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Mrs. Murphy #30
Claws for Alarm
Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen gets a little help from her veterinarian husband to solve the murder of a young equine vet whose death may be linked to his new clinic in Claws for Alarm, a tantalizing mystery from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown.Pharamond “Fair” Haristeen is known throughout Crozet, Virginia, as a good horse vet and a better man. So when Benjamin Wagner, a new vet in town, is found dead in his unopened clinic, local police turn to Fair for help getting to the bottom of things. Fair quickly realizes Ben’s clinic has been robbed of ketamine, used by doctors as a horse tranquilizer but also a popular recreational drug. Then Fair’s own ketamine goes missing from the back of his truck. Was Ben killed for his supply? Or was he mixed up in something bigger?Meanwhile, Candida Perez, one of Crozet’s oldest and most beloved citizens, is found dead at her desk. Perhaps not so alarming, given her ninety years of life. But the bickering of Candida’s children, Ballard and Constance, over her will and the family’s valuable collection of historical letters, threatens to drive the rest of the town to madness. Fair’s wife, Harry, tries to play peacemaker, but the bad blood between the two siblings runs deep. Just how far will they take their family squabble?With a little aid from hungry helpers Tee Tucker the corgi and sweet puppy Pirate, as well as feline sleuths Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, Harry and Fair team up to restore justice—and maybe a little peace and quiet—in Claws for Alarm.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 19, 2022
246 people are currently reading
7045 people want to read
About the author
Rita Mae Brown
173 books2,232 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 156 reviews
November 7, 2021
What is up with our author? We've always been told that Harry is MARY MINOR Haristeen, and now on page 7 her name is "Harriet"! I've noticed frequently in the past few years that publishers don't seem concerned with proof-reading or copy editing of their established authors.
While in some books of this series, the historical story has been interesting and tied in to the modern story, this episode just seemed like filler. Presumably it's to move the story along for the next installment, but I found it annoying and rather pointless.
Overall, I found Claws for Alarm quite disappointing.
While in some books of this series, the historical story has been interesting and tied in to the modern story, this episode just seemed like filler. Presumably it's to move the story along for the next installment, but I found it annoying and rather pointless.
Overall, I found Claws for Alarm quite disappointing.
July 3, 2021
I was so excited to read Claws for Alarm early as have read and loved all of Rita Mae Brown's books in this series. This book did not disappoint. I have enjoyed the main human/ animal characters throughout the series and the introduction of the new ones in this story. I love the two periods of time and learning how they lived in the past. The story line kept me guessing who the murderer was until the end. I look forward to reading the next of this series when it comes out.
Thank you NetGalley and Bantam Books for This ARC.
Thank you NetGalley and Bantam Books for This ARC.
October 21, 2021
I love the characters and I always enjoy the mystery parts, But the history just isn’t really my thing and it’s becoming a bigger and bigger part of the book, and especially this time really didn’t seem to Tyanne very much, or at least not in a way that works for me
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October 13, 2021At least three books ago, the author promised a resolution to the mystery necklace story in the next book. (It didn’t happen.) The necklace, which was discovered on a skeleton buried in the local graveyard, was what linked the historical and modern stories. The necklace wasn’t even mentioned in this book.
The modern mystery was pretty good as a stand-alone story, but it lacked the exuberance of some of the previous volumes. The historical story arc really wasn’t advanced very much; previous characters were given a cursory mention but most of the story was a repeat of previous descriptions.
The dual storylines are interesting but I’d like to see the first plot — the necklace — resolved before the historical story is taken in a new direction with John’s militia recruiting.
As an aside, the series needs a new editor; continuity-of-character detail is abysmal in both the Mrs. Murphy and Sister Jane series.
In the Mrs. Murphy books, the heroine’s name has always been Mary Minor Harristeen (nicknamed Harry because she was always covered in animal hair) and she is identified as such in the Cast of Characters at the beginning of the book. Yet, on page 7 of the text, she is identified as Fair’s wife Harriet “Harry” Harristeen. This is not the first time. It is a distraction to being fully engrossed in the story.
The modern mystery was pretty good as a stand-alone story, but it lacked the exuberance of some of the previous volumes. The historical story arc really wasn’t advanced very much; previous characters were given a cursory mention but most of the story was a repeat of previous descriptions.
The dual storylines are interesting but I’d like to see the first plot — the necklace — resolved before the historical story is taken in a new direction with John’s militia recruiting.
As an aside, the series needs a new editor; continuity-of-character detail is abysmal in both the Mrs. Murphy and Sister Jane series.
In the Mrs. Murphy books, the heroine’s name has always been Mary Minor Harristeen (nicknamed Harry because she was always covered in animal hair) and she is identified as such in the Cast of Characters at the beginning of the book. Yet, on page 7 of the text, she is identified as Fair’s wife Harriet “Harry” Harristeen. This is not the first time. It is a distraction to being fully engrossed in the story.
January 29, 2022
Virginia
September 20-November 22, 2019
March 6-May 15, 1789
I didn't like the dual timeline in this book. The stories didn't overlap. I think it would have been better to have two separate books instead. The story in the present was more interesting. I felt like the story in the past was used as filler. It didn't add anything to the storyline. The present story involved drugs and murder and helpful animals. I thought more should have been done with the animals. They were lacking in this story. I was disappointed by that. I look forward to reading about them.
September 20-November 22, 2019
March 6-May 15, 1789
I didn't like the dual timeline in this book. The stories didn't overlap. I think it would have been better to have two separate books instead. The story in the present was more interesting. I felt like the story in the past was used as filler. It didn't add anything to the storyline. The present story involved drugs and murder and helpful animals. I thought more should have been done with the animals. They were lacking in this story. I was disappointed by that. I look forward to reading about them.
June 17, 2022
A book with mystery, well written and animals, how can it go wrong.
November 3, 2021
This was a disappointment. What I like about her previous books - story told from animals POV is slowly getting lost. The second plot line (history) is more boring with every new book. When Brown introduced it for the first time it made sense as it was tied to the murder, now it is a book on its own and I wish she wrote it as its own book (one I would not read but some people seem to enjoy it). Her vision of the history of slavery seems pretty whitewashed. I hope the history line fades away and the cats get their voices back.
In general if one picks up Brown's recent books expecting the activist energy from her early years will be shocked. The books are extremely heteronormative and it is humorous to see word feminist used in her biography - btw this does not mean I don't enjoy her new work but it was definitely a surprise for me when I picked the first one - to the point that I had to make sure it is the same person who was the founder of The Furies Collective.
In general if one picks up Brown's recent books expecting the activist energy from her early years will be shocked. The books are extremely heteronormative and it is humorous to see word feminist used in her biography - btw this does not mean I don't enjoy her new work but it was definitely a surprise for me when I picked the first one - to the point that I had to make sure it is the same person who was the founder of The Furies Collective.
November 11, 2021
*3.5 stars rounded up. Wow, can you believe there are now 30 books in this series? I've read quite a few of them, though not all. They have evolved over the years so that this book is not only a modern-day cozy mystery with humans and their pets solving a current murder; there's also a bit of historical fiction interspersed, with a mystery that takes place involving these people's ancestors in the same area of Virginia back in 1789. It's an interesting combination. The author always includes some pen and ink drawings which are just lovely and enhance the enjoyment of the story.
November 14, 2021
In the past, I have read many of the books in the Mrs. Murphy series. (At least the first 12) Having attended college in Virginia, I felt a connection to the story which carried a special southern charm. It was very nice to reconnect with Harry, Mrs. Murphy, Tucker and all the book regulars.
I think the mystery was fitting to what I would expect in the series, however, I wished Harry was in the story more centrally. I did not enjoy the dual time line and felt that I would have appreciated more time being spend on our main characters and the investigation. I love how the dogs and cats work to get these mysteries solved and would have enjoyed spending more time with them as well. Sadly I felt some of the charm missing this time around. Having spent so many books away, I would have benefited from some more descriptions and explorations of Crozet. That part felt so rushed while the veterinarian details felt too elaborate.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bantam for the arc. I have given my honest opinion.
I think the mystery was fitting to what I would expect in the series, however, I wished Harry was in the story more centrally. I did not enjoy the dual time line and felt that I would have appreciated more time being spend on our main characters and the investigation. I love how the dogs and cats work to get these mysteries solved and would have enjoyed spending more time with them as well. Sadly I felt some of the charm missing this time around. Having spent so many books away, I would have benefited from some more descriptions and explorations of Crozet. That part felt so rushed while the veterinarian details felt too elaborate.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bantam for the arc. I have given my honest opinion.
February 18, 2022
This used to be a dumb-fun series featuring a corgi and a couple of cats helping to solve mysteries, and I was even willing to give the post-Revolutionary War bits a chance when there were shared plot elements. But now the two plots have nothing but geography to connect them, and neither is satisfying. Honestly, if Brown or her editors don’t care enough to get the FIRST NAME of the LEAD CHARACTER in the 30-BOOK SERIES correct, I definitely don’t care enough to keep reading.
October 4, 2025
Oddly enough, the politics in this are pretty relevant for today. But sadly, I didn't read this for the politics, I read it for the animals solving the cozy mystery, which sadly, these books are becoming less and less of.
November 6, 2021
This series continues to captivate. Immensely enjoyable.
October 23, 2021
I have been reading the Mrs. Murphy series since Wish you were here
came out in 1990. This is the 30th in this long running, very popular series and I was not let down.. The story goes back and forth between 2019 and 1789 telling about the farms, the horses and the people of the land.
As always the animals are always there to help the story/ readers in on what the humans may miss.I love the new puppy Pirate. Can they make Mom "Harry" understand the connect between the murder of new Vet Ben and the death of a beloved matriarch?
My thanks to NetGalley, Bantam publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book which released on October 12th, 2021
came out in 1990. This is the 30th in this long running, very popular series and I was not let down.. The story goes back and forth between 2019 and 1789 telling about the farms, the horses and the people of the land.
As always the animals are always there to help the story/ readers in on what the humans may miss.I love the new puppy Pirate. Can they make Mom "Harry" understand the connect between the murder of new Vet Ben and the death of a beloved matriarch?
My thanks to NetGalley, Bantam publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book which released on October 12th, 2021
October 2, 2021
The saga of Harry and her remarkable animal family continues. As always, I thoroughly enjoyed the antics of Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, Tee Tucker, and our new "little" friend, Irish Wolfhound pup, Pirate. Nor did I immediately figure out whodunit, always a plus!
December 31, 2021
Rita Mae Brown continues, in this series, to include chapters from 1789 in the 2019 murder mystery. As I lost interest in the past in the last book in this series, this time I skipped over the 1789 story and cut to the chase in the 2019 plot.
Brown's writing is always a treat and her main characters, Fair and Harry and Harry's 2 dogs and 2 cats, remain as vivid as the first book in this series that got me reading Rita Mae Brown.
So, to sum up: I'm not interested in the 1789 plot line and skipped over those chapters (even though my degree is in history). Thoroughly enjoyable are Harry and her husband Fair and those adorable animals that help Harry solve the mystery.
Brown's writing is always a treat and her main characters, Fair and Harry and Harry's 2 dogs and 2 cats, remain as vivid as the first book in this series that got me reading Rita Mae Brown.
So, to sum up: I'm not interested in the 1789 plot line and skipped over those chapters (even though my degree is in history). Thoroughly enjoyable are Harry and her husband Fair and those adorable animals that help Harry solve the mystery.
October 15, 2021
Fair Harristeen, big animal vet, is making his rounds one day and decides to drop in on new vet Ben Wagner, to see how he's doing. But when he arrives, he finds Ben dead, and immediately calls the police. It seems Ben has been shot at close range, and the only thing missing from his practice are bottles of ketamine, used to tranquilize horses. But who would want them and why?
Meanwhile his wife Harry is visiting her friend Nancy, an antiques dealer, when in walks elderly Candida Perez, who likes nothing more than to talk, and especially about her past. With her are her children, Constance and Ballard, After a lengthy talk with a young woman, Ballard hustles his mother out, but not before greeting Nancy and Harry. Candida mentions as how she wants to re-read her precious family letters, some dated from centuries ago. But while perusing them alone, Constance comes across her mother, face down at her desk, dead. After Ballard and Constance argue about autopsies and burial, the people of the town are drawn into their squabbles about the will and their home, Lone Pine, which has also been in the family for centuries.
Even though the upkeep is going to cost more than either can afford, Constance is determined to keep the home, while Ballard sees no way out but to sell it. They do employ someone to catalog the letters and put them in order, but even this distresses the pair. When there's another murder, this time the police are taking a more serious look at everything that's gone on before, and wonders what to make of it. So does Harry, especially when she's unwittingly drawn deeper into the investigation...
This is the thirtieth book in the series and I practically devour them when they come out. I love mysteries within mysteries, and tales within them as well. Not only are we reading about Harry and her friends in our time, but the book takes us back to the original owners of the farms the families are living on, this time back to 1789, after the American Revolution is recently over, and the struggles the families have there to make their lives in the new country. It's fascinating fiction, and it ties in with the present day so seamlessly that you don't even mind going back and forth in time, as it were.
In our present day, Harry can't help but be curious as to why Ben was murdered, and she shares those questions with her friends Susan, Nancy, and Tazia. Why ketamine? And why would he be murdered over such a small thing when there were thousands of dollars of equipment that wasn't touched? It even gives Fair pause as he is wondering along with his wife.
Ah, but the pets -- Mrs, Murphy, Tucker, Pewter, and puppy Pirate are wondering themselves, but they are not only trying to figure out, but might hold the key to everything. If only they can get their mother Harry to listen...
The clues are there all along, but they are given to us sparingly and we must use our own minds to put the pieces together. Ms. Brown is one of my favorite novelists; her books are so well-written and so well thought out that I am always amazed at how she manages to write stories that are centuries apart but moments together in time.
When we come to the end of the book and the killer is revealed, it is a motive as old as time itself. Having been faced with the same motive from someone close at hand, it never surprises me anymore how people can allow their lives to be twisted like this. But it is what it is, and the book not only gives us a satisfactory ending, it gives us a terrific story to read. Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
Meanwhile his wife Harry is visiting her friend Nancy, an antiques dealer, when in walks elderly Candida Perez, who likes nothing more than to talk, and especially about her past. With her are her children, Constance and Ballard, After a lengthy talk with a young woman, Ballard hustles his mother out, but not before greeting Nancy and Harry. Candida mentions as how she wants to re-read her precious family letters, some dated from centuries ago. But while perusing them alone, Constance comes across her mother, face down at her desk, dead. After Ballard and Constance argue about autopsies and burial, the people of the town are drawn into their squabbles about the will and their home, Lone Pine, which has also been in the family for centuries.
Even though the upkeep is going to cost more than either can afford, Constance is determined to keep the home, while Ballard sees no way out but to sell it. They do employ someone to catalog the letters and put them in order, but even this distresses the pair. When there's another murder, this time the police are taking a more serious look at everything that's gone on before, and wonders what to make of it. So does Harry, especially when she's unwittingly drawn deeper into the investigation...
This is the thirtieth book in the series and I practically devour them when they come out. I love mysteries within mysteries, and tales within them as well. Not only are we reading about Harry and her friends in our time, but the book takes us back to the original owners of the farms the families are living on, this time back to 1789, after the American Revolution is recently over, and the struggles the families have there to make their lives in the new country. It's fascinating fiction, and it ties in with the present day so seamlessly that you don't even mind going back and forth in time, as it were.
In our present day, Harry can't help but be curious as to why Ben was murdered, and she shares those questions with her friends Susan, Nancy, and Tazia. Why ketamine? And why would he be murdered over such a small thing when there were thousands of dollars of equipment that wasn't touched? It even gives Fair pause as he is wondering along with his wife.
Ah, but the pets -- Mrs, Murphy, Tucker, Pewter, and puppy Pirate are wondering themselves, but they are not only trying to figure out, but might hold the key to everything. If only they can get their mother Harry to listen...
The clues are there all along, but they are given to us sparingly and we must use our own minds to put the pieces together. Ms. Brown is one of my favorite novelists; her books are so well-written and so well thought out that I am always amazed at how she manages to write stories that are centuries apart but moments together in time.
When we come to the end of the book and the killer is revealed, it is a motive as old as time itself. Having been faced with the same motive from someone close at hand, it never surprises me anymore how people can allow their lives to be twisted like this. But it is what it is, and the book not only gives us a satisfactory ending, it gives us a terrific story to read. Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
June 23, 2024
Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen gets a little help from her veterinarian husband to solve the murder of a young equine vet whose death may be linked to his new clinic in Claws for Alarm, a tantalizing mystery from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown.
Pharamond "Fair" Haristeen is known throughout Crozet, Virginia, as a good horse vet and a better man. So when Benjamin Wagner, a new vet in town, is found dead in his unopened clinic, local police turn to Fair for help getting to the bottom of things. Fair quickly realizes Ben's clinic has been robbed of ketamine, used by doctors as a horse tranquilizer but also a popular recreational drug. Then Fair's own ketamine goes missing from the back of his truck. Was Ben killed for his supply? Or was he mixed up in something bigger?
Meanwhile, Candida Perez, one of Crozet's oldest and most beloved citizens, is found dead at her desk. Perhaps not so alarming, given her ninety years of life. But the bickering of Candida's children, Ballard and Constance, over her will and the family's valuable collection of historical letters, threatens to drive the rest of the town to madness. Fair's wife, Harry, tries to play peacemaker, but the bad blood between the two siblings runs deep. Just how far will they take their family squabble?
With a little aid from hungry helpers Tee Tucker the corgi and sweet puppy Pirate, as well as feline sleuths Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, Harry and Fair team up to restore justice--and maybe a little peace and quiet--in Claws for Alarm.
Pharamond "Fair" Haristeen is known throughout Crozet, Virginia, as a good horse vet and a better man. So when Benjamin Wagner, a new vet in town, is found dead in his unopened clinic, local police turn to Fair for help getting to the bottom of things. Fair quickly realizes Ben's clinic has been robbed of ketamine, used by doctors as a horse tranquilizer but also a popular recreational drug. Then Fair's own ketamine goes missing from the back of his truck. Was Ben killed for his supply? Or was he mixed up in something bigger?
Meanwhile, Candida Perez, one of Crozet's oldest and most beloved citizens, is found dead at her desk. Perhaps not so alarming, given her ninety years of life. But the bickering of Candida's children, Ballard and Constance, over her will and the family's valuable collection of historical letters, threatens to drive the rest of the town to madness. Fair's wife, Harry, tries to play peacemaker, but the bad blood between the two siblings runs deep. Just how far will they take their family squabble?
With a little aid from hungry helpers Tee Tucker the corgi and sweet puppy Pirate, as well as feline sleuths Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, Harry and Fair team up to restore justice--and maybe a little peace and quiet--in Claws for Alarm.
April 15, 2023
I ❤️ all of Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky pie series of Mrs. Murphy’s mysteries. The reason I love cozy mysteries is because if her 32 novels I have read in this series! I also love cat cozy mysteries & dog ones as well because if this love I began reading for enjoyment 25 years ago. I find comfort in her novels when the wind is blowing snow everywhere & also when I am alone. However, I have one complaint. Since Rita began writing two stories at a time, one set in the late 1780’s after the Revolution War & one up to date novel she had written less & less about the main characters Mrs. Murphy the cat & T-Tucker the dog! I love when the pets get into mischief because they help slice the mystery not just save Harry all the time near the end of the books! 4 pets have now joined the main characters that belong to Harry & Fair & they were hardly in the stories anymore. I would love that to be changed.
October 1, 2022
I’ve been reading Rita Mae Brown since the mid 1980’s. This series, written with the help of her cat Sneaky Pie, started off fun. Maybe I enjoyed them because I used to live in Charlottesville and could visualize everything.
I hadn’t read any books in this series for multiple years and I have to say this one was a slog. And here’s the reason…. RMB is a smart, well read author and a historian. The back and forth from the 1700’s to today was interesting… to a point. I could never figure out how the 2 stories were going to converge and the part from the 1700’s was too detailed on the actual history. I’m a Virginian and we love our history but this was too much.
In the end I never did figure out how the 2 stories came together. My library took back the audiobook when I had 12 minutes left and I was relieved to not have to listen anymore!
I hadn’t read any books in this series for multiple years and I have to say this one was a slog. And here’s the reason…. RMB is a smart, well read author and a historian. The back and forth from the 1700’s to today was interesting… to a point. I could never figure out how the 2 stories were going to converge and the part from the 1700’s was too detailed on the actual history. I’m a Virginian and we love our history but this was too much.
In the end I never did figure out how the 2 stories came together. My library took back the audiobook when I had 12 minutes left and I was relieved to not have to listen anymore!
May 1, 2025
Too many characters, too confusing going back and forth in time. I stopped reading the historical chapters half way through. Writing was clunky, and the characters unlovable. Read it for book club, will be interested in what others say. I expect I'll just stay quiet as several of the people in the group were excited to read this because they have read all this author's work.
September 2, 2025
I don’t think I’ve ever had more difficulty finishing a book. Too many characters that required several pages with lists. Then the talking animals I never figured out why they talked. Also what was the point with the going back in time to 1789? There was never any conclusion made with that story.
Steer clear of this book.
Steer clear of this book.
December 21, 2021
I always like how the storyline of the past interconnect.
September 7, 2023
I wish I could get back the time it took me to read this book. I had to force myself to finish it.
May 9, 2024
A bit overwhelmed by so many names pf both humans and animals at the start; it was hard to keep track over audio of who was who and whose speaking was understandable by others.
Wasn't very interested in the flashbacks to the past. Normally I like skipping around in time but it just didn't feel relevant or interesting in this narrative, plus I'm not much interested in American Revolutionary War era history.
Wasn't very interested in the flashbacks to the past. Normally I like skipping around in time but it just didn't feel relevant or interesting in this narrative, plus I'm not much interested in American Revolutionary War era history.
September 7, 2021
The 2019 mystery was what I was expecting from Rita Mae Brown. She gives just enough clues to keep reader actively trying to figure out “who done” it without making it too easy.
The two plot lines left me confused. I kept looking for clues and trying to figure out what the 1789 storyline worked into the 2019 storyline. I tried making the connection to the skeletons found and kept waiting for the correlation in the 2019 storyline. As the animals would smell old skin and I would keep reading through the 1789 storyline for mentions of the manuscripts and how it related back to the 2019 storyline. As I finished reading, I still had many questions about events that happened in 1789. The story felt unfinished.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Rita Mae Brown and Bantam Books for my ARC of Claws for Alarm: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery.
The two plot lines left me confused. I kept looking for clues and trying to figure out what the 1789 storyline worked into the 2019 storyline. I tried making the connection to the skeletons found and kept waiting for the correlation in the 2019 storyline. As the animals would smell old skin and I would keep reading through the 1789 storyline for mentions of the manuscripts and how it related back to the 2019 storyline. As I finished reading, I still had many questions about events that happened in 1789. The story felt unfinished.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Rita Mae Brown and Bantam Books for my ARC of Claws for Alarm: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery.
November 8, 2021
I nearly DNFd this book many times over. It was just plain old boring. The “shocking” reveal at the end didn’t seem so shocking. There was another story happening at the same time in the past that should’ve been its own book. Also, that story had an incident that could’ve had an interesting plot that was never resolved. This author is a good writer, but the content was not fun or engaging. The animals were the best part of the story and there was not enough dialogue from them. This was the first book I’ve read in this series and I don’t anticipate reading any others. I rarely give 2 ⭐️ but I can’t justify 3 ⭐️ in this case. Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy to review.
July 5, 2021
In Claws for Alarm, the novel continues to tell the tale of two separate eras…one just after the Revolutionary War and the present day. While the historic part is interesting, nothing was really settled in this episode. The modern day mystery was more interesting, but it did take me awhile to get into the story. A young vet is found murdered, an elderly lady dies, and soon another body is found. Are the deaths connected? Were they all murdered? Why…and who is the culprit? The mystery is solved by the end, but there was less connection with the characters in the story. I did enjoy the animals’ involvement and the portrayal of the Wolfhound puppy!
April 18, 2023
3.5 stars. Too much talk, not enough action—in both timelines. After reading several critical reviews, I notice the lowest ratings are from people who’ve never read the series before. This is not the book to start with. Also, understand that the modern part is a series, the historical part is a serial; so to find the historical part interesting, you probably need to start with the book where this series turned from cozy to historical fiction. (#24, I think)
The historical timeline feels left hanging. Minimal connection to the other story line—mention of the Ballard who built (I assume) Lone Pine. Missing girl last name Taylor—wasn’t that the last name of the couple whose grave was disturbed in the modern timeline a few books back? Connection? I was expecting some connection between her & the modern timeline (like finding her body?), & between the body found under the rock in the field & the modern timeline (I was confused by that—the person had a rock put on top of his body & then buried?? I was hoping it would be found again in modern times when there are anthropologists & technology that could determine more about how old the skeleton was, what happened, & what the marks were about.)(I wish there were chapter titles of the date mentioned at the beginning of each chapter that appear on the chapter list of the audiobook, I’m thinking I might want yo go back & re-listen to the last piece of that timeline.)
The contemporary timeline left too many questions. Why would the killer have killed Ben, when he was the “golden goose” making the killer lots of money, & wouldn’t be easily replaceable? The biggest plot hole for me tho, was how the killer got Clyde to the antique shop. My theory was a small amount of ketamine to make him suggestible but still able to move under his own power so they went there together & then he was given the lethal dose? And why the antique shop, of all possible places? And if the killer ran back home to get money and/or fake ID’s, etc., why didn’t the cops catch them there?
I will say, tho, I like the addition of a new, giant dog, & I like the voice the audiobook’s reader has given him, it’s cute. And I do think I’ve always learned something new from this series’ books.
The historical timeline feels left hanging. Minimal connection to the other story line—mention of the Ballard who built (I assume) Lone Pine. Missing girl last name Taylor—wasn’t that the last name of the couple whose grave was disturbed in the modern timeline a few books back? Connection? I was expecting some connection between her & the modern timeline (like finding her body?), & between the body found under the rock in the field & the modern timeline (I was confused by that—the person had a rock put on top of his body & then buried?? I was hoping it would be found again in modern times when there are anthropologists & technology that could determine more about how old the skeleton was, what happened, & what the marks were about.)(I wish there were chapter titles of the date mentioned at the beginning of each chapter that appear on the chapter list of the audiobook, I’m thinking I might want yo go back & re-listen to the last piece of that timeline.)
The contemporary timeline left too many questions. Why would the killer have killed Ben, when he was the “golden goose” making the killer lots of money, & wouldn’t be easily replaceable? The biggest plot hole for me tho, was how the killer got Clyde to the antique shop. My theory was a small amount of ketamine to make him suggestible but still able to move under his own power so they went there together & then he was given the lethal dose? And why the antique shop, of all possible places? And if the killer ran back home to get money and/or fake ID’s, etc., why didn’t the cops catch them there?
I will say, tho, I like the addition of a new, giant dog, & I like the voice the audiobook’s reader has given him, it’s cute. And I do think I’ve always learned something new from this series’ books.
March 24, 2022
The animals talk to each other in this series and even help to solve the murder cases. There are also wonderful illustrations at certain points of the story, so that all in all, I think this novel (and all of the others in this series) is a cozy mystery. In addition, there is a sub-story set in colonial times, 1789, with different families (no talking animals here), and so there is some history mentioned, including the fact that these old families had slaves. These stories take place in the same part of Virginia, and the cast of characters and animals (including horses), are listed in the beginning.
Our sleuth, "Harry" Haristeen, the former "postmistress" of the town of Crozet, retired and now lives on the farm (inherited from her parents) with her husband "Fair# Haristeen, a horse vet.
Trouble starts when there's a new vet in town who has been found murdered before he can even open his clinic. Fair is asked by the local police to help solve the case, and finds out that Ben, the murdered vet , has been robbed of his supply of ketamine, a horse tranquilizer but also a popular recreational drug for people.
As the story moves on, Fair is robbed of his ketamine horse medicine as well, and still no trace of the thief/murderer. Soon after this happens, an elderly beloved citizen of the town, Candida, is murdered as well at her desk. As a result, her two children, Constance and Ballard, start arguing over the provisions of her will, especially the family's collection of historical records, since said records are extremely valuable. Is there any connection between the two murders, and will there be a third before this is all over, and who would it be? The situation is becoming dangerous for all.
Meanwhile, Fair and Harry join forces, along with Tucker the corgi and kind puppy Pirate, as well as the feline "sleuths" Mrs. Murphy, a tabby, and gray cat Pewter, to get to the heart of the matter and solve these crimes.
In the end, the animals find the clues and lead their humans to them, enabling them to solve the murder and catch the culprit. P.S., the cats and dogs can understand each other and have their own peculiarities and opinions!
Our sleuth, "Harry" Haristeen, the former "postmistress" of the town of Crozet, retired and now lives on the farm (inherited from her parents) with her husband "Fair# Haristeen, a horse vet.
Trouble starts when there's a new vet in town who has been found murdered before he can even open his clinic. Fair is asked by the local police to help solve the case, and finds out that Ben, the murdered vet , has been robbed of his supply of ketamine, a horse tranquilizer but also a popular recreational drug for people.
As the story moves on, Fair is robbed of his ketamine horse medicine as well, and still no trace of the thief/murderer. Soon after this happens, an elderly beloved citizen of the town, Candida, is murdered as well at her desk. As a result, her two children, Constance and Ballard, start arguing over the provisions of her will, especially the family's collection of historical records, since said records are extremely valuable. Is there any connection between the two murders, and will there be a third before this is all over, and who would it be? The situation is becoming dangerous for all.
Meanwhile, Fair and Harry join forces, along with Tucker the corgi and kind puppy Pirate, as well as the feline "sleuths" Mrs. Murphy, a tabby, and gray cat Pewter, to get to the heart of the matter and solve these crimes.
In the end, the animals find the clues and lead their humans to them, enabling them to solve the murder and catch the culprit. P.S., the cats and dogs can understand each other and have their own peculiarities and opinions!
February 28, 2025
This book is the Thirtieth in the series featuring Mrs. Murphy, a Grey tiger short-hair cat who, along with a Welsh corgi dog named Tee Tucker, an Irish Wolfhound puppy named Pirate, and the stout grey cat Pewter, solves mysteries with the assistance of Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen, a farmer married to Fair Haristeen, an equine veterinarian, outside the small town of Crozet, Virginia, some ten miles west of Charlottesville. (It should be noted that all animals can talk to each other, and that they all understand humans, but humans, being dense imperfect beings, cannot understand the animals.) And these are fun mysteries to read.
In September 2019 Fair is doing his rounds as an equine vet when he discovered a newly set up vet, Ben Wagner, at his office, dead. At Lone Pine, ancestral home of the Ballards, Candida Ballard Perez, aged ninety, has a project of going through family papers and documents in the library; her son Ballard Perez, aged sixty-four, is his mother’s favorite child, despite five hideously expensive stays in rehab clinics for drugs and alcohol; his sister, Constance O’Donnell, in her early sixties, is widowed and quite jealous of her brother, and neither Ballard nor Constance ever had children. Nothing much is happening in March 1789 in colonial Virginia; John Schuyler has been put in charge of developing the Virginia Militia, aided by Percy Ballard. Ewing Garth is worried about his friend Baron Necker in France, as the political situation is quite volatile over there. And the daughter of a small farmer has gone missing; one of the slaves saw her being abducted, but it is best for slaves to not become involved in what happens with white people. Back in 2019, there is yet another murder, and Harry’s animals are concerned with the odd smell in the library at Lone Pine, which seems to match a whiff of odor at the crime scenes. And Harry is once again in the middle of trying to find out who the killer is, and her animals are determined to keep her from becoming yet another murder victim.
There are two more books in this series (pending the author writing more books), and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
In September 2019 Fair is doing his rounds as an equine vet when he discovered a newly set up vet, Ben Wagner, at his office, dead. At Lone Pine, ancestral home of the Ballards, Candida Ballard Perez, aged ninety, has a project of going through family papers and documents in the library; her son Ballard Perez, aged sixty-four, is his mother’s favorite child, despite five hideously expensive stays in rehab clinics for drugs and alcohol; his sister, Constance O’Donnell, in her early sixties, is widowed and quite jealous of her brother, and neither Ballard nor Constance ever had children. Nothing much is happening in March 1789 in colonial Virginia; John Schuyler has been put in charge of developing the Virginia Militia, aided by Percy Ballard. Ewing Garth is worried about his friend Baron Necker in France, as the political situation is quite volatile over there. And the daughter of a small farmer has gone missing; one of the slaves saw her being abducted, but it is best for slaves to not become involved in what happens with white people. Back in 2019, there is yet another murder, and Harry’s animals are concerned with the odd smell in the library at Lone Pine, which seems to match a whiff of odor at the crime scenes. And Harry is once again in the middle of trying to find out who the killer is, and her animals are determined to keep her from becoming yet another murder victim.
There are two more books in this series (pending the author writing more books), and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
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