A Nose for Justice

Books by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown

Wish You Were Here • Rest in Pieces • Murder at Monticello • Pay Dirt • Murder, She Meowed • Murder on the Prowl • Cat on the Scent • Sneaky Pie’s Cookbook for Mystery Lovers • Pawing Through the Past • Claws and Effect • Catch As Cat Can • The Tail of the Tip-off • Whisker of Evil • Cat’s Eyewitness • Sour Puss • Puss ’N Cahoots • The Purrfect Murder • Santa Clawed • Cat of the Century

Books by Rita Mae Brown with “Sister” Jane Arnold in the Outfoxed series

Outfoxed • Hotspur • Full Cry • The Hunt Ball • The Hounds and the Fury • The Tell-tale Horse • Hounded to Death

Books by Rita Mae Brown

Animal Magnetism: My Life with Creatures Great and Small • The Hand That Cradles the Rock • Songs to a Handsome Woman • The Plain Brown Rapper • Rubyfruit Jungle • In Her Day • Six of One • Southern Discomfort • Sudden Death • High Hearts • Started from Scratch: A Different Kind of Writer’s Manual • Bingo • Venus Envy • Dolley: A Novel of Dolley Madison in Love and War • Riding Shotgun • Rita Will: Memoir of a Literary Rabble-Rouser • Loose Lips • Alma Mater • Sand Castle

Magdalene Reed, “Jeep”—
Born in 1924 to a poor, hardworking couple in Reno, Nevada, Jeep was bright but could not afford higher education. While serving as a WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilot) in World War II, she acquired the skills that would make her one of the richest women in Nevada. To her credit, she never forgot her beginnings nor does she ever forget a friend or an enemy.

Magdalene Rogers, “Mags”—
She’s the great-niece of Jeep. When Mags’s parents were killed in an automobile accident, Jeep raised her and her sister, Catherine. At thirty-two, the beautiful Mags has learned some painful lessons as she saw her profession and income disintegrate as a Wall Street broker. She carries great guilt about this although she is hardly to blame for the grotesque irresponsibility of her superiors.

Catherine Rogers—
While Mags is beautiful, Catherine is drop-dead gorgeous. She’s also a loose cannon, having bounced from being a character actress in Hollywood to an infamous porn star. Jeep could tolerate that. What she couldn’t bear was when Catherine tried to force her to disinherit Enrique, Jeep’s adopted son, a man in his fifties.

Enrique Salaberry—
A Basque by blood, he carries the toughness of his people. He now runs the ranch day-to-day, and loves it. Thanks to Jeep he attended college, where he studied agriculture. He’s always open to new ideas about ranching and equipment and has the enthusiastic support of his adoptive mother, whom he loves deeply.

Carlotta Salaberry
—Enrique’s wife is over the top. Bedecked with bright colors and many adornments if she’s going out, she is warm, gregarious and keeps house for Jeep. She loves the old lady for many reasons, one being that when Enrique fell in love with her, Jeep encouraged the match instead of opposing it. That was thirty years ago and most WASPS would have been horrified. Without being obvious, she keeps a close eye on her mother-in-law, who while strong, is still a woman in her mid-eighties.

Deputy Peter Meadows
—Although young to be a deputy, the sheriff of Washoe County recognized Pete’s ability and his gift with people. In his mid-thirties, Pete is a native of Washoe County, which he loves about as much as Jeep Reed does. Two years ago he suffered a painful divorce, but aren’t they all painful? He’s getting his feet under him but is still a bit wary of women.

Officer Lonnie Parrish
—Pete’s sidekick is in his twenties and full of energy. He’s got good instincts but needs some seasoning. He’s transfixed by the opposite sex.

Jake Tanner
—Usually disheveled, Jeep’s neighbor, who lives a few miles north of her ranch, has a small business using his heavy equipment to help ranchers. The word nosy was coined for Jake, and one is never quite sure what will fall out of his ever-running mouth.

Twinkie Bosun
—In his mid-forties, he works for Silver State Resource Management (SSRM) repairing equipment. There’s nothing the man can’t fix. Good-natured and responsible, he’s one of those wonderful men who just knuckles down and gets the job done.

Bunny Matthews
—A year or two younger than Twinkie, he’s Twinkie’s partner. As much of the work is heavy, and sometimes in unpleasant conditions, the repair teams usually go out in twos, unless it is a massive problem. These two are the number one team.

Oliver Hitchens
—He’s the head of equipment purchasing and also knowing what kind of pump to put where. He keeps an eye on all repairs and is so good at his job of keeping company costs down that he is endured by his superiors and loathed by those who work under him. He is one of those men who must establish his authority with other men but is a devoted husband who doesn’t have a need to be authoritative with his wife. Perhaps like most smart men he realizes it doesn’t work anyway.

Darryl Johnson—
The president of Silver State Resource Management believes that Reno, now at 410,000 people, can sustain a population of 620,000 people. This is in direct opposition to what Jeep and those concerned with the environment believe. They believe that water will run out. His vision for the future is different from Jeep’s, but he is a good man.

Craig Locke—
As Director of Acquistions for SSRM, he, too, believes Reno can sustain an extra two hundred thousand people. He’s a master at acquiring water rights and could probably sell ice to Eskimos.

George W. Ball—
His understanding of equipment, the demands of various terrain, and his ability to identify people who can perform difficult work under tough conditions has earned him the cumbersome title of Director of Internal Resources. George W. cares nothing for titles. He loves his job and gets along well with the guys, like Twinkie and Bunny, who get down there and do the dirty work. He endures Oliver Hitchens with a smile, when possible, because Oliver’s ability to save a buck for SSRM benefits the whole operation.

Teton Benson
—He’s made many mistakes and paid for them. Other people have paid for them, too. He lives in a seedy part of Reno and has a crush on a waitress at the topless bar next to his walk-up apartment. Her assets are considerable.

The Deceased

A Russian solider—
He died in the late 1800s. Part of this story involves finding out exactly when he died and why.

Dorothy Jocham
—Jeep’s life partner departed this world at the turn of this century. Her influence on Jeep, Enrique, and the ranch remains as she remains in the hearts of all who knew her.