FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Feline fanciers and mystery mavens alike will be glad to hear that bestselling author Rita Mae Brown has teamed up with her feline coauthor, Sneaky Pie, for another cunningly plotted, pet-assisted investigation. In this 13th Mrs. Murphy Mystery, miracles and malice are entwined with local legend.

Under a lot of stress this Thanksgiving, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen desperately needs some time to think. The new no-pets mandate at work has forced her into leaving her beloved job as postmistress. And she can't quite decide what to do about her straying ex-husband's request to forgive him and take him back. She loves the man, and she's promised him an answer by Christmas -- but should she risk her heart again?

Much in need of perspective and the peace of private prayer, she and her animal companions (Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tee Tucke) drive through an escalating winter storm to the Blue Ridge Mountains, site of a famous statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that overlooks the Shenandoah Valley above a small monastery. Local legend has it that the statue has shed tears to herald great crises -- once in 1914 and again after the attack on Pearl Harbor. So Harry is understandably chilled by more than wind and sleet when she sees tears of blood marking the Blessed Virgin's face!

But those tears are only the first enigma. As the monks strive to keep news of this would-be miracle under wraps, a report leaks out, unleashing speculation, spite, and scandal. And when an elderly monk is found dead at the statue's feet, Harry and Mrs. Murphy are caught up in the most mysterious investigation of their lives. Sue Stone

FROM THE PUBLISHER

With the holidays approaching, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her best friend Susan Tucker take a much-needed time-out at the mountain monastery of Mt. Carmel. There, under the benevolent gaze of the statue of The Virgin Mary, their worldly worries are soon overshadowed. For in front of their very eyes, the statue begins to cry tears of blood.

Legend has it that Mary's crimson tears are harbingers of crises. And though skeptical, the ever-practical Harry can already see one on the horizon. If leaked, news of the so-called miracle could turn the monastery and the town of Crozet into a circus. What Harry doesn't foresee is murder...

When Susan's great uncle Thomas, a resident monk, is found frozen to death at the base of the statue, foul play is ruled out--at first. But at Harry's urging, the body is exhumed for an autopsy. There's just one problem: the coffin is empty. That's when Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker stick their noses get involved. Plus, there's a shocking revelation of a decades' old mystery that has perplexed the citizens of Crozet for ages.

With Christmas around the corner, and the monastery overrun by the faithful, all Harry's meddling menagerie can do is stay on her trail as she jumps knee-deep into an unofficial investigation--one that becomes more dangerous when another Crozet citizen meets an untimely demise. In this case, it will be a miracle if Harry stays alive...

SYNOPSIS

It’s no secret that cats are a mystery writer’s best friend. Just ask the bestselling team of Rita Mae Brown and her furry partner, Sneaky Pie Brown, back on the prowl with another unforgettable whodunit. This time a controversial miracle in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains sparks religious fervor–and a suspicious death. Now the indefatigable felines Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, along with the dogged corgi Tee Tucker, must trust their animal instincts to sniff out the worst of human nature....

With the holidays approaching, Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen and her best friend, Susan Tucker, take a much-needed time-out at the mountain monastery of Mount Carmel. There, under the benevolent gaze of the statue of the Virgin Mary, their worldly worries are soon overshadowed. For in front of their very eyes the statue begins to cry tears of blood.

Legend has it that Mary’s crimson tears are harbingers of crises. And though skeptical, the ever-practical Harry can already see one on the horizon. If leaked, news of the so-called miracle could turn the monastery and the town of Crozet into a circus. What Harry doesn’t foresee is murder.…

When Susan’s great-uncle Thomas, a resident monk, is found frozen to death at the base of the statue, foul play is ruled out–at first. But at Harry’s urging, the body is exhumed for an autopsy. There’s just one problem: the coffin is empty. That’s when Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker get involved. Then there’s the shocking revelation of a mystery that has perplexed the citizens of Crozet for ages.

With Christmas around the corner and the monastery overrunby the faithful, all Harry’s meddling menagerie can do is stay on her trail as she jumps knee-deep into an unofficial investigation–one that becomes more dangerous when another Crozet citizen meets an untimely demise. In this case it will be a miracle if Harry stays alive....