When a mystery author claims her cat as coauthor, it's a fairly safe bet that the team won't be producing disturbing psychological thrillers or hard-edged legal procedurals. Pawing Through the Past capitalizes on the myriad subtle relationships that form the backbone of small-town culture, and which Brown and Sneaky Pie have carefully woven throughout the Mrs. Murphy series.
Humans are touchy about their dead.
But Brown's legions of fans will doubtlessly forgive these shortcomings, concentrating instead on the antics of a memorable four-legged and furry trio. Perhaps America's most successful modern lesbian writer, Brown was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania and adopted and raised by her mother's cousin. Brown lived with that family for some time in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and later attended the University of Florida in Gainesville. After being expelled for civil rights activism, she hitchhiked to New York City.