A Hiss Before Dying: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery

Bestseller Brown’s leisurely paced 25th Mrs. Murphy mystery (after 2016’s Tall Tale) finds farm owner Mary “Harry” Haristeen’s pets—Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, both cats, and Tee Tucker, a corgi—enjoying a walk one autumn day near sundown in Virginia’s rural Albemarle County. When the animals spot an eagle carrying a strip of bloody flesh in its talons, an obliging blue jay informs them that it’s a blue human eyeball. “Sometimes a horse will have blue eyes,” Tucker comments. (Yes, these animals can communicate with each other, which is a big part of the appeal of this long-running series.) Soon two unidentified bodies turn up, and Harry and her pets do what they can to assist in solving the murders. The present-day action is supplemented by a story, told in flashback, of prominent families in Albemarle County and Richmond shortly after the Revolutionary War. Brown uses her knowledge of Virginia history to illuminate some of the economic hardships facing the new nation and the social mores of the time. The staccato conversation style of the contemporary chapters contrasts nicely with the more fluid prose of those set in the 18th century. Brown’s signature asides—on such subjects as local and national politics, traditional art, race, God, and just about anything else that strikes her fancy—give readers plenty to think about besides the loosely connected plot lines. Agent: Wendy Weil, Wendy Weil Agency. (May)