Rest in pieces

In this second entry from the New York Times best-selling series by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown, the citizens of Crozet, Virginia, reap a gruesome harvest-of human body parts. Ever since her husband's affair, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen has taken a sabbatical from men. The 30-ish divorcee is content to tend her farm and gain a bird's-eye view of the neighbors from her perch as small-town postmistress. Yet when a hunky city slicker comes to town with no clue about farming, she's happy to show him the ropes. When pieces of a dismembered body crop up around Crozet, however, the wary townsfolk reckon the handsome stranger is the culprit. But as Harry and her sleuthing pets-Mrs. Murphy the cat and Tee Tucker the dog-sniff out the clues, they have other notions. While the unique trio follows a curious trail, Kate Forbes' charming narration captures the spirit of each colorful character-whether human, feline, or canine.