Rita Mae Brown has written a long series in which she solves crimes with the help of her beloved animals. A cross between a cozy mystery and straight up mystery, Brown writes in such a way that a cup of tea and nice weather to sit in are called for.

This is an entertaining read.. The characters are well established and complex. This can be a good and bad thing. For fans of the series it is good but for new reader it could be bad as there is no backstory. I love the pet characters they are so fun to read about. The mystery is well-plotted with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone..

Again another great novel by Rita Mae Brown.

In this book we find Harry on the hunt for a killer during the sprint time in northern Virginia. They are getting ready for the homecoming celebrations when a body is found. Jeannie Cordle is poisoned and Harry must solve the mystery.

Enough twists to keep you entertained. The scenery as always is beautiful and the characters are exceptional.

Love her books.

What a cute book. I have actually read several books in this series and it has yet to feel stale. Great writer.

Formidable Foes by Rita Mae Brown
Mary Minor “Harry” is on the hunt for a killer with the help of Mrs. Murphy and Tee Tucker, a few of her pets. She thinks It really started with the robbery of some delivery trucks from the brewery.
This was an interesting book. I enjoyed the history of VA in the 1800’s. I also liked the fact that the animals had dialog. I recommend this book.

Honestly? I used to wait eagerly for the latest Mrs. Murphy mystery, but with these last few, I find I almost dread picking them up. The characters are still fun, the writing superb, and the subjects interesting. My problem? I don't want to keep jumping back and forth in time. I enjoy each storyline on it's own, but don't like them being mashed together. I hope Ms Brown can wrap up the past soon so we can focus on the present.
I received a copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great mystery that was a perfect read when taking a break from working in the garden. I enjoyed every word and I admit, once I started reading the gardening was put off until the following day! Says a lot when my flower beds are neglected for a delightful read.

I love this series and enjoyed this installment. The historical Fiction was very interesting and I also enjoyed reading of the landscaping at the church. All of my favorite characters were back like old friends.
Many thanks to Bantam Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

A new Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie book is here and gives me another chance to visit with old friends. I have been reading this series since the very beginning. Furmidable Foes is number 29 in the Mrs. Murphy Mystery series and still able to keep my interest throughout the book. While this one’s ending seemed a little rushed, the research is always top notch. Because of this, I will continue with the series because they have become like friends over the last twenty years, or so; it is always nice to catch up and see what is happening with those crazy animals from Crozet, Virginia.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review. *****

Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and the rest of the gang are back for another adventure. 2 timelines with connecting mysteries are the theme of this book. St. Lukes is celebrating homecoming and all the members are working hard on the landscaping to get ready. While attending a fundraiser a woman drops dead and Harry starts narrowing down the list of suspects. Another body by a still in the mountains is somehow connected. The 1700's timeline has escaping slaves and missing jewelry. This book was a little less political and concentrated a little more on the story of the animal and people interaction. This is book 29 in the Mrs. Murphy series. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Once again, like the last few books, this novel has a split story line: half in the 1700’s in Virginia and half in present day Virginia. As much as the author sort of carries off the story this way, I personally wish the split between centuries would stop, as I do not really care for it. There is, nevertheless, a lot of research that goes into the books. They are just not my favorites.

In this story, the women of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church are busy getting read for a church homecoming like no other. Everyone is busy planting flowers and trimming hedges and such to prepare for the big day. In the midst of this, a brewery owned by two members of the group is robbed of merchandise worth hundreds of dollars. Then, a woman, Jeannie Cordle dies during the charity auction. Harry begins to worry there is a killer among them. Is there a connection between the two events? Harry seems to think so. Harry’s animal friends help her ferret through clues to figure out just what is going on. The author manages to mix in the tale of former Captain Charles West, formerly of Her Majesty’s regulars, who is the architect of the church surrounding lush gardens.

As I said before, this is another mix of different centuries and lives therein who become art of the storyline. Usually I enjoy the descriptions the author provides throughout the books and how it all tires together. However, this one just seemed disjointed to me. The stories are tied together, but they just did not catch me. I also thought a lot of the book was redundant. I enjoyed, as I always do, the interplay with the animals, who tell their stories and kibitz on just about everything. If you like the series and author (especially the animals!), the chances are you will enjoy the book, so you should consider giving it a try. I received his from NetGalley to read and review.

Furmidable Foes is the 29th (!!!) Mrs. Murphy mystery by Rita Mae Brown. Released 19th May 2020 by Penguin Random House on their Bantam book imprint, it's 336 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

I've long been a fan of the author, and enjoyed her cozy Mrs. Murphy series as well as her more serious writing. This anthropomorphic cozy series is a pillar of the genre (and the author a prolific and dependable source of cozy reads in several series).

The dialogue and writing are pitch perfect (including such historical southern vernacular as 'dependencies' for slave quarters). Typically for Ms. Brown, the writing is solidly comfortable and engaging. Reading her books is almost like visiting with an old friend you haven't seen for a while; you just pick up where you left off the last time, even if you haven't seen them for ages.

I had read the first couple of books in this series, then sort of lost track of it and hadn't read any of them for several years. I didn't have any trouble following the story or keeping the main characters straight in my head whilst reading. There is a comprehensive dramatis personae section at the beginning of the book in case the reader needs to sort of who is who. That being said, it is the 29th book in the series and would probably be best read roughly in order. The story is told in alternating flashbacks from the modern day to the 18th century. The dates are given in the chapter headings, so it's no trouble to keep the intertwined stories straight. It's a testament to the author's technical ability that she manages to write period appropriate dialogue alternated with modern times without giving the reader whiplash or managing to lose the disparate plot threads.

One note for long term readers of the series: there are a number of returning characters missing from this one. Big Mim, Boom Boom, Miranda, and some others do not make an appearance in this installment. I also found the admittedly accurate period depiction of slaves, racial violence, and slavery quite a downer for a cozy book. It's probably edifying to talk about openly, but especially in light of the recent racial upheavals, I found it especially sad that we've not managed to make much of an apprciable difference in following 230 years.

I personally love anthropomorphic mysteries, but fair warning, if talking animals bug you, this probably isn't the series for you. The book also does a superlative job of giving a glimpse into Virginia hospitality and etiquette and the 18th century culture parallel to the modern day.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A delightful addition to the Sneaky Pie series. Like several of the more recent books, this one has two plot lines, one in the present and on taking place in the late 1780s. More than many of these books the two periods intersect. While the arc advances nicely in the 1780s plot, the crime happens in the present day. While the perpetrator was easy to figure out, I liked that this book nicely integrated the crime with the life of the principal characters.

The 29th installment in the “A Mrs. Murphy Mystery” pet series from acclaimed author Rita Mae Brown comes Furmidable Foes. Published by Batam/Random House.

First off, I would like to say that I would have given this book a higher rating if it had contained a few things I felt were missing. Characters in this series, Harry and friends, as well as the talking pets, are well established. And that in and of itself is one of the problems. They may be so well established that a new reader will not be able to understand the different personalities and habits. Unfortunately, there is no background given for this book. Unless the reader has read the other 28 books in the series, they are unlikely to become vested in the characters, location, or the mystery.

I enjoy a story within a story, and I found the story of the slaves set in 1787, Virginia, very enjoyable. However, I did not find that their story was resolved well enough. I would have been happier reading a book based solely on the slave mystery more than the story of the modern murder. I found the talking pets entertaining but would have liked them to have more involvement throughout the book. I did not feel there was any real police investigation or evidence, redding herrings or genuine twists. I thought the killer was fairly obvious and the motive as old as the Virginia hills.

When a series has run as long as this one has, it is easy to forget that the audience has grown older, and new readers have come aboard. It’s easy to write beloved characters without a thought as to who will be reading the story. After all, writers get to know their characters so well that they think of them in everyday terms, and as such, they forget that readers may not have a clue who these people are. A list of characters at the beginning of a book is no excuse for not devoting at least a chapter to describing who the returning characters are in relationship to the story. Unfortunately, I feel that this series has become stale. Avid fans will, no doubt, love this book. However, a new audience may find it too overwhelming, filled with references; they don't understand, and with nothing to spark their interest. Unless it is all the talking pets, animal lovers will relate to this aspect more than anything else.

A little more effort in educating the audience would go a long way to making this book far more interesting. When I read the book, the term “phoning it in” came to mind, and that is something I will never like in any publication. Furmidable Foes could have been quite enjoyable, characters and pets are quirky and spunky. The garden, sounded lovely and was described beautifully. I wish I could go back and read the other books in the series just so I could better understand what was going on in this addition, but… who has time to read 28 books just to catch up? Even in quarantine, I don’t have that kind of time!

ARC provided by Netgalley

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie are the perfect combination to spend an afternoon on the porch reading. A perfectly concocted cozy mystery with all the usual characters, human and not, that we have come to expect from Ms Brown. This one finds our team trying to figure out a robbery and a murder with a little help from the police!!!! Another great 5 star read.

Rita Mae Brown books are always a treat. I love visiting Sneaky Pie and friends. Very cute!

Many thanks to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A little too cute for me, but still an absorbing mystery. The gardening club theme brings a nice touch to the story, and I liked the alternation between the 21st and 18th century.

This is the 29th in "Miss Murphy" series by Rita Mae Brown. I have enjoyed and read most of the series. I highly recommend this next in series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinion is my own.

It is always fun to return to this series and the regular charcters. The animals are adorable and part of what makes this series fun for animal lovers. Harry Haristeen investigates two murders this time. The animal side kicks are as always two cats - Mrs. Murphy and Pewter; the corgi - Tucker; and the half-grown Irish wolfhound - Pirate. This group of pets makes up Harry's closest companions and help her find clues . Her husband Fair is a town vet and a series regular. The charcters and pets are well crafted to the story and enjoyable to read about.

Harry is overseeing the completion of the church gardens. This is a fun project for her and she is enjoying the process. They are preparing the garden for a local charity event When a 1700's skeleton is found with priceless jewels on the church garden by her clever Pewter, Harry is on the case to determine who the corpse was and how they were murdered. In the meantime another present day murder has occurred by poisoning along with other nefarious circumstances. Harry and the gang have their paws full trying to figure out the suspects.

I loved this next in series. The sleuth was interesting and well crafted intersecting the two murders from different time periods. This is a delightful cozy series that I hope will continued. Congratulations to the author on book #29 !

Another new book which alternates time periods (in this case, 1788 and 2019) is FURMIDABLE FOES by Rita Mae Brown. Loyal readers will recognize this as another fun Mrs. Murphy mystery (book 29) featuring cats named Pewter and Mrs. Murphy, plus corgi Tee Tucker and a new wolfhound pup named Pirate. Harry Harristeen, best friend Susan Tucker, and other members of the Dorcas Guild are into gardening and beautifying the local church's property until one of them is killed at a charity event. I generally like these light mysteries and read this one in an afternoon, but found it to be a bit disappointing. My personal preference would be to stick to the modern story and that feeling was reinforced in this case due to the historical tale of slave catchers that did not seem to have any real resolution. From her references to many characters in the past, my impression is that Brown is trying to build two worlds: Harry's in the present day and one in post-colonial Virginia. Frankly, that means too many details (there is a five page "Cast of Characters") for the reader – looking for entertainment – to track.