Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Scarlet Fever


Scarlet Fever: A Novel ("Sister" Jane)

by Rita Mae Brown

About Scarlet Fever

Cozy Mystery
12th in Series
Ballantine Books (November 26, 2019)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0593130006
ISBN-13: 978-0593130001
Digital ASIN: B07P8J8KVM

Winter blizzards bring a flurry of cases to solve in this riveting new foxhunting mystery featuring “Sister” Jane Arnold and her incorrigible hounds from New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown.
Frigid February air has settled into the bones of the Blue Ridge Mountains, making for a slow foxhunting season, though “Sister” Jane Arnold’s enthusiasm is not so easily deterred. With the winter chill come tweed coats, blazing fireplaces—and perhaps another to share the warmth with, as the bold hunting scarlets worn by the men in Sister Jane’s hunting club make the hearts of women flutter—until someone’s stops entirely.
Harry Dunbar, a member of the Jefferson Hunt club with a penchant for antique furniture, is found with his skull cracked at the bottom of the stairs to a local store. There are no telltale signs of foul play—save for the priceless (and stolen) Erté fox ring in his pocket. Sister and her hounds set out to uncover the truth: was this simply an accident—a case of bad luck—or something much more sinister?
Steeped in the deep traditions of Virginia horse country and featuring a colorful cast of characters both two- and four-legged, Scarlet Fever is another spirited mystery from Rita Mae Brown.

Review: Scarlet Fever is the first book that wasn't a "Sneaky Pie" book of hers that I have read. I love the Sneaky Pie series.

This is fun book with a quirky cast of characters and animals play a central part in their lives. Sister Jane is a master of the hounds. But really its the animals that always make me fall for the story.

I had a harder time getting into this one, because it is book 12 in a series and well...I didn't know a lot of the cast, but once I sorted everyone out I was fine, and I definitely want to go back to the beginning someday and meet everyone properly from book 1. The thing about this one that kept it from being a great read was that the mystery got buried in so many other things. I thought that the Harry storyline was the main mystery, but then there's Morris who has dementia and his family and well that part of the story is disturbing for anyone that's taken care of a parent with failing health regardless of the health issue.

I wish if Rita were going to write a mystery, she would have stuck to one story, not two that weren't connected. It kept me from really enjoying the story the way that I would have liked.

This is a fun cozy, like all of Rita's other book, perhaps not one of her best one's but still a good solid story that will delight her fans.


Rating: 4 flowers



About Rita Mae Brown

Rita Mae Brown is the bestselling author of the Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries; the Sister Jane series; the Runnymede novels, including Six of One and Cakewalk; A Nose for Justice and Murder Unleashed; Rubyfruit Jungle; and In Her Day; as well as many other books. An Emmy-nominated screenwriter and a poet, Brown lives in Afton, Virginia, and is a Master of Foxhounds and the huntsman.

Author Links 
Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - IndieBound

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

November 25 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

November 25 – Reading Is My SuperPower – SPOTLIGHT

November 26 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

November 26 – Baroness' Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

November 27 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW

November 27 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

November 28 – THANKSGIVING – OFF

November 29 – Ebook addicts – SPOTLIGHT

November 29 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

November 30 – Laura's Interests  - REVIEW

November 30 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 1 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT

December 1 – This Is My Truth Now – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – Literary Gold = SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

December 2 – The Book Diva's Reads - SPOTLIGHT

December 3 – Celticlady's Reviews - SPOTLIGHT

December 3 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW

December 4 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT

December 4 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

December 5 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

December 5 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT


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