A hiss before dying : a Mrs. Murphy mystery / Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown ; illustrated by Michael Gellatly.

Features a unique circle of Southern sleuths. Autumn is in the air in a Blue Ridge Mountain community in Virginia--and all the traditions of the changing seasons are under way. Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen cleans her cupboards, her husband, Fair, prepares the horses for the shorter days ahead, and the clamorous barking of beagles signals the annual rabbit chase through the central Virginia hills. But the last thing the local beaglers and their hounds expect to flush out is a dead body. It's the second corpse to turn up, after that of a missing truck driver too disfigured to identify. The deaths seem unrelated--until Harry picks up a trail of clues dating back to the state's post-Revolutionary past. The Shot Heard Round the World pales in comparison to the dangerous shootout Harry narrowly escapes unscathed. Next time, it may be the killer who gets lucky. But not if Harry's furry friends Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker can help it. Lending their sharp-nosed talents to the hunt, they'll help their mistress keep more lives from being lost--and right an injustice buried since the early days of America's independence.--Adapted from publisher information.

"A current contemporary mystery exploring wild animal poaching counterpointed with a historical narrative set in America's post-revolutionary past, featuring the characters readers embraced in Tail Gait and Tall Tail"--Provided by publisher.