Sour Puss: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery

It maybe RMB has finally become financially comfortable enough to not work as hard at her books as in the past... maybe she is meeting new groups of people with her fame, maybe it's a combination of both or more. I'm not exactly sure, but this I do understand... Sour Puss is definitely not her best. It is too easy to figure out the plot just by reading the character introductions....Harry's character seems to wax and fawn over the Kluges and their social, financial and political views, and Harry just ain't the same...maybe she's mellowed a bit to much.

RMB needs to really think about the direction this series is taking,,,is it animal and human communication, is it life on a semi-rural farm with suburban encroachment, is is the characters we've come to know so well, or is it a combination of all? That is something only time will tell..

After reading some of the reviews, I thought this book was going to be terrible, but it's not that bad. We still have the wonderful citizens of Crozet, even though we don't see much of Miranda this time round. We also learn a lot about bioterrorism and about growing wine grapes, and that's OK too. Having Harry and Fair married again is also a treat, but it certainly has softened Harry. But I did find the book hurried along quite a bit, and this meant a softer plot line. I also found that the the tension buildup just wasn't there. I had figured out the killer about 1/3 of the way through, so there were no surprises. But I still enjoyed it, and mostly because of the wonderful characters.

They say that love is better the second time around, and we're just about to find out if that's true or not when Mary Minor Haristeen, better known as Harry, remarries her ex-hubby, Fair. Although Fair cheated on Harry in the past, they've finally managed to put their differences behind them and give love a second chance. It's a little hard to settle back into married life, however, when things are going haywire around you.

When ex-postmistress Harry and her veterinarian spouse Fair plant a crop of grapes, they never dream that such a simple act will lead to murder. What began as a possible business enterprise quickly turns sour when people start dropping dead.

Professor Vincent Forland is in town to lecture as part of a panel on his particular area of expertise, a variety of fungi and agriterrorism. Obviously someone took exception to what he had to say because he is found decapitated a short while after. But the question is, who would want to silence the Professor? Could it be the person who's planted a detrimental bug in Fair and Harry's crop?

Whoever thought that something as simple as grapes would cause people to lose their heads?! Two archenemies as well as former students of Professor Forland's are also at odds. Tempers flare as Toby Pittman, an unconventional genius when it comes to grapes, and Arch Saunders, partner of the Rockland Vineyards and former paramour of Harry, go at it. Should it be a surprise when Toby also ends up dead?

Not to worry though because Harry and her band of furry friends --- felines Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and corgi Tee Tucker --- are on the trail of the killer. It's funny to see the animals finding clues and solving problems that escape the notice of the human contingent in this novel. While it may seem a bit far-fetched, if you have animals you know it's most likely true since our pets don't miss a trick, especially things we're often too busy to notice.

Crozet, Virginia need not worry though. Curiosity leads Harry into one predicament after another, suspicion flashes from person to person, and it seems that there is no one around who didn't have a motive. But the murder is solved in the long run and the people of Crozet can sleep again thanks to Harry, Fair and their little ones.

The usual cast of characters and townspeople are present and as amusing as ever in this novel. SOUR PUSS introduces us to a whole new world of grape-growing and winemaking in the now-familiar setting of the Virginia Piedmont.

--- Reviewed by Amie Taylor

I was quite disappointed in this latest installment of the Mrs. Murphy mysteries. Nothing really seemed to happen plotwise, with much of the book devoted to lectures on grape-growing and parasites and diseases of grapevines. The villain was easy to guess, and the ending was very predictable. Probably worth reading for those who have been following the series, but if this is your first experience with Mrs. Murphy and the crew from Crozet, I recommend reaching for one of the earlier books in the series.

Rita Mae Brown has really departed from her usual storytelling skills. She has spent way too much time researching grape varieties and how to make wine in Virginia. This book is short on plot and characterization and all the new characters are bland and lifeless. But the novel goes into endless and boring detail about viticulture. And the animals don't even solve the mystery, what there is of it.

After Fair cheated on Mary "Harry" Minor they separated as she nursed her anger and hurt for years. Fair spent years trying to reconcile with Harry and after a few years his perseverance finally paid off. They remarried in a church with all their close friends as witnesses including their pets Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tucker. Many of the residents, including Harry are growing grapes so that they can make wine from them.

Professor Vincent Farland lectures on how bioterrorism can be used to destroy crops. He once taught two vintners in the area; Toby Pittman, an unstable person, who thinks people are out to destroy Rockland Vineyards, and Arch Saunders who become the partner of Rollie Barnes, the owner of Spring Hill Vineyard. Arch had an affair with Harry when she divorced Fair and he wants her back. Professor Farland disappears and the police think foul play is involved. Toby calls Fair to look at his donkey's cut on his hind leg, but he finds him murdered, by a gunshot. When the professor is found buried on Harry and Fair's land, suspicion falls on him. Harry thinks the two murders are linked and the same person who killed them is responsible for the deadly insects planted on their land. When a third vintner is killed, Harry struggles to put the pieces together even if it means exposing herself to danger.

Once again Rita Mae Brown and her collaboration with Sneaky Pie Brown has written a delightful, charming and intense amateur sleuth mystery. Part of the charm of this series is that the animals can communicate with each other across species lines and their conversations and actions win the hearts of the audience. Now that Harry and Fair are married the love they feel for one another is obvious and adds to the tale. Ms Brown has written another enthralling mystery that makes her readers feel enchanted with her storyline.

Harriet Klausner

I did not understand why the killer was motivated to stalk and kill the folks in this book-- it just did not make sense. The plot was loose and all over the map. The references to terrorism were somewhat interesting but it just didn't make the book stick together. Where are Miranda, little Mim, Big Mim, and all of the other lovable and crazy Crozet characters in this series? They have been missing for several books now. I purchased this one in paperback, but the next one I am borrowing from the library.

I don't read the Mrs. Murphy mysteries because animals talk, and I don't really read them for the whodunnits because, in truth, they are fairly simplistic. I read them because of the world Rita Mae Brown evokes in and around rural Albemarle County, Virginia and how she looks at what is changing and what will always be with us in the South and, for that matter, humanity. I think she done good this time.

SOUR PUSS introduces some left turns that were foreshadowed in the last two books in the series, and I am happy to report that the turns were taken on a stable axis. Our heroine, Mary (Harry) Minor Hairsteen has agreed to remarry her ex-husband and she has left the postmaster job behind. There are no regrets with the job, and in terms of the marriage, I think all the cute-happy cooing of the newlyweds beats Harry's previous, much drawn out fence-sitting. She helps husband Fair with raising foals on her family farm and has diversified her agricultural ventures, having planted grapes and revived an old peach orchard. She and pal Susan are also raising nursery stock. Her new interests put her right at the center of the exploding development of local wineries and post 9-11 fears of agriterrorism, not to mention global warming. The mystery asks, what do we have to fear most, the global or the local threat, nature or human? It also talks about trust.

Of course, this isn't CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, it isn't intended to be and how could it be when animals talk and disrupt social events and the humans can't seem to make it through a party without a slapstick brawl. All the same, I think there is more to this series than there is in most "cozy" mysteries.

I've enjoyed earlier Mrs. Murphy books, because the plots and characters were interesting enough to outweigh some of the cloying aspects. This book is basically like reading the encyclopedia, with a few bits of weak plot pasted in here and there. Even the characters, both the regular ones and the new ones who appear in order to be bumped off, are boring. However, you might enjoy the book if you like reading statistics about global warming, terrorism, agriculture, viticulture, agricultural and viticultural terrorism, horses, automobiles and trucks, etc., or rants about the author's pet peeves couched as "conversations" between characters. I only finished it because I was in the car and didn't have anything else to listen to. I've never written one of these comments before because I've never been so disappointed with a book.

Now, this Harry Harristeen is not the same charming person that used to work in the post-office! What has happened? The dialogues sound like excerpts from an agricultural manual. Real people don't talk like that! Of course I understand the problem of writing a murder mystery series situated in a small town with mostly the same people: You have to introduce new characters in every book which (surprise!) mostly end up either as victims or murderers. (That's why Miss Marple always traveled so much!) Well, maybe there is hope, since Harry and Fair are going on their honeymoon to Kentucky in the next book... Sometimes I wonder, if Ms. Brown is even still writing these books, or if they're ghostwritten by a farming politician who loves horsepower, but not so much cats and dogs...PS: And I do miss Miranda's orange-glazed sticky buns!

I must admit that I love the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries. Unfortunately, I had to put this book down without making it past the 5th Chapter (probably less than that) - didn't get past the lecture about fungus being a biohazard, blah blah blah.

The conversation between the animals about marriage, homosexuality, etc. just went on too long and (while I know this is fiction and a plot device) I don't see how they would care one way or the other. Seems to me Ms. Brown wanted to get on her soapbox for a while. It was tedious and strained, IMHO, of course.

The wedding and subsequent catfight was cute, but could have done with the crass language. Thank goodness I borrowed this from the library and did not spend good money to add it to my collection.

If you were hoping for the quality of the earlier Sneaky Pie Brown Mysteries, you will be very disappointed. The story reads as if Ms Brown downloaded facts on chemical warfare, fungus, cattle diseases and grape growing from the internet and then made a mediocre attempt to turn it into a story by inserting the folks of Crozet into the facts i.e "She'd planted the rootstock herself in November, which would allow root growth over the winter. She planted each bare root eight feet from another. Her rows were also eight feet apart.....once the vines were established, she should produce one ton of grapes, which translated into fifty cases or six hundred bottles. One barrel of oak is the equivalent of twenty-five cases." There is no interesting interaction between the characters. I gave up trying to get into the book after I read the above drivel from Chapter 9.

I really enjoy all the Mrs. Murphy mystery stories. This book, Sour Puss, has my favorite scene of all, Harry and Fair's wedding, during which Mrs. Murphy and Pewter have a "cat fight". I howled with laughter the first time I read this scene and have re-read it several times, as I enjoyed it so much. Thank you, Rita Mae for your always entertaining views from the animal world. I always new they talked, now it is confirmed. :)

Rita Mae Brown's characters are always a treat, and I look forward to each new book. But unfortunately, this one, was a a sour treatment. Too much techie information about grape growing and wineries, and not enough info about the wonderful characters and the usual antics of Mrs. Murphy, Tucker, Pewter and the horses. I have all of Ms. Brown's other books, and have loved them and re-read them often. This one, which sounded really interesting from the advance reviews and jacket info, just fell flat. A real disappointment.

Your reviews below have really helped, KEEP THEM COMING! I, also, am a great fan of these books....what happens to these writers? I found the same problem with Patricia Cornwell.

Thanks again for taking the time and giving THE FANS a heads-up

on this latest book by our little Sneaky Pie.

The entire series is entertaining to read; Sour Puss continues that outstanding effort in fine reading pleasure. While the book easily stands alone on its own merit, Sour Puss is another logical step in the evolution of life in Crozet, as the well-developed characters mature, develop, and progress, jointly and severally. Characteristically well-written, the insights from Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tucker underscore the storyline and add richness and dimension to the book. Dr. Brown also successfully captures the essence of her settings; the descriptions are developed so well one feels transported into each scene, scenting the trees, the hayfields, flowering grape vines, the earth, and experiencing the weather changes. The fear is almost palpable as the story climaxes. The characters (except for the bad guy) feel like old friends. It would probably be disappointing to visit Crozet and not actually find the characters all there to meet and greet. The entire Mrs. Murphy series is excellent entertainment and just plain fun to read. Each book in the series gets better, which makes Sour Puss the current best yet. Enjoy the ride!

This book ranged from wildly unrealistic to a very boring lecture. I will continue to read mrs. Murphy, as the books are generally light hearted and quick reads and I enjoy most of what Rita Mae brown puts out. However, this one was a dud.

Usually I cannot put down a "Mrs. Murphy" mystery, but this one is a big disappointment. It's a forum for Ms. Brown's political leanings. A mystery is thrown in as an afterthought. I was half-way through the book and still hadn't read anything about a body being found. I wanted to read an entertaining mystery not a how-to-book on wine making or lectures on global warming. When the next 'Mrs. Murphy" book comes out, I'll just get it from the library instead of buying it.

I absolutely loved this. It was the first time I've read from this series. Actually, I borrowed the CD version to listen to during my commutes.

I was aware it would be about grapes and technical "stuff" because I READ THE SYNOPSIS!!

Anyway, I found it enjoyable and I'm looking for another....

I really enjoyed the parts with the animals, but the human characters were not as well defined. Perhaps that is because this is part of a series, and the author assumes that readers already have considerable knowledge of the characters. But this was the first book I have read in this series, and I really don't feel compelled to read any others in it.