The Litter of the Law: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery

I should start by admitting that this series is one of my guilty pleasures, so I was particularly sad to discover this latest installment lacked the charm I usually find. The plot seemed contrived solely to advance the political and social issues Ms. Brown wanted to explore. I don't object to the sentiments she expressed, as a matter of fact her politics and mine are closely aligned, however there was an atypical clumsiness to the way her themes were interwoven into the story line, and it felt at times as if I was reading a detailed outline and not a finished product. I can only hope the next book spends more time on character development and atmosphere and less time on sermonizing.

I love the interaction between the animals. I've read almost all of Rita Mae Brown's books and they all have great interaction between the characters---I feel like I know them. The ending in this one was a real surprise!!

I truly enjoy a "cozy" mystery that combines some realism with my favorite "trio" of sleuths," namely, Mrs. Murohy, TeeTucker and Pewter who are assisted by Harry, their human. Or, did I get that right? ;))? By discussin some substantive issues you gives just the right amount of realism. Without it, the cozy can become just too unrealistic and for me it's just "too sweet."

I have enjoyed the Mrs Murphy books for some time, but lately the story seems to be taking a back seat to Ms Brown's attempts to influence readers on various issues. I read fiction to be entertained, not to be lectured.

Rita Mae and the animals always have great adventures. The thing I love about her is that while other writers I like have had "slump" periods where the books were merely adequate, Rita Mae has always delivered. I have read other that just the Sneaky Pie series and have loved them all.

miss pie and her other four-legged friends are back with a funnier than ever story that just happens to take place at Halloween time. the lines they have are always hilarious and really lend comic relief to the level of suspense that keeps me turning every page wondering what will happen next.

This latest Mrs. Murphy book has promise, but it never really arrives. It has an unfinished feel, as if this were the 'proof' copy rather than the final published story. It concerns Native American rights as defined by the state of Virginia and the Federal government about a tribe I'd never heard of before. The story talks about the fact that land and culture are tied, but doesn't actually tell us anything about this tribe or specifics of why its important, or exactly how land was viewed by this tribe. No specific ideas are given to this culture. Did they live in long houses? How much did the tribes in the area contribute to the 'three sisters' of corn, beans and squash? How did they see the area and life itself? Specifically how did they lose their land? Backing England during the Revolution? Or the French during the French and Indian Wars? Bad treaties?
When I first saw the title, "The Litter of the Law" I remembered in a previous book that Mrs. Murphy had supposedly not been spayed, just had a preparatory tummy shave...but the surgery somehow overlooked. I thought there might be complicating kittens in the middle of everything... Instead, in this book, the animal characters are cartoons of their usual selves. At the end of the book, the animal's roles were way overdone to the point of nasty.
I liked some of the new characters, such as the lady who ran the vegetable stand, but Rita threw them away, and was inconsistent with the established cast.
Overall, the Halloween theme had promise that nearly arrived, a back theme of Native American rights that never did come to life, and characters who nearly phoned in their lines. Actually, she had lined up some very interesting elderly characters, people who could have 'remembered' interesting details from the past, and old enough to be eccentric. but, they were just sleepy obstacles to her finale rather than wise if eccentric contributors. I missed the fun I usually have reading one of Rita's books.

I love the Mrs. Murphy mysterys and have bought all of them. I have already passed it along to friends who like her books as much as I do. I have already ordered the next book which will come out next year. The mysterys are good and the feeling of being part of a friendly town and friendly people makes the books so special.