Whisker of Evil

It's a summer full of turbulence for small-town Crozet, Virginia, with a movie star's homecoming, a spreading rabies epidemic, and the clues to an old murder unearthed. But what's unsettling for Harry is that the building of a new post office may depose her as postmistress. nA mysterious death in a Virginia farm town has the locals scratching their heads--while frisky feline Mrs. Murphy and her friends, fat-cat Pewter and corgi Tee Tucker, uncover clues as they curl their way around a cold-blooded killer. nThis balmy summer in Crozet, Virginia, postmistress Mary Minor Harry Haristeen has a lot to think about. Things have been pretty cozy between her and her ex-husband, Fair and her beloved old post office is in danger of being replaced with a modern building--and modern rules. Harry's thoughtful contemplation is shattered the day she stumbles over a dead body near Potlicker Creek. Barry Monteith, the handsome local horse breeder, has been savagely murdered. A true ladies' man, Barry was known to have left a string of broken hearts behind him. But could a spurned lover be responsible for his untimely demise? n nThe plot only thickens when an autopsy reveals that Barry was infected with rabies weeks before he was killed. As usual, Harry can't resist doing a little digging--with Mrs. Murphy close by to warn of approaching danger. Harry makes a remarkable discovery in the creek--the class ring of Mary Pat Reines, a local woman who disappeared thirty years earlier along with her prized Thoroughbred stallion. Like Barry, Mary Pat was a successful horse breeder--and now all of Crozet is wondering if the two cases are linked. As the police struggle with the evidence, the pressure gets hotter than a June afternoon--especially when another person is found dead of less-than-natural causes. As usual, Mrs. Murphy and her crew are the first to sniff out the truth. n nBut if they don't find a way to help Harry piece together the puzzle, she could become the killer's next target--and even Mrs. Murphy's slinkiest moves won't be able to save her.n