5 of 6 copies available
As the calendar turns, the crisp October winds bode well for this year’s hunting season. But before the bugle sounds, Sister Jane takes a scenic drive up the Blue Ridge Mountains for a board meeting at the Museum of Hounds and Hunting. Brimming with colorful stories and mementos from hunts of yore, the mansion is plunged into mystery when a venerable hunting horn is stolen right out of its case. The only clue, on a left-behind cell phone, is what seems to be a “selfie” video of the horn’s original owner, Wesley Carruthers—deceased since 1954.
Odder still, Wesley’s body was never found. When Sister makes a discovery that may explain his unsolved disappearance, it leads her back to the Jefferson Hunt at midcentury, with her faithful hounds at her side. But as the clues quickly mount, Sister is no longer sure if she’s pursuing a priceless artifact, a thief, Wesley’s killer . . . or a ghost. The only certainty is that someone wants to put Sister off the chase—perhaps permanently.
Teeming with familiar and beloved characters, intrigue, and the rich local history of Virginia’s horse country, Crazy Like a Fox races toward its stunning conclusion in full cry and packed with plenty of surprises. Once again, Rita Mae Brown dazzles and delights in her irresistible style, with a novel readers are certain to be crazy about.
Praise for Crazy Like a Fox
“If you can pick up Crazy Like a Fox and recognize the voices of Comet, a wise old gray fox; Dasher, a hound at the top of his game; and Golliwog, a snippy calico cat, you qualify as a member of the pack that surrounds Sister Jane Arnold, Master of Jefferson Hunt and the sleuth in Rita Mae Brown’s enchanting novels set in the Virginia horse country. . . . Just the kind of story that adds to the charm of Brown’s whimsical mysteries, with their thrilling hunts and intelligent animals.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Brown’s animal characters, including horses, hounds, and foxes, have as much to say as the people, and Brown never misses an opportunity to interject her own social commentary. This will appeal . . . to fans of Brown’s Sneaky Pie novels.”—Publishers Weekly
-
Creators
-
Series
-
Publisher
-
Release date
October 31, 2017 -
Formats
-
Kindle Book
-
OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780399178351
- File size: 3102 KB
-
EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780399178351
- File size: 3107 KB
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
October 1, 2017
An older community of Virginians competes with exhaustively detailed descriptions of fox hunting to investigate the mysterious return of one of their own.Given her many years of experience as the Master of the Jefferson Hunt, Jane "Sister" Arnold thought she had seen it all, but a video her friend Marion finds on her phone after having left it behind at the Hunting Hall of Fame has her doubting herself. The video appears to be a selfie taken by none other than Wesley "Weevil" Carruthers, who disappeared in a hunt back in 1954, never to be seen again. To make matters worse, he doesn't appear to have aged a day since then, right down to his rendition of "Gone to Ground" on a cow horn. Sister would dismiss the video if it were the only evidence of Weevil's return, but he appears to be picking up exactly where he left off as the playboy of his day, making social rounds among the fox-hunting crew and leaving Sister to ask why he's come back--and whether he's a ghost. Although this mystery ruffles the feathers of the older members of the fox-hunting group, which ranges in age up to 100, Sister's friend and protegee Tootie Harris is more distracted by news arriving from home in the form of ex-model Yvonne Harris, the mother who hasn't offered her much support since she left Princeton for the fox-hunting life. Now Yvonne is determined to make amends and perhaps make an ally of Tootie as she prepares for a messy divorce from her husband and Tootie's father, businessman Victor Harris. As Brown (Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, 2014, etc.) presents painstakingly accurate details of the fox hunts--which she assures her readers are humane--Sister toils to unravel the mystery of Weevil's return while ensuring that Tootie and Yvonne don't unravel.The book begins with a multipaged cast of characters, which includes sections for humans, American foxhounds, horses, foxes (red), foxes (gray), birds, and Sister's house pets and a separate glossary of useful terms. These should help identify potential readers who will enjoy a mild mystery filled with lovingly painted details--while deterring the uninterested.COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
-
October 23, 2017
Bestseller Brown’s meandering 10th Sister Jane mystery (after 2014’s Let Sleeping Dogs Lie) is more about the rarified world of Virginia fox hunting than murder. After the discovery of a cell phone video depicting Hunting Hall of Famer Wesley “Weevil” Carruthers playing a hunting call on his vintage scrimshaw horn, the horn itself is found to be missing from a museum display case. Bafflingly, the video shows a handsome man in his early 30s, but Weevil disappeared in 1954 and would be in his 90s today. Most think he was murdered, but his body was never found. Has Weevil actually returned from the dead, and if so, why now? After Weevil appears to a few elderly locals who may know something about his long-ago disappearance, Jane Arnold, Master of Hounds of the Jefferson Hunt Club, decides to investigate. Brown’s animal characters, including horses, hounds, and foxes, have as much to say as the people, and Brown never misses an opportunity to interject her own social commentary. This will appeal mainly to fans of Brown’s Sneaky Pie novels, which also feature talking animals. Agent: Wendy Weil, Wendy Weil Agency. -
May 15, 2017
Feathers are flying in a Virginia henhouse, and Master of the Hunt "Sister" Jane Arnold, her gentleman friend Gray Lorillard, and members of the Jefferson Hunt Club gather for the chase. But does the culprit have a furry, red tail? From the New York Times best-selling author.
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-