May 1, 2023
No plot details yet, but fans will be happy that "Sister" Jane Arnold, Master of Foxhounds for the Jefferson Hunt in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, is in the saddle again and coaxing some four-legged buddies to help her solve another crime. Prepub Alert.
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September 4, 2023
Brown’s wearying 15th cozy featuring Jefferson Hunt Club foxhound master “Sister” Jane Arnold (after 2022’s Thrill of the Hunt) once again mixes amateur sleuthing and animal antics. Just after the start of hunting season in northern Virginia, hunt club members find the mutilated body of a stranger tied to a chair and left in the woods. Then a huntsman’s stamp collection goes missing, and Sister learns that the murder victim was a stamp collector. When a mysterious stamp turns up on the garage door of hunt club treasurer Ronnie Haslip a short time later, Sister launches an investigation to keep the body count from rising. The mystery in this installment is exceptionally thin, leaving plenty of room for Sister to muse on the music she listens to, for the birds and horses and foxes on the hunting grounds to converse, and for Brown to poke around the romantic exploits of various hunt club members. It all feels aimless and familiar, with little to grab new readers. Hardcore fans might enjoy themselves, but there are signs that this series has run its course. Agents: Emily Forland and Emma Patterson, Brandt & Hochman.
September 15, 2023
A weird murder poses a puzzle for an eclectic group of fox-hunting friends. Jane "Sister" Arnold is Master of Foxhounds for central Virginia's Jefferson Hunt. Although fox hunting is thought of as an elitist sport, Jefferson has members ranging from the very rich to those that just love horses, dogs and other critters, including the wily foxes whom the hounds never catch. Sister, in her 70s, is a bruising rider and a good friend to club members, some of them people of color and/or members of the LBGTQ community. All this matters not at all to Sister as long as they respect animals and the country they hunt over. An early hunt is so foggy that not until the next day does Sister's brother-in-law, Sam, spot a dead body tied to a chair along its route. No one in the club knows the dead man, who's finally identified as an importer-exporter with no apparent connection to the hunt. After their hunts, the group gathers for food, drink, and often long philosophical discussions on religion, politics, improving the environment and other topical issues. Now they're struggling to come up with fundraising ideas to support the hunt. When one member is attacked and another's stamps are stolen, they must consider possible connections between the dead man and the hunt club. Figuring out those connections will be the key to solving the murder. The animals may not be able to voice their concerns, but they try to nudge the humans in the right direction. A meager mystery but a wonderful primer on fox hunting from the varied viewpoints of human and animal participants.
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