"Foxhunting and Murder"

Sister Jane Arnold lived and breathed for foxhunting; she is master of the hounds for the Jefferson Hunt Club in Virginia. Working with her is whipper-in Betty Franklin and huntsman Shaker. They are preparing for the last hunt of the season on New Year's Day. Everyone gets ready in their correct clothing and braiding the manes of their horses. Sister goes to the various fox dens talking to her foxes and leaving them special food. We hear the dogs chatting among themselves as they also look forward to the hunt. Special breakfasts and parties are being held in the region during the New Year period.

Crawford Howard, although not the best qualified, is determined to become MFH (master of foxhounds) for the coming year. It is Sister's job to name someone to this position and everyone is speculating about who she will choose. Sister at seventy-two years of age is energetic, intelligent and diplomatic as she studies her choices.

Two of the alcoholics that hang out around the train station turn up dead -- full of alcohol and hemlock. Sam Lorillard, a recovering alcoholic, is trying to figure out what happened to his old friends. Although he caused a lot of problems in the community during his drinking days, he is now working and trying to help his unfortunate friends. The community is shocked when there is a warehouse fire and more murders occur.

This reviewer was surprised to find that fox hunting is a popular sport in Virginia. Although much of the fox hunting terminology can be confusing, Ms Brown has a glossary at the end of the book so that the reader can become acquainted with the titles of the various people and dogs of the hunt to make the book an easier read. The hounds and the foxes converse with each other; the exchange is in italics to differentiate from human conversation; the animals help move the story along and the animals have human-like emotions.

Sister Jane is so devoted to the sport that she often wishes to become a fox for one day. The biggest portion of the book is taken up with the foxhunt, the appropriate clothes, the hounds and the people serving the hunt club; the murders and mystery are secondary. Rita Mae Brown obviously knows a lot about foxhunting and so will you after reading FULL CRY. The book is a fascinating study about the people, foxes, hounds and horses all involved in the hunt, the third book in the series.

Reviewed by Marilyn Heyman
Posted November 22, 2003

Summary

In the third novel of her captivating foxhunting series, Rita Mae Brown welcomes readers back for a final tour of a world where most business is conducted on horseback--and stables are de rigueur for even the smallest of estates. Here, in the wealth-studded hills of Jefferson County, Virginia, even evil rides a mount. The all-important New Year's Hunt commences amid swirling light snow. It is the last formal hunt of the season; therefore, participation is required no matter how hungover riders are from toasting the midnight before. On this momentous occasion, "Sister" Jane Arnold, master of the foxhounds, announces her new joint master and the new president of the Jefferson Hunt. And her choices will prove to be no less than shocking. The day's festivities are quickly marred, though, by what appears on the surface to be an unrelated tragedy. Sam Lorillard, former shining star and Harvard Law School alum, lies dead of a stab wound on a baggage cart at the old train station, surrounded by the outcasts and vagabonds who composed his social circle at the end of life. No one can remember when Sam started drinking, but the downward spiral was swift--and seemingly deadly. Murder is followed by scandal when Sister Jane discovers dishonest hunting practices going on in a neighboring club. Unsure whether to turn a blind eye or report the infringement to the proper authority, Sister and her huntsman, Shaker Crown, decide to investigate a little further, with the help of their trusty hounds. But when they come a little too close to the staggering truth--and uncover an unforeseen connection to Lorillard's murder--they realize they might not survive to see the next New Year's Hunt. Intricate, witty, and full of the varied voices of creatures both great and small, Full Cry is an astute reminder that even those with the bluest of blood still bleed red.