Memphis Reads – Tall Tail by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown


Staff Book Reviews

Susan reviews TALL TAIL: A MRS. MURPHY MYSTERY by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown (Bantam Books, 2016)

Anyone who has pets knows that they “talk.” Sometimes, we humans just do not understand, but when it comes to murder, paying very close attention to our furry companions can be lifesaving.

Rita Mae Brown, a distinguished Southern writer, began writing the “Mrs. Murphy” mysteries more than twenty years ago in “collaboration” with Sneaky Pie, a rescued tiger cat. Mrs. Murphy, a tabby cat; Pewter, a portly, grey cat; and Tee Tucker, a loyal corgi, help their mom Mary Minor Haristeen solve murders in and around a small town in Virginia. The other characters are well-detailed, and reading the latest mystery feels like a visit with old friends.

In the latest installment, Barbara Leader, a nurse to former Governor Sam Holloway, appears to have a heart attack, but she has been murdered. A family secret links her murder to the murder of a Francisco Selisse in 1784. Selisse was a brutal slave owner, and Brown moves the reader between the present day and the past to unravel the truth.

Susan B., Library staff