The Big Cat Nap

By: Rita Mae Brown

Narrated by: Kate Forbes

The continuing success of the beloved Mrs. Murphy mystery series is given its proper due with the publication of this 20th-anniversary tale. When a local mechanic gets his odometer turned back—for good—Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen steps in to investigate. There’s more to the crime than meets the eye, though, and sleuthing cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, along with faithful corgi Tee Tucker, do their level best to keep Harry out of harm’s way.

©2012 Rita Mae Brown / Sneaky Pie Brown (P)2012 Recorded Books, LLC

Disappointing.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I LOVE the Mrs Murphy novels. This one, however fell way short of the rest. Much of the time it seemed that the characters lacked any emotional caring for each other. Even the cats and dog didn't really come across as liking each other. Many of the long standing characters are barely mentioned and it leaves you to wonder just what is going on. Found this book to lack the fullness and color that I have liked so much in Ms. Brown's previous entries.

Nice Read

I've listened to this several times. Love Mate Forbes performance. The story was not quite as good as others I've read. I thought some of the characters could have been more fully developed. Overall, a good read. I could easily recommend this book. No foul language, which is found in so many books, that would otherwise be entertaining.

Only for revisiting old friends

Only recommended for those who've become attached to the cast of characters in previous books. Most of the joys of this work are in the descriptions of the animals and the glimpses into the continuing lives of old friends.

Good story with continuity issues

I enjoy the Mrs. Murphy books a lot but continuity issues are annoying. In this book Harry’’s parents died when she was in her twenties, In other stories they were killed in an accident when she was a junior at Smith. There are other discrepancies scattered among the books, such as Boom-Boom having graduated from high school 2 years ahead of Harry but being in the same class in “Pawing Through the Past.” Such a talented writer should be able to keep the story straight.

Keep up with the Crozet gang!

Would you try another book from Rita Mae Brown and/or Kate Forbes?

I'm a big Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown fan. I think some of the more recent books are a little weaker than the older ones, but I can still find much enjoyment in the Crozet (Harry Harristeen)series.

Kate Forbes does a wonderful job narrating. I enjoy her voice changes for the characters. Without being over dramatic, you forget that one person is reading every character's lines.