Rita Mae Brown collaborates with feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown in a new mystery starring Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, the curious cat detectives Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and Tee Tucker, the valiant crime-solving corgi. Halloween arrives early this year to rural central Virginia, when a twisted killer will stop at nothing to protect a multimillion-dollar scheme.
THE LITTER OF THE LAW
Autumn has descended and crops are being harvested all over Crozet, Virginia, ideal conditions for a scenic drive for Harry and husband Fair. Bucolic views are all well and good, but Harry's nose for trouble leads her straight to a cornfield's macabre scarecrow--an all too real murder victim that frightens all but the noisy crows.
This accountant's gruesome death is only the first of many disturbing events in this normally pastoral corner of the world. While Harry tends her beloved grapes and sunflowers, a killer edges closer--as does Harry's protective menagerie of animals.
Halloween's approach brings with it bona fide terror and a beloved local tradition that threatens to become fatal. Rooting out the guilty in the treacherous center of a lucrative conspiracy requires Harry's farmer's wisdom--along with the quick wits and extraordinary senses of Sneaky Pie, Pewter, and Tucker. A vicious murderer may know the lay of the land far better than Harry does, but that's about to change. It's up to her vigilant four-footed companions to make sure that the unearthing of this plot is not Harry's last act.
Praise for "The Litter of the Law "and the Mrs. Murphy mysteries
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"As feline collaborators go, you couldn't ask for better than Sneaky Pie Brown."--"The New York Times Book Review"
"Enchanting . . . Brown demonstrates once again why she's the queen of the talking animal cozy subgenre."--"Publishers Weekly"
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"As usual, the smart animals provide clues without getting in the way of the human interactions and plot. This is a strong addition to the popular series."--"Booklist"

"From the Hardcover edition."

Discover the classic coming of age novel that confronts prejudice and injustice with power and humanity. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY RITA MAE BROWN Molly Bolt is a young lady with a big character. Beautiful, funny and bright, Molly figures out at a young age that she will have to be tough to stay true to herself in 1950s America. In her dealings with boyfriends and girlfriends, in the rocky relationship with her mother and in her determination to pursue her career, she will fight for her right to happiness. Charming, proud and inspiring, Molly is the girl who refuses to be put in a box.

The acclaimed author of Rubyfruit Jungle and Six Of One retums to Runnymede, Maryland, for an outrageous, poignant, and surprising story of passion, rivalry, and small-town fun.  Straddling the Mason-Dixon Line since before the Civil War is Runnymede.  And it seems that ever since then, most people in the town have been inherently split:  between good and bad, or love and sex, or male and female, or politics and sobriety.  Nicole ("Nickel") Smith is in such a dilemma herself--here she is, an avowed lesbian, having an affair that would shock Runnymede as much as it shocks Nickel herself.  And her work seems to be going to the dogs, too, when the beloved newspaper where she is an editor is put up for sale.  Thank goodness the weekly bingo games still go on, though Nickel is a little weary of playing referee there for the flamboyant Hunsenmeir sisters, Louise and Julia.  Nickel's momma, who is now pushing ninety but clawing like cats over handsome newcomer Ed Tutweiler Walters.  A parade of townsfolk and kin weave their colorful way through the trials, tribulations, and ultimate triumphs of our heroines, in this spirited novel of the South that appeals as much to the funny bone as to the heart.


From the Paperback edition.

The thrilling start of a tail-wagging new series
With her high-powered Wall Street job in the rearview mirror, thirty-four-year-old Mags Rogers arrives at her great-aunt Jeep Reed's sprawling Nevada ranch to reassemble her life. In the passenger seat is Mags's beloved wirehaired dachshund, Baxter. At Jeep's side--to Baxter's distress--is Jeep's loyal German Shepherd mix, King. The growlings are mutual. Then someone pipe-bombs Red Rock Valley's pumping station, endangering the water supply. Deputy Pete Meadows links the sabotage to a string of local murders. In her search for answers, Mags uncovers fascinating history about Jeep's ranch, including an intriguing connection to Buffalo Bill. Drawn to each other, Mags and Pete join forces to solve various mysteries, as Baxter and King team up to protect their humans from a growing threat.

The next scintillating novel in this acclaimed author's delightful series featuring doggedly determined canine sleuths and their intrepid human companions.
Settling into ranch life with her wire-haired dachshund, Baxter, former Wall Street trader Mags Rogers doesn't miss the world of investment banking--because its destructive tentacles have reached Reno, Nevada, where desperate families are squatting in foreclosed homes without water or electricity. Mags and her gregarious great-aunt Jeep Reed want to help, but they're up against corrupt officials, ruthless politicians--and a merciless murderer. After a former banker is brutally slain, Reno deputy--and Mags's unofficial significant other--Pete Meadows finds evidence of blackmail, shady real estate ventures, and other cutthroat business practices, but the killer seems to hold all the cards. Luckily, Mags and Jeep still have a few tricks up their sleeves: Baxter; Jeep's German Shepherd, King; and some other canine detectives are officially off the leash--and on the hunt.
"Captivating . . . Rita Mae Brown] is adept at fashioning a clever and relevant plot and filling it with amiable people--and animals. "Murder Unleashed" is no exception."--"Richmond Times-Dispatch"
"From murder to loveable canines, this book has it all."--"Suspense Magazine"
"A great mystery with] quirky and incredibly interesting characters."--Examiner.com

Ah, spring The brighter days and singing birds have a way of lifting people's spirits, as well as those of their animal companions. But the season can also bring out the first blossoms of murder. As the redbuds open in Crozet, Virginia, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen is especially excited--until a health crisis sends her reeling into the forbidding world of hospitals and doctors, treatments and procedures. Surviving this journey will be tough, but Harry has her animal friends--and her ever-helpful husband, Fair--to support her. Others are considerably less fortunate: A promising nurse's lifeless body is discovered without a mark on her. Then another hospital employee, who had seemed in perfect health, is also found dead. There's a mystery afoot--and that's one thing Harry and her menagerie can't keep their noses out of.

It's no secret that cats are a mystery writer's best friend. Just ask the bestselling team of Rita Mae Brown and her furry partner, Sneaky Pie Brown, back on the prowl with another unforgettable whodunit. This time a controversial miracle in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains sparks religious fervor-and a suspicious death. Now the indefatigable felines Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, along with the dogged corgi Tee Tucker, must trust their animal instincts to sniff out the worst of human nature....
With the holidays approaching, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her best friend, Susan Tucker, take a much-needed time-out at the mountain monastery of Mount Carmel. There, under the benevolent gaze of the statue of the Virgin Mary, their worldly worries are soon overshadowed. For in front of their very eyes the statue begins to cry tears of blood.
Legend has it that Mary's crimson tears are harbingers of crises. And though skeptical, the ever-practical Harry can already see one on the horizon. If leaked, news of the so-called miracle could turn the monastery and the town of Crozet into a circus. What Harry doesn't foresee is murder....
When Susan's great-uncle Thomas, a resident monk, is found frozen to death at the base of the statue, foul play is ruled out-at first. But at Harry's urging, the body is exhumed for an autopsy. There's just one problem: the coffin is empty. That's when Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker get involved. Then there's the shocking revelation of a mystery that has perplexed the citizens of Crozet for ages.
With Christmas around the corner and the monastery overrun by the faithful, all Harry's meddling menagerie can do is stay on her trail as she jumps knee-deep into an unofficial investigation-one that becomes more dangerous when another Crozet citizen meets an untimely demise. In this case it will be a miracle if Harry stays alive....

"From the Hardcover edition."