“Sister” Jane Arnold Books

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The Jane Arnold series of books is written by Rita Mae Brown. It is also known as the Foxhunting Mysteries series. Jane Arnold is a native of Virginia who enjoys foxhunting and is the master of a local club dedicated to this activity. Much of the series takes place in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains area of Virginia.

The series was first introduced in 2000 with the book Outfoxed. Brown has written several of these Jane Arnold books since then. These novels focus on mysteries and crime but they are also about how people interact with animals and the relationships that people often develop with them no matter what they are like.

Arnold is a woman who is high in age but enjoys living life and traveling along the wilderness. She works well to solve many of the mysteries that she comes across throughout this book series.

The series has especially been popular among people who are interested in the cozy mystery subgenre. This is a genre of mystery novels that focuses on people in various more relaxed situations. The beautiful setting of rural Virginia and the exciting and leisurely activity of foxhunting both make for great features that are added into the Jane Arnold series of books to create something memorable and entertaining for all mystery fans to enjoy.

Some of the work entails understanding the relationships that people have with themselves and with animals. These include the many horses and dogs that are used in hunts and even the foxes themselves.

About the Author:

Rita Mae Brown is the author of the Sister Jane Arnold series as well as several other books. She is a truly fascinating character and could easily have a book written about her own life if someone were interested in doing so.

She has written numerous books outside of the Sister Jane Arnold series, most famously writing the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries. She has also published books in the non-fiction and poetry genres. Rita Mae Brown has also written or co-written nine screenplays which have made it to screens in both TV and movies.

Rita Mae Brown’s personal life is perhaps the most interesting thing about her. She is an open lesbian who has had two very high profile relationships in her past. The first being with author, screenwriter and actor, Fannie Flagg that she actually met at a party hosted by actress and feminist Marlo Thomas. There was a bit of a generational and age difference there so the relationship didn’t last that long.

Brown would later date tennis star Martina Navratilova who she bought a horse farm in Charlottesville. During the relationship, Brown urged Navratilova to “come out”, but that ultimately led to the end of the relationship as the tennis star feared it would hurt her application for US citizenship.

She has won an Emmy in her time for Outstanding Writing on I Love Liberty in 1982. Despite her status in the culture, she does not consider herself a “lesbian writer” because of her beliefs that are is about connection instead of labels.

Best Jane Arnold Books

2000’s Outfoxed is the first book in this series. It introduces Jane Arnold as the leader of the Jefferson Hunt Club and reveals many intriguing points about the elite foxhunting clubs in rural Virginia. This story is about an open hunt day where one member of the hunting party is murdered. This leads into a tale of deception and surprise. It is up to Arnold to work with others in the hunting party and with a bit of assistance from their animal friends to find the killer.

The 2006 book the Hounds and the Fury is a story about a local aluminum plant that is dealing with a rather sizeable accounting mistake. To make things worse, someone has been found dead at the plant. One donor to a local hunt club has attempted to push Jane and the rest of her club off of the track as a conspiracy over who could have killed someone and how finances were falsified builds up into a crescendo.

Hounded to Death is a 2008 book is about a veterinarian who is believed to have committed suicide. Jane has a feeling that the vet did not actually die this way but that something a little more surprising and sinister may be afoot. A wealthy pet food baron also disappears during a major local dog show. This all comes not long after a case where a contestant at a dog show is found dead shortly after disappearing. There may be a real connection between the cases as Jane looks to find answers.

Other Book Series You May Like

The “Midnight Louie” series of novels from Carole Nelson Douglas is recommended for fans of the Jane Arnold series. This is about a public relations consultant and her cat as they see their way through a number of cases with local police detectives and other figures looking in. The stories in this series are filled with plenty of whimsical points but the mysteries surrounding the stories are always unpredictable.

Another series to look for is the “Barking Detective” series from Waverly Curtis. This is about a private investigator who works to solve various crimes. She does this with the assistance of her dog, a Chihuahua who can talk. The thing is, the dog talks only to the investigator as she is the only person in the world who hears and knows whatever it is he is saying. This leads into a number of amusing stories.

Fans of the Jane Arnold series will certainly be interested in these stories as they relate to not only mysteries but also the great relationships that people have with animals of all sorts. This shows how unique some bonds might be with regards to getting in touch with nature.

What Is The Next Book in The "sister" Jane Series?

There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The "sister" Jane Series. The newest book is Time Will Tell and was released on November, 12th 2024.

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