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Clawed and Dangerous: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery
Not yet published
Expected 28 Apr 26When a series of suspiciously similar deaths begin to pop up across Crozet, Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen must connect the dots with the help of her beloved cats and dogs in the latest mystery from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown.
The leaves have fallen in Crozet, Virginia, and with a sudden downpour of cold rain, autumn gloom has settled. But Harry and her best friend, Susan, are determined to cheer up the town, and with the help of a kind local doctor, they just might succeed. Not only is Dr. Anglin kind and generous, he’s also the owner of multiple properties, and he agrees to let Harry and Susan use one of his homes to throw a spooky Halloween bash.
Harry and Susan quickly bury themselves in the flurry of witches, ghosts, and headless horsemen abound. But around town, things grow even spookier when a local townsperson turns up dead. Soon, one dead body turns into multiple—and what’s even spookier is that the deaths seem to be connected.
Could these deaths be the result of a lover’s quarrel? Or is something even more sinister haunting the town? With help from her feline sidekicks Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and her helpful hounds Tee Tucker and Pirate, Harry has no choice but to get to the bottom of it.
The leaves have fallen in Crozet, Virginia, and with a sudden downpour of cold rain, autumn gloom has settled. But Harry and her best friend, Susan, are determined to cheer up the town, and with the help of a kind local doctor, they just might succeed. Not only is Dr. Anglin kind and generous, he’s also the owner of multiple properties, and he agrees to let Harry and Susan use one of his homes to throw a spooky Halloween bash.
Harry and Susan quickly bury themselves in the flurry of witches, ghosts, and headless horsemen abound. But around town, things grow even spookier when a local townsperson turns up dead. Soon, one dead body turns into multiple—and what’s even spookier is that the deaths seem to be connected.
Could these deaths be the result of a lover’s quarrel? Or is something even more sinister haunting the town? With help from her feline sidekicks Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and her helpful hounds Tee Tucker and Pirate, Harry has no choice but to get to the bottom of it.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 28, 2026
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About the author
Rita Mae Brown
144 books2,253 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 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really liked this addition to this long standing series.
Harry and her friend Susan are looking forward to setting up a real haunted house for Halloween.
Thanks to a local doctor, they find the perfect house. and now the fun begins. Witches, ghosts, and the headless horseman are just a few of the tricks.
Unfortunately, when a local resident dies, Harry can't help but wonder if it's murder. Since she's busy with the haunted house, she doesn't have much time to think about, until two more people are dead.
The twists and turns in this story are wild, and of course, the animals are chatty as usual. They bring such fun to the story.
Harry and her friend Susan are looking forward to setting up a real haunted house for Halloween.
Thanks to a local doctor, they find the perfect house. and now the fun begins. Witches, ghosts, and the headless horseman are just a few of the tricks.
Unfortunately, when a local resident dies, Harry can't help but wonder if it's murder. Since she's busy with the haunted house, she doesn't have much time to think about, until two more people are dead.
The twists and turns in this story are wild, and of course, the animals are chatty as usual. They bring such fun to the story.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Crozet! In Clawed and Dangerous we find our main Character Harry and best friend Susan getting ready for a halloween themed Seeing Eye Foundation event. Meanwhile several people are murdered via chlorine, and Harry's husband Fair deals with a spooked horse. The mystery was interesting to me. I like how Cooper, the police officer, is friends with Harry, compared to other cozies I read where the main character is actively disliked by the police officer in the story. I did have a little trouble with this one where I kept needing to re-read to understand what was happening and whose POV we were in along with not feeling that the solution came together well. I think at this point the cast of characters is just too big, especially with all the animals. I kept mixing everyone up and several have nicknames or last names they go by too. I do like the animals though, they're a fun addition to the story, and while they have dialogue it isn't ever to the point of being annoying.
Sephora comes into play in this one and I was confused by *so much* talk of it being cheap and affordable. Sure, Sephora has a few less expensive items, but it also carries 100 dollar perfumes and 200 dollars serums. The whole makeup bag plot (no spoilers) never wound up fully explained to my liking and it felt like what was going on there with the bags doesn't happen like that in real life. I also am not a fan of some of the author's political opinions like how she talks about homeless and addicted folk plus the talk of “illegal aliens” but you're never going to hit every reader perfectly.
One last thing was it wrapped up too quickly. There was a little too much of Harry and Susan going back and forth to the different houses that show up in this story for multiple pages and then when the big ending happens it happens so quickly that I wish some of the middle pages were replaced with more excitement at the end.
Overall though it was a nice read. I kept wondering what was going on and how things connected. At one point I had that nice lightbulb moment where I went “Aha!” As I figured out the killer. I didn't quite realize the full extent of things til the very end.
Goodreads 3 star
Storygraph 3.5
Thank you to netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC
Sephora comes into play in this one and I was confused by *so much* talk of it being cheap and affordable. Sure, Sephora has a few less expensive items, but it also carries 100 dollar perfumes and 200 dollars serums. The whole makeup bag plot (no spoilers) never wound up fully explained to my liking and it felt like what was going on there with the bags doesn't happen like that in real life. I also am not a fan of some of the author's political opinions like how she talks about homeless and addicted folk plus the talk of “illegal aliens” but you're never going to hit every reader perfectly.
One last thing was it wrapped up too quickly. There was a little too much of Harry and Susan going back and forth to the different houses that show up in this story for multiple pages and then when the big ending happens it happens so quickly that I wish some of the middle pages were replaced with more excitement at the end.
Overall though it was a nice read. I kept wondering what was going on and how things connected. At one point I had that nice lightbulb moment where I went “Aha!” As I figured out the killer. I didn't quite realize the full extent of things til the very end.
Goodreads 3 star
Storygraph 3.5
Thank you to netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Harry and her best friend are planning a haunted house as a fundraiser for a local charity. Her husband, Fair, gets hurt trying to tend to a valuable stallion. Soon, a reformed addict is found murdered. Harry is leaving everything to the local police until two more bodies show up. Of course, I welcomed this new entry in the series. Harry and her friends--human and animal--bring interest and intrigue as they try to solve the crime in the little community. Harry and her friends comment about local politics and problems of the small town as they find themselves in danger. The comments of the animals help to relieve the tension in the story. A good entry! Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I’m thrilled to read this next Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown book - Clawed and Dangerous! Always a delight and so much fun! For many, many years, I’ve loved these stories with speaking, personable animals set in the stunning Virginia countryside. The genteel, historic farm life, the long-standing relationships, and an easy mystery make such great reads.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine for the opportunity to read this DRC.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine for the opportunity to read this DRC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I hadn’t read a Mrs. Murphy mystery before this one, but now I’m eager to get my hands on more books in the series. I loved the inclusion of the pets as characters and the cozy farm setting. The cast of characters was interesting, though the story moved a bit slowly in some spots. I’d definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who... series.
I hadn’t read a Mrs. Murphy mystery before this one, but now I’m eager to get my hands on more books in the series. I loved the inclusion of the pets as characters and the cozy farm setting. The cast of characters was interesting, though the story moved a bit slowly in some spots. I’d definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who... series.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews