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Mags Rogers #2
Murder Unleashed
Unscrupulous bankers, abandoned homes, and a cold-blooded killer on the loose: Mags Rogers and her wire-haired dachshund, Baxter, digg up the dirt in the second scintillating novel in New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown’s delightful new series featuring some doggedly determined canine sleuths and their intrepid human companions.
Settling into ranch life outside Reno, Nevada, with her gregarious great-aunt Jeep Reed and Jeep’s German Shepherd, King, former Wall Street trader Mags doesn’t miss the cutthroat world of investment banking—because its destructive tentacles have reached westward to the Silver State. The foreclosure crisis has taken a huge bite out of the local real estate market, where rows of homes sit unsold and forsaken—but not empty.
A group of squatters, including desperate single mothers with children, are living under the radar in the houses on Reno’s Yolanda Street—without water or electricity. Big-hearted real estate broker Babs Gallagher enlists Jeep and Mags to start a community outreach program, but that means going up against uncaring utility companies, corrupt officials, ruthless politicians—and a merciless murderer. When a former banker is found brutally slain in one of the abandoned homes, the notion of “cutthroat business practices” takes on a whole new meaning.
Baxter, King, and some other canine detectives leave no bone of contention buried as they help their human charges untangle a string of murders rooted deep in the heart of Red Rock Valley’s prominent citizenry. Though Reno deputy—and Mags’s unofficial significant other—Pete Meadows uncovers evidence of blackmail, shady real estate ventures, and rumors of lost treasure, the killer seems to hold all the cards in a city of gambling and sin. Luckily, Mags, Jeep, and Babs still have a few tricks up their sleeves. As nefarious sexploits and backroom backstabbing reverberate throughout the county, the dogs are officially off the leash—and on the hunt for a killer. Along the way, they encounter curious coyotes, human kindness and treachery, and a long-buried stash of riches.
Settling into ranch life outside Reno, Nevada, with her gregarious great-aunt Jeep Reed and Jeep’s German Shepherd, King, former Wall Street trader Mags doesn’t miss the cutthroat world of investment banking—because its destructive tentacles have reached westward to the Silver State. The foreclosure crisis has taken a huge bite out of the local real estate market, where rows of homes sit unsold and forsaken—but not empty.
A group of squatters, including desperate single mothers with children, are living under the radar in the houses on Reno’s Yolanda Street—without water or electricity. Big-hearted real estate broker Babs Gallagher enlists Jeep and Mags to start a community outreach program, but that means going up against uncaring utility companies, corrupt officials, ruthless politicians—and a merciless murderer. When a former banker is found brutally slain in one of the abandoned homes, the notion of “cutthroat business practices” takes on a whole new meaning.
Baxter, King, and some other canine detectives leave no bone of contention buried as they help their human charges untangle a string of murders rooted deep in the heart of Red Rock Valley’s prominent citizenry. Though Reno deputy—and Mags’s unofficial significant other—Pete Meadows uncovers evidence of blackmail, shady real estate ventures, and rumors of lost treasure, the killer seems to hold all the cards in a city of gambling and sin. Luckily, Mags, Jeep, and Babs still have a few tricks up their sleeves. As nefarious sexploits and backroom backstabbing reverberate throughout the county, the dogs are officially off the leash—and on the hunt for a killer. Along the way, they encounter curious coyotes, human kindness and treachery, and a long-buried stash of riches.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
107 people are currently reading
484 people want to read
About the author
Rita Mae Brown
174 books2,231 followersRita Mae Brown is a prolific American writer, most known for her mysteries and other novels (Rubyfruit Jungle). She is also an Emmy-nominated screenwriter.
Brown was born illegitimate in Hanover, Pennsylvania. She was raised by her biological mother's female cousin and the cousin's husband in York, Pennsylvania and later in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Starting in the fall of 1962, Brown attended the University of Florida at Gainesville on a scholarship. In the spring of 1964, the administrators of the racially segregated university expelled her for participating in the civil rights movement. She subsequently enrolled at Broward Community College[3] with the hope of transferring eventually to a more tolerant four-year institution.
Between fall 1964 and 1969, she lived in New York City, sometimes homeless, while attending New York University[6] where she received a degree in Classics and English. Later,[when?] she received another degree in cinematography from the New York School of Visual Arts.[citation needed] Brown received a Ph.D. in literature from Union Institute & University in 1976 and holds a doctorate in political science from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.
Starting in 1973, Brown lived in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. In 1977, she bought a farm in Charlottesville, Virginia where she still lives.[9] In 1982, a screenplay Brown wrote while living in Los Angeles, Sleepless Nights, was retitled The Slumber Party Massacre and given a limited release theatrically.
During Brown's spring 1964 semester at the University of Florida at Gainesville, she became active in the American Civil Rights Movement. Later in the 1960s, she participated in the anti-war movement, the feminist movement and the Gay Liberation movement.
Brown took an administrative position with the fledgling National Organization for Women, but resigned in January 1970 over Betty Friedan's anti-gay remarks and NOW's attempts to distance itself from lesbian organizations. She claims she played a leading role in the "Lavender Menace" zap of the Second Congress to Unite Women on May 1, 1970, which protested Friedan's remarks and the exclusion of lesbians from the women's movement.
In the early 1970s, she became a founding member of The Furies Collective, a lesbian feminist newspaper collective in Washington, DC, which held that heterosexuality was the root of all oppression.
Brown told Time magazine in 2008, "I don't believe in straight or gay. I really don't. I think we're all degrees of bisexual. There may be a few people on the extreme if it's a bell curve who really truly are gay or really truly are straight. Because nobody had ever said these things and used their real name, I suddenly became [in the late 1970s] the only lesbian in America."
Brown was born illegitimate in Hanover, Pennsylvania. She was raised by her biological mother's female cousin and the cousin's husband in York, Pennsylvania and later in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Starting in the fall of 1962, Brown attended the University of Florida at Gainesville on a scholarship. In the spring of 1964, the administrators of the racially segregated university expelled her for participating in the civil rights movement. She subsequently enrolled at Broward Community College[3] with the hope of transferring eventually to a more tolerant four-year institution.
Between fall 1964 and 1969, she lived in New York City, sometimes homeless, while attending New York University[6] where she received a degree in Classics and English. Later,[when?] she received another degree in cinematography from the New York School of Visual Arts.[citation needed] Brown received a Ph.D. in literature from Union Institute & University in 1976 and holds a doctorate in political science from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.
Starting in 1973, Brown lived in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. In 1977, she bought a farm in Charlottesville, Virginia where she still lives.[9] In 1982, a screenplay Brown wrote while living in Los Angeles, Sleepless Nights, was retitled The Slumber Party Massacre and given a limited release theatrically.
During Brown's spring 1964 semester at the University of Florida at Gainesville, she became active in the American Civil Rights Movement. Later in the 1960s, she participated in the anti-war movement, the feminist movement and the Gay Liberation movement.
Brown took an administrative position with the fledgling National Organization for Women, but resigned in January 1970 over Betty Friedan's anti-gay remarks and NOW's attempts to distance itself from lesbian organizations. She claims she played a leading role in the "Lavender Menace" zap of the Second Congress to Unite Women on May 1, 1970, which protested Friedan's remarks and the exclusion of lesbians from the women's movement.
In the early 1970s, she became a founding member of The Furies Collective, a lesbian feminist newspaper collective in Washington, DC, which held that heterosexuality was the root of all oppression.
Brown told Time magazine in 2008, "I don't believe in straight or gay. I really don't. I think we're all degrees of bisexual. There may be a few people on the extreme if it's a bell curve who really truly are gay or really truly are straight. Because nobody had ever said these things and used their real name, I suddenly became [in the late 1970s] the only lesbian in America."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
November 15, 2012
This new series just isn't my cup of tea. I'm a fan of the Mrs Murphy books and I also like the Sister Jane series. But in this series I just can't get used to the characters. I tried to give it another chance and read the second book. But it was even worse than book number one where I at least saw some logic in the plot. I probably won't read any more books in this series.
August 20, 2016
Some interesting tactics going on here. It has the 'cozy' element, a lot of politics/social commentary, and queer characters who are incidentally queer -- not something that the plot revolves around.
That last bit was one of my favourite parts of the book. In university I read (and loved) Rubyfruit Jungle, which is one of those books that is all about being queer, and being out, and finding oneself. That's, you know, valid and awesome and all that, but at this point I really appreciate books in which (main) characters are queer and that's not the point of the book.
Other parts were, to me, a bit more mixed. I didn't mind being able to see the animals' conversations, but I wished that their logic hadn't been quite so, well, human. (Maybe the point is that animals can be just as smart as humans, though with different strengths -- but then why not focus more on those differences?) But the dogs' individual personalities came through clearly, which is nice.
The mystery end of the book was all tied up in politics, all of which was interesting, and seemed like it both held potential and was quite unrealistic, and sometimes overshadowed the mystery. Which...maybe is as it should be for a cozy mystery? The core characters -- Jeep, Mags, Babs -- are all sympathetic, which of course helps, and I applaud the author for keeping the murderer a mystery until the end (I'm always slightly irritated when it's obvious...).
Not literature that's likely to, oh, change the world, but a quick aeroplane read, which was just what I needed.
I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
That last bit was one of my favourite parts of the book. In university I read (and loved) Rubyfruit Jungle, which is one of those books that is all about being queer, and being out, and finding oneself. That's, you know, valid and awesome and all that, but at this point I really appreciate books in which (main) characters are queer and that's not the point of the book.
Other parts were, to me, a bit more mixed. I didn't mind being able to see the animals' conversations, but I wished that their logic hadn't been quite so, well, human. (Maybe the point is that animals can be just as smart as humans, though with different strengths -- but then why not focus more on those differences?) But the dogs' individual personalities came through clearly, which is nice.
The mystery end of the book was all tied up in politics, all of which was interesting, and seemed like it both held potential and was quite unrealistic, and sometimes overshadowed the mystery. Which...maybe is as it should be for a cozy mystery? The core characters -- Jeep, Mags, Babs -- are all sympathetic, which of course helps, and I applaud the author for keeping the murderer a mystery until the end (I'm always slightly irritated when it's obvious...).
Not literature that's likely to, oh, change the world, but a quick aeroplane read, which was just what I needed.
I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
July 2, 2017
A book has to be really awful if I can't even stand to read it during a power outage when I have nothing else new to read, not to mention no internet or tv. This book is so badly written it beggars description. I had to go get "Pride and Prejudice" to get the awful taste of this truly awful writing out of my mind.
The book seems to have been written as a fictional response to the '08 crash. The main character is constantly spouting off her very muddled - some sort of improbable Libertarian + Do-Gooderism combo - opinions on the virtues of the free market and rugged Nevada "toughness" and individualism. All while she is trying to help poor people displaced and made homeless by the crash. Oh, and she's able to help them because she's filthy rich - all obtained via bootstrap, of course - and everyone in town kowtows to her wealth. Other characters chime in with the same message.
And lest we somehow miss the point, when the characters are not spouting their political/economic philosophy, the author as narrator often inserts random didactic pronouncements on same.
Whatever one's opinion on the philosophies, the writing is simply bad. The story - what little there is of it - is told in jumpy fragments. There is no emotional depth to any of the characters, and no action to generate any interest at all. There's supposed to be a mystery going on - or several mysteries - but the characters are so thin, the plot (if there is one) so buried in boring homilies that I couldn't possibly care who killed who. Not even dogs can rescue this - they are as boring as the people are.
The book seems to have been written as a fictional response to the '08 crash. The main character is constantly spouting off her very muddled - some sort of improbable Libertarian + Do-Gooderism combo - opinions on the virtues of the free market and rugged Nevada "toughness" and individualism. All while she is trying to help poor people displaced and made homeless by the crash. Oh, and she's able to help them because she's filthy rich - all obtained via bootstrap, of course - and everyone in town kowtows to her wealth. Other characters chime in with the same message.
And lest we somehow miss the point, when the characters are not spouting their political/economic philosophy, the author as narrator often inserts random didactic pronouncements on same.
Whatever one's opinion on the philosophies, the writing is simply bad. The story - what little there is of it - is told in jumpy fragments. There is no emotional depth to any of the characters, and no action to generate any interest at all. There's supposed to be a mystery going on - or several mysteries - but the characters are so thin, the plot (if there is one) so buried in boring homilies that I couldn't possibly care who killed who. Not even dogs can rescue this - they are as boring as the people are.
August 15, 2020
Another social diatrode disaster. Not a mystery. Life is to short and there are too many good books to read out there. I thought i would give the author another chance. But nope. Gave up after 20 pages of the home less crises. I will not pick up another by this author
February 11, 2012
This book tells about the effects of the foreclosures in Reno and the number of people affected by them
and the unemployment rate that are a part of the downturn in the economy. How people down on their
luck try to keep themselves and their children safe and secure.
It is a mystery and like Rita Mae Brown's other books it features talking animals who try to
participate in the solution in the murder of a Banker and others.
I can't say I enjoy the animals. Surely Ms Brown can find a better vehicle to help in the solution
of her mysteries.
and the unemployment rate that are a part of the downturn in the economy. How people down on their
luck try to keep themselves and their children safe and secure.
It is a mystery and like Rita Mae Brown's other books it features talking animals who try to
participate in the solution in the murder of a Banker and others.
I can't say I enjoy the animals. Surely Ms Brown can find a better vehicle to help in the solution
of her mysteries.
December 5, 2014
I have read many and always like the cozy RMB dog and cat infused mysteries,charming characters,settings and murderers. Not sure about the lessons regarding mortgages,banking,economy,homeless state of the Union. But it did seem to be researched and fairly accurate. I guess she is trying to be relevant? Not sure it is necessary.
March 6, 2016
Meh- this book had it's moments when it held my attention but more times than not I was bored. This is my 3rd book by this author and my previous reviews have been similar. Sorry to say but I won't be reading any more of her books.
December 13, 2017
An action mystery bonanza
This is a bonanza of thrills for every mystery reader.
A who done it that will test the skills of every arm chair sleuth.
This is a bonanza of thrills for every mystery reader.
A who done it that will test the skills of every arm chair sleuth.
May 9, 2018
Enjoyable reading as always from Rita Mae Brown. Plus a little economic history.
July 17, 2019
#2 in the Mags Rogers mystery series. After her Wall Street career abruptly ends, 32 year old Mags, relocates to her 85 year old great Aunt Magdalena’s (Jeep) Wings Ranch in Washoe County, Nevada to get her life back together. Three other important characters, besides Jeep who's really the star of the novel, are Reno deputy Pete Meadows (Mags’s unofficial significant other), her wire-haired dachshund and King, Jeep’s German Shepherd. There is a strong social, political and economic commentary running through the story which I feel is the real point of the story.
Opens on March 15th about 6 weeks after the end of the first in the series and ends in early May. Mags and Jeep find themselves faced with unscrupulous bankers, abandoned homes, blackmail, shady real estate ventures, rumors of lost treasure and a cold-blooded killer. The foreclosure crisis has left rows of homes abandoned and unsold, but not empty. Jeep and Mags are approached to help start a community outreach program to help these people, but that means going up against uncaring utility companies, corrupt officials, ruthless politicians and a murderer.
Opens on March 15th about 6 weeks after the end of the first in the series and ends in early May. Mags and Jeep find themselves faced with unscrupulous bankers, abandoned homes, blackmail, shady real estate ventures, rumors of lost treasure and a cold-blooded killer. The foreclosure crisis has left rows of homes abandoned and unsold, but not empty. Jeep and Mags are approached to help start a community outreach program to help these people, but that means going up against uncaring utility companies, corrupt officials, ruthless politicians and a murderer.
March 20, 2020
Quotable:
What richness there was in a friendship nudging six decade.
“You know, Howie, if more people worked at what they loved we’d have far fewer problems.”
The egoist is the easiest man for a woman to manipulate.
Never forget the Volstead Act, which made drinking liquor illegal. What it cost our nation will never be fully known, but one thing it did cost is a loss of respect for government and law enforcement.
“… I wonder if she knew what he was when she married him?”
“Does anyone?” Mags fired back…
“Yeah, well, I guess marriage is one long journey of discovery, you’re lucky, it’s a pleasant one.” Pete shrugged.
I’ve reached a point where I don’t have compassion for people who don’t learn.
I will never believe America and Americans truly love children until we have child-care facilities on a par with libraries. Of course, library funding is being slashed but still the library is a treasure of the community. All are welcome. That’s what I mean.
What richness there was in a friendship nudging six decade.
“You know, Howie, if more people worked at what they loved we’d have far fewer problems.”
The egoist is the easiest man for a woman to manipulate.
Never forget the Volstead Act, which made drinking liquor illegal. What it cost our nation will never be fully known, but one thing it did cost is a loss of respect for government and law enforcement.
“… I wonder if she knew what he was when she married him?”
“Does anyone?” Mags fired back…
“Yeah, well, I guess marriage is one long journey of discovery, you’re lucky, it’s a pleasant one.” Pete shrugged.
I’ve reached a point where I don’t have compassion for people who don’t learn.
I will never believe America and Americans truly love children until we have child-care facilities on a par with libraries. Of course, library funding is being slashed but still the library is a treasure of the community. All are welcome. That’s what I mean.
March 7, 2025
(Also referenced as Nevada Series #2)
My opinion - The book is rather ‘preachy’. Murder Unleashed is centered around the residential mortgage foreclosure crisis that occurred a number of years ago. If I recall correctly, it was during Clinton’s presidential term that banks were basically encouraged to limit their inquiries into whether a borrower could actually afford the mortgage she or he was applying for. Some conservative press articles warned of the disaster that would occur as the adjustable mortgage interest rate rose; the liberal press articles I read ignored this. Anyone with a brain knew that when the interest rate rose, as history showed it would, many purchasers would not be able to meet their monthly obligation, ensuring foreclosure. The author does touch, without the ‘catch-y’ name, of the dangers of ‘cancel culture’, as younger politicians attain office without knowing past history.
My opinion - The book is rather ‘preachy’. Murder Unleashed is centered around the residential mortgage foreclosure crisis that occurred a number of years ago. If I recall correctly, it was during Clinton’s presidential term that banks were basically encouraged to limit their inquiries into whether a borrower could actually afford the mortgage she or he was applying for. Some conservative press articles warned of the disaster that would occur as the adjustable mortgage interest rate rose; the liberal press articles I read ignored this. Anyone with a brain knew that when the interest rate rose, as history showed it would, many purchasers would not be able to meet their monthly obligation, ensuring foreclosure. The author does touch, without the ‘catch-y’ name, of the dangers of ‘cancel culture’, as younger politicians attain office without knowing past history.
February 28, 2020
The backdrop of this story is the banking/foreclosure crisis in 2010 in Nevada, specifically in Reno. Author expresses her views about the causes of the crisis and how it affected the people in Reno and their pets. All canines in this story can think and talk to each other, including coyotes, although they cannot communicate with humans. The canines provide commentary and clarification about what is going on, but they do not assist the humans in crime-solving.
In the previous entry of this series, A NOSE FOR JUSTICE, the backdrop was water rights, taxation, and other social issues. Author may have wanted to use this series as a means to voice her opinions about various socio-economic issues, but apparently it was not a success as the series ended with MURDER UNLEASHED.
However, I enj0yed the descriptions of the Reno area and was disappointed that the bus parade mentioned in the book was a fabrication.
In the previous entry of this series, A NOSE FOR JUSTICE, the backdrop was water rights, taxation, and other social issues. Author may have wanted to use this series as a means to voice her opinions about various socio-economic issues, but apparently it was not a success as the series ended with MURDER UNLEASHED.
However, I enj0yed the descriptions of the Reno area and was disappointed that the bus parade mentioned in the book was a fabrication.
July 8, 2018
Both humans and animals talk. The humans don’t understand the dogs. I loss track who was talking at times. It covers a big issue of the housing market and squatters. Plus there a side story about missing loot.
She wrapped it up nicely. Since there no more books in this series I say the series didn’t go over well with people.
She wrapped it up nicely. Since there no more books in this series I say the series didn’t go over well with people.
August 26, 2018
My first Rita Mae book. I wanted to see how a popular author writes. In short, I liked the storytelling. I like how she simplified the banking crisis and tried to personalize it against the backdrop of simple, ordinary people. Sometimes preachy and a little clumsy, but all in the spirit of moving the story along - in a direct and understandable way. So, she gets my vote!
February 20, 2019
This was pretty political, but at the same time made the reader want to make a difference. Enjoyed
Read
September 10, 2019This is not a Sneaky Pie Brown story and I honestly could not read it. I will try again in the future because I hate to admit defeat on a story written by an author I know is talented.
June 9, 2022
Interesting. But just OK
April 23, 2023
Basic story line was good, although I like Mrs Murphy better. The economic theory got s little tiresome and hasn’t aged well.
May 3, 2023
The dog characters were the most interesting to me in this story - I enjoy her other books but this one just did not interest me even tho it is a cozy mystery!
July 10, 2023
I didn’t really like it even though I read the first few chapters. It’s kinda boring and confusing, to say the least.
May 3, 2025
Not quite as good as her dog show stories, but an okay read if you like interacting with animals.
October 16, 2011
All in all, I liked this book. It was a bit over idealistic when it came to the "goodness" of people and how they act and speak. Or perhaps that is just my experience that I haven't run into folks like the characters portrayed in this book.
Two little pieces of this book that I enjoyed was the character introduction before the story even began. Just a rundown of who's who in a few sentences. Never have come across something like that in the past as far as I can recall. The second item was the "dialogue" between the canine characters amongst themselves. That was a cute addition to the storyline instead of just having mention of dogs, these dogs "talked" amongst themselves and helped build the story.
A few portions of the book that I felt were lacking were the ending of the book and some of the missing emotion/reaction that some of the characters had after certain events. The ending felt a bit anti-climatic. I would have enjoyed something bigger. More information as to what happened to some of the players in the book (i.e. Bunny).
The author certainly did her research in portraying our current economic crisis and it's effect on our housing market and the people connected to it. Perhaps one of the more informative and easy to understand explanations on how, why and the fallout that I have read or heard and that would include our nightly news reports.
This book was a gift through Goodreads.com.
Two little pieces of this book that I enjoyed was the character introduction before the story even began. Just a rundown of who's who in a few sentences. Never have come across something like that in the past as far as I can recall. The second item was the "dialogue" between the canine characters amongst themselves. That was a cute addition to the storyline instead of just having mention of dogs, these dogs "talked" amongst themselves and helped build the story.
A few portions of the book that I felt were lacking were the ending of the book and some of the missing emotion/reaction that some of the characters had after certain events. The ending felt a bit anti-climatic. I would have enjoyed something bigger. More information as to what happened to some of the players in the book (i.e. Bunny).
The author certainly did her research in portraying our current economic crisis and it's effect on our housing market and the people connected to it. Perhaps one of the more informative and easy to understand explanations on how, why and the fallout that I have read or heard and that would include our nightly news reports.
This book was a gift through Goodreads.com.
April 3, 2012
This series is really growing on me. Quite a departure from the Sneaky Pie collaborations, this book endears you to a different location and group of well formed new characters that soon has you forgetting they are only characters in a book.
Spunky 80's something, Jeep Reed is our main sleuth. She is beyond wealthy but remembers to keep in touch with the everyday person. Jeep owns a cattle spread and the book opens with her neighbor, Howie Norris being attacked on his own land. While looking into that, Jeep and Mags with their dogs find downtown Reno in trouble.
What trouble? What the entire U.S.A. is suffering from...Foreclosures. This book focuses upon individuals living marginal lives and trying to survive in foreclosed homes. Ms. Brown shows us the viewpoint of this issue (banking etc.) from all sides, using even the dogs narratives to aid us in perspectives, we may have not thought about.
There were murders, embezzlement's, high speed chases, treasure hunting, and a very thought provoking theme that had me paging through this book to see what happens. I cried, laughed, and shook my head in perplex in trying to see how I, as an individual, can help this blight in my town. To me this was a very well laid out book and an important one. I appreciate Ms. Brown sharing her opinions and the immense amount of research needed to pen this novel.
Spunky 80's something, Jeep Reed is our main sleuth. She is beyond wealthy but remembers to keep in touch with the everyday person. Jeep owns a cattle spread and the book opens with her neighbor, Howie Norris being attacked on his own land. While looking into that, Jeep and Mags with their dogs find downtown Reno in trouble.
What trouble? What the entire U.S.A. is suffering from...Foreclosures. This book focuses upon individuals living marginal lives and trying to survive in foreclosed homes. Ms. Brown shows us the viewpoint of this issue (banking etc.) from all sides, using even the dogs narratives to aid us in perspectives, we may have not thought about.
There were murders, embezzlement's, high speed chases, treasure hunting, and a very thought provoking theme that had me paging through this book to see what happens. I cried, laughed, and shook my head in perplex in trying to see how I, as an individual, can help this blight in my town. To me this was a very well laid out book and an important one. I appreciate Ms. Brown sharing her opinions and the immense amount of research needed to pen this novel.
April 5, 2012
I'm happy to report that this new story line seems to be settling in. The formula of talking animals + educational, culturally relevant content + warm, likable, but uncommon in pop lit characters = win for me. The first book in the series felt more raw and I'm happy they're fitting together better. It's easy to spot the killer, but hard telling if that is because I've read the rest of her mysteries and am conditioned. RMB's are the only mysteries I read, so not having anything else to compare them to, I give them mostly middle scores. I enjoy them in spite of their flaws and I don't pretend they're a revelation of the art of fiction.
This story is a murder mystery that encompasses a wide variety of topics including but not limited to: the mortgage crisis, squatter's rights, hunger both human and animal, coyote's and ranch politics, cattle farming, campaign finance, school buses, and sex industry workers. I'm sure there was more, plus the everyday lives of regular characters. The story is easy and RMB has a gift for packing a lot of content into a weekend read without making it laborious.
This story is a murder mystery that encompasses a wide variety of topics including but not limited to: the mortgage crisis, squatter's rights, hunger both human and animal, coyote's and ranch politics, cattle farming, campaign finance, school buses, and sex industry workers. I'm sure there was more, plus the everyday lives of regular characters. The story is easy and RMB has a gift for packing a lot of content into a weekend read without making it laborious.
June 11, 2013
If you expect this novel to be similar to the ones in the popular Sneaky Pie series, you will be disappointed. Though well written, it seems less like a mystery and more like a commentary on social issues. Indeed, it is so liberally sprinkled with the characters’ opinions on everything from the homeless and hungry to squatters in abandoned buildings to drug dealers to hormone-infused animal feed, you may find yourself checking the spine (if you are reading a library book) to see if it really is a mystery you are holding. And alas, while there are canine companions who converse with other animals, coyotes included, the feline species is unfortunately not represented. Much of the charm of the Sneaky Pie books results from the snarky interplay between the overweight Pewter, the intelligent Mrs. Murphy, both cats, and the loyal and loving Tucker, a corgi. I can only hope that other books in this new series will dwell more on the mysteries and less on social issues. Such issues, though certainly important, are not the reason I enjoy reading mysteries, and inserting them so thoroughly into the storyline does nothing to enhance the mystery.
November 6, 2014
I have been a long time Rita Mae Brown reader and enjoyed her Sneaky Pie cozy mysteries that involved the cats of the main character. This is the first book I have read in her new series which involves the dogs of the sleuths. I had read several reviews that did not give this series as high marks as her previous books.
This book is quite different from her previous ones but I have to say I enjoyed it. It is not really a "whodunit" per se or a cozy mystery; but it does involve a couple of deaths that are related and have to be solved as well as a missing treasure. The main characters Jeep and Mags do not spend their entire time in the book trying to solve the mysteries. Instead, several hot button current topics-banking crisis, housing crisis, homelessness, and hunger-are their main concerns into which the author weaves the mysteries. I found the information that Ms. Brown included quite interesting and felt she had done some good research on these topics especially as they affected Reno, Nevada.
This book is quite different from her previous ones but I have to say I enjoyed it. It is not really a "whodunit" per se or a cozy mystery; but it does involve a couple of deaths that are related and have to be solved as well as a missing treasure. The main characters Jeep and Mags do not spend their entire time in the book trying to solve the mysteries. Instead, several hot button current topics-banking crisis, housing crisis, homelessness, and hunger-are their main concerns into which the author weaves the mysteries. I found the information that Ms. Brown included quite interesting and felt she had done some good research on these topics especially as they affected Reno, Nevada.
October 24, 2011
Rita Mae Brown's animal books are true mystery "cozies." They're an easy and fast read. All of them are similar in terms of themes and even organization. The pets "talk" with each other, ponder on the eccentricities of their humans, and help solve some sort of crime. The primary human characters are interesting as people. They aren't just cardboard cutouts, even though so much of the plots are formulaic.
"Murder Unleashed" takes place in Reno instead of Ms. Brown's usual Virginia settings. Reno is in the grip of one of the worst mortgage foreclosure problem in the country. That shared agony gives some unscrupulous people opportunities for crime.
This book, like the Brown's other cozies, was one of my guilty pleasures--like that piece of chocolate, playing with my dog and cat. The book and their relatives may not be "great literature," but they're fun.
"Murder Unleashed" takes place in Reno instead of Ms. Brown's usual Virginia settings. Reno is in the grip of one of the worst mortgage foreclosure problem in the country. That shared agony gives some unscrupulous people opportunities for crime.
This book, like the Brown's other cozies, was one of my guilty pleasures--like that piece of chocolate, playing with my dog and cat. The book and their relatives may not be "great literature," but they're fun.
November 19, 2011
Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy series is one of the reasons I became interested in learning more about the Pembroke Welsh Corgi breed of dogs. Murder Unleashed is Brown's first of a canine series (no cats allowed). Her books are cozy mysteries but she injects them with a large dose of social consciousness. The big banks and the housing bust figure into this story. She's not preachy at all, rather she weaves her research into the story so as to make it integral for the reader. She foresaw that national demonstrations and violence was just over the horizon. And now, here we are, watching it unfold.
After reading this novel, I found that Lafayette is approaching the problem of foreclosures by winning grant funding to rehab and put the houses back on the market as they are done. Putting people back in the houses is the goal of neighborhood revitalization in general.
After reading this novel, I found that Lafayette is approaching the problem of foreclosures by winning grant funding to rehab and put the houses back on the market as they are done. Putting people back in the houses is the goal of neighborhood revitalization in general.
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