Hiss of Death

February 7, 2011
Readers concerned about breast cancer will welcome Brown's 19th Mrs. Murphy mystery (after 2010's Cat of the Century). While Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen copes bravely with a diagnosis of stage one breast cancer, a sad discovery distracts her from her illness. Shortly before the 5K Run for Breast Cancer Awareness, Harry and her pets find the corpse of well-liked OR nurse Paula Benton, one of the event's organizers, who appears to have died of anaphylactic shock from a hornet's sting. But was it murder? Paula had been having problems with Thadia Martin, a former addict turned drug counselor at Central Virginia Medical Complex who was jealous of Paula's friendship with Dr. Cory Schaeffer. Brown sensitively depicts Harry's cancer treatment as the paw-biting action, which includes Schaeffer's almost fatal electrocution (via electric car), builds to the revelation of a surprising killer.

April 1, 2011

The Browns, human and feline (Cat of the Century, 2010, etc.), roll out another rambling tale.

Mary "Harry" Haristeen has had her share of troubles, so she thinks it's her turn to give back by gathering her group of womenfolk together to organize the Central Virginia Hospital's 5K Run for Breast Cancer Awareness. With her friends Susan Tucker and BoomBoom Craycroft by her side, Harry feels good about what she's accomplishing, even if she is the group's resident tightwad. When Harry finds fellow organizer Paula Benton dead next to a hornet, she's as shocked as everyone else. While the poor nurse was allergic to bees and afraid of needles, she would never have been too scared to give herself a shot if it would save her life. En route to figuring out what's so suspicious about Paula's death, Harry gets some surprising news from the hospital and finds that she may need more help than she's ever asked for. With her stalwart husband Fair by her side, Harry must face up to unexpected personal challenges. Luckily, she's got the company of a few good animals (though "familiar" might be more precise than "good"). Mrs. Murphy, sassy Pewter, Tee Tucker and the rest of the gang are back to make sure no harm comes to their favorite human. Can they help protect her from her biggest threat while helping her solve the mystery to boot?

More likely to appeal to fans of sermons and Harry's personal life than to mystery mavens.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)