{"product_id":"tall-tail-a-mrs-murphy-mystery-9780553392487","title":"Tall Tail: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery","description":"In this fast-paced mystery by Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown, Mary Minor \"Harry\" Haristeen and her animal friends seek to solve a whodunit rooted in eighteenth-century Virginia--uncovering a shocking secret that refuses to stay buried. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eTALL TAIL\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e At any moment a perfect summer day in Crozet, Virginia--nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains--might turn stormy and tempestuous, as Harry knows too well when a squall suddenly sweeps in. In a blink, Harry's pickup nearly collides with a careening red car that then swerves into a ditch. Harry recognizes the dead driver slumped over the vehicle's steering wheel: Barbara Leader was nurse and confidante to former Virginia governor Sam Holloway. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Though Barbara's death is ruled a heart attack, dissenting opinions abound. After all, she was the picture of health, which gives Harry and her four-legged companions pause. A baffling break-in at a local business leads Harry to further suspect that a person with malevolent intent lurks just out of sight: Something evil is afoot. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e As it happens, Barbara died in the shadow of the local cemetery's statue of the Avenging Angel. Just below that imposing funereal monument lie the remains of one Francisco Selisse, brutally murdered in 1784. Harry's present-day sleuthing draws her back to Virginia's slave-holding past and the hunt for Selisse's killer. Now it's up to Harry and her furry detectives--Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tee Tucker--to expose the bitter truth, even if it means staring into the unforgiving eyes of history and cornering a callous killer poised to pounce. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"As feline collaborators go, you couldn't ask for better than Sneaky Pie Brown.\"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--The New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Mrs. Murphy mysteries are fun, sweet, and beautifully adventurous.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBustle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Brown  is] the queen of the talking animal cozy.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRita Mae Brown \u003c\/b\u003eis the bestselling author of the Sneaky Pie Brown series; the Sister Jane series; the Runnymede books, including \u003ci\u003eSix of One\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCakewalk;\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eA Nose for Justice \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Murder Unleashed; Rubyfruit Jungle; \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e In Her Day, \u003c\/i\u003eas well as several other novels. An Emmy-nominated screenwriter and a poet, Brown lives in Afton, Virginia. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eSneaky Pie Brown, \u003c\/b\u003ea tiger cat born somewhere in Albemarle County, Virginia, was discovered by Rita Mae Brown at her local SPCA. They have collaborated on numerous Mrs. Murphy mysteries--in addition to \u003ci\u003eSneaky Pie's Cookbook for Mystery Lovers\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSneaky Pie for President\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Bantam","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50917797527826,"sku":"9780553392487","price":5.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_4732b6a2-2e0a-4131-a388-708d97166b1b.jpg?v=1738870148","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/tall-tail-a-mrs-murphy-mystery-9780553392487","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}