Homeward Hound — Rita Mae Brown

“Sister” Jane Arnold returns in a colorful mystery featuring four-legged sleuths -- and the breathtaking thrill of the chase.

As winter deepens over the Blue Ridge Mountains, even the threat of snowstorms cannot derail this year's Christmas run, not as long as Sister Jane has a say in it. With spirits high and traditions strong, a glorious parade of hunters in full holiday regalia gathers on the grounds of Tattenhall Station. But a blinding blizzard brings an early end to the sport. More disturbing: A horse soon returns without its rider.

Gregory Luckham, the president of a powerful energy company pushing for a pipeline through central Virginia, is the missing hunter. His presence on the hunt has been controversial to say the least, and few would bemoan his passing. A search is organized for what is presumed will be a dead, frozen body. What is discovered, however, chills everyone to the bone -- and points toward murder.

With more than a few opinions offered by hunters, horses, hounds, and foxes, Sister Jane sets out to track down a killer and untangle a mystery packed as hard as snow -- full of secrets, old wounds, and avarice.

Steeped in the local history of Virginia's horse country, HOMEWARD HOUND is a delightful immersion into a storied world no one knows better than Rita Mae Brown, accompanied by the indelible animal characters she brings vividly to life.