Having read every book Rita Mae Brown has ever published, I have to say that this is still one of my favorites. The characters are, as always, beautifully developed in the ceaselessly witty storyline she is famous for. This is one of the few lesbian romances you can feel good about reading in public and sharing with everybody.

Well, I read "Rubyfruit Jungle" and loved it, and rated it "5 stars". Now I've read another Rita Mae Brown book, and it's even better, so I suppose it goes without saying that it's also a five star effort.

"Rubyfruit Jungle" was five stars purely on the basis of a fascinating main character; the plot was nothing to get excited about, and the supporting cast was mediocre. This book, while it does not have a character as marvellous as Molly Bolt, (sorry, Geneva) nonetheless is strongly character-driven; it has a dozen characters more interesting and memorable than the second-best character in "Rubyfruit Jungle". More, it has a significantly more interesting plot, and just as much to say about life and how to live it.

A must-read for anyone who has enjoyed anything written by Rita Mae Brown, anyone who enjoys stories about strong female characters, and anyone who enjoys historical novels set during the civil war.

This book is beautifully written, thrilling, entertaining and heart warming. Set during the Civil war, it is filled with love, honor, courage and fine horsemanship. The characters are people you want to know more about. It brings the reader into the unbelievable horrors of the Civil War as the characters find our what they are made of and what is important in life. This book is both romantic and exciting as well as filled with philosophic treasures. It is one of the few books I have read twice!

What a shocking book. The toll of the our most bloody war has never been so real. The descriptions of the battles and aftermath made me want to put the book down and yet never put it down. It made me want to read more about the war.

All of Rita Mae's characters are real, with their fears and flaws. Even though the central charater is Geneva, the depth of each character and their role in the dynamics of the politics of the time is brought forth. There is no minor character in this tale. Everyone, as in the war, has a story and a purpose. WONDERFUL.

In Pawing Through The Past, Rita Mae Brown [and Sneaky Pie Brown] have knocked off the best Mrs. Murphy Mystery since the early books in the series. In the 8th novel in this series, the Crozet High School Classes of 1950 and 1980 are preparing for silmultaneous class reunions. Harry Haristeen, postmistress of Crozet, and her amazing companion animals are helping to set up the 1980 reunion. Strange mass mailings start appearing in the mailboxes of the classmates of 1980 and the dead bodies begin to pile up. The killings continue at the reunions and, of course, Harry is hip deep in the mysteries. As always, I found it easy to ignore the fact that animals don't really solve mysteries [Cat On The Scent was the only book that pushed too hard on my ability to suspend disbelief] and that the real town of Crozet, Virginia isn't really the world capitol of serial killers. Beyond the usual audience, I recommend this one to anyone who is going to or has just been to their high school class reunion. This also would be a good place to start with this wonderful series of mysteries. Read this light, but highly entertaining novel with your favorite cat on your lap.

Harry gets a little braver, Miranda and Mim get a little looser, and other characters become more well known. Crozet is holding a twentieth year high-school reunion (Harry's) and a fiftieth year reunion (Miranda's) at the same time, the only difference in the two being the cause for excitement. In Harry's a killer is running loose and class members are dropping like flies. In Miranda's a love interest comes. The suspense steadily mounts throughout the book as Brown creates a web of age-old secrets. The book is slightly reminiscent of "Wish You Were Here" in the way the victims are notified of their impending death. This mystery has a mind-boggling, suspense-filled ending.

The animals are a little more sensible in this book as compared to Brown's last one. They no longer do outlandish things such as drive cars, but they continue with their catty and sarcastic remarks.

The past of several town members becomes more well-known in this book and anchors them in our minds better. When I finished it, for a day or two I found myself slightly lost without these witty and wonderful characters.

All in all, this is a great mystery sure to be enjoyed. Just remember, in a small town, nothing is ever as it seems!

Ms. Brown's latest adventure featuring the folks of Cozet is just delightful. I've been a avid fan of this Mrs. Murphy series from the beginning and this 8th book is one of the best. Ms. Brown has weaved a delicious murder mystery centering around Harry's 20th class reunion. But although the construction of the mystery would be enough to keep most mystery readers turning the pages until the early hours, it is the continuation of the evolution of the characters that had me saying, "OK--just *one* more chapter before bed." I just had to know what was happening between Harry and Fair and, to my delight--Miranda and an old beau! This latest Mrs. Murphy Mystery is a true "must read" for all the fans of the folks and critters of this wonderful series.

My Grandma didn't like books with naughty language and excess sex. In the '80s, I started to read different mystery series that I thought she would like and the Mrs. Murphy books fit the bill. Even though Grandma's gone, I still read the Mrs. Murphy books because I'm hooked on this lightweight, but cute series by Rita Mae Brown [and Sneaky Pie Brown]. Murder On The Prowl, the sixth book featuring 'Harry' Haristeen, postmistress of Crozet, Virginia, and her very talented companion animals, is not the best book in the series, but is still an entertaining read. St. Elizabeth's, Crozet's private high school, is the focus of the multiple mysteries in this story. Film classes, false obituaries, field hockey, high tech car washes, and halloween dances are some of the things that occupy the time of our now familiar cast of characters. It has never been difficult to accept the fact that the animals can communicate with each other or that they solve the mystery before the humans do. My biggest complaint involves the poison used on the second murder victim. Malathion can't kill people in the way it supposedly did in the book. That out of the way, I recommend that you read Murder On The Prowl and the 5 previous Mrs. Murphy mysteries.

In Cozet, Virginia, the best kept secret is that all the animals fully comprehend English to the point of being able to talk to each other and read the language. Humans are unaware of this ability. When the headmaster of a local school, a film director, and a female assistant are all murdered, Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen and her two cats (Mrs. Murphy and Pewter) and her dog (Tucker), independently investigate the killings.

Rita Mae Brown with the help from her own feline, Sneaky Pie Brown, demonstrates why she is such a popular author. She creates an exciting mystery series that deftly anthropomorphizes animals so that readers believe in the fantasy world she has devised. MURDER ON THE PROWL is a particularly well constructed mystery that is a brilliant blending of The Lady And The Tramp with Ms. Jessica Fletcher.

Harriet Klausner

When phony obituaries begin appearing in the Crozet, Virginia's local newspaper Harry knows that something strange is going on. But when dead bodies start turning up, she begins investigating. But even before she can find out what's going on her furry companions, Tee Tucker (Welsh Corgi), and Pewter and Mrs. Murphy (cats) are on the case trying to find out who will turn up murdered next, and trying to keep their owner out of danger.

Rita Mae Brown has done it again. This is one of the best Mrs. Murphy mysteries to date, and a must-read for fans of the cat-cozy genre.

I had never read anything by Rita Mae Brown prior to reading Six of One...what an introduction! Ms. Brown came highly recommended to me, as I love authors who write southern fiction, complete with quirky and eccentric characters and a laugh on every page. And Six of One offers a heapin' helpin' of the good stuff! Juts and Wheezie's revenge against each other will keep you rolling. It is sibling rivalry at it's best. Plus, I love the fact that the book spans eighty years, so we get to see what happens to most of the characters from life until death. Thank goodness there are two other books in the Hunsenmeir sisters series. Don't want to miss out on any more of their crazy antics!

I've read this out loud to family and friends whenever I loaned out this book, and every time I laughed my head off. So did my mother, my gay neighbor, and my eight-year-old brother. This is funny stuff and it holds up over time, a hallmark of good writing.

Clearly, her outrageous characters and improbable situations won't appeal to everyone, but Rita Mae Brown is one hilarious writer. Her tone can be a mite self congratulatory, with an "Aren't I the smart one" undercurrent, but she is an outstanding storyteller.

Even if she never wrote another word, "Six of One" is a gift for every reader who picks it up.

This was the first piece of lesbian literature I've read and I don't think I could have started with a better book. I bought it hoping it would help me become more comfortable with my sexuality, now I'm READY to find my own Celeste. It's really amazing what a good book can do, with Brown's dialogue and characters, you can't help but be pulled into the story.

Ms. Brown has written a fine, vivid novel. She opens up several different plot elements and intricately weaves them together. She does this with the most sucess in the second part of her book. However, the third part is a bit short, and Ms. Brown seems to try to tie up all the loose ends of her story rather hastily. The main character, Cig, is well developed, except why she gains an extremely forgiving nature is not well explained. The hunt scenes are executed beautifully and acurately. These are the best parts of the novel. They convey action and emotion all at once. This book is a fine read, but I wish Ms. Brown could have explained certain events and characters more clearly.

I have been a fan of Rita Mae Brown's for a long time and I particularly enjoyed this book. Its an interesting story with very "real" and well-defined characters that seem like old friends by the time you've finished reading. I was intrigued by the storyline and could not put this book down. If Ms. Brown writes a sequel I'll buy it the minute it hits the shelves! Also, if you like horses you will really enjoy this book too.

Rita Mae Brown has done it again! Already well loved for her charming Mrs. Murphy murder mysteries, this clever author takes her readers into a superbly crafted plot and back into time. Cig Blackwood is a modern twentieth century widow, cynical, tired, weary of the ratrace her life has become. This unexpected journey shows her another way of life, and most importantly, another pace of life. Rita Mae Brown takes us along with her endearing heroine from the fox hunting field of 1996 back to 1699 and the handsome Irishman who is waiting for her. Warm, often hilarious, very human, this is a book that refuses to be put down. Don't start this one unless you've got a long leisurely evening ahead! It's a winner.

Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle was a revelation at the time and is still a wonderful and readable lesbian coming out story. The strength of this book will always be in the strong, funny, honest, Southern lead character, Molly Bolt. She is the type of character that will anchor the future books of Rita Mae Brown. Rubyfruit Jungle does not have the richly drawn supporting characters of the even better Sudden Death and Southern Discomfort or the self assured writing that developed but in this fine first novel are all the beginnings of a dazzling writer who takes the read from silly to touching in the warm breath of a paragraph. This still should be anyone's first choice to learn as a teenager that being different is not only OK, it is preferred.

Rita Mae Brown's novel "Rubyfruit Jungle" had me laughing out loud by the time I reached page 5. The book tells the life story of Molly Bolt, a poor girl who comes from rural Pennsylvania. Molly narrates the book, which follows her to her adolescent years in Florida and to her life as a struggling film student in New York. Along the way, Molly lives her life as a sexually liberated young lesbian.

Molly is a wonderful character: a witty, intelligent combination of artist and trickster. The book is full of humor and satirical outrageousness. Molly is surrounded by a colorful cast of characters, most notably her strong-willed mother. The narrative as a whole is well-structured, and Brown brings Molly's story to a very satisfying conclusion.

As funny as "Rubyfruit" is, it also has some relevant insights on a number of issues: mother-daughter relationships, anti-gay prejudice, sexism in academia, socioeconomic barriers, etc. Molly's desire to be a filmmaker is a key theme: she is a creative individual who wants to tell relevant stories about "real people," and not just impress some pompous group of cultural elites.

Brown's prose style is excellent: muscular, sexy, lively, humane, down-to-earth, and always enjoyable. For a good companion text, try Audre Lorde's "Zami," a moving narrative of African-American lesbian life.

This is a well-written jewel. Rita Mae Brown's dialogue and plot is interesting from the very first page. The book tells the story of a lower-class girl growing up, her learning about sex and dealing with her own homosexuality, leaving home and starting a life of her own, college, city life, dating, etc. The reader identifies with Molly through all of her hardships and celebrates with her through her joyous relationships. This book deals with lesbianism in a very realistic manner, but at the same time could appeal to heterosexual women and men of all types. It is a coming of age story that is simplistic, yet incredibly ... can i say perfect. It's a very short book, and easy weekend read for pure enjoyment. I'd highly recommend this book - to anyone.

"The stands cheered the skunk, not Ursie. The skunk stood her ground and shooed her babies back into the nest. She waited with cool precision for the arrival of this rabid human." A big grin covers my face and I chuckle as I read about the snobbish Ursie Yost being publicly humiliated as she chases a skunk. A gift of love to the main character, Nickle Smith, touches my heart. Bingo is a book that I will read time and time agian. It is a book filled with everything: joy, sorrow, pain jealosy, laughter, failer, success, romance, mischief, and love. Set in the New England town of Runnymede, the unforgettable characters weave in and out of the story,, always with a tidbit of gossip to share. Middle aged Nickle Smith is going through a period of time in her life that requires some major decisions. She is trying to by the newspaper wher she works as an editor. Her affair ends in an unexpected manner. And on top of that, her mother and aunt, the spirted Hunsenmeir sisters, argue and make public displays as they hanker after the same man. With the loving support of her family and friends, Nickle somehow pulls through. I recived a book for christmas called Loose Lips. I liked so much that I bought another book in the triogy, Bingo. There is another, Six of One , which I have yet to read and am looking forward to.

I simply cannot imagine that ANYONE could read this and not absolutely LOVE it!! I've read it at least 10 times, and I've loaned out too many copies; time for another one. It's funny how you can learn so much from works of fiction; there's something to love and hate about all the characters and that's what makes this book so wonderful. I can honestly say I have a new appreciation for living life to the fullest and accepting people for who they are. Although I've enjoyed Ms. Brown's mystery books, what I really want is a third book to complete the stories told in Bingo and Six Of One. If you love books that are REAL and oh so touching, this and it's prequel are must haves. I also would like to see a sequel to "Southern Discomfort."

What can i say about BINGO? I loved it. It was the first book I ever read by Rita Mae Brown, and I totally fell in love with Julia and Louise. Yes, The Divine Miss B's work is thinly autobigraphical. Not even thinly - it's pretty much her story out and out. SO WHAT? It's fun and sweet and funny...after I read BINGO, I read the sequel SIX OF ONE and loved that one even more. I promise you will love her stories, and if you want to know more about her, read her autobigraphy RITA WILL. You can trace the parallels between her life and her novels. :) Kick back, grab some coffee and have a good time with this book!

Unlike some others, I will never put Brown in the same league as Agatha Christie. Brown is so sophomoric in comparison. If you want to read a really good mystery, read Christie. If you want to be merely entertained by a mystery, read Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who..." series. Braun is a better writer than Brown. She even has a better imagination. If you want purely escapist fare in your mysteries then Brown is precisely the ticket you want. In this particular novel, Brown took a perfectly good idea or two and proceeded to be perfectly mediocre in her treatment of it.

The second in the Mrs. Murphy series... "Rest in Pieces" is equally as cute as the first one, "Wish You Were Here." The plot is very simple, the ending predictable... but fun nonetheless.
The relationships between the animals (and this book includes more than just the cat and the dog... but a possum, 2 horses, a snake, and an owl as well) is fun and cute to read. And the relationships between the characters are developing well... the reader is introduced to everyone in the first book... and reading the second one is like being re-united with old friends. And i am looking forward to the third one to see if the budding romance from this novel continues.

Whereas i'd hardly call this book quality literature... it was a lot of fun for a rainy saturday afternoon... and for [money] is a lot better than most of the movies in theaters now! It's a great read for animal/mystery lovers.

The characters have grown on me - and surprised me! No kidding, eh? Okay, it is not the most complex writing, but still, enjoyable.

Liking Harry, Mrs. Hogendobber, and Blair very much. Hoping the exploration of each character continues in the next book. But what nasty surprises lurk there? Eh?

This was more grizzly than the last tale - that dismembering thing, and the shotgun to the kneecap was more than a bit queasy-making. The throwback with postcard mailings was a strange bit. The extreme detail of the horse/fox hunt scene and even a bit of golf was interesting, yet...

Hot maple syrup in the snow? Sounds like a "might try sometime" idea.

Going back to her religion soapboxing - she is clearly trying to divide the Holy Light and Lutheran and Catholic types. She gives Harry a lot of philosophizing about our place in time and the universe. Very thought provoking.

Other odd inclusions: p.60, referring to the Middle East as the "lavatory of the human race," while affecting an Iraqi accent. Odd. p.139 referring to an animal that behaves bitchy and has been named Streisand. p.201 writing that evokes how "indians swooped down to kill whites." Yes, that surely happened, but it wasn't because they were whites, it was because they were encroaching on the indians land and weren't hesitating to kill the indians.

NEW VOCAB FOR ME
hectoring - intimidating, bullying
hoi polloi - ordinary people (Greek for "the many")
glad-hander - to offer somebody a friendly greeting or handshake, often insincerely or for motives of self-advancement
dilettante - superficial: typical of somebody who has only a superficial understanding of something
impecunious - poor: having little or no money, and so unable to lead a comfortable life (formal)

The animals cussing each other out was one thing that set me off on the early parts of this book. The people rarely cuss (which is refreshing), but Mrs. Murphy & Tucker sniping ... at one another and other similar language seemed out of place and really not necessary.

Looking forward to the next book in the series...

Although I'll still give it three stars for the simple reason that Rita Mae Brown writes with enjoyable style, I can't recommend CAT ON THE SCENT as highly some others in the "Mrs. Murphy" series. Brown's mystery novels have always been more about funny characters than plot, but this particular novel pretty much throws plot completely out the window.

CAT ON THE SCENT finds Mary "Harry" Harristeen (the young postmistress of tiny Crozet, Virginia) and her friends (both human and animal) drawn into a series of mysterious deaths that may or may not have something to do with a proposed reservoir. As usual, the writing is bright and the characters (including the felines Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and canine Tee Tucker) are entertaining... but on this occasion Brown seems to be straining her concept of animal characters, the overall novel seems unfocused, and many readers will find the conclusion frustrating. Mildly enjoyable, but not greatly memorable.

Civil War reenactments, small planes, shady land investments, and boys with expensive toys, plus the usual requisite dead bodies, are the focus of Cat On The Scent, the 7th Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown [and her cat, Sneaky Pie Brown]. Harry Haristeen, postmistress of Crozet, Virginia, and her amazing companion animals Mrs. Murphy, Pewter [the cats], and Tucker [the dog] are on the case as always. The novel starts off well enough, but loses its way towards the end. Reading the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries has always meant an extra measure of suspended disbelief [the animals talk to each other and always solve the mysteries before the humans do], but in this story the animals push the need to suspend disbelief over the edge with behavior that is way beyond what had been established for the animal characters in the previous six novels. The end is muddied in a way that makes me believe that the author never firmly decided whodunit and finally just ended the book. One of the novel's B-stories, involving a relative of Harry's and a dead baby buried in the "bone yard" of a farm, is very interesting and I would have liked to see that story expanded. I did enjoy the novel, but not as much as the earlier ones. This one rates about a 3.6 stars compared to the others. If you're into the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, you should read this one for the continuity, but if you're looking to try one of the novels in the series, I'd recommend that you pick another one to start with.

I have read all of Rita's & Sneaky Pie Brown's Mrs. Murphy tales (or is that tails(?)) "Cat on the Scent" was terrific! Unlike the others I have read, there are moments of great sadness among Harry's friends that makes them even more three-dimensional. I enjoyed this read very much. Thank you Rita and Sneaky!