Hotspur ("Sister" Jane)

Read the entire series. It's worth it to read twice, if you have the time. Sure did learn a lot. I don't understand all the wardrobe details, but each to her own. Rita Mae Brown is the greatest! Interaction between animals is, of course, quite enlightening.

I enjoyed this book, as I do all Rita Mae Brown's "Horsey" stories! I hope more are coming...fast !

While spottedtowhee obviously disagrees, as a self-described conservative Southerner I prefer Rita Mae's light hearted hunting and animal descriptions to her older "controversial" work. This book is an excellent choice for anyone interested in animal welfare, Virginia hunt country, fox hunting, and horses. The animals do talk to each other but it flows more smoothly in this book than in some others of the Sneaky Pie variety where the dialogue seems a little contrived.It would be helpful to read "Outfoxed" before Hotspur. As I maintain two residences I don't have my copy of Outfoxed handy, but I thought one of the provisions of Peter Wheeler's will was that Doug become joint master. In Hotspur he has been shipped off to a neighboring hunt and does not participate in the story; I missed him.I suspect we haven't seen the last of Carter Howard and I look forward to another installment in the life of the Jefferson Hunt's members.

There is a small little town in Virginia that is quite quaint and magical, a place where the animals understand and speak to one another. The most influential people in town belong to the Jefferson Hunt Club, an organization where humans, horses and hounds combine to flush out the foxes. One day while walking the horses and hounds, the hound master "Sister" Jane Arnold sees an old horse that died in his sleep on After All farm.Sister organizes the horse's burial but before it can be put in the ground, the body of a woman wearing a sapphire ring is dug up. The body is that of Nola, the daughter of Tedi and Edward Bancroft. The young woman disappeared one day in 1981. Also vanishing at the same time as Nola was Guy Ramy, her boyfriend and the sheriff's son. his body as shortly found later. Sister, with the help of some friends, both human and animal, are able to solve the decades old murders and bring peace to two grieving families. Fans of the Mrs. Murphy series are going to love HOTSPUR, an enchanting tale where the animals delight the reader with their ready wit, common sense and love for their humans. Sister is a memorable heroine who knows how to guide the members of the Jefferson Hunt Club in the direction she wants them to go. Reader will want to finish this book in one sitting so they can find out who the killer is and what the motive was.Harriet Klausner

Sister returns to the Hunt, Master at 71 years. It is cubbing season but instead of teaching young foxes and young foxhounds she must discover why, after twenty years, the bones of a young woman are uncovered. The story starts slowly then the tension increases to the beat of horses hooves and the voice of the hounds. Great imagery and an intriging puzzle. As in most of Rita Mae Brown's mysteries the animals, horses dog and foxes talk among themselves. Most of the time all except the horses are critical of the humans.