September 24, 2018
A serial killer may be loose in Virginia hunt country in bestseller Brown’s intriguing 11th mystery featuring Jane “Sister” Arnold, Master of Hounds of the Jefferson Hunt Club (after 2017’s Crazy Like a Fox). Joining the club’s traditional Christmas hunt is Gregory Luckham, the president of a giant energy company based in Richmond, which has plans to run a pipeline though the pristine countryside. When a blinding blizzard arises, Luckham disappears in whiteout conditions right off the back of his horse. A search is undertaken, and a body is discovered in the snow. Surprisingly, it isn’t Luckham. Then another rich and powerful man disappears. Weeks later, pieces of Luckham begin showing up in hunt territory. Sister Jane and her compatriots, including the foxes, hounds, and horses, do what they can to catch the culprit, as long as nothing stands in the way of the hunt. The killer’s motive may be unconvincing, but readers will be charmed by Brown’s endearing characters, animal and human, all of whom are given to philosophizing on the state of the world. Agent: Wendy Weil, Wendy Weil Agency.