"Sister" Jane

From the bestselling author of the landmark work Rubyfruit Jungle comes an engaging, original new novel that only Rita Mae Brown could have written. In the pristine world of Virginia foxhunting, hunters, horses, hounds, and foxes form a lively community of conflicting loyalties, where the thrill of the chase and the intricacies of human-animal relationships are experienced firsthand-and murder exposes a proud Southern community's unsavory secrets... . As Master of the prestigious Jefferson Hunt Club, Jane Arnold, known as Sister, is the most revered citizen in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountain town where a rigid code of social conduct and deep-seated tradition carry more weight than money. Nearing seventy, Sister now must select a joint master to ensure a smooth transition of leadership after her death. It is an honor of the highest order-and one that any serious social climber would covet like the Holy Grail. Virginian to the bone with a solid foxhunting history, Fontaine Buruss is an obvious candidate, but his penchant for philandering and squandering money has earned him a less than sparkling reputation. And not even Sister knows about his latest tawdry scandal. Then there is Crawford Howard, a Yankee in a small town where Rebel bloodlines are sacred. Still, Crawford has money-lots of it-and as Sister is well aware, maintaining a first-class hunt club is far from cheap. With the competition flaring up, Southern gentility flies out the window. Fontaine and Crawford will stop at nothing to discredit each other. Soon the entire town is pulled into a rivalry that is spiraling dangerously out of control. Even the animals have strong opinions, and only Sister is able to maintain objectivity. But when opening hunt day ends in murder, she, too, is stunned. Who was bold and skilled enough to commit murder on the field? It could only be someone who knew both the territory and the complex nature of the hunt inside out. Sister knows of three people who qualify-and only she, with the help of a few clever foxes and hounds, can lay the trap to catch the killer. A colorful foray into an intriguing world, Outfoxed features a captivating cast of Southerners and their unforgettable animal counterparts. Rita Mae Brown has written a masterful novel that surprises, delights, and enchants.

In her well-received novel Outfoxed, Rita Mae Brown vividly and deftly brought to life the genteel world of foxhunting, where hunters, horses, hounds, and foxes form a tightly knit community amidst old money and simmering conflicts. With Hotspur, we return to the Southern chase-and to a hunt on the trail of a murderer. Jane "Sister" Arnold may be in her seventies, but she shows no signs of losing her love for the Hunt. As Master of the prestigious Jefferson Hunt Club in a well-heeled Virginia Blue Ridge Mountain town, she is the most powerful and revered woman in the county. She can assess the true merits of a man or a horse with uncanny skill. In short, Sister Jane is not easily duped. When the skeleton of Nola Bancroft, still wearing an exquisite sapphire ring on her finger, is unearthed, it brings back a twenty-one year old mystery. Beautiful Nola was a girl who had more male admirers than her family had money, which was certainly quite a feat. In a world where a woman's ability to ride was considered one of her most important social graces, Nola was queen of the stable. She had a weakness for men, and her tastes often ventured towards the inappropriate, like the sheriff's striking son, Guy Ramy. But even Guy couldn't keep her eyes from wandering. When Nola and Guy disappeared on the Hunt's ceremonial first day of cubbing more than two decades ago, everyone assumed one of two things: Guy and Nola eloped to escape her family's disapproval; or Guy killed Nola in a jealous rage and vanished. But Sister Jane had never bought either of those theories. Sister knows that all the players are probably still in place, the old feuds haven't died, and the sparks that led to a long-ago murder could flare up at any time. Hotspur brings all of Rita Mae Brown's storytelling gifts to the fore. It's a tale of Southern small-town manners and rituals, a compelling and intricate murder mystery, and a look at the human/animal relationship in all its complexity and charm.

In the third novel of her captivating foxhunting series, Rita Mae Brown welcomes readers back for a final tour of a world where most business is conducted on horseback-and stables are de rigueur for even the smallest of estates. Here, in the wealth-studded hills of Jefferson County, Virginia, even evil rides a mount. The all-important New Year's Hunt commences amid swirling light snow. It is the last formal hunt of the season; therefore, participation is required no matter how hungover riders are from toasting the midnight before. On this momentous occasion, "Sister" Jane Arnold, master of the foxhounds, announces her new joint master and the new president of the Jefferson Hunt. And her choices will prove to be no less than shocking. The day's festivities are quickly marred, though, by what appears on the surface to be an unrelated tragedy. Sam Lorillard, former shining star and Harvard Law School alum, lies dead of a stab wound on a baggage cart at the old train station, surrounded by the outcasts and vagabonds who composed his social circle at the end of life. No one can remember when Sam started drinking, but the downward spiral was swift-and seemingly deadly. Murder is followed by scandal when Sister Jane discovers dishonest hunting practices going on in a neighboring club. Unsure whether to turn a blind eye or report the infringement to the proper authority, Sister and her huntsman, Shaker Crown, decide to investigate a little further, with the help of their trusty hounds. But when they come a little too close to the staggering truth-and uncover an unforeseen connection to Lorillard's murder-they realize they might not survive to see the next New Year's Hunt. Intricate, witty, and full of the varied voices of creatures both great and small, Full Cry is an astute reminder that even those with the bluest of blood still bleed red.

Author of the New York Times best-selling Mrs. Murphy mysteries, Rita Mae Brown delivers the goods with The Hunt Ball, the most entertaining entry yet in her popular foxhunting series. When a faculty member of the local prep school is murdered, the headmistress and "Sister" Jane Arnold, master of the foxhounds at Virginia's Jefferson Hunt Club, work together to uncover a killer. It seems the slaying may have been politically motivated, as students were demonstrating to call attention to the role of slavery in the school's past. With the annual hunt ball approaching, the 70-something Sister already has plenty on her plate. Does she have time to catch a murderer?

From best-selling author Rita Mae Brown, another clever, endearing story in the Foxhunting mystery series. Lushly described scenes from the hunt, talking animals who help solve the murder, and the beloved Sister Jane reunite to continue the New York Times best-selling mystery series. Book five, which focuses on the hound, draws us into the murky financial scandals of foxhunting society-including a sharp-tongued, wheelchair-bound hellion of a bookkeeper, and a rich former hunt club donor who thinks he can out-class the intrepid Sister Jane with the purchase of his own pack of hounds. Only Sister Jane, along with her furry friends who, per usual, discuss the intrigues amongst themselves, is able to uncover the mystery of the missing money and the dead body! Keep in mind, in American foxhunting, the foxes always get away-so this is a series for animal lovers as well as the sporting crowd!

It's February, prime foxhunting season for the members of Virginia's Jefferson Hunt Club, when a shocking event alarms the community. A woman is found brutally murdered, stripped naked, and meticulously placed atop a horse statue outside a tack shop. The theft of a treasured foxhunting prize inside the store may be linked to the grisly scene, and everyone is on edge. With few clues to go on, "Sister" Jane Arnold, master of the Jefferson Hunt Club, uses her fine-tuned horse sense to try to solve the mystery of this "Lady Godiva" murder. But Sister isn't the only one equipped to sniff out the trail. The local foxes, horses, and hounds have their own theories on the whodunit. If only these peculiar humans could just listen to them, they'd see that the killer might be right under their oblivious noses-and that Sister could become the killer's next victim.

"Sister" Jane Arnold, esteemed master of the Jefferson Hunt Club, has traveled to Kentucky for one of the biggest events of the season: the Mid-America Hound Show, where foxhounds, bassets, and beagles gather to strut their champion bloodline stuff. But the fun is squelched when immediately after the competition a contestant turns up dead-stripped to the waist and peppered with birdshot. Two weeks later, back in Virginia, a popular veterinarian dies from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Sister refuses to believe that her friend killed herself and vows to sniff out the truth. But before she can make real headway, a wealthy pet food manufacturer vanishes during the granddaddy of all canine exhibitions, the Virginia Hound Show. Ever reliant on her "horse sense," Sister can't help but connect the three incidents, and what she uncovers will make her blood run colder than the bodies that keep turning up in unexpected places.

In Fox Tracks, best-selling author Rita Mae Brown delivers another exciting episode in her popular foxhunting series. When Master of the Jefferson Hunt ''Sister'' Jane Arnold is confronted with two ominously similar deaths, she begins to suspect that the killings are linked- and part of a much larger plot. Voicing her opinion soon puts Jane's life in danger. Fortunately, she can turn to her four-legged friends- including horses Keepsake and Lafayette, and even the fox Aunt Netty- for help.

The chase is on in New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown's gripping new foxhunting mystery, featuring the irrepressible "Sister" Jane Arnold and the wily antics of her four-legged friends. In Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, a century-old crime reawakens bad will-and stirs up a scandal that chills Sister to the bone. Sister Jane and the Jefferson Hunt Club have traveled from Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains to the Bluegrass State of Kentucky to ride with the members of the Woodford Hounds-in the teeth of foul weather. Sister knows better than anyone that an ill wind blows no good. After the hunt, Sister Jane and her boyfriend, Gray Lorillard, head to a sumptuous party on a nearby estate, also home to a historic equine graveyard. The revelry is interrupted by jarring news: The discovery of grisly remains in the cemetery that are decidedly not equine. Now Sister and her hounds are on the case, digging up clues to an old murder that links three well-connected Southern families. When mayhem follows the Jefferson Hunt back to Virginia, the deadly doings become all too real: A dear friend of Sister's is found murdered. Sister and her animal friends must work fast to find a clever killer determined to keep deep-rooted secrets buried. A rollicking, riveting mystery, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie is a masterly novel full of colorful characters, gorgeous country landscapes, and the breathtaking thrill of the hunt.

A mystery full of colorful characters (both two- and four-legged!), gorgeous country landscapes, timeless traditions, and the breathtaking thrill of the fox hunt. The fox has made short work of the henhouse and is wreaking havoc across the once-peaceful Virginia hunt country, as Master of the Hunt "Sister" Jane Arnold, her gentleman friend Gray Lorillard, the members of the Jefferson Hunt Club, and their loyal, clever hounds confront a most challenging-and all-too-human-adversary.

A mystery full of colorful characters (both two- and four-legged!), gorgeous country landscapes, timeless traditions, and the breathtaking thrill of the fox hunt, from the New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Like a Fox. Amidst the revelry of the Christmas Hunt, mystery and intrigue abound... When the fanfare is interrupted by the discovery of a body, "Sister" Jane Arnold and her company of loyal hounds find themselves faced with a pressing task--to uncover who has killed a beloved club faithful. It's no help that the meddling, loathsome Victor Harris lurks in the shadows, weaseling his way back into the life of his disinherited daughter... As always, the gang must untangle the complex web of clues laid before them, and with Sister Jane at the helm, they will not rest until the truth is laid bare. Yet again, Rita Mae Brown shines, her signature flair sure to win over readers old and new.

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 Arnolds 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 Janes 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 accidental 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.

Fox-chasing Virginians go up against a band of outsiders in this riveting new foxhunting mystery featuring “Sister” Jane Arnold and her incorrigible hounds, from New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown.”Sister” Jane Arnold tries to keep an open mind about the new townspeople who have moved in so close to the Jefferson Hunt Club--yet so far from its traditions. But soon, posted notices about noise, mistreating animals, and the cruelty of hunting appear. Then someone close to Sister Jane is defamed, triggering a tense atmosphere ripe with the possibility for murder.

It's the start of foxhunting season in Crozet, Virginia, which means “Sister” Jane Arnold and her hounds are on the scent of another mystery, in this exciting novel from New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown.

"Sister" Jane Arnold and her hounds are on the scent of another mystery in this exciting novel from New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown. "Cunning foxes, sensible hounds, and sweet-tempered horses are among the sparkling conversationalists in this charming series."--The New York Times Book Review "Sister" Jane Arnold and her four-legged friends uncover a new tale of mystery and mayhem in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.

Sister Jane Arnold must use her wits and savvy foxhunting skills to solve the mystery in this exciting new novel from New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown. Between organizing a joint session with her friends at Bull Run Hunt, leading her own Jefferson Hunt Club’s fox hunting season, and looking after her beloved hounds and horses, “Sister” Jane Arnold is as busy as can be. She and her friend Tootie Harris are helping to lure home hunt club member Cindy Chandler’s two escaped cows, Clytemnestra and Orestes, when they discover an expensive watch carelessly abandoned on an overgrown path. The last thing Sister needs is another mystery to solve, but when one falls into her lap, she can’t help but get involved. Days later, a young man is murdered, one with seemingly no connection to the pricey jewelry or a life of crime. His mother is distraught, and Sister vows to find the murderer. But when hounds on the hunt discover a truck covered in blood, with no body in sight, she quickly realizes she’s in over her head with a cunning and clever adversary. Can she find the link and stop the murderer before they strike again? Only time will tell.

"Sister" Jane Arnold must use her wits and savvy foxhunting skills to solve the mystery in this exciting new novel from New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown. In this newest installment of the foxhunting series, "Sister" Jane Arnold will have to team up with her hounds to solve the mystery.