Rest in Pieces

By: Rita Mae Brown

Narrated by: Kate Forbes

In this second entry from The New York Times best-selling series by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown, the citizens of Crozet, Virginia, reap a gruesome harvest - of human body parts.

Ever since her husband’s affair, Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen has taken a sabbatical from men. The 30-ish divorcée is content to tend her farm and gain a bird’s-eye view of the neighbors from her perch as small-town postmistress. Yet when a hunky city slicker comes to town with no clue about farming, she’s happy to show him the ropes. When pieces of a dismembered body crop up around Crozet, however, the wary townsfolk reckon the handsome stranger is the culprit. But as Harry and her sleuthing pets - Mrs. Murphy the cat and Tee Tucker the dog - sniff out the clues, they have other notions.

While the unique trio follows a curious trail, Kate Forbes’ charming narration captures the spirit of each colorful character - whether human, feline, or canine.

©1992 American Artists, Inc. (P)2010 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

“…A spooky, baffling tale …” ( Publishers Weekly)

The talking cats and dog

I love that the cat and animals help save the day , Ms Murphy and T Tucker talking and solving crimes

Excellent story and performance

Kate Forbes expertly narrates these books and does an excellent performance by changing her voice making it different for each character.

Crozet, Va is a wonderful country setting but incongruent with the murder mysteries the author presents. Nevertheless the author weaves a great tale that exposes the darker side of human nature.

Fun, exciting and an excellent mysyery

you'll be spellbound and and entralledd by this story. Don't try to listen to it at bedtime or you'll be awake until you reach it's end.

A great edition to the series

I loved this story. The mystery fell together nicely with excellent clues planted early. Great pay off and motivation for the characters. The previous book did an excellent job planting how the various people in the town interact and this time it was built upon in this book. There were great interactions, solid comedic moments, and the tension of the mystery was built up nicely. Blair was an interesting edition to the town though I think a little more tension could have been made out of his being an outsider.

The various animals being gossips and chatting with each other remains a great idea. Simon the opossum joining the cast of characters and living in the barn was cute and he was a goo character.

Really this was an excellent story and I had a great time listening. Kate Forbes did an excellent job on voice acting. She really gave the different animals distinct and interesting voices the recording quality was move improved as well.

The Cat's Meow

This second in the delightful Mrs. Murphy series is a great read. Narrator Kate Forbes does a delightful job with pacing and voice characterization alike.

In Spite of Myself . . .

If you could sum up Rest in Pieces in three words, what would they be?

Cat, Dog, Postmisstress

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite is Boom Boom Craycroft. Who hasn't known a woman like that?

Which character – as performed by Kate Forbes – was your favorite?

My favorite is Mrs. Murphy. Why? I can imagine a cat with that attitude. Imagine her? I had a cat just like her!

Any additional comments?

I love this series in spite of the slightly corny gimmick of the cats and dog that can understand their humans and react in a terrifically human way. Don't we all wish it were true?

Corgi Lover

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, everyday life mixed with the evil people can do. The trying to figure out the why’s of it all. Enough humor, but not happy when cursing involved. Still a good read!

I love this series of books

Ive been reading this seriws for many years. Always a great read, many times over.

Fun fluff for the ears

Rita Mae Brown’s Mrs Murphy series is a fun bit of mystery fluff with smart cats and loyal dogs who obviously know more than the humans. The cast of characters are likeable and develop through the series. Kate Forbes reads well and voices the different characters without relying on obnoxious voices. Overall, this is a fun cozy mystery series starter.

Kate Forbes reading artistry brings a tale to life

Kate Forbes is a winning reader. She brings a story's characters to life. Her voice choices well match the characters and are consistent throughout her performance.