Latest in the series of Sister Jane hunting stories in Virginia, comes a cold case mixed with a ghost story. Decades ago, a handsome huntsman vanished, having first romanced every lady in sight, including the married ones. CRAZY LIKE A FOX explores the story of his disappearance and the conviction of most locals that he must have been murdered.

The missing man was called Wesley Carruthers, but mostly he is referred to as Weevil, which sounds unkind given the tragedy for his family. He has been presumed dead since 1954, so his ghostly form appearing on a cellphone video is scary and lends impetus to a new search. A hunting horn has also gone missing from a museum display case, but the police don't feel concerned. Sister Jane, the sprightly senior lady who is joint master of hounds, still enjoys a day's outing with the business people and local farmers of the Jefferson Hunt, in which the fox usually runs to ground. She has known everyone from the early years and has a great store of memories. Maybe the clue is in her head already, or maybe she'll have to do some investigating.

The animals talk amongst themselves, a popular feature of cozy mysteries by Rita Mae Brown. Hounds, house dogs, horses, and foxes chatter freely while even rodents and owls get to contribute, though they are less occupied by the affairs of humans. This book is set near the Blue Ridge Mountains during early autumn, the cub-hunting time, when some late harvests have not been gathered. I like that the diverse population always features. One vigorous hunt occurs on land owned by Kasmir Barbhaiya from India, while a young African-American lady, Anne Harris (known as Tootie -- I take it silly nicknames are a Virginia habit, but it would be easier to tell the people apart from the animals without them) lives in a remodeled cottage on Sister Jane's land. Tootie's mother arrives to stay unexpectedly, announcing that she's getting divorced from her media mogul husband. Seems wealth doesn't always bring happiness.

This gently moving adventure weaves today with yesterday, ghost stories with drug searches. I found myself more and more enthralled as the handsome huntsman made further strange appearances. Love of the land resonates through this series and the Mrs Murphy series, too. Anyone who enjoys Rita Mae Brown will get a great read from CRAZY LIKE A FOX and hunt for more of her mysteries. She's on great form this time.