Book 109, 2024

[chez_jae]

Sneaky Pie for President by Rita Mae Brown

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


View all my reviews

Earlier I finished reading Sneaky Pie for President by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. It's billed as the 21st installment in the "Mrs Murphy" mystery series, but it had nothing to do with Mrs Murphy. Instead, it was a tongue-in-cheek narrative of Sneaky Pie campaigning for president.

Unhappy with how humans are running and ruining the planet, Sneaky Pie decides she is going to run for president. Along with pals Tucker and Pewter (from the "Mrs Murphy" series) and Tally (an excitable Jack Russell terrier), Sneaky goes forth to talk to other animals, both domesticated and wild, to garner support for her campaign. She's running on an animal-friendly agenda that takes into consideration all the money that farming, hunting, and horse racing generate for the American economy. Along the way, Sneaky listens to what other animals have to say about their role, along with the concerns they bring to the table. All of what she learns makes Sneaky more determined to be the first cat in the White House since Socks Clinton.

On the surface, this was cute and funny, but there was certainly a deeper undercurrent that illustrated the author's views on taxes, the economy, the environment, and the roles that both people and animals play. As such, it was thought-provoking.

Favorite line: "A bunch of people say hateful things about one another and then promise the moon to other people, who give them money. Whoever gets elected gets to live in a fancy house."

It's difficult to say whether or not I enjoyed this. I wish it wasn't considered a part of the "Mrs Murphy" series; it could have been marketed as a companion piece. As mentioned, it was thought-provoking. It was laced with humor, although there was one animal death that I found completely unnecessary. Its sole function seemed simply to make me cry, as it didn't advance the narrative at all. Note to authors: unnecessary animal deaths never go over well with readers. In addition, the animals' genders switched here and there, going from 'she' to 'he', which should have been caught in editing. I'm giving this 3.5 stars, which unfortunately must be rounded down to 3.