Background
Brown, Rita Mae was born on November 28, 1944 in Hanover, Pennsylvania, United States. Daughter of Ralph and Julia Ellen Brown.
(The Tail of the Tip-Off When winter hits Crozet, Virgini...)
The Tail of the Tip-Off When winter hits Crozet, Virginia, it hits hard--and hangs on for months. That’s nothing new to postmistress Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen and her friends, who keep warm with hard work, hot toddies, and rabid rooting for the University of Virginia’s women’s basketball team at the old stadium affectionately dubbed “The Clam.” But the usual postgame high spirits are laid low when contractor H. H. Donaldson drops dead in the parking lot. And pretty soon word has spread that it wasn’t a heart attack that did him in. It just doesn’t sit right with Harry that one of her fellow fans--perhaps even an acquaintance or neighbor sitting close by in the stands--is a murderer. And as tiger cat Mrs. Murphy is all too aware, things that don’t sit right with Harry make her restless, curious, and prone to poking her not-very-sensitive human nose into dangerous places. So the animals start paying closer attention to what the people around them are doing--and they’re the first ones to realize when the next murder occurs. It seems obvious to Harry that the deaths are connected--and she intends to find out exactly how. There’s no shortage of suspects, considering that H.H. was a ladies’ man who’d left a trail of broken hearts all over town--the most recent belonging to his wife-- and that the second murder victim was not very popular in Crozet.As the police launch their investigation, Harry picks up clues through savvy questioning of everyone she knows. But it’s the critters who are most attuned to trouble--they scent something wicked wafting Harry’s way on the tail of the next snowstorm. And as Harry draws closer to the truth about a brutal killer, Mrs. Murphy and her friends realize it’s up to them to make sure their intrepid mom lands on her feet. From the Hardcover edition.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553582852/?tag=2022091-20
(As Harry well knows, there’s hardly a place on earth cozi...)
As Harry well knows, there’s hardly a place on earth cozier than Crozet, Virginia, at Christmastime. Snowflakes, carolers, it’s all picture-perfect until Harry and her husband, Fair, find the tree they’ve chosen grimly decorated with a corpse. The tree farm is run by the Brothers of Love, a semimonastic organization whose members live atop the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains. 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 will be her last.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553591592/?tag=2022091-20
(The 12-book collection in this series includes the follow...)
The 12-book collection in this series includes the following titles: Whisker of Evil; Murder on the Prowl; Cat on the Scent; Wish You Were Here; Sour Puss, Cat's Eyewitness; Cat of the Century; Puss 'N Cahoots; The Purrfect Murder; Catch As Cat Can; The Tail of the Tip-off; Pawing Through the Past
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JOSLAKI/?tag=2022091-20
(The residents of tiny Crozet, Virginia, thrive on gossip,...)
The residents of tiny Crozet, Virginia, thrive on gossip, especially in the post office, where Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen presides with her tiger cat, Mrs. Murphy. So when a belligerent Hell's Angel crashes Crozet, demanding to see his girlfriend, the leather-clad interloper quickly becomes the chief topic of conversation. Then the biker is found murdered, and everyone is baffled. Well, almost everyone...Mrs. Murphy and her friends, Welsh corgi Tee Tucker and overweight feline Pewter, haven't been slinking through alleys for nothing. But can they dig up the truth in time to save their humans from a ruthless killer?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553572369/?tag=2022091-20
(Spring fever comes to the small town of Crozet, Virginia....)
Spring fever comes to the small town of Crozet, Virginia. As the annual Dogwood Festival approaches, postmistress Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen feels her own mating instincts stir. As for tiger cat Mrs. Murphy, feline intuition tells her there’s more in the air than just pheromones. It begins with a case of stolen hubcaps and proceeds to the mysterious death of a dissolute young mechanic over a sobering cup of coffee. Then another death and a shooting lead to the discovery of a half-million crisp, clean dollar bills that look to be very dirty. Now Harry is on the trail of a cold-blooded murderer. Mrs. Murphy already knows who it is--and who’s next in line. She also knows that Harry, curious as a cat, does not have nine lives. And the one she does have is hanging by the thinnest of threads.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553580280/?tag=2022091-20
(Curiosity just might be the death of Mrs. Murphy--and her...)
Curiosity just might be the death of Mrs. Murphy--and her human companion, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen. Small towns are like families: Everyone lives very close together. . .and everyone keeps secrets. Crozet, Virginia, is a typical small town-until its secrets explode into murder. Crozet's thirty-something post-mistress, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, has a tiger cat (Mrs. Murphy) and a Welsh Corgi (Tucker), a pending divorce, and a bad habit of reading postcards not addressed to her. When Crozet's citizens start turning up murdered, Harry remembers that each received a card with a tombstone on the front and the message "Wish you were here" on the back. Intent on protecting their human friend, Mrs. Murphy and Tucker begin to scent out clues. Meanwhile, Harry is conducting her own investigation, unaware her pets are one step ahead of her. If only Mrs. Murphy could alert her somehow, Harry could uncover the culprit before the murder occurs--and before Harry finds herself on the killer's mailing list.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553287532/?tag=2022091-20
(Rita Mae Brown and her literary feline sidekick Sneaky Pi...)
Rita Mae Brown and her literary feline sidekick Sneaky Pie Brown are back with a third omnibus of clever sleuthing by postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her feline sidekick Mrs. Murphy. For the first time all in one volume, here are CAT ON THE SCENT, PAWING THROUGH THE PAST, and CLAWS AND EFFECT, three more prime examples of charm and murder co-existing in the lovely hamlet of Crozet, Virginia. In CAT ON THE SCENT, the good people of Crozet are quite excited about their upcoming Civil War battle reenactment until things get a little too authentic when a soldier ends up with three very real bullets in his back. Someone has waited twenty years to take revenge in PAWING THROUGH THE PAST. Crozet High's Class of 1980 is about to have its twentieth reunion--but one classmate is looking forward to it for the wrong reasons. Each member of the class receives a note saying “You'll never get old,” but it becomes clear this is more threat than compliment when a classmate turns up dead with a bullet between his eyes. The juicy gossip from Crozet Hospital has everyone entertained in CLAWS AND EFFECT--until its source is found murdered. Mrs. Murphy sniffs out a dirty little secret that dates back to the days of the Underground Railroad, and she has to protect Harry from a coldly calculating killer with a prescription for murder.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0517229668/?tag=2022091-20
(Mrs. Murphy digs into Virginia history—and gets her paws ...)
Mrs. Murphy digs into Virginia history—and gets her paws on a killer. The most popular citizen of Virginia has been dead for nearly 170 years. That hasn't stopped the good people of tiny Crozet, Virginia, from taking pride in every aspect of Thomas Jefferson's life. But when an archaeological dig of the slave quarters at Jefferson's home, Monticello, uncovers a shocking secret, emotions in Crozet run high—dangerously high. The stunning discovery at Monticello hints a hidden passions and age-old scandals. As postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and some of Crozet's Very Best People try to learn the identity of a centuries-old skeleton—and the reason behind the murder—Harry's tiger cat, Mrs. Murphy, and her canine and feline friends attempt to sniff out a modern-day killer. Mrs. Murphy and corgi Tee Tucker will stick their paws into the darker mysteries of human nature to solve murders old and new—before curiosity can kill the cat—and Harry Haristeen.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553572350/?tag=2022091-20
(In the sequel to her beloved Six of One, Rita Mae Brown r...)
In the sequel to her beloved Six of One, Rita Mae Brown returns with another witty tale of passion and rivalry in the small Southern town of Runnymede, Maryland. Newspaper editor Nickel Smith is scrambling to save the local paper from corporate extinction, even as she is engaged in an affair that would shock the town as much as it amazes Nickel herself. Meanwhile, her mother, Julia, and her aunt Louise, the infamous Hunsenmeir sisters, who’ve set the town on its ears for decades, keep an eagle eye on Nickel. No matter that she’s a grown woman and that they’re going on ninety; they need someone to gossip about! Not even the town’s weekly bingo games can keep Louise and Julia out of trouble when Ed Tutweiler Walters, an eligible newcomer, arrives in town—and has the sisters fighting over him like schoolgirls. A telling look at the foibles of modern relationships, Bingo is full of wisdom about the comforts, trials, and absurdities of small-town life and especially of our own nearest and dearest.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553380400/?tag=2022091-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007XY6CL2/?tag=2022091-20
(The author of Venus Envy takes you on a riotous ride back...)
The author of Venus Envy takes you on a riotous ride back to one woman's future... In a delightful contemporary farce with a riotous twist, Rita Mae Brown welcomes you to Virginia's horse country, where a fox hunt is about to lead a 1990s woman, Cig Blackwood, into a 1690s adventure of the heart. Infidelity, single motherhood, family betrayal, and the thrill of the hunt (in many varieties) are hilariously and poignantly played out in this captivating novel of time travel and self-discovery. From the Paperback edition.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553763539/?tag=2022091-20
(It takes a cat to write the purr-fect mystery— "People w...)
It takes a cat to write the purr-fect mystery— "People who love cats...have a friend in Rita Mae Brown," declares The New York Times Book Review. And nowhere is it more obvious than in this, her sixth deliciously witty foray into detective fiction written with the paws-on help of collaborator Sneaky Pie Brown, and starring that irrepressible crime-solving tiger cat, Mrs. Murphy. As the principal of St. Elizabeth's, an exclusive private school that caters to Crozet, Virginia's, best families, Roscoe Fletcher has proven himself to be a highly effective and vastly popular administrator. So when his obituary appears in the local paper, everyone in town is upset. Yet nothing compares to the shock they feel when they discover that Roscoe Fletcher isn't dead at all. Someone has stooped to putting a phony obituary in the newspaper. But is it a sick joke or a sinister warning? Only Mrs. Murphy, the canny tiger cat, senses the pure malice behind the act. And when a second false obit appears, this time of a Hollywood has-been who is Roscoe Fletcher's best friend, Mrs. Murphy invites her friends, the corgi Tee Tucker, and fat cat Pewter, to do a bit of sleuthing. It's obvious to this shrewd puss that two phony death notices add up to deadly trouble. And her theory is borne out when one of the men is fiendishly murdered. "Harry" Haristeen, in her position as Crozet's postmistress, is the first to hear all the theories on whodunit—starting with the man's jealous wife. Then a second bloody homicide follows, and a third. People are dropping like flies in Crozet and no one seems to know why. Fearlessly exploring all the places where humans never think to go, Mrs. Murphy manages to untangle the knots of passion, duplicity, and greed that have sent someone into a killing frenzy. Yet knowing the truth isn't enough. Mrs. Murphy must somehow lead Harry, her favorite human, down a trail that is perilous...to a killer who is deadly...and a climax that mystery lovers will relish.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553575406/?tag=2022091-20
(In their 10th mystery, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, her ...)
In their 10th mystery, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, her Welsh Corgi, Tee Tucker, her portly gray cat Pewter, and of course, feline sleuth extraordinare, Mrs. Murphy, arrive in small Crozet, Virginia, for the annual Dogwood Festival. As spring fever hits the air, so does murder. Mrs. Murphy soon knows who the murderer is--and who's next in line.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FGVQLXS/?tag=2022091-20
(Mrs. Murphy thinks the new man in town is the cat's meow...)
Mrs. Murphy thinks the new man in town is the cat's meow.... Maybe she should think again. Small towns don't take kindly to strangers--unless the stranger happens to be a drop-dead gorgeous and seemingly unattached male. When Blair Bainbridge comes to Crozet, Virginia, the local matchmakers lose no time in declaring him perfect for their newly divorced postmistress, Marry Minor "Harry Haristeen." Even Harry's tiger cat, Ms. Murphy, and her Welsh Corgi, Tee Tucker, believe he smells A-okay. Could his one little imperfection be that he's a killer? Blair becomes the most likely suspect when the pieces of a dismembered corpse begin tuming up around Crozet. No one knows who the dead man is, but when a grisly clue makes a spectacular appearance in the middle of the fall festivities, more than an early winter snow begins chilling the blood of Crozet's very best people. That's when Ms. Murphy, her friend Tucker, and her human companion Harry begin to sort throughout the clues . . . only to find themselves a whisker away from becoming the killer's next victims.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553562398/?tag=2022091-20
(It’s autumn in cozy, idyllic Crozet, Virginia—a time for ...)
It’s autumn in cozy, idyllic Crozet, Virginia—a time for golden days, crisp nights…and murder. Mrs. Carla Paulson is one of the diamond-encrusted “come-here” set who has descended on Crozet with plenty of wealth and no feeling for country ways. She’s determined to make her new house the envy of all her well-heeled friends—and enemies —and she’s hired architect Tazio Chappers to build it. From the start, the project—and Mrs. Paulson—are a major headache for all involved. But no one could foresee that it would end with Mrs. Paulson stabbed to death at a gala fund-raiser with Harry’s friend Tazio standing over her, holding the knife. Now Harry must solve what seems to everyone else an open-and-shut case. Her four-legged partners —sleuthing cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and corgi Tee Tucker—see it Harry’s way. But will they have to choose between catching the purrfect killer and saving Harry?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553586831/?tag=2022091-20
(It’s February, prime foxhunting season for the members of...)
It’s February, prime foxhunting season for the members of Virginia’s Jefferson Hunt Club, when a shocking event alarms the community. A woman is found brutally murdered, stripped naked, and meticulously placed atop a horse statue outside a tack shop. The theft of a treasured foxhunting prize inside the store may be linked to the grisly scene, and everyone is on edge. With few clues to go on, “Sister” Jane Arnold, master of the Jefferson Hunt Club, uses her fine-tuned horse sense to try to solve the mystery of this “Lady Godiva” murder. But Sister isn’t the only one equipped to sniff out the trail. The local foxes, horses, and hounds have their own theories on the whodunit. If only these peculiar humans could just listen to them, they’d see that the killer might be right under their oblivious noses–and that Sister could become the killer’s next victim. Praise for The Tell-Tale Horse: SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BESTSELLER “A charming and engrossing series . . . Sister Jane Arnold is Master of the Foxhounds as well as one of the most entertaining amateur sleuths since those of Agatha Christie.” –Booklist “Intriguing . . . Fans of the series will be fascinated with Jane’s evolution under Brown’s hand. With each book, Jane becomes more real–and more human–in the reader’s imagination.” –Richmond Times-Dispatch “Grabs readers from the opening scene and gallops through to the very surprising end.” –Horse Illustrated
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/034550626X/?tag=2022091-20
(The inversion in its title-which transforms a cliché for ...)
The inversion in its title-which transforms a cliché for women as mothers into a call for a feminist revolution-The Hand the Cradles the Rock is equal parts playful and incisive, sensuous and tart, political and personal.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0884470059/?tag=2022091-20
(Outrageous, irrepressible and endlessly entertaining, th...)
Outrageous, irrepressible and endlessly entertaining, the bestselling author of Rubyfruit Jungle and Bingo spins a behind-the-scenes tale of women's professional tennis that dramtically intertwines the heart-stopping excitement of competition and the lingering heartache of intimate human bonds. Carmen Semanan loves three things passionalty: tennis, money and professor Harriet Rawls. Just twenty-four, Carmen is at her peak as one of the world's top-seeded tennis champions, determined to win the coveted Grand Slam. She is protected from everything but the grueling demands of her sport by an avericious agent and her devoted gusty Harriet. All the odds are in her favor. But there are weeds growing in her paradise patch. Carmen's vey latin brother, Miguel, parlays her succes into a financial house of cards with deals that include smuggling, forgery, and fraud. Susan Reilly, Carmen's archrival and former lover, leaks word of Carms's relationship with Harriet to the press--and tennis's best-kept secret is blown into a front-page scandal. From the French Open to Wimbledon, jealousies, ambitions and passions are set to explode. Now, with everything she cherishes on the line, Carmen must test the true depths of her feelings-both on and off the court.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553269305/?tag=2022091-20
(During a visit to the Mid-South Hound Show in Kentucky, S...)
During a visit to the Mid-South Hound Show in Kentucky, Sister Jane Arnold, Master of Foxhounds, is caught up in a mystery involving the theft of a valuable hound, the murder of a much detested master, the suicide of popular veterinarian Hope Rogers, and Title: Hounded to Death Author: Brown, Rita Mae/ Gildea, Lee, Jr. (ILT) Publisher: Random House Inc Publication Date: 2009/09/29 Number of Pages: 276 Binding Type: PAPERBACK Library of Congress:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007QSNJ3E/?tag=2022091-20
(In her well-received novel Outfoxed, Rita Mae Brown vivid...)
In her well-received novel Outfoxed, Rita Mae Brown vividly and deftly brought to life the genteel world of foxhunting, where hunters, horses, hounds, and foxes form a tightly knit community amidst old money and simmering conflicts. With Hotspur, we return to the Southern chase–and to a hunt on the trail of a murderer. Jane “Sister” Arnold may be in her seventies, but she shows no signs of losing her love for the Hunt. As Master of the prestigious Jefferson Hunt Club in a well-heeled Virginia Blue Ridge Mountain town, she is the most powerful and revered woman in the county. She can assess the true merits of a man or a horse with uncanny skill. In short, Sister Jane is not easily duped. When the skeleton of Nola Bancroft, still wearing an exquisite sapphire ring on her finger, is unearthed, it brings back a twenty-one year old mystery. Beautiful Nola was a girl who had more male admirers than her family had money, which was certainly quite a feat. In a world where a woman’s ability to ride was considered one of her most important social graces, Nola was queen of the stable. She had a weakness for men, and her tastes often ventured towards the inappropriate, like the sheriff’s striking son, Guy Ramy. But even Guy couldn’t keep her eyes from wandering. When Nola and Guy disappeared on the Hunt’s ceremonial first day of cubbing more than two decades ago, everyone assumed one of two things: Guy and Nola eloped to escape her family’s disapproval; or Guy killed Nola in a jealous rage and vanished. But Sister Jane had never bought either of those theories. Sister knows that all the players are probably still in place, the old feuds haven’t died, and the sparks that led to a long-ago murder could flare up at any time. Hotspur brings all of Rita Mae Brown’s storytelling gifts to the fore. It’s a tale of Southern small-town manners and rituals, a compelling and intricate murder mystery, and a look at the human/animal relationship in all its complexity and charm. From the Hardcover edition.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345428234/?tag=2022091-20
(Ten hardcover volume collection from the Mrs. Murphy Myst...)
Ten hardcover volume collection from the Mrs. Murphy Mystery Series: Pawing Through The Past (ISBN - 0553107380, 2000), Claws and Effect (ISBN - 0553107437, 2001), Catch As Cat Can (ISBN - 0553107445, 2002), The Tail Of The Tip-Off (ISBN - 0553801589, 2003), Whisker Of Evil (ISBN - 0553801619, 2004), Cat's Eyewitness (ISBN -0553801643, 2005), Sour Puss (ISBN - 055380362X, 2006), Puss 'N Cahoots (ISBN - 9780553803648, 2007) , The Purrfect Murder (ISBN -9780553803655 , 2008) & Santa Clawed (ISBN - 9780553807066, 2008).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FB45Y6/?tag=2022091-20
(“A rich, atmospheric murder mystery . . . rife with love,...)
“A rich, atmospheric murder mystery . . . rife with love, scandal . . . redemption, greed and nobility,” raved the San Jose Mercury News about Outfoxed, Rita Mae Brown’s first foxhunting masterpiece. In The Hunt Ball, the latest novel in this popular series, all the ingredients Brown’s readers love are abundantly present: richness of character and landscape, the thrill of the hunt, and the chill of violence. The trouble begins at Custis Hall, an exclusive girls’ school in Virginia that has gloried in its good name for nearly two hundred years. At first, the outcry is a mere tempest in a silver teapot–a small group of students protesting the school’s exhibit of antique household objects crafted by slaves–and headmistress Charlotte Norton quells the ruckus easily. But when one of the two hanging corpses ornamenting the students’ Halloween dance turns out to be real–the body of the school’s talented fund-raiser, in fact–Charlotte and the entire community are stunned. Everyone liked Al Perez, or so it seemed, yet his murder was particularly unpleasant. Even “Sister” Jane Arnold, master of the Jefferson Hunt Club, beloved by man and beast, is at a loss, although she knows better than anyone where the bodies are buried in this community of land-grant families and new-money settlers. Aided and abetted by foxes and owls, cats and hounds, Sister picks up a scent that leads her in a most unwelcome direction: straight to the heart of the foxhunting crowd. The chase is on, not only for foxes but also for a deadly human predator. No one has created a fictional paradise more delightful than the rolling hills of Rita Mae Brown’s Virginia countryside, or has more charmingly captured the rituals of the hunt. No one understands human and animal nature more deeply. The Hunt Ball combines a rounded, welcoming world with an edge of unforgettable white-knuckled menace. From the Hardcover edition.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345465504/?tag=2022091-20
(Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen’s beloved, tart-tongued neig...)
Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen’s beloved, tart-tongued neighbor Aunt Tally is about to turn the big 1-0-0, and the alumnae association of Tally’s alma mater is throwing a big fund-raising bash in her honor. The plan is to celebrate Tally’s centennial and recoup some much-needed school revenue lost in the cratered economy, but when a killer blizzard bears down and a board member goes missing, it falls to Harry and her menagerie of mystery solvers to track down the truth behind what is rapidly becoming a perfect storm of embezzlement, political corruption, and the kind of long-smoldering enmity that can explode into murder. Does the key lie in a forty-year-old unsolved death? If so, Harry and her four-legged friends better find it or—even at a hundred years old—Aunt Tally may outlive them all.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553591606/?tag=2022091-20
(Acclaimed authors Rita Mae Brown and her feline partner, ...)
Acclaimed authors Rita Mae Brown and her feline partner, Sneaky Pie Brown, are back with this new mystery starring Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, the sleuthing cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and corgi Tee Tucker. And this time they must catch a killer determined to turn a birthday party into a funeral. Harry's beloved and tart-tongued Aunt Tally is about to turn the big 1-0-0. The alumnae association of her alma mater sees an opportunity to honor the event and make some loot off the centennial as well. The plan is to hold a big fund-raiser in Aunt Tally's honor to recoup some of the school revenue lost in the cratered economy. But soon there's more at risk than investments and endowments. First, an impending blizzard threatens to ruin the whole affair. Then a suspicious transaction is discovered in the association's account: board member Mariah D'Angelo has mysteriously withdrawn and then replaced $25,000. But was that enough to get her killed? Mariah's car is on campus, she's gone missing, and Tucker has found human blood near the school's stables. What's behind the disappearance? Was it Mariah's donations to crafty politicians and crooked charities? Her rivalry with fellow board member Flo Langston? And is there a connection to the forty-year-old unsolved death of an old acquaintance of Aunt Tally's? Using animal cunning and human canniness, Harry and her menagerie of mystery solvers must sniff out the answers or-even at a hundred years old-Aunt Talley may outlive them all.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440793646/?tag=2022091-20
(Only Rita Mae Brown, author of Rubyfruit Jungle, could ha...)
Only Rita Mae Brown, author of Rubyfruit Jungle, could have written a novel as passionately delightful as Southern Discomfort. Here is a witty, warm and pentrating tale of two decades in Montgomery Alabama--a world where all is not what it seems. Meet Hortensia Reedmuller Banastre, a beautiful woman entrenched on old money, white magnolia and a loveless marriage--until she meets an utterly gorgeous young prizefighter. Amid such memorable characters as Banana Mae Parker and Blue Rhonda Latrec (two first-class whores) and Reverend Linton Ray (who wears his clerical collar too tightly for anyone's good), Hortensia struggles to survive the hurricane of emotions caused by her scandalous love. How she ultimately triumphs is a touching and beautiful human drama--an intense and exuberant affair of the heart.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553274465/?tag=2022091-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AU9J84K/?tag=2022091-20
(A mysterious death in a Virginia farm town has the locals...)
A mysterious death in a Virginia farm town has the locals scratching their heads-while frisky feline Mrs. Murphy and her friends, fat-cat Pewter and corgi Tee Tucker, uncover clues as they curl their way around a cold-blooded killer. This balmy summer in Crozet, Virginia, postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen has a lot to think about. Things have been pretty cozy between her and her ex-husband, Fair and her beloved old post office is in danger of being replaced with a modern building-and modern rules. Harry's thoughtful contemplation is shattered the day she stumbles over a dead body near Potlicker Creek. Barry Monteith, the handsome local horse breeder, has been savagely murdered. A true ladies' man, Barry was known to have left a string of broken hearts behind him. But could a spurned lover be responsible for his untimely demise? The plot only thickens when an autopsy reveals that Barry was infected with rabies weeks before he was killed. As usual, Harry can't resist doing a little digging-with Mrs. Murphy close by to warn of approaching danger. Harry makes a remarkable discovery in the creek-the class ring of Mary Pat Reines, a local woman who disappeared thirty years earlier along with her prized Thoroughbred stallion. Like Barry, Mary Pat was a successful horse breeder-and now all of Crozet is wondering if the two cases are linked. As the police struggle with the evidence, the pressure gets hotter than a June afternoon-especially when another person is found dead of less-than-natural causes. As usual, Mrs. Murphy and her crew are the first to sniff out the truth. But if they don't find a way to help Harry piece together the puzzle, she could become the killer's next target-and even Mrs. Murphy's slinkiest moves won't be able to save her.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019YNOYU/?tag=2022091-20
(The 12-book collection in this series includes the follow...)
The 12-book collection in this series includes the following titles: Whisker of Evil; Murder on the Prowl; Cat on the Scent; Wish You Were Here; Sour Puss, Cat's Eyewitness; Cat of the Century; Puss 'N Cahoots; The Purrfect Murder; Catch As Cat Can; The Tail of the Tip-off; Pawing Through the Past
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JOSPFCM/?tag=2022091-20
(A mysterious death in a Virginia farm town has the locals...)
A mysterious death in a Virginia farm town has the locals scratching their heads—while frisky feline Mrs. Murphy and her friends, fat-cat Pewter and corgi Tee Tucker, uncover clues as they curl their way around a cold-blooded killer. This balmy summer in Crozet, Virginia, postmistress Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen has a lot to think about. Things have been pretty cozy between her and her ex-husband, Fair and her beloved old post office is in danger of being replaced with a modern building—and modern rules. Harry’s thoughtful contemplation is shattered the day she stumbles over a dead body near Potlicker Creek. Barry Monteith, the handsome local horse breeder, has been savagely murdered. A true ladies’ man, Barry was known to have left a string of broken hearts behind him. But could a spurned lover be responsible for his untimely demise? The plot only thickens when an autopsy reveals that Barry was infected with rabies weeks before he was killed. As usual, Harry can’t resist doing a little digging—with Mrs. Murphy close by to warn of approaching danger. Harry makes a remarkable discovery in the creek—the class ring of Mary Pat Reines, a local woman who disappeared thirty years earlier along with her prized Thoroughbred stallion. Like Barry, Mary Pat was a successful horse breeder—and now all of Crozet is wondering if the two cases are linked. As the police struggle with the evidence, the pressure gets hotter than a June afternoon—especially when another person is found dead of less-than-natural causes. As usual, Mrs. Murphy and her crew are the first to sniff out the truth. But if they don’t find a way to help Harry piece together the puzzle, she could become the killer’s next target—and even Mrs. Murphy’s slinkiest moves won’t be able to save her. From the Hardcover edition.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553582860/?tag=2022091-20
(Sex makes monkeys out of all of us. If you don’t give in ...)
Sex makes monkeys out of all of us. If you don’t give in to it, you wind up a cold, unfeeling bastard. If you do, you spend the rest of your life picking up the pieces. . . . At the start of senior year at William & Mary, the six-foot-tall, raven-haired beauty Victoria “Vic” Savedge finds her future mapped out in detail. She will marry Charly Harrison, the son of one of Virginia’s most prominent families. Though branded by a fiery streak of independence, Vic hasn’t really considered any other options. Until she meets a woman named Chris. A transfer from Vermont, Chris is new to Southern mores and attitudes. Though instantly captivated by Vic, she is also drawn to the entire quirky but charming Savedge family. But the young women’s friendship is not your basic college-girl variety. For neither can resist their mutual attraction–an attraction that erupts into a passion that will forever change the course of both their lives.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345455320/?tag=2022091-20
(“The rare work of fiction that has changed real life . . ...)
“The rare work of fiction that has changed real life . . . If you don’t yet know Molly Bolt—or Rita Mae Brown, who created her—I urge you to read and thank them both.”—Gloria Steinem Winner of the Lambda Literary Pioneer Award | Winner of the Lee Lynch Classic Book Award A landmark coming-of-age novel that launched the career of one of this country’s most distinctive voices, Rubyfruit Jungle remains a transformative work more than forty years after its original publication. In bawdy, moving prose, Rita Mae Brown tells the story of Molly Bolt, the adoptive daughter of a dirt-poor Southern couple who boldly forges her own path in America. With her startling beauty and crackling wit, Molly finds that women are drawn to her wherever she goes—and she refuses to apologize for loving them back. This literary milestone continues to resonate with its message about being true to yourself and, against the odds, living happily ever after. Praise for Rubyfruit Jungle “Groundbreaking.”—The New York Times “Powerful . . . a truly incredible book . . . I found myself laughing hysterically, then sobbing uncontrollably just moments later.”—The Boston Globe “You can’t fully know—or enjoy—how much the world has changed without reading this truly wonderful book.”—Andrew Tobias, author of The Best Little Boy in the World “A crass and hilarious slice of growing up ‘different,’ as fun to read today as it was in 1973.”—The Rumpus “Molly Bolt is a genuine descendant—genuine female descendant—of Huckleberry Finn. And Rita Mae Brown is, like Mark Twain, a serious writer who gets her messages across through laughter.”—Donna E. Shalala “A trailblazing literary coup at publication . . . It was the right book at the right time.”—Lee Lynch, author of Beggar of Love
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1101965126/?tag=2022091-20
(For years a "lost" collector's item, here is the second n...)
For years a "lost" collector's item, here is the second novel from a brilliant young author testing her literary muscle, and it's bursting at the seams with Rita Mae Brown's trademark cast of characters and crackling quips. Written immediately after her classic Rubyfruit Jungle, In Her Day takes a loving swipe at the charged political atmosphere of Greenwich Village in the early seventies. Elegant art history professor Carole Hanratty insists brains transcend lust—until she crashes into Ilse, a revolutionary feminist flush with the arrogance of youth. Blazing with rhetoric, their romance is a sexual and ideological inferno. Ilse campaigns to get Carole to join The Movement, but forty-four-year-old Carole and her zany peers have twenty years of fight behind them and are wary of causes bogged down in talk. After all, says Carole's best friend, the real reason for a revolution is so the good things in life circulate. Her idea of subversion is hiring a Rolls-Royce to go to McDonald's. In Her Day, with its infectious merriment and serious underpinnings, proves that if politics is the great divider, humor is the ultimate restorative.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553275739/?tag=2022091-20
(From the best-selling author of Rubyfruit Jungle and Bi...)
From the best-selling author of Rubyfruit Jungle and Bingo, here is a writers' manual as provocative, frank, and funny as her fiction. Unlike most writers' guides, this one had as much to do with how writers live as with mastering the tools of their trade. Rita Mae Brown begins with a very personal account of her own career, from her days as a young poet who had written a novel no publisher wanted to take a chance on, right up to her recent adventures as a Hollywood screenwriter. In a sassy style that makes her outspoken advice as entertaining as it is useful, she provides straight talk about paying the rent while maintaining the energy to write; and dealing with agents, publishers, critics, and the publicity circus; about pursuingj ournalisim, academia, or screen-writing; and about rejecting the Hemingway myth of the hard-living, hard-drinking genius. In addition Brown, a former teacher or writing, offers a serious examination of the writer's tool--language, plotting, characters, symbolism--plus exercises to sharpen the ear for dialogue, and a fascinating, annoted reading list of important works from the seventh century to the late twentieth.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/055334630X/?tag=2022091-20
(In this latest whodunit, Rita Mae Brown and her feline pa...)
In this latest whodunit, Rita Mae Brown and her feline partner-in-crime-detection, Sneaky Pie Brown, return to the scene of their bestselling crimes—picturesque Crozet, Virginia. Love is in the air as spring comes to the small town, but no sooner has Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen remarried than she is rudely interrupted—by murder. And no sooner does the trouble start than curious cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, along with corgi Tee Tucker, sink their claws into the case.… After an unexpected rekindling of their romance, Harry and her veterinarian ex-husband, Fair Haristeen, have happily remarried. But the excitement of their nuptials is quickly overshadowed by the murder of Professor Vincent Forland, a world-famous grape and fungal expert who was in town visiting the local vineyards. Within days of giving a lecture on how distilled fungus and cattle diseases are the current basis of chemical warfare, Forland’s decapitated body is discovered. After their initial fright, the residents of Crozet believe that this was a political murder and settle back into their routines–until a local is also found dead, killed in the same gruesome manner as Professor Forland. Now residents can’t help wondering, is this really the work of an outsider—or one of their own? No longer working in the post office, Harry had just planted a quarter acre of grapes, which fuels her natural curiosity over just what the two murder victims knew and had in common. Once the warmth of spring arrives, the grapevines blossom and Harry’s furry entourage discovers the first critical clue. But how can they show the humans what they’ve learned? And how can they—or anyone—stop the killing? From the Hardcover edition.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553586815/?tag=2022091-20
(Following up on the success of the first Rita Mae Brown o...)
Following up on the success of the first Rita Mae Brown omnibus, here are three more mysteries starring that canny cat sleuth, Mrs. Murphy, and her human, Mary "Harry" Haristeen, postmistress of Crozet, Virginia. Pay Dirt—Who created the computer virus that ravaged the neighborhood and then murdered the mysterious biker who roared into town? Murder, She Meowed—Who murdered a jockey in the barn during the annual steeplechase races? Murder on the Prowl—Who's dead? Who's not? Phony obituaries and real live murders; what's happening in Crozet?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0517225220/?tag=2022091-20
(At thirty-five, Mary Frazier Armstrong, called "Frazier" ...)
At thirty-five, Mary Frazier Armstrong, called "Frazier" by friends and enemies alike, is a sophisticated woman with a thriving art gallery, a healthy bank balance, and an enviable social position. In fact, she has everything to live for, but she's lying in a hospital bed with a morphine drip in her arm and a life expectancy measured in hours. "Don't die a stranger," her assistant says on her last hospital visit. "Tell the people you love who you are." And so, as her last act on earth, Frazier writes letters to her closest family and friends, telling them exactly what she thinks of them and, since she will be dead by the time they receive the letters, the truth about herself: she's gay. The letters are sent. Then the manure hits the fan in Charlottesville, Virginia, because the funny thing is, Frazier Armstrong isn't going to die after all.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553564978/?tag=2022091-20
(Virginia postmistress Mary Minor Haristeen and Mrs. Murph...)
Virginia postmistress Mary Minor Haristeen and Mrs. Murphy, her tiger-striped Sherlock, return for their third wise and witty adventure. Tracking down the identity of a 200-year-old corpse unearthed at Thomas Jefferson's home, and learning why someone today would kill to keep the identity hidden, keeps humans and animals alike on their toes.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0025YZ11M/?tag=2022091-20
(Critics and fans alike are wild about Rita Mae Brown’s ri...)
Critics and fans alike are wild about Rita Mae Brown’s richly imagined and utterly engaging foxhunting mysteries–and this latest novel promises more thrilling hunts, breathtaking vistas, and an all-new sinister scandal. Millions of dollars seem to be missing after a long-overdue audit of the local aluminum plant reveals a major accounting discrepancy. Company president Garvey Stokes finds himself at a loss–in more ways than one. He turns to his sharp-tongued, ornery bookkeeper, Iphigenia “Iffy” Demetrios, for an explanation, but she’s no help. Yet when the fuzzy math suddenly includes a body count, the figures can no longer be ignored. While the town sheriff tries to get to the bottom of the matter, leave it to “Sister” Jane Arnold, venerable master of the Jefferson Hunt Club, to rely on her keen horse-and-hound sense to follow the trail of murder and cover-up. Throwing her off the scent, however, is former hunt club donor and all-around cad Crawford Howard, who thinks he can go toe-to-toe with the beloved septuagenarian and outclass her club by grossly sidestepping hound- and-hunt etiquette. Against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a menagerie of friends, foes, and fresh new faces saddle up for the breakneck ride to unravel the conspiracy. Even the furry denizens in the fields and boroughs have a thing or two to say about these peculiar humans. Incomparable author Rita Mae Brown returns to the glorious hills of Virginia and its genteel foxhunting society, where how much money you have in the bank is not nearly as important as how long your family has lived on the land–and where nearly everyone has something to hide. As Sister muses, “The little secrets leak out. The big ones, well, some escape like evils from Pandora’s box. And others we’ll never know.” From the Hardcover edition.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345465482/?tag=2022091-20
(Rita Mae Brown and her inseparable co-author, that fabulo...)
Rita Mae Brown and her inseparable co-author, that fabulous feline Sneaky Pie Brown, are together again in this triple-threat collection of mystery and manners, southern-style. In fact, the first three novels in the Browns' Mrs. Murphy bestselling mystery series are reprinted here in their entirety. Whether you are already familiar with the detective work of postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her tiger cat Mrs. Murphy or are new to the team, you are sure to be intrigued by their unique approach. It's murder with a touch of whimsy, all set in the cozy hamlet of Crozet, Virginia. Meet Harry's friends, neighbors...and suspects--folks like notorious society vamp Boom Boom Craycroft in Rest in Pieces, or the nice Miranda Hogendobber in Murder at Monticello, and get a good taste of Brown's wickedly observant take on manners below the Mason-Dixon line. Cat lovers, mystery aficionados, and anyone who might like an armchair visit to a delightful old town down South, is sure to enjoy these witty, cleverly-plotted tales of suspense.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/051722223X/?tag=2022091-20
(In the third novel of her captivating foxhunting series, ...)
In the third novel of her captivating foxhunting series, Rita Mae Brown welcomes readers back for a final tour of a world where most business is conducted on horseback–and stables are de rigueur for even the smallest of estates. Here, in the wealth-studded hills of Jefferson County, Virginia, even evil rides a mount. The all-important New Year’s Hunt commences amid swirling light snow. It is the last formal hunt of the season; therefore, participation is required no matter how hungover riders are from toasting the midnight before. On this momentous occasion, “Sister” Jane Arnold, master of the foxhounds, announces her new joint master and the new president of the Jefferson Hunt. And her choices will prove to be no less than shocking. The day’s festivities are quickly marred, though, by what appears on the surface to be an unrelated tragedy. Sam Lorillard, former shining star and Harvard Law School alum, lies dead of a stab wound on a baggage cart at the old train station, surrounded by the outcasts and vagabonds who composed his social circle at the end of life. No one can remember when Sam started drinking, but the downward spiral was swift–and seemingly deadly. Murder is followed by scandal when Sister Jane discovers dishonest hunting practices going on in a neighboring club. Unsure whether to turn a blind eye or report the infringement to the proper authority, Sister and her huntsman, Shaker Crown, decide to investigate a little further, with the help of their trusty hounds. But when they come a little too close to the staggering truth–and uncover an unforeseen connection to Lorillard’s murder–they realize they might not survive to see the next New Year’s Hunt. Intricate, witty, and full of the varied voices of creatures both great and small, Full Cry is an astute reminder that even those with the bluest of blood still bleed red. From the Hardcover edition.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345465202/?tag=2022091-20
Brown, Rita Mae was born on November 28, 1944 in Hanover, Pennsylvania, United States. Daughter of Ralph and Julia Ellen Brown.
Associate of Arts, Broward Junior College, 1965. Bachelor in English, New York University, 1968. Degree in cinematography, School Visual Arts, New York City, 1968.
Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science, Institute Policy Studies, Washington, District of Columbia, 1976. Doctor of Letters, Wilson College, 1992. Doctor of Laws (honorary), William Woods University, Fulton, Missouri, 2000.
Doctor of Laws (honorary), York College, Pennsylvania, 2003. Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary), Franklin Pierce College, 2002.
Photo editor, Sterling Public, New York City, 1969-1970;
lecturer, Federal City College, Washington, 1970-1971;
research fellow, Institute Policy Studies, Washington, 1971-1973;
president, American Artists Inc., Charlottesville, Virginia, since 1980. Visiting member of faculty in feminist studies Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont,1973-. Member literature panel National Education Association, 1978-1981.
Hemingway judge for 1st fictionPEN International, 1983. Blue ribbon panelist Prime Time Emmy Awards, 1984, 86.
(During a visit to the Mid-South Hound Show in Kentucky, S...)
(Outrageous, irrepressible and endlessly entertaining, th...)
(The 12-book collection in this series includes the follow...)
(The 12-book collection in this series includes the follow...)
(In her well-received novel Outfoxed, Rita Mae Brown vivid...)
(In the third novel of her captivating foxhunting series, ...)
(For years a "lost" collector's item, here is the second n...)
(The inversion in its title-which transforms a cliché for ...)
(Critics and fans alike are wild about Rita Mae Brown’s ri...)
(Horrified when her beloved husband dies while making love...)
(Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen’s beloved, tart-tongued neig...)
(At thirty-five, Mary Frazier Armstrong, called "Frazier" ...)
(Rita Mae Brown and her literary feline sidekick Sneaky Pi...)
(In this latest whodunit, Rita Mae Brown and her feline pa...)
(Rita Mae Brown and her inseparable co-author, that fabulo...)
(Acclaimed authors Rita Mae Brown and her feline partner, ...)
(In the sequel to her beloved Six of One, Rita Mae Brown r...)
(In their 10th mystery, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, her ...)
(The residents of tiny Crozet, Virginia, thrive on gossip,...)
(From the best-selling author of Rubyfruit Jungle and Bi...)
(It’s February, prime foxhunting season for the members of...)
(Following up on the success of the first Rita Mae Brown o...)
(Only Rita Mae Brown, author of Rubyfruit Jungle, could ha...)
(A mysterious death in a Virginia farm town has the locals...)
(A mysterious death in a Virginia farm town has the locals...)
(As Harry well knows, there’s hardly a place on earth cozi...)
(The Tail of the Tip-Off When winter hits Crozet, Virgini...)
(It’s autumn in cozy, idyllic Crozet, Virginia—a time for ...)
(The author of Venus Envy takes you on a riotous ride back...)
(Loose Lips Paperback - May 2, 2000 Paperback Jan 01, 1605...)
(It takes a cat to write the purr-fect mystery— "People w...)
(Spring fever comes to the small town of Crozet, Virginia....)
(“The rare work of fiction that has changed real life . . ...)
(First published collection of Rita Mae Brown's poetry)
(She had the president's ear and the nation's heart. She'...)
(Virginia postmistress Mary Minor Haristeen and Mrs. Murph...)
(Ten hardcover volume collection from the Mrs. Murphy Myst...)
(Unabridged CD Audiobook 9 CDs / 10 hours long)
(Unabridged CD Audiobook 7 CDs / 8 hours long.. Narrated b...)
(Curiosity just might be the death of Mrs. Murphy--and her...)
(“A rich, atmospheric murder mystery . . . rife with love,...)
(Sex makes monkeys out of all of us. If you don’t give in ...)
(Will be shipped from US. Used books may not include compa...)
(Will be shipped from US. Used books may not include compa...)
(3 novels in one volume.)
(Book by Rita Mae Brown)
(Catch as Cat Can)
(2 Book Set. Hardcover)
(Simple. Pre-loaded. Digital, Portable.)
(A Mrs. Murphy Mystery, It takes a cat to Write the Purr-f...)
(Mrs. Murphy is the central character in a series of cozy ...)
(Mrs. Murphy digs into Virginia history—and gets her paws ...)
(Mrs. Murphy thinks the new man in town is the cat's meow...)
(1st)
Former executive officer National Organization of Women. Founder Redstockings Radical Feminist Grp., National Gay Task Force. Co-founder Radical Lesbians.
Board directors Human Rights Campaign Fund, New York City, 1986. Member of National Education Association (member literature panel 1978-1981), Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists association International (Hemingway judge for fiction 1983), Blue Ridge Polo Club, Oak Ridge Foxhunt Club.