Rita Mae Brown collaborates with feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown in a new mystery starring Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen, the curious cat detectives Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and Tee Tucker, the valiant crime-solving corgi. Halloween arrives early this year to rural central Virginia, when a twisted killer will stop at nothing to protect a multimillion-dollar scheme.<br> <br> <b>THE LITTER OF THE LAW</b><br> <b> </b><br> Autumn has descended and crops are being harvested all over Crozet, Virginia, ideal conditions for a scenic drive for Harry and husband Fair. Bucolic views are all well and good, but Harry’s nose for trouble leads her straight to a cornfield’s macabre scarecrow—an all too real murder victim that frightens all but the noisy crows.<br> <br> This accountant’s gruesome death is only the first of many disturbing events in this normally pastoral corner of the world. While Harry tends her beloved grapes and sunflowers, a killer edges closer—as does Harry’s protective menagerie of animals.<br> <br> Halloween’s approach brings with it bona fide terror and a beloved local tradition that threatens to become fatal. Rooting out the guilty in the treacherous center of a lucrative conspiracy requires Harry’s farmer’s wisdom—along with the quick wits and extraordinary senses of Sneaky Pie, Pewter, and Tucker. A vicious murderer may know the lay of the land far better than Harry does, but that’s about to change. It’s up to her vigilant four-footed companions to make sure that the unearthing of this plot is not Harry’s last act.<br><br><b>Praise for <i>The Litter of the Law </i>and the Mrs. Murphy mysteries</b><br> <i> </i><br> “As feline collaborators go, you couldn’t ask for better than Sneaky Pie Brown.”<b>—<i>The New York Times Book Review</i></b> <br> <br> “Enchanting . . . Brown demonstrates once again why she’s the queen of the talking animal cozy subgenre.”<b>—<i>Publishers Weekly</i></b><br> <b><i> </i></b><br> “As usual, the smart animals provide clues without getting in the way of the human interactions and plot. This is a strong addition to the popular series.”<b>—<i>Booklist</i></b><br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>