Publisher, Recorded Books (February 2007)

The famous Saddlebred show in Shelbyville, Kentucky, is the perfect opportunity for remarried newlyweds Harry and Fair Haristeen to finally go on their long-delayed (second) honeymoon —a chance to combine business and pleasure, as well as to drop in on some old friends. Mrs. Murphy (a tabby cat), Tucker (a Corgi), and Pewter (a fat gray kitty) are all along for the trip as well, and when their hosts are robbed the very first day they arrive, Mrs. Murphy pounces right on solving the mystery. Soon, however, they are all sidetracked by even bigger crimes: a $200,000 mare owned by a young film star is stolen in broad daylight, and worst of all, a groom is found murdered. Clearly, winning at Shelbyville is secondary; first prize is survival.

About the Authors: Rita Mae Brown was born in 1944. She has received four degrees, including a Ph.D. in English and Political Science from the Institute for Policy Studies in 1976. Emmy-nominated for Best Mini-Series of 1985 for The Long Hot Summer, Brown has also been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. She has served as President of American Artists, Inc. and taught at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. Many of her screenplays have been optioned to well-known film and production companies.

When she finds the time, Brown writes her Mrs. Murphy series with her co-author/pet cat, Sneaky Pie Brown. Their Mrs. Murphy mystery series has vaulted them to the New York Times best-seller list, and has sold more than two million copies. The series is translated into German, Japanese, French, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, and Portuguese and is distributed in every English-speaking country in the world.

“As feline collaborators go, you couldn’t ask for better than Sneaky Pie Brown.” - New York Times Book Review

About the Performer: Gifted narrator Kate Forbes is a professionally trained actor who has appeared on Broadway, in regional theaters, and with a renowned touring company.

After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, where she was active in theater, Kate completed an M.F.A. at New York University School of the Arts. With this training, she launched into a successful acting career. In her first role, she played Lady Peazle in a Broadway production of School for Scandal. Her stunning performance earned her a Theater World Award for an outstanding Broadway debut. Her other Broadway roles have also been impressive. Kate has played opposite George C. Scott in Inherit the Wind and Julie Harris in Scent of the Roses.

Kate has appeared in many regional theaters. Among her favorite roles she lists Kyra in Skylight at the Playmaker’s Rep, Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Dallas Theater Center, and Henriette in The Learned Ladies at the McCarter.

This talented actor feels that one of the highlights of her career was the two years she spent touring with The Acting Company, which has been staging plays across the country since 1971. During her years with the company, Kate played two critical leading roles: Nora in A Doll’s House and Desdemona in Othello.

In 1998, at the urging of The Acting Company’s director, Kate sent a sample narration tape to Claudia Howard, Recorded Books’ studio manager. Claudia was impressed; she called Kate in for an audition, and soon Kate was behind the Recorded Books microphone. To date, she has narrated such popular Recorded Books titles as Sidney Sheldon’s The Sky Is Falling and Robert Morgan’s Gap Creek.