Book 80, 2020

[chez_jae]

Whisker of Evil by Rita Mae Brown

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I stayed up just a wee bit late last night to finish reading Whisker of Evil by Rita Mae Brown. This is the 12th book in her "Mrs Murphy" mystery series, in which Harry Harristeen's cat, Mrs Murphy, figures prominently.

Harry has a lot on her mind. There's talk of a new Post Office being built in Crozet, which will bring in new people and new rules. Harry is also still dithering over her complicated relationship with her ex-husband, Fair. Things become more complicated when she stumbles across a local horse breeder who is literally dying in front of her. Although it appears that an animal tore out Barry's throat, an autopsy reveals that isn't the case. However, the autopsy also indicates that Barry had been infected with rabies. Harry, of course, can't resist doing some poking around of her own, and while she's searching the area where she found Barry, she uncovers the class ring of Mary Pat Reines, a local woman who, along with her prize stallion, disappeared decades ago. Now the entire town is buzzing. Harry can't help but think that Barry's death is related to Mary Pat's disappearance, but the police don't see a connection. It will be up to Harry, along with help from Fair, Mrs Murphy, Tee Tucker, and Pewter to figure out who's been getting away with murder.

I've delighted in every book in this series. This one was especially enjoyable. I liked all of the horse lore that was covered, the slow (re)build of Harry and Fair's relationship, the interactions of Harry's animals among themselves and with other animal characters, and the smooth flow of the plot. I had many things figured out before Harry did, which is always fun. I appreciate it when an author drops just enough clues to allow the reader to connect the dots along with the characters. The one thing I didn't like is that Harry up and quit her job at the PO because she would no longer be allowed to take her animals to work with her. I was happy for her, but the entire series has sort of revolved around her job at the PO, as it enabled her to be in the midst of all the local gossip. It will be interesting to see where the author takes this..

Favorite lines:
♦ "I shouldn't, but, well, the thing about temptation is, if you can resist something it's because it's not tempting enough."
♦ "...nature is cooking up diseases we can't even imagine." Well, that was timely, even though this was published in 2004.
♦ "Fear is a big, big messenger. Pay attention. If you listen, fear will bring you courage."
♦ "Chocolate is the human equivalent of fresh mouse."

Excellent book, five stars