Bookshelf

Murder Unleashed
Rita Mae Brown’s Murder
Unleashed (Ballantine Books, $15),
the sequel to her New York Times
bestseller A Nose for Justice,
takes readers into a world of mystery and anticipation, and the quirky
relationships of humans and canines. In this hilariously suspenseful story,
Mags Rogers and her wire-haired dachshund sidekick Baxter are teaming up with
Mags’ great aunt Jeep and German shepherd, King, to save the houseless families
of Reno, NV. Even if you don’t think animal companions are as precious as
Brown’s fans do, you’ve got to give props to Brown, the author of numerous
crime novels (some, indeed, co-authored with her cat), screenplays, and the
seminal lesbian novel, 1973’s Rubyfruit Jungle. — Andi Alexander