Rita Mae Brown collaborates with feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown in a mystery starring Mary Minor Harry Haristeen, the curious cat detectives Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and Tee Tucker, the valiant crime-solving corgi. Halloween arrives early this year to rural central Virginia, when a twisted killer will stop at nothing to protect a multimillion-dollar scheme.

THE LITTER OF THE LAW

Autumn has descended and crops are being harvested all over Crozet, Virginia, ideal conditions for a scenic drive for Harry and husband Fair. Bucolic views are all well and good, but Harry s nose for trouble leads her straight to a cornfield s macabre scarecrow an all too real murder victim that frightens all but the noisy crows.

This accountant s gruesome death is only the first of many disturbing events in this normally pastoral corner of the world. While Harry tends her beloved grapes and sunflowers, a killer edges closer as does Harry s protective menagerie of animals.

Halloween s approach brings with it bona fide terror and a beloved local tradition that threatens to become fatal. Rooting out the guilty in the treacherous center of a lucrative conspiracy requires Harry s farmer s wisdom along with the quick wits and extraordinary senses of Sneaky Pie, Pewter, and Tucker. A vicious murderer may know the lay of the land far better than Harry does, but that s about to change. It s up to her vigilant four-footed companions to make sure that the unearthing of this plot is not Harry s last act.

Praise for The Litter of the Law and the Mrs. Murphy mysteries

As feline collaborators go, you couldn t ask for better than Sneaky Pie Brown. The New York Times Book Review

Enchanting . . . Brown demonstrates once again why she s the queen of the talking animal cozy subgenre. Publishers Weekly

As usual, the smart animals provide clues without getting in the way of the human interactions and plot. This is a strong addition to the popular series. Booklist