From Publishers Weekly
Tally-ho! From bestseller Brown (Outfoxed and many other delicious books) comes a dashing and vibrant novel that revolves around foxhunting. The rolling hills of central Virginia are home to the Jefferson Hunt-and to scores of sly foxes, red, black and gray. When 34-year-old Peppermint dies peacefully of natural causes, the grave dug for the beloved horse uncovers the skeleton of Nola Bancroft, identifiable by her ring, the Hapsburg sapphire. The ravishing Nola disappeared without a trace from Sorrel Burrus's party 21 years earlier, leaving behind a shocked and, eventually, mourning father and mother, Edward and Tedi, and a sister, Sibyl. Many members of the hunt thought she'd eloped with handsome (but socially inferior) Guy Ramy, the sheriff's son, who went missing at the same time. Seventy-one-year-old Master of the Hunt Jane "Sister" Arnold soon finds herself searching for human prey as well as foxes. The author portrays the hunt family with such warmth and luxury of detail, one feels a friendship with each and every character, animals included. The reader will romp through the book like a hunter on a thoroughbred, never stopping for a meal or a night's sleep. A glossary of useful terms will aid those who've never ridden to the hounds. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
While burying a dead horse, several members of the Jefferson Hunt Club uncover a human body. Seventysomething master of the hunt Jane Arnold recognizes the ring on the skeleton's finger. It belonged to a sexy young club member who, along with her boyfriend, disappeared 21 years earlier. Later, the young man's skeleton is also found. Having believed that she knew her club's members well, Jane is stunned to realize that one or more of them may be murderers. Determined to uncover the killer, she sets a trap (which is very contrived, compelling the reader to suspend disbelief). Despite the promising beginning, this follow-up to Outfoxed ultimately disappoints. There is too much tell and not enough show, and endless dialog from the human and animal characters distracts rather than adds to the plot. Recommended only for public libraries with avid Brown fans.--Patsy E. Gray, Huntsville Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Old mysteries come to light when an elderly gray hunting horse dies. The digging of a grave for it unearths a skeleton wearing a huge sapphire and diamond ring that had belonged to beautiful Nola Bancroft, who disappeared 20 years ago, in 1981. Guy Ramy, son of Sheriff Ramy, had been courting Nola, much to the disapproval of the headstrong young woman's family, who had sought a better match for her. When Nola and Guy vanished without a word, everyone had assumed they had run off together. With the discovery of Nola's skeleton, suspicion falls on Guy, but he is still nowhere to be found. "Sister" Jane Arnold is in her seventies but has lost none of her keenness for the hunt, in every sense of the word. She puts her shrewd instincts to work to solve the murder in a page-turner filled with wry observations of small-town southern life. Brown combines her strengths--exploring southern families, manners, and rituals as well as the human-animal bond--to bring in a winner. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

""Sister" Jane Arnold may be in her seventies, but she shows no signs of losing her love for the Hunt. As Master of the prestigious Jefferson Hunt Club in a well-heeled Virginia Blue Ridge Mountain town, she is the most powerful and revered woman in the county. She can assess the true merits of a man or a horse with uncanny skill. In short, Sister Jane is not easily duped." "When the skeleton of Nola Bancroft, still wearing an exquisite sapphire ring on her finger, is unearthed, it brings back a twenty-one-year old mystery. Beautiful Nola was a girl who had more male admirers than her family had money - which was certainly quite a feat. In a world where a woman's ability to ride was considered one of her most important social graces, Nola was queen of the stables. She had a weakness for men, and her tastes often veered toward the inappropriate, like the sheriff's striking son, Guy Ramy. But even Guy couldn't keep her eyes from wandering." "When Nola and Guy disappeared on the Hunt's ceremonial first day of cubbing more than two decades ago, everyone assumed one of two things: Guy and Nola eloped to escape her family's disapproval, or Guy killed Nola in a jealous rage and then vanished. But Sister Jane had never bought either of these theories." Sister knows that all the players are probably still in place, the old feuds haven't died, and the sparks that led to a long ago murder could flare up at any time.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Tally-ho! From bestseller Brown (Outfoxed and many other delicious books) comes a dashing and vibrant novel that revolves around foxhunting. The rolling hills of central Virginia are home to the Jefferson Hunt-and to scores of sly foxes, red, black and gray. When 34-year-old Peppermint dies peacefully of natural causes, the grave dug for the beloved horse uncovers the skeleton of Nola Bancroft, identifiable by her ring, the Hapsburg sapphire. The ravishing Nola disappeared without a trace from Sorrel Burrus's party 21 years earlier, leaving behind a shocked and, eventually, mourning father and mother, Edward and Tedi, and a sister, Sibyl. Many members of the hunt thought she'd eloped with handsome (but socially inferior) Guy Ramy, the sheriff's son, who went missing at the same time. Seventy-one-year-old Master of the Hunt Jane "Sister" Arnold soon finds herself searching for human prey as well as foxes. The author portrays the hunt family with such warmth and luxury of detail, one feels a friendship with each and every character, animals included. The reader will romp through the book like a hunter on a thoroughbred, never stopping for a meal or a night's sleep. A glossary of useful terms will aid those who've never ridden to the hounds. (Dec. 2) FYI: Brown is also the author with Sneaky Pie Brown of Catch as Cat Can (Forecasts, Feb. 11) and other titles in her Mrs. Murphy mystery series.

Library Journal

While burying a dead horse, several members of the Jefferson Hunt Club uncover a human body. Seventysomething master of the hunt Jane Arnold recognizes the ring on the skeleton's finger. It belonged to a sexy young club member who, along with her boyfriend, disappeared 21 years earlier. Later, the young man's skeleton is also found. Having believed that she knew her club's members well, Jane is stunned to realize that one or more of them may be murderers. Determined to uncover the killer, she sets a trap (which is very contrived, compelling the reader to suspend disbelief). Despite the promising beginning, this follow-up to Outfoxed ultimately disappoints. There is too much tell and not enough show, and endless dialog from the human and animal characters distracts rather than adds to the plot. Recommended only for public libraries with avid Brown fans. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/02.]-Patsy E. Gray, Huntsville P.L., AL

Kirkus Reviews