Highly recommend this one! This is not the first in the series (although the first one I read) and although I do like to read them in order, I was not lost. You get immersed in the fox hunting world of Virginia There is a whole section before the story that introduces all the players, which was helpful. I am a fan of Rita Mae Brown's Sneaky Pie mysteries too...Rita is just a good cozy mystery author!

good story. Lots about fox hunting.Easy to read
Not my favorite kind of reading as the story involves dialogue of animals, people and the two jump back and forth in the story line.
still it is a entertaining story

I always enjoy visiting Sister Jane and her friends at The Jefferson Hunt Club and Homeward Hound did not disappoint. Rita Mae Brown is a masterful writer giving the landscape and characters a true to life feeling. I always enjoy the hunt scenes from both the human and the animals' perspectives. The mystery itself was a bit easy to determine but I still enjoyed watching it play out to it's conclusion. This eleventh installment of Sister Jane was solid read and I continue to look forward to more adventures in the future.

Homeward Bound is a intriguing fox hunting mystery that is well written and very descriptive. I love the animals talking. Rita Mae Brown is a fabulous author.

I have to admit that I didn't finish this book, although I did keep coming back to it, trying to like it and did get through most of it. In the first place, I am allergic to anything with four legs and fur or hair. Highly allergic! Allergic enough to make me go into panic mode when I see a dog! So I kept cringing at the constant animals in the story. And just the one fox hunt where the CEO guy disappeared would have been enough (in my opinion), but I felt that there were too many of them for my comfort.

While Homeward Hound has more fox hunting than mystery, it does have an excellent plot and well-developed characters. It moved a bit slowly for my taste. I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.

Rita Mae Brown's fox hunting mysteries have so many things to love that carry through all the books. This tricky mystery is no exception.

She has a great group of main and recurring characters that go through the books. Well-drawn and likable, they become our old friends.

The animals, especially dogs, horses, and foxes play a large part in all the books. I like that they have wonderful characters as well and that they also become friends.

Although riding and fox hunting are not things I do, I love that Brown's writes from a deep understanding & love of the sport. She makes the reader love it to.

If those things are not enough to get you to take up this wonderful series, the plot of this excellent mystery should. It's the day of the Christmas hunt. A guest hunter, the President of a company that wants to build an oil pipeline through the area disappears off his horse in a blinding snowstorm. No traces can be found until body parts and items of his hunting kit start appearing.

Everything points to a member of the hunt being involved, but who and how? This mystery kept me guessing until the end.

What a great group of friends more like family these characters are. Well, most of them anyway. I certainly learned more about chasing the elusive fox. They are quite smart creatures and well as being beautiful. I have to tell you my favorite part was the animals talking to each other. Love that!! This story shows what love can do and what greed can do. It could also make you wonder if you really know those folks you think you do. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own and is freely given.

I’ve been a fan of Rita Mae Brown (RMB) since the librarian had to pick me up off the floor after reading the first two paragraphs of her book Bingo over 18 years ago, Still one of the funniest, sweetest books I have ever read.
RMB in 200o started a series set in central Virginia centered around fox hunting, an activity that RMB knows well as she is a Master of the Foxhound (MFH) herself in central Virginia., no small honor.
RMB treats her foxhounds, house pets, foxes and horses as honored, thinking, verbal characters. Just the type of story I usually cannot stand. I make an exception of RMB who knows how to write a story and how to make you become invested in the characters. RMB is at her best when she writes about the foxhunting. I am like a kid with her nose squished against the plate glass window of a candy store when I read her books.
Jane Arnold, better known as Sister, is MFH of the Jefferson hunt, a position she has held for more than 40 years. An old and venerable hunt, the Jefferson is a sought after club.
At the Christmas Hunt, Gregory Luckham, president of an energy company and a member of another hunt is invited to ride with the Jefferson hunt as a guest. Luckham is president of an energy company that is planning on building a pipeline through central Virginia; virtually destroying historic properties and pristine wilderness. His host hopes Luckham will see the land his pipeline could despoil while also hoping the landowners could come to an accommodation and work for a new route.
Unfortunately he disappears during a sudden blizzard that comes up during the Christmas Hunt.
I never thought I would say this, but Homeward Hound seemed to consisted mostly of hunts. There are too many hunts, not enough of the mystery.
These hunts, and the properties they go through are lovingly described and the thrill of the hunt perfectly portrayed. This however does not make up for the lack of investigation or interest in the murders on the part of both the characters and the reader.
Still and all since I have been a fan since the beginning of the series, the book was like slipping on my robe and jimmy jams, enjoying the warmth and familiarity. I would invite any reader to join, at least for a few hours, this rarified life. RMB makes it easy to start anywhere with her dramatis personae and glossary at the beginning of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Death Mars Sister Jane’s Christmas Fox Hunt

The Christmas Hunt is one of the high points of the central Virginia fox hunting season. Although a blizzard threatens, Sister Jane, the hunt master, is determined to have at least an abbreviated run before the snow starts.

A topic concerning the community is the plan by a major energy company to run a pipeline through the area. As a result the riders are not all happy when Gregory Luckham, president of the energy company is invited to join the hunt. Being Virginia, most people are polite, but one of the land owners whose land lies in the path of the pipeline, is furious about Luckham’s inclusion in the hunt.

The hunt starts well, but the blizzard comes up more quickly than expected. The riders race back to their trailers, but one horse arrives without a rider. Luckham is missing. The search is on, but instead of the missing man, they find another corpse.

I always enjoy Brown’s Sister Jane stories. The area is beautiful, and if you’re a horse lover, the descriptions of horses, dogs and the rides across the area are delightful. The books are filled with quirky humans, such as much married Aunt Daniella who drinks bourbon and has the history of the area down pat, and animals like the horses, dogs, and foxes who converse with each other.

My only reservation about this book is that unless you’re into fox hunting, or just love horses, there are too many descriptions of fox hunts. Detection is done, but it takes second place to the descriptions of the hunting season. Still, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to lovers of horses and mysteries.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Homeward Hound is a romp through fox hunting and all the jealousies associated with this high prestige endeavor. It took me five times to work my way through all the characters listed at the beginning before even attempting the story. I certainly learned more about fox hunting and the etiquette necessary to carry off a successful hunt. While I enjoyed the foxes having personalities, the actual writing concerning the foxes was tedious for me. I just did not bond with any of the human characters and forced myself to finish Homeward Hound. I have read many novels by Rita Mae Brown but this is the first one I would not recommend. I rated the book 2/5 stars for the knowledge gained.

Rita Mae Brown has done it again. I love this series! I loved reading the local history of the Virginia horse country. Sister Jane is at it again to solve this mystery with the help of her four legged friends. Thanks to Ballentine Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a good mystery, I didn't guess the killer until late in the story. It was a little confusing in some spots for me, but I really enjoyed the story. I learned a lot about fox hunting. Sister Jane and her crew are on the hunt when a big blizzard comes along. When it is over, one man is dead and another missing. As the group mourns one of their own and search for the other man, Sister is trying to figure out why it all happened. As the mystery deepens, they are wondering if they are all in danger.

A murder mystery with a fox hunt. Very interesting and intriguing. This was a ver fun read. I really liked “hearing “ from the animals. I would definitely recommend this book..

A great holiday read with a strong plot and riveting mystery. I love the interactions between the humans and animals. How the animals communicate to each other is enchanting. Who knows maybe they really can communicate with each other. The foxes were my favorites. I needed the terminology in the front of the book to help me understand the sport. There were quite a few characters to keep track of which is my only complaint. This made the book a little challenging to read at times. Rita Mae Brown is a wonderful author and I have most of her sneaky Pie Brown series. I think this will be a nice read if you love animals and mysteries.

a timely tale with Cunning foxes, sensible hounds and sweet-tempered horses are among the main conversationalists in this wonderful detective series

Gregory Luckham, who wants to built a pipeline, through Hunt Country, is murdered! Sister Jane and her band of dogs and horses (and yes, they do talk) must sort out what happened. There's lots of suspects, of course, a few red herrings, and a couple of twists. What sets this, and others in the series apart, in addition to the crime solving animals, is the fox hunting and horse information. If you've never read this series, you've missed some really fascinating stuff- I always learn something new. If you are a regular Brown reader, then know that you'll get a classic Sister Jane story. She, btw, is a hoot. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC.

This would have been a great book; if it had not gotten bog down with too many suspects. I also had trouble liking the animals more than the humans! It is a very clever premise; maybe after a couple of books, you know who is who, or what is what. I would love to reread it when I have more time. This is a series where you are better off starting with book number one.
I recommend Starting with Book One. Thank you, Netgalley.
Https://www.carolintallahassee.Wordpress.com

This was a fun who-done-it read! A great mystery fill with vivacious characters (two and four legged). Easy to let yourself get immersed in the traditions of Fox Hunting and Club life. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and recommend it for these long winter nights ahead.  

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

I am a long time fan of Rita Mae Brown but must admit to being disappointed in this book. The “pros” of the book include the main character, “Sister”, who is delightful. The fox hunting, which forms the backdrop to the book, was interesting and the details included help set the tone and really give a feeling of place.
The “cons” outweighed in this book. The cast of characters was, in my opinion, unnecessarily large for a relatively short book. It needs a good editing..there were several sentences that were either incomplete or seemed as if they had been popped into a paragrah where they didn't belong. In one instance, two women are investigating a barn and decide to peek into the tack room. With no explanation at all, in the next sentence, one of the women is thanking the sheriff for his quick response! It was later explained why they needed his help but it is a poorly written paragraph.
All in all it is a light read that will benefit from a bit more editing.