RITA MAE BROWN

When winter hits Crozet, Virginia, it hits hard--and hangs on for months. That's nothing new to postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her friends, who keep warm with hard work, hot toddies, and rabid rooting for the University of Virginia's women's basketball team at the old stadium affectionately dubbed "The Clam." But the usual postgame high spirits are laid low when contractor H. H. Donaldson drops dead in the parking lot. And pretty soon word has spread that it wasn't a heart attack that did him in. It just doesn't sit right with Harry that one of her fellow fans--perhaps even an acquaintance or neighbor sitting close by in the stands--is a murderer. And as tiger cat Mrs. Murphy is all too aware, things that don't sit right with Harry make her restless, curious, and prone to poking her not-very-sensitive human nose into dangerous places. So the animals start paying closer attention to what the people around them are doing--and they're the first ones to realize when the next murder occurs. It seems obvious to Harry that the deaths are connected--and she intends to find out exactly how. There's no shortage of suspects, considering that H.H. was a ladies' man who'd left a trail of broken hearts all over town--the most recent belonging to his wife-- and that the second murder victim was not very popular in Crozet.As the police launch their investigation, Harry picks up clues through savvy questioning of everyone she knows. But it's the critters who are most attuned to trouble--they scent something wicked wafting Harry's way on the tail of the next snowstorm. And as Harry draws closer to the truth about a brutal killer, Mrs. Murphy and her friends realize it's up to them to make sure their intrepid mom lands on her feet.

In the third novel of her captivating foxhunting series, Rita Mae Brown welcomes readers back for a final tour of a world where most business is conducted on horseback-and stables are de rigueur for even the smallest of estates. Here, in the wealth-studded hills of Jefferson County, Virginia, even evil rides a mount. The all-important New Year's Hunt commences amid swirling light snow. It is the last formal hunt of the season; therefore, participation is required no matter how hungover riders are from toasting the midnight before. On this momentous occasion, "Sister" Jane Arnold, master of the foxhounds, announces her new joint master and the new president of the Jefferson Hunt. And her choices will prove to be no less than shocking. The day's festivities are quickly marred, though, by what appears on the surface to be an unrelated tragedy. Sam Lorillard, former shining star and Harvard Law School alum, lies dead of a stab wound on a baggage cart at the old train station, surrounded by the outcasts and vagabonds who composed his social circle at the end of life. No one can remember when Sam started drinking, but the downward spiral was swift-and seemingly deadly. Murder is followed by scandal when Sister Jane discovers dishonest hunting practices going on in a neighboring club. Unsure whether to turn a blind eye or report the infringement to the proper authority, Sister and her huntsman, Shaker Crown, decide to investigate a little further, with the help of their trusty hounds. But when they come a little too close to the staggering truth-and uncover an unforeseen connection to Lorillard's murder-they realizethey might not survive to see the next New Year's Hunt. Intricate, witty, and full of the varied voices of creatures both great and small, Full Cry is an astute reminder that even those with the bluest of blood still bleed red.

Todos en el campus del William y Mary conocen a Victoria Vic Savedge. Su belleza de pelo negro azabache y metro ochenta de estatura no pasa inadvertida entre los adoquines de la universidad..., sobre todo cogida del brazo de Charly Harrison, la estrella del equipo de futbol de la universidad e hijo de una de las familias mas distinguidas de Virginia. Al comienzo de su ultimo curso en la universidad, el futuro de Vic esta ya planeado al detalle, se casara con Charly y desempeñara el papel de la abnegada esposa de un politico. Pese a su inteligencia y a estar dotada de cierto espiritu de rebeldia, lo cierto es que Vic no se plantea ninguna otra opcion... Hasta que conoce a una mujer llamada Chris.Recien llegada de Vermont, Chris desconoce por completo las costumbres y actitudes sureñas. Cautivada de inmediato por la belleza y la poderosa personalidad de Vic, empieza a sentirse atraida por la totalidad de la peculiar pero encantadora familia Savedge. Sin embargo, la amistad que une a las dos jovenes va mas alla de la simple camaraderia estudiantil entre dos universitarias, pues ninguna de ellas puede resistirse a la atraccion mutua que sienten, lo que se convierte en una pasion que cambiara para siempre el curso de sus vidas.Con su estilo inimitable, Rita Mae Brown ha sabido plasmar en esta novela la vitalidad de la poderosa sensibilidad sureña y de unos personajes que se enfrentan a profundos conflictos emocionales. El repentino e intenso descubrimiento que sobre si misma realiza una joven y todos los problemas y placeres fisicos que eso conlleva es el eje sobre el que se construye esta valiente y tierna historia de amor.