Follow Some Fox Tracks...

I followed a different path this past week with one of my favorite authors---instead of reading her newest novel, I listened to it instead!  Rita Mae Brown's Fox Tracks is the latest in her cozy series starring Sister Jane Arnold, Master of Foxhounds of the Jefferson Hunt in Albemarle County, Virginia. This book's action begins in New York City, where Hunt Clubs from all over the United States have gathered for their annual dinner and gala event.  Feeling celebratory, Sister Jane and her young friend (and Custus Hall graduate) Tootie run down the street a few blocks to visit a tobacco shop and purchase cigars.  After an entertaining conversation with the owner, Adolfo, Sister and Tootie are shocked when they return to the shop to retrieve Sister's cell phone and find Adolfo dead with a package of American Smokes cigarettes lying over his heart.  This murder leads to an investigation of contraband tobacco that stretches across Virginia and even through Albemarle County.  Interspersed with the tobacco plot are descriptions of hunts and events in the lives of the human, canine and horse characters.  I suggest you begin reading this series with the first book, Outfoxed. If you enjoy listening to audio books on CD, Fox Tracks is a special treasure because it is narrated by the author herself! 

Get Seduced by Some Animal Magnetism

Many of you may be familiar with Rita Mae Brown's works. She writes several series and has written many stand-alone novels and non-fiction novels about the art of writing. The first is a popular cozy mystery series that she co-writes with her cat, Sneaky Pie Brown, starring Mary Minor Harristeen, Postmistress of Crozet, VA, and the second is a series starring octogenarian Sister Arnold, a Master of Foxhounds in her 70's. Several of the stand-alone novels hilariously describe the lives of two sisters who live in a town that straddles the Mason-Dixon line, and one is a historical fiction story about the life of Dolly Madison. Rita Mae Brown's most recent book is a biography discussing her relationship with the animals that have influenced or are currently in her life. The book, Animal Magnetism is a well-written treatise on why animals are special to Rita Mae Brown and allows the reader to get into the mind of the author. I appreciate the fact that Ms. Brown does not apologize for how she feels animals should be treated and enjoyed discovering that there is much more of Ms. Brown in her fiction books than I had previously thought. If you are an animal lover, or want to discover a little more about Rita Mae Brown, then this book is one that you will truly treasure! It made me proud to be "Southern" and hug my dogs after I finished reading it.