Murder, She Meowed

I am liking these more and more (I know, I know. VERY late to the party! But hey - there's so much fun to catch up on!).

I like her ruminations, digressions, and of course the POV from cats, dogs, and this time, horses, mice, and a heron! So fun, and yet, keeps me guessing.

The annual steeplechase races at Montpelier, once the home of James and Dolley Madison, are the high point in the social calendar of the horse-mad Virginians of cozy Crozet. The race meet offers a cracking good time with old friends and a chance to get even--on the racecourse--with old enemies. Postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen will be in the thick of the action on this day of high spirits and fierce competition. But the glorious thoroughbreds and the pinks and greens and purples worn by the riders do not blind Harry to the dangerous undercurrents that start to surface. There's sure to be some emotional fireworks at Montpelier. Still, no one expects the day to end in tragedy.

Found dead in the main barn is one of the day's show more riders, a knife plunged through the jockey's heart. The only clue is a playing card, the Queen of Clubs, impaled over the fatal wound. Within the wealthy, tight-knit world of horse owners, trainers, and jockeys, the victim had both admirers and enemies.

Was the murderer's motive greed, drugs--a pervasive evil in the race world--or sexual rivalry? Luckily for Crozet's humans, the tiger cat Mrs. Murphy is right at home in the stable yard...and on the trail of the shocking truth. But will Harry catch on in time to stop a killer grown bloodthirsty with success? show less

I vaguely think that I read one of these Mrs. Murphy mysteries decades ago; however, the only thing I remembered was the presence of a sentient cat and dog and that the main character was a bit of sighing sad sack. All of that is true; however, I enjoyed this less than I thought I would.

Tiger tabby Mrs. Murphy and corgi Tee Tucker are able to speak amongst themselves and to other animals, but, at least, they can’t talk to humans. (That shouldn’t happen in a book for adults, thank you very much.) Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen, postmistress of Crozet (a real-life place in Albemarle County, Va., the county where Monticello is located), still pines for her philandering ex-husband, although — thank God! — she’s smart enough to show more reject his overtures for a reconciliation. But enough about her.

This part of Virginia goes wild for steeplechase, and in seven days, two jockeys are murdered. What links the pair? And why would anyone want to eliminate jockeys? It’s not a spoiler to tell you that the animals are ahead of the humans all the way. If that’s the kind of thing you like, then this is definitely your thing. Murder, She Meowed is the fifth entry in a series featuring Harry and her animals, but it worked as a stand-alone. Will I be trying another of these books? Probably not, but it was OK. show less

I picked this book up at the thrift store mainly because it was cheap, in good condition, and was co-authorer by a cat. I wanted something to read on a hot summer day and this looked light. It turned out to be an interesting mystery. I was amused by the comments made by the animals throughout the book. But then I am partial to cats and dogs. The book even inspired me to go to You Tube and watch some funny videos people have made with their Corgis (the dog in the book is a Corgi). Okay, so now I have read a book with a Corgi hero and watched Corgis sing on You Tube---

I might read more in the series or other books by the author. I have a request through inter-library loan for the author's book which purports to be a "different kind of show more writer's manual. That might be interesting too. Maybe I can get my dogs to co-author a book with me and I can give up my day job!

The book is nicely illustrated with pictures of the cats, dogs, and horses by Wendy Wray. I would love to see more adult books illustrated like this. This world needs more art! show less

This was a fun book. I thought that the fact that the cats, dogs, etc., spoke would put me off, but most of it was fun. As for the mystery, I had a pretty good idea of the villain from the beginning, but the story did make me doubt myself several times.
This takes place in the steeplechasing world, which might as well be on Mars to me. The author does a nice job of writing in such a way that it is understandable for those not versed in horses. Intrigue, love, drugs, gambling or hate, which one of those is the motive for this crime? We are left to determine that for ourselves as jockeys fall to the dagger left and right. The animals are in on the hunt as well which makes for an entertaining story.
This is not the sort of book I keep, but I show more would happily read another by this author. I did have to wonder if the author owned stock in L.L. Bean or if they underwrote her for this story. show less

The hills of Virginia are home to the most elegant steeplechases. But after a competitive run, a jockey is found stabbed to death. The knife in his chest impales a queen of clubs, and when a second jockey is murdered, he is decorated with the queen of spades. Now it's up to racing judge Mary ("Harry") Haristeen and her sleuthing cat, Mrs. Murphy, to hunt down the culprit before the queen of diamonds appears.

One of my favorite mystery writers. What can I say, I'm a cat person.