a big affair, and the crew spends their days hanging plaques at the gym, arranging food, and writing speeches.
But the fifteen acres behind the school are enticing for more than just a school reunion. One realtor soon reveals plans to buy the land and build over it -- unless the crew can find a way to stop the sale.
In their search to prevent the purchase, they come across something unexpected: a dead body, which might not be the first to show up this season. With a little aid from Tee Tucker the corgi and Irish Wolfhound Pirate, as well as feline sleuths Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, Harry just might have a chance at solving this mystery and preventing the land purchase once and for all.
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'Harry' Harristeen and her friends have just finished renovating the old segregated school, which has stood vacant for decades, and their hard work is finally rewarded. Now they're going to open the school to visitors (and hopefully, donors) to help keep it in shape and as a historic and cultural reminder. But then a real estate agent approaches them with a tasty offer of cash if they will agree to sell the land behind the school for a residential development. He even promises to keep the school and grounds as it, and that the development will be good for both residents and the town of Crozet.
But something doesn't sit right with the offer, and Harry's instincts are telling her to turn it down. Even when done, the agent still pushes, but no one understands why. It doesn't help that Harry and her friend Lucas have found an old car at the bottom of a lake, and its owner is still inside, albeit a skeleton at this time.
But there are no clues to why the person was there -- until it's found he was murdered. Now Harry wants to find out why...if she can keep from becoming another victim...
This is the thirty-third book in the series, and I have been captivated by it for years. I'm not going to lie; I do miss the historical elements from the Colonial times which once were in every book; but I also realize not everyone is like myself and enjoys the past mingled with the present. Ah, well....
However, it doesn't change the fact that Ms. Brown (and Sneaky Pie) are very talented writers. She brings you into the story, and while she is telling it, you feel like you are part of the conversation. Perhaps eavesdropping on those she has with Susan or Cooper...but I enjoy it just the same. While Harry is voicing her thoughts, we progress along with the action, and even her husband Fair has a good part in this one as well.
Not to mention our favorite animals: Tucker, Pirate, Mrs. Murphy, and, of course, Pewter. They have their own say in the story, and their own actions which prove to be just as valuable. We understand that while they like their treats, they are extremely loyal to their people, and would do anything for Harry.
When we begin to understand that this murder is more than just about a land development, it comes almost too late for Harry; but we know that as intelligent as she is, she is also just as resourceful, and has help that we find comes from an unexpected new ally.
The reason for the murder is rather sad, and a bit paranoiac, but nonetheless it is a murder. Harry does what she needs to survive; and all ends just as it should. The mystery is firm, well-written, and kept me reading throughout the story. I highly recommend this and look forward to the next in the series.
I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Rita Mae Brown's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/rita-mae-brown/
