Whiskers in the Dark

January 31, 2021 - Whiskers in the Dark (Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown). The sequence of events, past and present, that began with A Hiss before Dying and continued with Probable Claws resumes. The modern timeline picks up In April 2018; the historical in late summer 1787.

The start of spring in Virginia means it's time to release the hounds. Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her best friend, Susan, load up their pets and head for the National Beagle Club at Aldie. They're there to help clean up storm damage and get the grounds ready for an event to benefit veterans. It's hard work that takes a deadly turn when a fellow volunteer, Jason, is found with his throat slit from ear to ear. A couple weeks later, at the veterans' event, Jason's wife also dies under mysterious circumstances. Harry tries to sort out whether their deaths are tied to the car dealership they owned or whether there's a connection to their previous government service.

Back in the 18th century, we catch up with life at Cloverfields and Big Rawly. The owner of Cloverfields does some wheeling and dealing when one of his slaves gets engaged to a slave from Big Rawly. To clear the way for the nuptials, Ewing Garth makes an offer that he hopes Maureen Holloway can't – or, at least, won't – refuse.

Three books in to these alternating timelines, and it feels as though a fourth book, at minimum, will be needed to tie things together. The author keeps hinting at such a resolution, but, so far, Harry has kept her attention mainly on the present and not on the past. One thing I hope to find out is why Cloverfields eventually disappeared while Big Rawly, the estate that still belongs to Susan's family, survived.