Books like Outfoxed by Rita Mae Brown

Rita Mae Brown’s novel unfolds in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the celebrated Jefferson Hunt Club’s Master, Jane Arnold, known as "Sister," presides over a tightly knit community of hunters, hounds, and foxes. Approaching seventy, Sister must choose a joint master to succeed her, setting the stage for a fierce contest between Fontaine Buruss, a flirtatious local with a scandalous reputation, and Crawford Howard, a wealthy Yankee whose presence challenges Southern values. As the hunt approaches, tensions rise and the town’s rigid social codes begin to break down. When opening day ends with a murder, the hunt’s leaders are stunned, and Sister realizes the killer must be someone intimately familiar with the hunt’s terrain and rules. With her insight and the help of clever foxes and hounds, Sister navigates the murky waters of Southern politeness, rivalry, and betrayal to uncover the truth. Brown’s tale blends the thrill of the chase with the complexities of human-animal relationships and Southern etiquette, offering a vivid portrait of a community’s hidden secrets.

First publish date: 2000