Santa Clawed (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)
by Rita Mae Brown
List Price:
Our Price: $0.01
You Save: $24.99 (100%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Rita Mae BrownEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-11-04
ISBN: 0553807064
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Bantam
Book Reviews of Santa Clawed (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)
Book Review: A recommendable wintertime read
Summary: 5 Stars
We are accustomed to talking about "summer reads," those light but compelling novels we have in hand on planes or at the beach, gulping down a few chapters on vacation or sunning at the park. In winter we like to turn to serious books, thick tomes to lose ourselves in, ideally sitting before a warm fire, snuggled in a favorite chair. But the holidays are times of rest and travel as much as the summer is, and snowy and cold days call for fun and well-written books as much as hot and humid days do. Enter Rita Mae (and Sneaky Pie) Brown and SANTA CLAWED, a solid mystery with familiar characters and a brisk pace, just perfect for wintertime reading.
The small, tight-knit town of Crozet, Virginia, is gearing up for Christmas. Mary Haristeen, known to all as Harry, is busy preparing for holiday parties and events, spending time with family and friends. But as colder than typical weather blows in, the town finds itself dealing with a series of murders, and the only clue to solving them is a bit of Greek mythology.
It all starts when Harry and her husband Fair go to the tree lot run by the Brothers of Love, a monastic order living on the outskirts of town, to select a Christmas tree. They find the perfect pine but also come across the slain body of one of the monks at the end of the lot. Brother Christopher had been raised in Crozet, and after getting in trouble for white collar crimes, he dedicated his life to The Brothers of Love. He was well liked, so it was hard to imagine who would hate him enough to slit his throat right before Christmas. Harry promises to stay out of the way of the police investigation, but another murder and her own assault --- after finding a suspicious box hidden in the woods near her home --- make that impossible. Christmas is coming ever closer, and the town is reeling as it becomes obvious that there is a killer at work and at large.
Brown's latest is at once homey and exciting. Popular characters like Harry, Fair and others who people Crozet are back. Returning too are Harry's funny animal familiars, cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and dog Tucker. Though they can't always clearly communicate to the humans they live with, these pets find ways to help Harry and the others solve the mystery nonetheless.
SANTA CLAWED balances well the violence of the murders and the fear of the town's residents with witty dialogue and an overall entertaining feel. There are crimes to solve here, but Brown's focus is on the characters themselves and how they deal with the stress and uncertainty in their town. Though most of them rally together, there are those who, realistically, don't. In the end, the identity of the killer and the motivation for the crimes come as a big surprise.
In this new Mrs. Murphy mystery, Rita Mae Brown again shares authorial credit with her feline companion, Sneaky Pie Brown, and so it is not surprising that the animal characters are just as interesting as the human ones. But the easy and enjoyable nature of the novel (despite the subject matter) makes SANTA CLAWED a recommendable wintertime read.
--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman
Summary of Santa Clawed (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)
New York Times bestselling authors Rita Mae Brown and her feline partner, Sneaky Pie Brown, are back for the holidays in a new mystery featuring Mary Minor ?Harry? Haristeen, the sleuthing cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and corgi Tee Tucker. Can they save the season from a killjoy who?s decided to gift the festive little town?with murder?As Harry well knows, there?s hardly a place on earth cozier than Crozet, Virginia, at Christmastime. The snowflakes drifting lazily down, the soft glow of the winter light, the sound of old carols in the streets?even cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter get into the spirit batting ornaments and climbing the holiday tree. In fact, it?s this year?s tree that Harry and her husband, Fair, have gone to fetch when they find the one they?ve chosen grimly decorated with a dead body.
The tree farm is run by The Brothers of Love, a semimonastic organization that tends to AIDS patients. The brothers live in a monastery atop the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains. Harry is surprised to find an old high-school friend associated with The Brothers of Love. Christopher Hewitt wasn?t a bad man, but good works weren?t exactly one of his priorities. But then, if even Scrooge could turn over a new leaf, certainly Chris could. And after the scandal that all but destroyed his life, there were probably few in Crozet who needed the gift of a second chance more.
Harry knows she shouldn?t take it personally, but it was her tree that someone left the corpse under. Now, as the season grows merrier, a murderer is growing bolder. One by one, prominent men of Crozet are being crossed off Christmas shopping lists and added to the morgue. And if Harry and her four-legged helpers aren?t very good?and very careful?this Christmas may be her last.
Literature & Fiction Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Literature & Fiction Books
Little Womenby Louisa May Alcott
Scribner; Published: 1986-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
The Killing Groundby JACK HIGGINS
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS LTD; Published: 2007; Hardcover; Book
Saving Fish from Drowningby Amy Tan
4th Estate; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Life Expectancyby Dean Koontz
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Constant Princessby Philippa Gregory
Touchstone/Simon & Schuster; Published: 2005; Hardcover; Book
Wolf of the Plains (Conqueror, Book 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harper; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Saharaby Clive Cussler
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2005-03-21; Paperback; Book
Perelandra (Cosmic Trilogy)by C. S. Lewis
Voyager; Published: 2005-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.92
Price in other shops:
The Lord Of The Rings: Part 2 The Two Towersby J. R. R. Tolkien
Harper Collins Publishers; Published: 2001; Paperback; Book
Red Marsby Kim Stanley Robinson
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-06; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
Murder Unleashed: A Novelby Rita Mae Brown
Ballantine Books; Published: 2011-10-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.94
Price in other shops:
Murder on the Prowlby Rita Mae Brown
Bantam; Published: 1999-02-02; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.71
Price in other shops:
Whisker of Evilby Rita Mae Brown
Bantam; Published: 2005-01-25; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.25
Price in other shops:
Cat of the Century: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)by Rita Mae Brown
Bantam; Published: 2010-04-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.34
Price in other shops:
Cat's Eyewitness (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)by Rita Mae Brown
Bantam; Published: 2006-02-28; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.40
Price in other shops:
Sour Puss: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)by Rita Mae Brown
Bantam; Published: 2007-02-27; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.30
Price in other shops:
The Purrfect Murder (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)by Rita Mae Brown
Bantam; Published: 2009-01-27; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.47
Price in other shops:
Puss 'n Cahoots (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)by Rita Mae Brown
Bantam; Published: 2008-01-29; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.48
Price in other shops:
Hiss of Death: A Mrs. Murphy Mysteryby Rita Mae Brown
Bantam; Published: 2011-04-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.32
Price in other shops:
Cat of the Century: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)by Rita Mae Brown
Bantam; Published: 2011-01-25; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.49
Price in other shops: