Lost & Hound is the 15th "Sister" Jane mystery by Rita Mae Brown. Released 24th Oct 2023 by Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 272 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
Like
nearly all of Ms. Brown's oeuvre, this is a capably written, well told
story that is character driven, neatly plotted, and fairly well paced. Fans of the author, who also enjoy her cozy Mrs. Murphy series as well as her more serious writing will find this series readable and engaging.
The Sister Jane books are cozies and full of the American foxhunting
traditions and culture. If you don't know anything about riding to
hounds, you will after reading this book. This book, markedly shorter than the previous books, seems to be a bit more patchy, with a few seemingly distracting side trips, but overall it's still well told and entertaining. The author/publisher have also helpfully included a glossary and list of characters with short descriptions to help readers stay in the story.
The dialogue and writing are pitch perfect. Typically
for Ms. Brown, the writing is solidly comfortable and engaging. Reading
her books is almost like visiting with an old friend you haven't seen
for a while; you just pick up where you left off the last time, even if
you haven't seen them for ages.
This is a distinctly anthropomorphic mystery; but fair warning, if
talking animals bug you, this probably isn't the series for you. The
book also does a superlative job of giving a glimpse into Virginia
hospitality and etiquette and the riding subculture.
Four stars (mostly because even though American fox hunters just chase
the foxes and don't kill them, it still distresses me and I'm always
rooting for the foxes - the books are also *full* of upper class
extremely wealthy people who often rub my proletariat heart the wrong
way). Bonus points for the author's managing to make her characters
ethnically diverse, and not just pasted on, either. Many of the
characters have faced and worked through part of their tragic shared
traumatic past, from slave times onward and at this point there seems to
be more good-natured camaraderie than any festering resentment.
The actual murder mystery felt -distinctly- secondary to the fox hunting in this
one, but still overall quite a solidly entertaining read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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