Whiskers in the Dark: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery

Rita Mae Brown has added this, the 28th tale, to her popular animals and humans series of mysteries. Fans will recognize main characters Harry, Susan, and Reverend Jones. They are joined by three new characters related to the mystery that spans from present day back to 18th century Virginia and neighboring locales. In all, there are 36 named characters.

Ms. Brown, as usual, educates her reader based on the central themes, which in this case is slavery on southern plantations and beagle hunts across the same landscape. Mysterious human remains discovered in 2016 trigger visits to the 18th century for the skullduggery that led to the murder. Present day behind the scenes planning for beagle hunting keeps Harry and Susan running to and fro.

Ms. Brown’s style has devolved into choppy dialogue and non-sequiturs galore. Prior novels flowed and were charming. Her proselytizing about human rights and racism is way too heavy considering the Mrs. Murphy readers. Too bad.