The Purrfect Murder

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
Bantam Books

I don't mean to sound like I have internalized felinophobia or anything, but a book about clever animals who have conversations and solve puzzles sounds more like a children's story than something for adults. But this one also has murders and an abortion clinic, so like Mary Poppins, it's hard to say what age group it's for. But it's definitely a bedtime story. I napped a lot between chapters. Not that this book is boring exactly, it's just that there's something so bland and comforting about it. Oh sure, some people die and stuff, but there's not much sense of menace. It's set in a wealthy little town in Virginia where it seems everyone owns horses and is building McMansions and throwing charity balls. And everyone is so darn nice! Only two characters are slightly unlikable, and one of them gets murdered. Two guesses who the murderer is. It's kind of a wonder that the lead character needs her two cats and stupid dog to help her out. Maybe she, too, was lulled by the book's pace and simplistic style. (The Browns seem to have anticipated that readers would check out for pages at a time; they spend a lot of time explaining and repeating.) My one complaint about this soothing experience is that the cats should have had a bigger role. Rita Mae must have written most of this book. A cat could do better.