The Tail of the Tip-Off | Rita Mae Brown | The purr-fect mystery to accompany a nice, warm mug of...

The Tail of the Tip-Off | Rita Mae Brown | Book Review

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The Tail of the Ti...

	The Tail of the Tip-Off Rita Mae Brown Bantam, 2004 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 19 reviews view larger image
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The Tail of the Tip-Off

When winter hits Crozet, Virginia, it hits hard--and hangs on for months. That?s nothing new to postmistress Mary Minor ?Harry? Haristeen and her friends, who keep warm with hard work, hot toddies, and rabid rooting for the University of Virginia?s women?s basketball team at the old stadium affectionately dubbed ?The Clam.? But the usual postgame high spirits are laid low when contractor H. H. Donaldson drops dead in the parking lot. And pretty soon word has spread that it wasn?t a heart attack that did him in. It just doesn?t sit right with Harry that one of her fellow fans--perhaps even an acquaintance or neighbor sitting close by in the stands--is a murderer. And as tiger cat Mrs. Murphy is all too aware, things that don?t sit right with Harry make her restless, curious, and prone to poking her not-very-sensitive human nose into dangerous places. So the animals start paying closer attention to what the people around them are doing--and they?re the first ones to realize when the next murder occurs.

It seems obvious to Harry that the deaths are connected--and she intends to find out exactly how. There?s no shortage of suspects, considering that H.H. was a ladies? man who?d left a trail of broken hearts all over town--the most recent belonging to his wife-- and that the second murder victim was not very popular in Crozet.As the police launch their investigation, Harry picks up clues through savvy questioning of everyone she knows. But it?s the critters who are most attuned to trouble--they scent something wicked wafting Harry?s way on the tail of the next snowstorm. And as Harry draws closer to the truth about a brutal killer, Mrs. Murphy and her friends realize it?s up to them to make sure their intrepid mom lands on her feet.

From the Hardcover edition.

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The purr-fect mystery to accompany a nice, warm mug of cocoa on a cold winter's day

Winter has hit the small town of Crozet, Virginia with quite a blow, but Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, the town postmistress, isn't shocked, or perturbed by the abrupt change in weather. After all, she and her friends (both furry and human) know exactly how to keep warm by indulging in warm treats, working hard, and...rooting for the University of Virginia's women's basketball team, in an effort to keep their spirits high, and bring the gold home for the team. But when local contractor, H.H. Donaldson, dies in the parking lot after one of the spirited games, word quickly spreads that it wasn't your average death...H.H. was killed, and his murderer's trail is cold. Harry is shocked to believe that one of her fellow basketball fans, and acquaintances is a cold-blooded killer, finding it hard to let H.H.'s death sit right with her. And everyone knows, best of all Harry's tiger cat Mrs. Murphy, that when something doesn't agree with Harry, she has a tendency to start poking her nose where it doesn't belong. Even if she risks putting herself, and her feline (and canine) friends in danger. Now, in an attempt to ensure that their curious (okay, downright nosy) mother doesn't waste one of her nine lives, Mrs. Murphy, along with her feisty feline pal, Pewter, and their canine relative, Tee Tucker have decided to join the amateur sleuth in uncovering who exactly H.H.'s killer is, and why he (or she) did him in. But with Harry constantly gallivanting off at all kinds of odd hours of the day and night, it's becoming complicated for the feisty furballs to keep their eyes on her 24/7, leaving Harry wide open for discovery, or, even worse...gambling with her own life.

There's nothing that I love more than curling up with a cozy mystery on a cold day, especially one with felines and canines scurrying around. So, when the temperature made a quick drop, I headed directly for Mrs. Murphy and the Crozet gang, to see what new mysteries they were wrapping themselves up in. As per usual, Harry was her delightful self. A self-confident, brave, intrepid character, whose independence is admirable, as are her hard work and sleuthing skills. Accompanied by the always-hungry, often sarcastic, Pewter; the short-legged, stubby-tailed, flying solo canine, Tee Tucker; and the oft-times conceited, but lovable, Mrs. Murphy; along with handfuls of other enjoyable characters, THE TAIL OF THE TIP-OFF was certainly one-sitting-read worthy. The descriptions of the Virginian countryside were incredible; as were the additions of some new characters, who will hopefully be sticking around for awhile. The purr-fect mystery to accompany a nice, warm mug of cocoa on a cold winter's day.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

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Book Review

In one of the latest Mrs. Murphy mysteries, the citizens of Crozet are on the lookout for a sneaky murderer. At one of the University of Virginia's women basketball matches, wealthy construction tycoon H.H. Donaldson drops dead in the parking lot. What scares the amateur detective Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen is that the murderer could've been sitting right behind her. After Sheriff Shaw and Deputy Cooper confirm that it wasn't a heart attack that ended his life, cats Mrs.Murphy, Pewter, and corgi Tucker are searching for a cold-blooded killer who blends in among the residents of the small Virginian town. As the answer is within the mammal detectives' grasp, building inspector Mychelle is found stabbed to death in the sporting supply closet. Before the killer claims another victim, the animal trio must figure out who's behind the killings and why. This contemporary equivalent of Sherlock Holmes will leave you breathless.
This baffling mystery includes the typical list of suspects. H. H. was widely known to be a ladies' man, so of course most thought of Anne Donaldson, his long time wife he recently left for a day. She would have motive of jealousy of his latest affair. It would also explain Mychelle's death if she were the mistress, who she surprisingly turned out to be. Harry also suspects BoomBoom, but that's mainly because she thinks BoomBoom is the mistress of every marriage, like she was in Harry's marriage to Fair. In addition, there was Fred Forrest, Mychelle's employer, and Matthew Crickenberger, a well-liked architect.
During this time around, Harry's detecting skills plummet just a little. Procedures that should've been taken didn't cross her mind until it was too late. On some occasions, her typical character was shoved aside. For example, BoomBoom persuaded Harry to return to the crime scene at UVA after H.H.'s death. The two women, and Harry's pets of course, were greeted by a very nasty, tired, Sheriff Rick Shaw who had just begun his fifth cup of black coffee. His poor attitude and vicious tone scared them off the premises before Tucker could sniff around. Usually, if this situation were to present itself, Harry would ignore Shaw's orders and find a way to sneak in to search for clues.
What really brings this book to the top is the whodunit. As mentioned Fred Forrest and Matt Crinkenburger were in the same business as H. H. Thanks to Fair and ice cubes, Harry was able to figure out what her pets had already known: how the two killed him. Someone at he game disguised a blowgun in a noisemaker at the fateful game. It whizzed by H.H. and released a poisonous icicle coated with batrachotoxin, or the toxin secreted by rare bright tropical frogs which happened to be in a terrarium at Matthew's office. H.H. had figured out Matthew's scam of using cheap materials and overcharging millions out of the clients, while Fred covered for him and approved the hazardous buildings. They put up an act of hating each other, but that didn't fool Mychelle, who figured out why H.H. had been murdered.
Mrs.Murphy along with her feline, and canine, friends continue their streak of solving Crozet's murders in Rita Mae Brown's (and Sneaky Pie Brown's) thrilling books.

R.Turner

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Winter Shenanigans in Crozet

It's a brutal January in Crozet and the citizens keep warm by cheeing on their favourite University basketball team until someone drops dead outside of the gym one cold night. Of course Harry and her animal pals never for once think it is natural causes, and sure enough another body turns up in one of the storage closets where the basketball games are played. This sets Harry and all her friends on the search of a murderer. And this murderer seems particularly cold-blooded. There's lots of fun and hijinks before they unmask the "perp". As usual, lots of good times between the pages of a Rita Mae Brown Mrs. Murphy mystery.

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It's ok I guess

This was my first introduction to a Rita Mae Brown novel. I was not impressed with it as I figured out "who dunnit" early.

The book felt like it attempted to beguile the reader with many ideas. It really didn't work as it felt as if it didn't have focus on the design.

I kind of liked the antics of Mrs. Murphy, Tucker, Pewter and the church cats. I especially liked the image of Tucker the Corge jumping on somebody, growling, baring teeth and screaming "die!" Overall, there were funny points and the sad story of Brinkly the dog but I was not satisfied when the story finally ended.

Winter comes to the town of Crozet. The snowplows are working overtime but the weather does not stifle basketball fever. After a heated womens basketball game, building contractor H. H. Donaldson collapses in the parking lot and dies. The autopsy shows he was murdered by something puncturing his neck which poisoned him. Why was H.H. murdered? Was it his wife because of his frequent affairs? Was it his rival Mathew Crickenbom? What about the building inspector Fred who wrestled him away from an argument in the parking lot? Mary "Harry" Haristeen owner of Mrs. Murphy, Tucker, and Pewter decides she has to find out.

Overall this book had potential to be great. It's descriptions of the countryside were good. I liked the idea of the animals talking to each other and complaining about humans. The main problem with the book was the plot was not at all tight. Too many variables were not explained well and the explanations for motive were not good at all.

All in all it's not a bad story. It just wasn't finished.

Kate Forbes does a good job as the narrator.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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