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paranormal mystery
Series · cozy mystery
"Sister" Jane
The "Sister" Jane series by Rita Mae Brown has 18 known books (17 published; 1 announced) and is best read in publication order, starting with Outfoxed (2000). The next announced book, Pawsible Suspects, is due 23 February 2027.
- Books
- 18 known books (18 novels)
- Published
- 17
- Announced
- 1
- First published
- 2000
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
- Last checked
Start here: Outfoxed (2000) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series. Announced future books are marked below.
- Book 1:
Outfoxed
Outfoxed (2000, 343 pages) opens the Sister Jane series, introducing Jane Arnold -- the septuagenarian Master of Foxhounds everyone calls "Sister" -- her Virginia hunt club, and the rotating cast of hound, horse, and fox narrators who comment on the human drama alongside her.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Outfoxed - Book 2:
Hotspur
Book 2 of Rita Mae Brown's Sister Jane series, Hotspur (2002, 352 pages) follows Jane "Sister" Arnold running her Virginia hunt club with an old-money confidence, navigating the genteel social warfare of a horse-and-hound community while another body turns up on the hunt field.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hotspur - Book 3:
Full Cry
Full Cry (2003) runs 608 pages as book 3 of Sister Jane, the series where Brown -- herself a real-life Master of Foxhounds -- writes foxhunting in loving, expert detail, from the hounds' individual personalities to the politics of who gets invited to ride with whom.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Full Cry - Book 4:
The Hunt Ball
Published in 2005 at 310 pages, The Hunt Ball is the 4th Sister Jane novel, giving narrative point of view to hounds, horses, foxes, and local wildlife alongside Sister's own case-work, in the old-Virginia social comedy that distinguishes it from Brown's Mrs. Murphy books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Hunt Ball - Book 5:
The Hounds and the Fury
Book 5 in the series, The Hounds and the Fury (2006, 315 pages) continues Sister Jane's standing in her hunt community and her recurring animal cast, developments that carry across the whole run even though each mystery is largely self-contained.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Hounds and the Fury - Book 6:
The Tell-Tale Horse
Book 6 of Rita Mae Brown's Sister Jane series, The Tell-Tale Horse (2007, 400 pages) follows Jane "Sister" Arnold running her Virginia hunt club with an old-money confidence, navigating the genteel social warfare of a horse-and-hound community while another body turns up on the hunt field.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Tell-Tale Horse - Book 7:
Hounded to Death
Hounded to Death (2008) runs 276 pages as book 7 of Sister Jane, the series where Brown -- herself a real-life Master of Foxhounds -- writes foxhunting in loving, expert detail, from the hounds' individual personalities to the politics of who gets invited to ride with whom.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hounded to Death - Book 8:
Fox Tracks
Published in 2012 at 399 pages, Fox Tracks is the 8th Sister Jane novel, giving narrative point of view to hounds, horses, foxes, and local wildlife alongside Sister's own case-work, in the old-Virginia social comedy that distinguishes it from Brown's Mrs. Murphy books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fox Tracks - Book 9:
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Book 9 in the series, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (2014, 383 pages) continues Sister Jane's standing in her hunt community and her recurring animal cast, developments that carry across the whole run even though each mystery is largely self-contained.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie - Book 10:
Crazy Like a Fox
Book 10 of Rita Mae Brown's Sister Jane series, Crazy Like a Fox (2017, 275 pages) follows Jane "Sister" Arnold running her Virginia hunt club with an old-money confidence, navigating the genteel social warfare of a horse-and-hound community while another body turns up on the hunt field.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Crazy Like a Fox - Book 11:
Homeward Hound
Homeward Hound (2018) runs 304 pages as book 11 of Sister Jane, the series where Brown -- herself a real-life Master of Foxhounds -- writes foxhunting in loving, expert detail, from the hounds' individual personalities to the politics of who gets invited to ride with whom.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Homeward Hound - Book 12:
Scarlet Fever
Published in 2019 at 274 pages, Scarlet Fever is the 12th Sister Jane novel, giving narrative point of view to hounds, horses, foxes, and local wildlife alongside Sister's own case-work, in the old-Virginia social comedy that distinguishes it from Brown's Mrs. Murphy books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Scarlet Fever - Book 13:
Out of Hounds
Book 13 in the series, Out of Hounds (2021, 272 pages) continues Sister Jane's standing in her hunt community and her recurring animal cast, developments that carry across the whole run even though each mystery is largely self-contained.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Out of Hounds - Book 14:
Thrill of the Hunt
Book 14 of Rita Mae Brown's Sister Jane series, Thrill of the Hunt (2022, 392 pages) follows Jane "Sister" Arnold running her Virginia hunt club with an old-money confidence, navigating the genteel social warfare of a horse-and-hound community while another body turns up on the hunt field.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Thrill of the Hunt - Book 15:
Lost & Hound
Lost & Hound (2023) runs 308 pages as book 15 of Sister Jane, the series where Brown -- herself a real-life Master of Foxhounds -- writes foxhunting in loving, expert detail, from the hounds' individual personalities to the politics of who gets invited to ride with whom.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Lost & Hound - Book 16:
Time Will Tell
Published in 2024 at 304 pages, Time Will Tell is the 16th Sister Jane novel, giving narrative point of view to hounds, horses, foxes, and local wildlife alongside Sister's own case-work, in the old-Virginia social comedy that distinguishes it from Brown's Mrs. Murphy books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Time Will Tell - Book 17:
Fox and Furious
Book 17 in the series, Fox and Furious (2025, 272 pages) continues Sister Jane's standing in her hunt community and her recurring animal cast, developments that carry across the whole run even though each mystery is largely self-contained.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fox and Furious - Book 18:
Pawsible Suspects
Pawsible Suspects (2027, 240 pages) is book 18 of the Sister Jane series, continuing Rita Mae Brown's long-running blend of old-Virginia hunt-country social comedy with the animal-narrated mystery format that's carried the series since Outfoxed (2000).
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Pawsible Suspects
About the "Sister" Jane series
Jane Arnold — known to everyone as "Sister" Jane — is the septuagenarian Master of Foxhounds for a Virginia hunt club, and Rita Mae Brown's second long-running mystery series, set in the same rolling hunt-country Virginia as Mrs. Murphy but built around a human amateur sleuth rather than a talking-animal narration gimmick. Sister runs her hunt with an old-money Virginian's total confidence, navigates the genteel social warfare of a horse-and-hound community where everyone has known everyone for generations, and keeps stumbling across bodies on the hunt field or in the woods her club rides through. Brown, herself a Master of Foxhounds in real life, writes the sport itself in loving, expert detail — the hounds' individual personalities, the choreography of a hunt, the politics of who gets invited to ride with whom — making the foxhunting world as much a subject of the books as the murders are.
Like Mrs. Murphy, the series gives some narrative point of view to animals — hounds, horses, foxes, and the local wildlife all get sections reflecting on the human drama unfolding around them — but the tone leans more into old-Virginia social comedy and less into cozy-mystery cuteness than the Murphy books. Eighteen novels have appeared since 2000, with new entries still arriving regularly, making this one of Brown's most durable ongoing series alongside Mrs. Murphy. This is the series for readers who want Brown's small-town-Virginia voice and animal point-of-view device applied to a different sport and a sharper-edged human sleuth.
Frequently asked questions
How many "Sister" Jane books are there?
Eighteen novels published or announced since 2000: seventeen already released, most recently Fox and Furious (2025), plus Pawsible Suspects, confirmed for February 2027.
What order should I read the "Sister" Jane books in?
Publication order, starting with Outfoxed (2000). Each mystery is largely self-contained, but Sister's life and the recurring animal characters develop across the series.
Is "Sister" Jane connected to Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy series?
No direct crossover. Both are set in Virginia hunt country and both give animals a narrative point of view, but they follow different sleuths, different casts, and don't share plot threads.
Do I need to know anything about foxhunting to read these?
No — Brown, herself a real-life Master of Foxhounds, explains the sport's rituals and terminology as she goes, and the mysteries stand on their own regardless of familiarity with the sport.
Is there a new "Sister" Jane book coming?
Yes — Pawsible Suspects, book 18, is confirmed for release on February 23, 2027.
If you like the "Sister" Jane series
Reading order last verified .