Tail Gait by Rita Mae Brown

Tail Gait: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery

May 26, 2015

by Rita Mae Brown

There’s nothing like a tail well told. Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown return with an all-new mystery featuring Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen, crime-solving cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and ever-faithful Tee Tucker the corgi. TAIL GAIT Spring has sprung in Crozet, Virginia—a time for old friends to gather and bid farewell to the doldrums of winter. Harry and her husband, Fair, are enjoying a cozy dinner with some of the town’s leading citizens, including beloved University of Virginia history professor Greg “Ginger” McConnell and several members of UVA’s celebrated 1959 football team. But beneath the cloak of conviviality lurks a sinister specter from the distant past that threatens to put all their lives in jeopardy. When Professor McConnell is found murdered on the golf course the next day—gunned down in broad daylight by an unseen killer—no one can fathom a motive, let alone find a suspect. Just as Harry and her furry cohorts begin nosing into the case, however, a homeless UVA alum confesses to the crime. Trouble is, no one believes that the besotted former All-American could have done the foul deed—especially after Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker make another gruesome discovery. As the questions surrounding Ginger’s death pile up, Harry’s search for answers takes her down the fascinating byways of Virginia’s Revolutionary past. The professor was something of a sleuth himself, it seems, and the centuries-old mystery he was unraveling may well have put a target on his back. As Harry edges closer to identifying an elusive killer, her animal companions sense danger—and rally to find a way to keep Harry from disappearing into history. Praise for the Mrs. Murphy mysteries  “As feline collaborators go, you couldn’t ask for better than Sneaky Pie Brown.”—The New York Times Book Review

I had vowed when  finished my last Mrs. Murphy book, to never read another - I obviously broke my vow.  

While this book still doesn't live up to Ms. Browns earlier works, it is much better than the last book of hers I read.  This book still tries to 'teach' us good things, but not as forcefully as the last few.  There is less politicking and more about history, less about organic farming and the hazards of eating/using non-organics products and more mystery.  And thank you Gods and Goddesses for this! 

This book actually has two stories going on at the same time, and until the ending you  may not see the necessity of it.  This was quite different reading for me, I really loved the secondary story almost more than the main story involving Harry and her mouthy (not too mouthy this time) animals.

There are enough twists to keep me rather engaged in the story and less inclined to put it down to do something else.  Again, I still think it isn't on par with her earlier works, but it seems that maybe Ms Brown is taking her readers concerns to heart and doing what she does best.

*ARC supplied by publisher.