Mary Minor “Harry” Harristeen is facing the crazy holiday season and trying to keep it meaningful and less frenetic. A series of drug-related deaths in the remote country environs has everyone wondering what is going on. In between deaths, Harry and her friends are preparing their Irish wolfhounds for a dog show exhibition. Harry is not so keen on the showing aspect but wants to get young Pirate some instruction under his paws. In alternating chapters, we learn about early steeplechase preparations, plantation life and the inner workings of an 18th century brothel, all about a decade after the Revolutionary War.

This series has certainly changed over the years. There was a time when the animals conducted their own investigations concurrently. Yet, such is not the case here. Their charming dialogue is present and still a joy to behold. This 31st installment in the Mrs. Murphy mystery series was interesting and quite instructional. There certainly was a vast amount of research which went into the book's writing. However, to this reader, the connection between the current day and the colonial world never quite tied together. There was certainly a mystery to be fleshed out in the current day story and there could have been one in the colonial story but it just didn't seem to be there.

The writing is solid. The roster of the panoply of characters is much appreciated and certainly needed. One would probably be well-served to read the entire series in order to get a fuller understanding of the dynamics among characters. Regardless, the stories were interesting and most informative.

I am grateful to #Bantam Books for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through #NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publisher: Bantam Books
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-0593357552
No. of pages: 304 ( )

This series used to be fun and entertaining. No longer. The main animal characters, always so interesting as they commiserated among themselves about the humans, are nearly nonexistent in this installment. Since the author has capitulated to the absurd theory that novels need to be set in two time periods, her books have suffered. And so have her readers. This one is a soapbox for the author’s views on illegal drug abuse (present period) and prostitution (past period). Not a cozy, not entertaining, not intriguing, not even a mystery. I’m done with this series, unless the author returns to her former - and vastly better - writing. ( )

"Harry" Harristeen is a farmer who loves living off the land. Her husband "Fair" is a veterinarian, and they've managed to make a good life for themselves. They live in Virginia near Richmond, but far enough away that they have a quiet life. That is, at least until Harry and her best friend Susan Tucker are out driving one day and come across a dead body. Harry wonders if it's related to the earlier accident that Fair had seen on the road -- one with a white van and people running away as fast as they could. But the answers will have to wait; her friend Officer Cynthia Cooper, is working on the other case. Still, she's willing to listen to Harry's theories and see if they make sense.

When it's discovered that the man died from a deadly drug, Harry is worried. Especially when there are more deaths. Could they be connected? But Harry also has other things on her mind: finding the right gift for her husband, which could be tricky; and training her Irish Wolfhound puppy (all 150 pounds of him) Pirate. There are other friends who are training theirs as well, but Pirate is holding his own.

Meanwhile back in the eighteenth century, we revisit the neighboring estates of the Ewings and Holloways, watching as they forge a new country on their own terms. Catherine Ewing Schuyler has decided to create a steeplechase, open to all who pay the small fee, and to anyone who wishes to watch the spectacle -- for only a penny. She wants it to be a success, and hopes that it will. But not all is pleasant: in the town of Richmond there is an infamous place called the Tavern, which houses ladies of the night as well as the best food in town. We are given another look into the past, and while some are very pleasant, others show us the harshness of the time.

What those must understand is that people are a product of their times; and the past cannot be changed. Nothing you do can erase it; we must learn not to repeat the sorrows that were. Ms. Brown shows us the courage of these women, the courage of the ex-soldiers, and the courage of all to survive any way they can. It is a lesson, and fascinating reading, to boot. I am always in awe of these books, for I love a story within a story, and this one is especially intriguing.

In the present, Harry has her opinions (as always) on the drugs that are coming into our country and any attempts to stop them. She worries for people, her kind heart showing through. She worries for the future, and what drugs are doing to people who don't care. It's dark reading, but I have never been disappointed in any of her books. She knows how to weave a story skillfully, bringing the characters together through simple statements, and allowing the reader to try and find a murderer.

And of course, we have Mrs. Murphy and the ever-loveable Pewter offering their own opinions on the goings-on around them, along with the corgi Tucker and Pirate. Their antics are worth watching, and even more so in this book, as you will learn.

In this one, it was not that easy. That's a very good thing, as I am usually able to put the murderer in the picture early on. Not in this tale. Which isn't to say that there are not clues, because there are, if you look for them. The ending is surprising, which is how it should be. The book was finished far too soon as I love these so, and I not only highly recommend this, I eagerly await the next in the series.

I was given an advance copy of this book from Bantam and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review. ( )

dual-time-frames, series, cozy-mystery, animals, veterinarian, Virginia, rural, pet-cat, pet-dog, animal-narratives, politics, trafficking, homelessness, greed*****

Welcome back to the dual timelines in Crozet, Virginia (1789/2021), the people, communicating animals (the animals are also narrators), and the politics and life problems that persist. Homelessness is present, as is human trafficking to provide cheap labor, only the opioid issues are new. Violence is not. I love each book I've read in this series!
However, I much prefer the print versions as that is a better help when I need to check up on a character or two.
Great stuff for a history geek and/or a gardening geek (that's my sister, so I'll have to gift her a copy).
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine
Bantam via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )

It is always a pleasure to read one of Rita Mae Brown’s mysteries! She expertly weaves history, local culture and sweet animals to make very engaging books. Central Virginia is the setting and it stars as a well-described character along with the usual cast of people and pets.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this great ARC. ( )