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Pawing Through The Past (2001)

Pawing Through the Past (2001)

Book Info

Genre
Series
Rating
3.9 of 5 Votes: 1
Your rating
ISBN
0553580256 (ISBN13: 9780553580259)
Language
English
Publisher
bantam

About book Pawing Through The Past (2001)

Not even an occasion as happy as a high school reunion can keep away the Grim Reaper, a figure Mary Minor "Harry" Hairsteen knows all too well. After all, Grimmy's made quite number of visits to sleepy Crozet, Virginia, though Harry's plucky four-footed companions (cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and corgi Tucker) always manage to thwart his assistants before things get out of hand. It's no different in Pawing, when senior superlatives from the Class of 1980 turn up before and during the reunion, something unsettling to many Crozet citizens awarded such honors twenty years prior, including Harry. Whether the deaths are part of a revenge plot or somebody's sick idea of a patterned killing is something Harry's tiger cat takes upon herself to solve, before Harry goes from Most Likely to Succeed to Most Likely to Die Next.Having read the previous entries in this series, I wonder if my familiarity with Harry, Mrs. Murphy and the gang is sharpening my own detective skills, as I managed to figure out the killer early (a first with these novels). Knowing that, however, did not spoil the fun for me, as I found Pawing to be an enjoyable read, more than Ms. Brown's previous novel, Outfoxed. Die-hard fans are sure to enjoy the "catty" exchanges between Harry and former rival Boom Boom Craycroft and delight in a possible romance for Miranda, Harry's co-worker at the post office, as well as a possible reconciliation between Harry and ex-husband Fair. It will be interesting to see if the next novel features a wedding by mystery's end.

The overall vibe of the book: Preachy.(view spoiler)[Other thoughts:- This is a so-called "Mrs. Murphy" mystery, yet Mrs. Murphy did very little throughout the book, besides be the animals' voice of reason. Tucker the corgi was more interesting and more useful;- talking animals are a bit corny, and pointless;- said animals trek all over town, and examine crime scenes without anyone commenting;- the back cover is misleading, as Harry is never really the intended target;- too many characters;- too many characters whose identities are still linked to high school reputations;- the police in this book are completely unbelievable, and not in a good way;- There is a large amount of focus put on who Charlie's illegitimate child is, but this proves to be completely irrelevant AND the answer is never revealed. (hide spoiler)]

Do You like book Pawing Through The Past (2001)?

What can I say? These are my guilt pleasures. And as the cat mystery books go, this is another good one. The plot revolves around a high school reunion, a (strangely violent) event that occurred, and the people that have returned for the reunion. As usual, the plot is good, the dialog is quick and easy to fly through, and there's a pretty good twist at the end. ..After reading quite a few of these..I've started to wonder - doesn't anyone in town wonder why 3-4 people get murdered every few months?? I guess not. :)
—Sarah

This is a charming series. I have read most of them but not in order. Harry is divorced from her husband, Fair, the local veterinarian. She and the other women in the town are planning their high school reunion to be held in the high school building along with another class who will celebrate their 50th reunion. When the class lothario is found murdered the classmates have their hands full trying to solve the case while still holding a reunion. Of course, Mrs. Murphy and her animal henchmen are on hand to keep every human in line. These books are nice cozies that are easy to read but also very well written.
—Ann

This entry into the Sneaky Pie series is a little different than the others. That is not a bad thing. Ms. Brown just out did herself in writing this one. I didn't see the end coming at all. Great going to the Browns, you did a wonderful job in hiding the killer and the why in this plot. I wished I could give this installment 6 stars, it is better than the previous books and they were very fun and entertaining. As with all of the author's installments in this series, the writing is tight and flows smoothly. The characters and dialog were very well developed. One thing too that I like about this series is that the author stays true to her characters. Ms. Brown understands the psychology of the inhabits of Crozet. She never lets them do anything that they shouldn't just to move the plot. This installment also introduces a new character, Tracy Raz. In my book, he is a welcomed addition to the Crozet clan. A nice father figure to Harry and companion to Miranda. I hope that he never moves away. Miranda needs some one to take care of and to love again. With the reunions, we get to see a different side to Harry. Harry does some mellowing and is starting to understand herself better. I do sense some changes in the air for her and the Crozet clan. I'm sure that The Browns will make these changes for the better. Because I'm sure that Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie love these characters as much as I do.
—Megan

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