Mrs. Murphy

Postmistress Mary Minor 'Harry' Haristeen investigates murders in the small Virginia town of Crozet, aided by her clever cat Mrs. Murphy and a cast of opinionated animal friends who understand far more than the humans around them.

By Rita Mae Brown · 31 books · 1990–present

By The Editorial Team

What is Mrs. Murphy about?

Mary Minor Haristeen — known to everyone in Crozet, Virginia as Harry — is the town postmistress. She is practical, stubborn, and has an unusual advantage in her murder investigations: her cat, Mrs. Murphy, is watching everything and understands far more than Harry realises. Mrs. Murphy is a tiger cat with strong opinions, excellent instincts, and very little patience for the humans who keep blundering into danger she has already identified.

The Rita Mae Brown series works on two levels simultaneously. On the human level, Harry investigates murders in the close-knit community of Crozet, navigating small-town relationships, local history, and the particular social codes of rural Virginia. The town is rendered with genuine affection — the post office gossip, the horse farms, the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background, the way everyone knows everyone else’s business and pretends not to. On the animal level, Mrs. Murphy — along with Harry’s Welsh Corgi Tucker and the opinionated, food-obsessed grey cat Pewter — observe, argue, and follow scent trails that the humans cannot follow.

The animals talk to each other. They can hear and smell what people cannot. They know things before Harry does, and a great deal of the pleasure in the series comes from watching them try, with varying success, to steer her toward the truth. Pewter complains. Tucker is loyal but anxious. Mrs. Murphy is the brains of the operation, and she knows it.

Brown plays this conceit absolutely straight. There is no magic and no explanation. The animals are simply more perceptive than people give them credit for. It is cosy mystery logic taken to its natural conclusion, and it has sustained 31 books over three decades. Brown herself is a serious horsewoman and animal lover, and the authenticity of the animal behaviour — even when they are solving murders — gives the books a warmth that pure gimmickry could never sustain.

Do you need to read Mrs. Murphy in order?

The series rewards reading from the beginning. The community of Crozet accumulates texture over time — Harry’s relationships, her divorce and its aftermath, the neighbours and recurring characters who drift in and out of the stories. Harry herself changes: she remarries, her life circumstances shift, and the town evolves around her. Each book solves its own mystery, so jumping in mid-series is possible. But starting with Wish You Were Here means you understand why these people matter to each other, which is what makes the danger feel real. The early books are also the leanest and most tightly plotted, before the series settled into a more relaxed rhythm.

Who will enjoy Mrs. Murphy?

Animal lovers, obviously — but the series is more than a cat gimmick. It is a genuine regional mystery series with a strong sense of Virginia landscape, horse culture, and small-town community life. Brown writes about rural Virginia with the authority of someone who lives there, and Crozet feels as specific and real as any setting in cosy crime fiction. Readers who enjoy Joanne Fluke or Diane Mott Davidson will find familiar comforts here, with the added pleasure of an animal perspective that adds warmth and genuine plot utility. If you have ever suspected your pet knows more than they are letting on, Rita Mae Brown has written 31 books in agreement with you.

Publication Order

1
Wish You Were Here (1990)
Residents of Crozet receive postcards from dead people, and Harry's cat Mrs. Murphy begins to sense that a killer is close to home.
2
Rest in Pieces (1992)
A handsome stranger arrives in Crozet and body parts start turning up around town — Mrs. Murphy and her friends investigate while Harry stumbles toward danger.
3
Murder at Monticello (1994)
A renovation at Thomas Jefferson's famous estate uncovers old bones, and secrets buried for two centuries begin to surface with deadly consequences.
4
Pay Dirt (1995)
A bank employee is murdered after discovering something troubling in the accounts, and Crozet's animals sniff out what the humans are missing.
5
Murder, She Meowed (1996)
A jockey is found dead at the Montpelier races, and Harry is drawn into the competitive, dangerous world of Virginia steeplechasing.
6
Murder on the Prowl (1998)
A fake obituary appears in the local paper and soon real deaths follow at a private school, putting the whole town on edge.
7
Cat on the Scent (1999)
A Civil War re-enactment stirs up local passions and a man goes missing, sending Mrs. Murphy and Tucker on the trail of something more sinister than battlefield theatrics.
8
Pawing Through the Past (2000)
Crozet's high school reunion brings old friends together and old grievances to the surface — plus a murderer picking off former classmates.
9
Claws and Effect (2001)
A hospital administrator is found dead and the medical community of Crozet closes ranks, leaving Harry and Mrs. Murphy to find the cracks.
10
Catch as Cat Can (2002)
Strange goings-on around election time in Crozet lead to murder and a tangle of local politics that Mrs. Murphy helps Harry navigate.
11
The Tail of the Tip-Off (2003)
A murder at a women's basketball game puts the Crozet community under suspicion and Harry's investigating instincts into overdrive.
12
Whisker of Evil (2004)
A body is found drained of blood on a back road, and rumours of a vampire spread through Crozet while the real predator operates in plain sight.
13
Cat's Eyewitness (2005)
A religious statue appears to weep and a monk is murdered, drawing Harry and Mrs. Murphy into a mystery with roots in an old Virginia monastery.
14
Sour Puss (2006)
A grape-growing boom in the Virginia wine country turns deadly, and Harry investigates among the vineyards while Mrs. Murphy keeps a watchful eye.
15
Puss n' Cahoots (2007)
The Kentucky Horse Show brings glamour and murder when a trainer is killed, and Harry finds that the equestrian world harbours dangerous ambitions.
16
The Purrfect Murder (2008)
A prominent architect is shot dead and Crozet is gripped by speculation — Mrs. Murphy and her friends have a clearer view of the killer than anyone suspects.
17
Santa Clawed (2008)
Christmas in Crozet is disrupted by a murder at the local country club, and Harry finds that festive goodwill can paper over a great deal of malice.
18
Cat of the Century (2010)
A centennial celebration at a Virginia women's college ends in murder, and Harry follows the trail back through decades of old money and older secrets.
19
Hiss of Death (2011)
A cancer fundraising committee in Crozet becomes a target for a killer, and Mrs. Murphy must help Harry see through the goodwill to the real threat.
20
The Big Cat Nap (2012)
A mechanic is murdered at the local garage and the victim's past draws Harry deep into an investigation that the animals grasp faster than any human.
21
The Litter of the Law (2013)
A corpse discovered by the roadside and a missing woman send Harry and Mrs. Murphy into a case tangled with rural Virginia's hidden underworld.
22
Nine Lives to Die (2014)
A blizzard traps Crozet and a killer is active in the snow — Mrs. Murphy and the animals work to protect Harry as she closes in on the truth.
23
Tail Gait (2015)
A history professor researching the Revolutionary War is murdered on the University of Virginia campus, and the past proves as dangerous as the present.
24
Tall Tail (2016)
A trip to Monticello stirs up more than history when a local man is killed and Harry discovers that some Virginia legacies come with lethal attachments.
25
A Hiss Before Dying (2017)
Bones unearthed on a Crozet farm turn out to be far more recent than they should be, and a killer is watching as Harry starts asking questions.
26
Probable Claws (2018)
A local pharmacist is murdered and medication goes missing — Mrs. Murphy and Tucker follow a scent trail while Harry works the human angles.
27
Whiskers in the Dark (2019)
A shooting camp in the Virginia mountains becomes the scene of a murder, and Harry must navigate a world of sporting rivalry and dangerous pride.
28
Furmidable Foes (2020)
A political fundraiser in Crozet ends in death and Harry finds that local elections conceal far darker contests than anyone admits in polite company.
29
Claws for Alarm (2021)
An old friend of Harry's is found dead and the investigation leads into Virginia's pharmaceutical industry, where profits and secrecy make a dangerous mix.
30
Hiss and Tell (2023)
A murder at a local auction house sends Harry and Mrs. Murphy into the world of Virginia antiques, where provenance can be as deadly as poison.
31
Feline Fatale (2024)
The latest in the series finds Harry facing a killing close to home in Crozet, with Mrs. Murphy and the animals ahead of the investigation as always.