Wish You Were Here: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery

Really loved this book! I’m officially hooked and will move forward through the rest of the books (in order b/c I’m OCD!) so much fun and great writing, too!

It reminded me of some of the classics in its tone and characterization. The cats were wonderful. The cats were well characterized and are the high point of the book.It's true to both the feel and the style of classic mysteries. I found out in reading it that the actual genre of mystery triggers flashbacks and nightmares of my abusive childhood, very intense ones. Her characters were very plausible and took me back to the type of books my abuser liked best. Some of them were chilling rather than sympathetic to me for personal reasons, the extremely churchy lady that turned out to be the postmistress's ally in solving it. Spoiler: the one gay character in the book turned out to be a villain. This is the first one.It felt very conservative and old fashioned, in part because of this. Like a Mrs. Marple sort of feeling to the subgenre. Everything very cute and quaint and aren't these rural people with their bitter ways so quaint and amusing?I found out why I read the genre. This sort of thing may really be your cup of tea, it isn't mine. I honestly thought it would be, since I could not imagine not loving a book where the main character's a cat. Unfortunately, the cats were the only characters that got me to finish the book. The ending had the traditional villain's spill-all and he felt unreal at that point even though he was worked out that well. Villains that explain everything and fill in the gaps helpfully when confronted, even if they think they have their victims at a disadvantage, is a corny old cliche.I think of the violent, cruel and criminal people I've known and none of them do that. They thunder in public justifying it and get away with it or they don't let on and continue to plead innocent in the face of ludicrous amounts of real evidence. Liars that good don't stop doing it or expect applause for cleverness from people they just shafted. There are people who do one-upmanship and might - but they have to be in a position where there's really not going to be any consequence. It's right there in 101 Tips for Evil Overlords - shoot them first and then soliloquize about how clever you are.

A fun, easy read; but not as good as The Cat Who ;-)

I must begin by saying I didn't finish this book. Maybe later but not now. I loved it from the beginning! The characters are so well done, I can easily envision them and feel I know them. A big plus. The animals talk to each other & romp around & tell of what they find. Also, there is a cast of characters list at the front of the book, which I had to refer to often. It is a huge plus. I thought I was in love with this book & wanted more (did not start with the first one). This was until I got to the gory parts. I was turned off with body parts described more than I would like and it wasn't once or twice.. I could not find the ability to keep reading. This writer sure knows how to describe things/people so we know clearly what is going on & can see the scene described so well. Gory stuff included.

Having read Rita Mae Brown's chapter in "I'd Kill for That," I decided to try one of her novels. This novel presents a cat's view of the world. When people end up murdered, the cat, aided by her erstwhile dog companion, sets off on its own sleuthing. They are somewhat the Holmes and Watson of the animal world, and have far better senses than the humans around them. There are communications problems with the humans.It should be remembered that cats have claws, and dogs have teeth; something the villain seems to forget. The cat and dog join in as clues lead to the discovery of the guilty party and connections are revealed between the victims and the killer.Along the way, you are entertained by various events in small town life. Much of it revolves around the Post Office where people pick up there mail, and where the postmistress reads the postcards.The novel is recommended for teenage to adult readers. It would be of particular interest to anyone who shares living arrangements with a cat.

The 1st of Rita Mae's and Squeaky Pie Brown's murder mysteries was quite captivating, yet the small-town setting and cast of characters also give it a light- hearted appeal!I especially like the worldview of the animals, particularly the cat, Mrs. Murphy, whose disdain for the human race and their inadequacies is spot on!The book maintains your interest from start to finish, and leaves one wanting to learn more about the residents of Crozet, VA, and how they get along both in the world and with each other.Highly recommend this novel!

There’s excitement and a bit of nail biting in this interesting—socially and historically—plot. The end was quite a surprise. Delightful.

The author's cat takes the credit for narrating but the main character's pets, a tiger cat, the gray big boned neighborhood [fat] cat, and the loving but protective corgi add so much to the story because they can talk to the other animals on the farm and add to the story. They "help" and protect Harry Harristeen the main character, or "Mom" as they call her. The humans can't understand them but when Mom sticks her nose in the dead or missing person in the mystery and ends up in danger, the pets try to get her attention AND/OR make sure all the animals on the farm work together to protect her.I love the characters of this town and of course Harry's protectors! (I however would just want to visit this town--too many people wind up dead!)

Interesting that cats and dogs can 'speak' to each other -their conversations regarding humans quite telling. Different yet enjoyable reading.

著者の愛猫スニーキー・パイ・ブラウンが書いたことになっている！コージーミステリシリーズの第1巻。動物同士も人間同様に会話します。こうした設定や人間を見下したようなネコやイヌの会話に感情移入できるペット愛好家向きのシリーズだと思います。　　ヴァージニア州にある人口3,000人程の小さな田舎町の郵便局長ハリーは離婚係争中。この町で離婚するとなれば町の半分は味方してくれるが、半分は元夫の味方という微妙な人間関係に。郵便局長として町の誰が結婚式に誰を招待したか、通販で何を買ったかも知れる立場。コンクリートミキサーから死体が見つかったり、線路で礫死体が見つかったりする事件が続き、お墓の絵に"wish you were here"と書かれた差出人不明の絵はがきの受取人が殺されることに気づく。そして仲良しにもその絵はがきが届いたことから、差出人を探って殺人犯を突き止めようとする。のペットでトラ猫のミセス・マーフィーとコーギー犬ティー・タッカーも母親？ハリー以上に事件には関心が高く、犬猫仲間と事件の真相に迫るが、なにしろ人間は動物の言葉を理解しないので、折角大切な手がかりを見つけてもそれを知らせるすべがない．．．　登場人物・動物が多く、動物も人間と同じに会話するので、人数の多いストーリーに苦手感があるとつらいかも知れません。一方大人向けミステリに珍しくさし絵入りで和ませてくれます。

Love the characters, the setting and the picture of a small town in the US South. Have been visiting Crozet with RMB as guide for since the series began and now revisiting

A good read

I enjoyed it immensely.