Cat on the Scent

March 1, 1999
The latest collaboration (after last year's Murder on the Prowl) between Brown and her feline muse is a charming and keen-eyed take on human misdeeds and animal shenanigans. Mrs. Murphy, the cat sleuth, out for an evening prowl, spots a small plane landing near an abandoned barn. Soon after, at an Albemarle County (Va.) Commission meeting, dissension arises over plans for a new reservoir, and two murders ensue. The owner of the plane, Tommy Van Allen, disappears, only to turn up later, frozen stiff in the refrigerator of a local food plant. Next, during a Civil War battle reenactment, a local landowner, Sir Henry Vane-Tempest, is shot in the back. Mrs. Murphy, ably aided by Tee Tucker the corgi and Pewter the cat, nudges the humans around her into finding evidence to braid all these stray strands. She even orchestrates a daring rescue. Told with spunk and plenty of whimsy, this is another delightful entry in a very popular series. Illustrations by Itoko Maeno not seen by PW.

Listeners may be humbled when they realize how inferior humans are in the matter of crime detection compared to Brown's heroic cats of Crozet, Virginia. This feline detective novel is one of the popular Mrs. Murphy series, which combines country charm and a passable murder mystery, all read competently by seasoned narrator Kate Forbes. As narrator, she brings a warmth and charm to all the characters, human and animal, without trying to create too many unique voices. Mrs. Murphy, the tiger cat, and her pals discover the connection between a real shot fired at a Civil War reenactment and a missing airplane found in the barn of one of the locals. This is light listening with a strong sense of place and style. D.L.G. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine