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PUSS 'N CAHOOTS
by Rita Mae Brown
Bantam, February 2007
352 pages
$7.50
ISBN: 0553586823


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Following on in the Mrs Murphy series (featuring this tabby as detective), Rita Mae Brown's fourteenth book in the series, PUSS 'N CAHOOTS, is set in Kentucky horse country. When former postmistress Harry Haristeen and her husband, Fair, attend a saddlebred horse show, along with their coterie of pet detectives (including Mrs Murphy, Pewter, and a corgi named Tee Tucker), there’s plenty of sleuthing to be done. First, an heirloom brooch goes missing, then a prize-winning horse disappears. Finally, the story climaxes in the mysterious death of a Mexican immigrant worker, horse groomer Jorge.

The essence of this series, and of this book in particular, is the animals' insight into the mystery. There are several cats (including Mrs Murphy and Pewter, as well as a local barn cat named Frederick) and a cute corgi that do the work, with their own dialogue set off in italics. Adding to the animal activity is a local monkey, appropriately named Miss Nasty, who manages to keep the other pets on the run. One of the real enjoyments for readers is the charming illustrations interspersed throughout of these furry detectives in action.

This time, however, the real stars are the horses, with the background mystery being almost secondary to the world of saddlebred horse shows. There is lots of interesting backstory material about raising horses and the entire milieu that surrounds this passion. Unfortunately, this well- developed setting makes the central mysteries presented in PUSS 'N CAHOOTS fall flat, particularly as the story begins to wrap up. While the author has taken her readers on a fascinating journey behind the scenes of horse breeders and shows, as well as calling into question the world of illegal immigrants working within this equestrian world, she has not done equal justice to the core story at the heart of this book.

As a result, the overall book is a mixed bag: many things to enjoy and a few letdowns as well. In addition to the confusing plethora of names, another annoying feature is the strange dialogue used by all of the lead characters (a sort of clipped, shorthand method of replying that seems very unlike the speech of average folks). This unusual mode of speaking made all of the individual characters speak in one voice, that of the writer, instead of belonging to many different people.

On the whole, this book will appeal to animal lovers of all sorts, particularly those who are fascinated by horses and the business of show horses. The animal detectives are charming, too, if a few too many in number for a story of this length. The elements of a good mystery, too, can be found here. It is the overall arc of the story that seems unfinished, and the ending is largely disappointing. With just a little more work, this could have been a great story instead of just an average one.

Reviewed by Christine Zibas, March 2008

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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