Puss 'N Cahoots

January 22, 2007
The charming 14th Mrs. Murphy mystery (after 2006's Sour Puss
) finds ex-postmistress and sometime-detective Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen accompanying her veterinarian husband, Fair, to an equestrian extravaganza in Kentucky. The mishaps begin when Harry's good friend Joan loses a beloved pin—or is the treasured piece of jewelry stolen? Then Jorge, a groom at Joan's farm, is found murdered, a pair of crosses cut into his palm. As if murder's not enough, an aging movie star's horse goes missing, and INS officials show up, hunting illegal aliens. Throughout, Harry's menagerie—cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter as well as corgi Tee Tucker—cleverly sniff out wrongdoing. Though some readers might find the anthropomorphized animals' italicized dialogue a bit much, the novel's tight pacing, combined with intriguing local color, make this mystery a blue-ribbon winner.

February 1, 2007
With nearly every new entry in the popular Mrs. Murphy series (the last five were " New York Times "best-sellers), Brown introduces an intriguing setting to go with her cast of human and feline characters. So if the plots sometimes fall a bit short, fans are sure to stay entertained by either the antics of the players or the particulars of the worlds into which they wander. This time it's a horse show, as newlyweds Harry and Fair Hairsteen take their mewing brood with them to the prestigious Saddlebred horse show in Shelbyville Kentucky, where they meet up with some old friends. Along for the trip is the whole four-legged gang: Mrs. Murphy (the feline matron, who's a tabby), Tucker (a corgi), and Pewter (a "full-bodied" gray cat). Not two days into their trip, there's a robbery, and the cats take it upon themselves to find the culprit, as they can see what humans can't. Those who can keep all the characters straight (there's a person named Booty and a cat named Frederick) will find that this clever mystery strikes a comfortable balance between suspense and silliness. Even those who find the scale tipping a little too much in the direction of silliness will learn something about horse shows.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)