CATCH AS A CAT CAN

Spring has come to the Blue Ridge Mountains, and spring fever to the tiny town of Crozet. As the annual Dogwood Festival approaches, romantic maneuvers are rampant. Even equable postmistress Mary
Minor “Harry” Haristeen inadvertently snatches a blind date from under the nose of manhunter Lottie Pearson, the university fundraiser.

As for Mrs. Murphy, her interest in the exploding bird population is intensified by Pewter’s discovery of a dead rare woodpecker near the back porch. Feline intuition tells her more mysteries lie ahead. And they do.

A case of stolen hubcaps seems relatively straightforward until the truck that transported them to the unsuspecting O’Bannon brothers’ upscale salvage yard turns out to be completely untraceable. And while everybody deplores the tipsy, raunchy behavior of young mechanic Roger O’Bannon, nobody is sure it accounts for his sudden death over a sobering cup of coffee. But when his brother Sean will not authorize an autopsy and presses on with preparations for the Wrecker’s Ball, the climax of the season’s junketing, people start to whisper.

Then, as violent thunderstorms sweep in from the west to shadow spring festivities, another death occurs–could it be murder? Harry ponders whether the two deaths are connected. And as she and her furry cohorts–the cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and corgi Tee Tucker–get mud on their boots and paws mapping local terrain and relationships and sniffing out telltale scents of villainy, someone is watching their every move.

When a shooting leads to the discovery of a half-million crisp, clean dollar bills that look to be very dirty, Harry’s blood is really up. But by the time she’s close to fingering a cold-blooded murderer, Mrs. Murphy already knows who it is–and who’s next in line. She also knows that Harry, curious as a cat, does not have nine lives. And the one she does have is hanging by the thinnest of threads. Mrs. Murphy ( )

Fast, fun read with Harry and her smart cats and dog. ( )

This was my second Mrs. Murphy book and I thoroughly enjoyed it, unlike my first foray into the series. It is a simple, fun, light romp and I enjoyed the antics of the cats and Tucker. I'll admit to being not put off by the preciousness of the thought of talking cats and animals, and it is the animals that really make these stories, not so much the humans, perhaps with the exception of Harry and perhaps one or two others. I liked it. I'll rate it 4 stars simply because although not complex, I would read it again and still enjoy it. ( )

I have been enjoying my stress-free, non-professional life, and part of that is reading silly mysteries where cats solve crimes with the bumbling assistance of their humans. I like this series just fine for that purpose. ( )

CRAP!!! Couldn't even get through this meandering, distracted book. The plot goes nowhere and goes off on random tangents that last for chapters. The animals TALK and it's just terrible, terrible. You don't care about any character at all. Don't waste your time. ( )