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Title: The Tail of the Tip-Off by Rita Mae Brown ISBN: 0-553-80158-9 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 04 March, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.67 (9 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Whimsical but knowing
Comment: If you are fussy about a challenging, intricately plotted mystery that, in the end, is resolved believably, you might not be extremely happy with this novel. That said, there is much to recommend it to anyone who does not mind that it is a touch fey. (Okay, a lot fey.) It does a fine job of inhabiting but also commenting on the "cozy" tradition of mystery writing. Although she strays over the town line to Charlottesville and the University of Virginia, Rita Mae Brown keeps a lid on the world of Crozet, VA. This is a world made for the amateur sleuth. Police procedure and confidentiality are out the window; town gossip is in. Brown never apologizes for overlooking procedural correctness and in this volume she parodies the "cozy" convention of the amateur sleuth with a scene in which the cops just invite the whole town to the scene of the crime and gets everyone's two cents. She also parodies the human sleuthing by giving voice to the pets who come up with the solutions first, but are stymied at how to communicate them to those with opposable thumbs.
This book is distinguished by the best non-mystery elements of the series--Crozet and its regulars are a pleasant and often hilarious crowd to hang-out with, and it offers sharp comments on small town Southern social code. Her obligatory social brawl scene comes early in this story. There is slapstick. As usual, Brown introduces new characters who are central to the mystery du jour. One of them is very interesting and you hold out hope that she is neither victim nor perpetrator. That's another thing Brown is slyly commenting on: the unfortunate, but most realistic vision of the "cozy" tradition is, the victims and murderers are usually insiders, not mob hitmen or mythically evil serial killers who lucked onto the place.
Rating: 1
Summary: My first and last
Comment: I am always looking for something different and when I realized I had never checked out any of Brown's works I figured how bad could it be. Many people seem to enjoy them and while it's not a style of mystery I'm normally drawn to, let's try it with an open mind.
The good: The mystery itself is fairly clever. There are a number of red herrings and it will keep you intrigued to see how it falls together. The characters range from likeable to ridiculous stereotypes, but a new comer did not have much trouble figuring out who's who.
The awful: I am sure the reason these books have found a home is the presence of the talking animals. I understand and accept that. However, this "hook" is one of the most annoying affectations that I have ever come across in literature. The animals are portrayed as incredibly intelligent yet can't convey their discoveries. The reason given is that the humans won't pay any attention to them. The real reason is this is being portrayed as a mystery novel not a fantasy. The animal commentary is so cloying and cutesy that I actually yelled at the book for the blatant silliness of it all. It is rare that a book can cause such aggravation.I also realize that there are thousands of fans of this series that love it enough to keep it going for so long. So I will wish Mrs. Murphy and the others well on all their other adventures. I won't be going along with them. I am sure I am now going to get hammered by all the "Sneaky Pie" fans. Sorry, that's just the way I see it.
Rating: 1
Summary: Glorymongering for rednecks.
Comment: I read Brown to get a belly laugh. That is about all her mysteries are good for. The rest of her books I never bother with simply because they aren't worth the effort. It is nice to see that Brown has finally gotten around to having some Blacks as characters. It will be interesting to see how long it is before she has Blacks or other minorities as pernament characters in her series.
Sneaky pie has certainly gotten fat along with being vain and egotistical.
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Title: Catch as Cat Can by Rita Mae Brown ISBN: 0553580280 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 04 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Whisker of Evil by RITA MAE BROWN ISBN: 0553801619 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 30 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Cat Who Brought Down the House by Lilian Jackson Braun ISBN: 0515136557 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: January, 2004 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Claws and Effect by RITA MAE BROWN ISBN: 0553580906 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 29 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Pawing Through the Past by RITA MAE BROWN ISBN: 0553580256 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 30 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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