Pay Dirt

Rita Mae Brown
and Sneaky Pie Brown

Life in Crozet, Virginia, is busy in the small, active community with the day to day business of life. In this hot July one of the current "scares" is of a computer virus that may attack bank computers. The local bank is trying to protect itself against a possible shut down. The bank is also the site of one of the town's gossip topics. Bank accountant Norman Cramer had been engaged to bank employee Kerry McCray. Then her friend Aysha returned home from overseas. Aysha quickly attracted Norman, then married him, Kerry is angry and devastated.

One of the volunteer activities where the upper class could be found is as a docent in President James Monroe's home. Harry Haristeen is visiting with her new neighbor, Blair Bainbridge, when a Hell's Angel type comes storming in looking for someone named Malibu. After everyone denied knowing her. He leaves and takes a room in the local chain hotel.

When the computer virus hits, the Crozet bank appears unaffected. A couple days later, Norman Cramer discovers that two million dollars has disappeared.Now he, Kerry, the bank president, and others are working overtime trying to discover the missing money. Down in the local state park the Hells Angel is found with his head bashed in. The bank is trying to find missing money and the sheriffs are trying to discover who the man is and who killed him.

Now the gossip mill really has a lot to discuss. The post office is one of the local meeting places, so Harry hears it all. She's also part of the mill. She has been seen spending time with both Blair and her ex-husband Fair. When the men get into a fist fight over her at a community function, she becomes more gossip worthy.

Unfortunately, while I enjoy Harry Hairsteen and Crozet, Virginia, Pay Dirt is predictable and average. There is a twist or two that I didn't catch, but I wasn't watching closely for them. I knew the characters involved almost from the beginning. It didn't matter that only a few characters were not regulars in the series. If this was the first novel I'd read in the series, I'd still know.

The side chatter and assistance from the animals - Harry's cat Mrs. Murphy and corgi Tee Tucker, along with Pewter, the market cat - are an entertaining counterpoint. Harry and her friends are nosy, but not too outlandishly so. They don't do anything foolish to endanger themselves. Rita Mae Brown makes Crozet an attractive town. If you're reading the series, you'll enjoy Pay Dirt. Otherwise, pick up a different Rita Mae Brown novel.

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