Outfoxed

I like reading the Sister Jane and her critters series and all her books to tell the truth. They are great fun and relaxing. The bad news with this copy is that the cover is falling apart in pieces. So weird like a jigsaw puzzle.

What a delightful book and a joy to read. As always with Ms. Brown, I hated to finish the book and know I will read it again.Born and raised in Virginia, I had no idea what was involved in fox hunting prior to starting OUTFOXED. One of the best things about reading is learning, and as always, Rita Mae teaches through her work. The character development of both the humans and animals was excellent and solving the mystery was great fun.I hope there will be future "Sister" Jane Arnold books to further embellish the characters introduced in OUTFOXED. I felt a kindred spirit with her, her friends and acquaintances and, especially, the menagerie of critters. Three Cheers and Five Stars!

I'm from Western Pennsylvania, home of the Rolling Rock Hunt Club, which I was around although not a member. I had a 16'2" thoroughbred hunter, whipped-in with the Beagling pack on exercise runs a few times (beagles are to rabbits as hounds are to foxes)and the vivid descriptions brought back memories of the beautiful countryside & that whole hunt club milieu. I *loved* this book & its characters. The mystery was incidental, in fact, I'd have preferred straight fiction, forget the murder. I want more about the characters and their continuing lives! Though, mysteries sell better and the murder slowly emerged after lots of character development, a huge plus. I was loaned this book by my friend the librarian who enjoyed it but clearly not as much as I did (I could hardly sleep after the description of the opening hunt, it was so exciting). We agree that it's one of those books where equine-aphiles (is that a word?) will be in love with the book and the rest of the world will like it a little less. I just hope that there are enough of us, or that Ms. Brown has enough of a compelling itch to write about hunts, that the series continues. (Let's face it, it's a pretty small world compared to the world of cat and dog lovers that she taps into with the Sneaky Pie books.) Sign me up as one of those devoted-to-the-series readers. Please continue with this as a series!

I think my background as a former foxhunter, horse and hound (both foxhounds and bassets) owner, increased my enjoyment of this book. Origionally a "hunting to ride" participant, I evolved into a "riding to hunt" person. Consequently, the dialogue of the hounds, foxes, and horses seemed very reasonable and natural. The politics, egos, plus good and bad manners and horsemanship of the characters were true to my experiences. At times I paid more attention to the dialog and actions than to the mystery to be solved. It was nice not to have someone killed within the first 30 pages. Instead there was ample time for the story's geographic, social, and technical settings to be painted for the reader. Since one pleasure of reading I enjoy is the chance to learn about new things, I recommend this book as an outstanding introduction to foxhunting.

An exciting murder in the hunt field. Move over sheriff, it will take a special MFH and a pack of foxhounds to solve this one. Rita Mae Brown has done herself proud with this book. Once again, we are taken to the hills of Virginia to find a murder. If you love horses or the Mrs. Murphy series, this book is a must.

There are a few places left in Virginia where time seems to have stopped and the mindset remains the same as that of a hundred-plus years ago. The Jefferson Hunt Club and the immediate vicinity surrounding the facility are the epitome of the antebellum lifestyle enriched by twenty-first century technology. This small corner of the globe contains individuals steeped in a special heritage with genteel manners and seething passions especially for the Hunt led by popular Jane "Sister" Arnold.Sister is the master of the Hunt and has been for more years than many participants have lived. She currently inspects the horses, dogs, and foxes that will participate in the next Hunt. The animals are as intelligent as the humans and communicate amongst themselves. Sister has begun to feel her age and believes it is time to select a joint master to continue the tradition after she dies. However, during the Hunt, one of the leading contenders is murdered. This leaves everyone to wonder how far someone will go to eliminate the competition.Anyone who loves Sneaky Pie and Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy series will want to read OUTFOXED. The story line centers on the tightly closed American foxhunt scenario that is a part of our American heritage. The lead protagonist is a wise person who the audience will enjoy for her compassion for all that is alive and her leadership abilities. However, this novel belongs to the animals that make readers believe they can talk and think in a logical humanistic manner that Dr. Doolittle and Murphy would envy.Harriet Klausner