When Harry and Susan visit the state capitol to visit Susan’s husband, they become tangled up in mystery and murder. Well developed characters and a nice twisty plot kept the pages turning. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

What sets "Feline Fatale" apart is Brown's ability to infuse her story with warmth, humor, and keen insights into human (and feline) nature. The interactions between the animal characters are particularly charming, offering moments of levity amidst the tension of the investigation. Additionally, Brown's vivid descriptions bring the town of Crozet to life, making it feel like a character in its own right.

Overall, "Feline Fatale" is a purr-fectly delightful read for fans of cozy mysteries and cat lovers alike. With its engaging plot, lovable characters, and charming setting, it's sure to leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.

I love this series and was very excited to read this installment which is a perfect blend of mystery, politics, and feline charm. I loved the banter between the animal characters which added warmth and humor to the story.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The newest Mrs. Murphy mystery finds Harry and crew embroiled in the politics of Virginia.

I liked that this one moved away from the 18th century storylines , but there was not really a murder/investigation. We didn’t really get many clues or sleuthing, which is what I enjoy most about cozies.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a longtime fan of Rita Mae Brown and her feline investigators. Brown sets the bar for what I look for in a cozy mystery, guaranteeing a great read every time.

Rita Mae Brown has penned another great cozy mystery. Once again, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen stumbles into a mystery. This story takes us out of small town Crozet into Richmond and the Virginia statehouse. Harry's friend Ned is busy trying to enact legislation and the poor behavior of his fellow statesmen reflect politics as usual. When a young page ends up dead, Harry's curiosity is peaked. The main plot includes drugs and politics. But the book also has a subplot with Harry learning about Ham Radio in an effort to ease the loneliness of an elderly friend. Although Brown's recent novels have had dual timelines that intertwined stories about the town in the late 18th century and now, this one returns to her earlier format and stays in the twenty-first century. This story makes a fun quick read and the ending is quite clever. Although I had a large part of the story figured out, the ending took me completely by surprise. Harry and Susan are a fun duo, but all the long time fans know that the animals are really the favorite characters in Brown's stories. The conversations between the pets are always good for a laugh or two. Curiosity can kill the cat, but fans know that friends and family will be safe when Mrs. Murphey is around.

Feline Fatale is the 32nd book in the Mrs. Murphy mystery series by Rita Mae Brown (& Sneaky Pie Brown). Released 16th April 2024 by Random House on the Bantam imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, ebook, and audio formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is another one of those anthropomorphic animal cozy mystery series which is like a visit with an old friend. It's a perennial, long running series (since 1990), and always like a beloved sweater; comfortable and warm. Happily the series quality has always been good, and unlike most decades long series, it's never felt "phoned in" or stale. There certainly is a soothing quality to the plotting and the returning characters; it's safe and escapist reading, something that is therapeutic and necessary given the current state of the world. This one sees the animal and human crew delving into politics to solve the death of a page/assistant to the state delegates.

The language is clean, the murders are bloodless, the denouement and resolution are satisfying and well done. Everything that readers could want from a cozy mystery. Yes, it's a known quantity, and that is a positive benefit.

The monochrome illustrations by Michael Gellatly give a sweetly nostalgic feel to the book. This is the same artist who illustrated earlier books in the series.

Four stars, I love Ms. Brown's work, and her ability to combine deep social commentary with humor and wit is always a joy to read. For readers who are new to the series, nearly all of them work very well as standalone reads, with the codicil that the characters develop over the series and their relationships change, so there may be spoilers if read out of order.

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

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Political
Readability: Even though this is book 52 (that's right) I think you can pick it up and enjoy it exactly where it is
Format: Animals have a POV in addition to people

This is a long-running cozy and readers who discover it can't get enough. It's fun to have the animals weighing in on the humans—such inexplicable creatures.

FELINE FATALE surprised me with the political bent to it—not opposed to that, just surprised. We are also back in just modern America, and I think that works well in this one because we already have a lot going on with ham radios, congress, drugs, and murder.

I think you'll find the ending satisfying . . . so send me a message and tell me if you liked it.

Happy reading!

I grew up reading Rita Mae Brown and following the mysteries of Mrs Murphy and was SO GLAD to see this new one coming out. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC but i already know I'm going to have to buy a hard copy to add to my shelf as well, to sit alongside the others in this series!

More to come after I finish... but I can tell you so far it's cute and fun as ever!!

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

Brown steps into the politics of the Virginia General Assembly in this latest in the series. Don't worry, though- there's plenty from the animals fans have come to love. This is a tad more complex and might be most appreciated by those who follow state politics, especially in Virginia. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This has been a terrific series, but this addition to the series missed the mark for me. The plot was to much politics and not enough mystery. I liked the fact that she was setting a mystery in the General Assembly of Virginia, and a little politics mixed with a whole lot of mystery and mayhem would have made this book so much better. I understand what the author was trying to say, but I don’t care to read it in my cozy mystery.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

Don’t expect Rita Mae or Sneaky Pie Brown to get down and noir with a mystery. The one death that takes place here is as stylistically far removed from the genre as the Virginia farmhouse where Mrs. Murphy and the other animals live is geographically distant from Richmond. Most of the time, Mrs. Murphy, Pewter,, Tucker, and Pirate hang out with their human Harry in the heated barn. If not there, they go where she goes, plowing snow from the driveways of neighbors and friends, fretting over the danger of encroaching development on an historic school, or fixing the roof on the church. Harry does take on the challenge of learning ham radioing in order to communicate with some of her elders.

It’s only loyalty to her friend Susan that lands Harry and her crew in the cat fight known as the Virginia Legislature. While visiting to watch Susan’s husband Ned offer a bill, she witnesses a former newscaster, now a Republican firebrand in high heels, slap Ned’s colleague. It initiates what appears to be a feud between the two, and Harry watches from a distance.

Until she is called into service because a page was killed, and many quit, leaving a gap in the needs of the legislators. The authors show us around the political ball field(they know a good bit about Virginia politics), and Harry pays attention. There’s shenanigans going on. What looks like combat turns out to be communication, and Harry sorts it out, with a click of high heels she’s unaccustomed to.

Of course, the animals are omnipresent. Fortunately, they don’t do any detecting. They do what animals do—talk trash to each other, keep an eye out for food, and look out for Harry. Pet owners may be a bit bemused that both canines and felines travel politely in and out of everywhere Harry visits. They help make this mystery as cozy as a crime can be, and that’s what a Sneaky Pie Brown book is all about.

This was a fun and light read. It’s not my usual genre but it was enjoyable. The mystery was well done.

“Feline Fatale” is the thirty-second book in Rita Mae Brown’s Mrs. Murphy Mystery series. While the past several books in the series have featured a dual story line set in both the present and the Revolutionary War era – this book takes place in just the present. While I had gotten used to the dual storylines (and think the Revolutionary War storyline would make a fine series in itself) I much prefer the single storyline – especially since it brings back characters who had been MIA – Big Mim, Miranda, Aunt Tally, even Boom Boom makes a cameo appearance. Brown’s books have always had a touch of politics to them but this book is totally about politics – Harry’s best friend’s husband is in the House of Delegates and much of this book, including the murder, involves politics. The mystery is well done – this isn’t one of those try to guess whodunit type of mysteries but one where you sit back and watch as Brown cleverly works clues into the book – even the most innocent things can turn out to be important. While I wasn’t surprised at who turned out to be guilty, I did feel terribly bad for one of the characters and hope this character shows up in future books in the series.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Join Harry Haristeen and her animals in a new mystery. Harry and Susan are off to the legislature to support Susan’s husband in some new legislation. His suggested bill is not taken well which wasn’t a surprise. What is a surprise is a fight between his fellow bill sponsor and a popular former newscaster Republican. High heels do enter into the battle. As the story progresses and a teenage aid is found dead, Harry wonders about what is going on in the legislature. There’s a lot more going on than should be, but you’ll have to read the book and find out. I enjoyed this book and who doesn’t enjoy the talking animals.

Feline Fatale is a great story. I enjoyed visiting again with Harry, Susan, Ned, and Fair along with all the other human and animal friends. A lot of this story takes place in Richmond where Ned is now a state delegate. Something fishy may be going on there and Susan and Harry end up right in the middle of trying to figure it out. I like how the animal characters talk to each other in these stories and try to communicate with the humans who mostly misunderstand. It is winter in this book so no fox hunts and I missed the fox families who often talk with the foxhounds.
Another great read from Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown, her cat.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was very excited to read this book. I have read the complete Mrs. Murphy series and had been struggling with the split time lines from the few books before. I was very excited to see that this book is all in one timeline. It also had a lot more of the original characters making an appearance. It was very exciting to visit with Aunt Tally, Big Mim and Miranda Hogendobber. We find Harry getting swept up in Virginia politics as her best friend since birth, Susan's, husband is a representative and is involved with a bill that causes some uproar and a fight between two representatives. This is an intricately woven mystery that is very well researched and in touch with a lot of modern political themes.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group.

I received this book through NetGalley. It’s the first book I have read from Rita Mae Brown and definitely will not be the last. Harry and her best friend Susan are helping Ned, Susan’s husband, go through paperwork. Ned and Aiden, both state delegates, are trying to get a bill passed and are butting heads with Amanda Fields, who is opposing their bill. An accident or maybe a murder happens and Harry tries to figure it out and it takes learning about her grandfather to solve the mystery.

Harry and her long-time friend Susan are helping Susan's husband, Ned, at his office at the Virginia House of Delegates. One of the pages is found dead as the battle heats up between the parties over the snow-removal bill sponsered by Ned. Is it related to the feud between Ned's co-sponser and their opposing delegate, Amanda Fields?
I didn't like either Amanda with her trademark Louboutins or Ned's supposed ally, Aiden Harkness. They seem to represent the very worst of self-serving politicians.
I love that the clues for Harry to solve the mystery came from the beloved old ladies. Just shows that wisdom of the past is still relevant today.
This is really a clever mystery in a political setting.
A really great addition to a wonderful series.