Murder at Monticello

Rita Mae Brown
and Sneaky Pie Brown

Crozet, Virginia, has Thomas Jefferson as one of its famous citizens. A new archeological dig has started in the slaves quarter. Kimball Haynes is the man in charge of the dig. Big Mim Sanburne is in charge of the Monticello volunteers that are sponsoring the archeological research. Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, her friend Susan Tucker, and her coworker/friend Miranda Hogendobber are among the committee members.

A skeleton is found under the hearth in one of the slaves' home. The skeleton appears to be that of a well to do white male, not one of the slaves. How did that body get there? Why is in a slave's home? Haynes sends evidence off to be examined. He continues with his project. That includes interviewing many of the local residents of Crozet who were descendents of Jefferson and his family.

When Haynes is found shot and killed, a modern investigation is started. Is it connected to the old murder, or is it unrelated to the past and is due to something in the present?

Rita Mae Brown has put the issue of Jefferson and the slave trade front and center in Murder in Monticello. This was written before the new information about Sally Hemings' and Jefferson's relationship was released. The Hemings family was involved with many of the white families at Monticello. The relationships between the slaves and the Jeffersons is examined with only a slight hint of the rumors about Jefferson and Hemings themselves. She looks at how some slaves became more than servants but trusted members of the family. Before the book is done she gets preachy about slavery then and the improvements now without it.

The mystery is well plotted. There are enough suspects, although the list narrows down quickly. There are a variety of reasons Haynes could have been killed, including reasons from 200 years earlier.

One of the appeals or distractions in this series is the conversations between the animals - Tee Tucker, the Corgi dog, Mrs. Murphy, the cat, and Pewter, the cat. They sleuth as much as Harry does, and sometimes are able to lead her or Sheriff Rick Shaw to the clues needed to solve the mystery. The humans comment more than once on the animals' actions, laughing that it seemed like the cats or dog knew what the human were saying. It's a cute convention in this series.

Wish You Were Here
Rest in Pieces
Murder at Monticello
Pay Dirt
Murder, She Meowed
Murder on the Prowl
Cat on the Scent
Pawing Through the Past
Claws and Effect
Catch as Cat Can
The Tail of the Tip-Off
Whisker of Evil
Cat's Eyewitness
Sour Puss
Puss 'n Cahoots
The Purrfect Murder
Santa Clawed
Cat of the Century
Hiss of Death