Sister Jane Books in Order
Part ofRita Mae Brown Books in OrderThis page shows the Sister Jane books by Rita Mae Brown in order, with quick summaries, foxhunting background, and simple starting points.
Last updated: July 4, 2026
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Sister Jane books in publication order
17 books
Outfoxed
by Rita Mae Brown
2000
When a body is found posed on the foxhunting grounds, Master of Foxhounds Sister Jane Arnold starts asking hard questions. The first book sets the pattern for a series steeped in Virginia hunt country.
Hotspur
by Rita Mae Brown
2002
Sister Jane Arnold faces another killing in Virginia hunt country, where long memory and sharp pride can be just as dangerous as open malice. Brown leans into the world she knows best.
Full Cry
by Rita Mae Brown
2003
A murder shakes the Jefferson Hunt Club, and Sister Jane Arnold tracks the truth through a world ruled by land, status, and old custom. Horses, hounds, and foxes help widen the field of view.
The Hunt Ball
by Rita Mae Brown
2005
The rituals of the hunt season and one of its grandest social evenings form the backdrop to murder. Sister Jane Arnold has to read manners, memory, and motive with the same care she reads a field.
The Hounds and the Fury
by Rita Mae Brown
2006
Murder and mounting strain ripple through Virginia hunt country as Sister Jane Arnold tries to protect both her club and her friends. It is a broad, atmospheric mystery full of animals and social fault lines.
The Tell-tale Horse
by Rita Mae Brown
2007
Sister Jane Arnold follows a murder case in which horses and hunt-country instincts matter as much as formal evidence. Old loyalties, quiet grudges, and close observation drive the story.
Hounded to Death
by Rita Mae Brown
2008
A killing hits Sister Jane Arnold's hunt community and threatens the order she works hard to maintain. Brown builds the mystery through kennels, stables, country lanes, and the lies people tell themselves.
Fox Tracks
by Rita Mae Brown
2012
A string of bizarre murders sweeps the East Coast, and Sister Jane Arnold joins forces with her animal allies to find the link. The case reaches beyond one hunt club without losing its Virginia footing.
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
by Rita Mae Brown
2014
A blackmailer stalks wealthy people in Sister Jane Arnold's world, forcing hunters into the role of hunted. Sister reads both people and animals closely as reputation, money, and fear begin to unravel.
Crazy Like a Fox
by Rita Mae Brown
2017
A hunting horn vanishes from the Museum of Hounds and Hunting, and a strange video seems to speak from the dead. Sister Jane Arnold traces the puzzle back to the Jefferson Hunt Club and its past.
Homeward Hound
by Rita Mae Brown
2018
Sister Jane Arnold follows a fresh trail of murder through the familiar world of barns, kennels, and guarded local loyalties. Brown keeps the focus on hunt-country manners and the secrets beneath them.
Scarlet Fever
by Rita Mae Brown
2019
Missing artwork, money, and wounded pride spiral toward murder in Sister Jane Arnold's circle. The case lets Brown bring foxhunting ritual, class tension, and sharp animal observation together.
Out of Hounds
by Rita Mae Brown
2021
A blackmailer targets wealthy members of Sister Jane Arnold's hunt club, turning hunters into prey. Sister must protect friends who may also be hiding things, before scandal turns fully murderous.
Thrill of the Hunt
by Rita Mae Brown
2022
Another hunting season brings another death for Sister Jane Arnold to untangle. Brown once again mixes horses, hounds, old rivalries, and the tightly woven social codes of Virginia hunt country.
Lost & Hound
by Rita Mae Brown
2023
A body is laid out on Sister Jane Arnold's foxhunting grounds, and cryptic signs suggest more trouble is coming. She must untangle murder, theft, and hunt-club loyalties before another warning becomes a funeral.
Time Will Tell
by Rita Mae Brown
2024
While helping round up escaped cattle and leading another foxhunting season, Sister Jane Arnold finds an expensive watch and a fresh mystery. The trail leads through old relationships and quiet country secrets.
Fox and Furious
by Rita Mae Brown
2025
Two brothers feud over an inheritance and a beagle kennel until one of them winds up dead. Sister Jane Arnold hunts for the truth in a case driven by family resentment and small-town memory.
Sister Jane books in chronological order

Outfoxed
by Rita Mae Brown
2000Sister Jane, Book 1
Hotspur
by Rita Mae Brown
2002Sister Jane, Book 2
Full Cry
by Rita Mae Brown
2003Sister Jane, Book 3
The Hunt Ball
by Rita Mae Brown
2005Sister Jane, Book 4
The Hounds and the Fury
by Rita Mae Brown
2006Sister Jane, Book 5
The Tell-tale Horse
by Rita Mae Brown
2007Sister Jane, Book 6
Hounded to Death
by Rita Mae Brown
2008Sister Jane, Book 7
Fox Tracks
by Rita Mae Brown
2012Sister Jane, Book 8
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
by Rita Mae Brown
2014Sister Jane, Book 9
Crazy Like a Fox
by Rita Mae Brown
2017Sister Jane, Book 10
Homeward Hound
by Rita Mae Brown
2018Sister Jane, Book 11
Scarlet Fever
by Rita Mae Brown
2019Sister Jane, Book 12
Out of Hounds
by Rita Mae Brown
2021Sister Jane, Book 13
Thrill of the Hunt
by Rita Mae Brown
2022Sister Jane, Book 14
Lost & Hound
by Rita Mae Brown
2023Sister Jane, Book 15
Time Will Tell
by Rita Mae Brown
2024Sister Jane, Book 16
Fox and Furious
by Rita Mae Brown
2025Sister Jane, Book 17
Series background & context
The Sister Jane books are Rita Mae Brown's foxhunting mysteries, centered on Jane Arnold, the formidable Master of Foxhounds at the Jefferson Hunt Club in Virginia. Sister is not a nun. It is the nickname she carries through a world that respects competence, memory, and nerve.
These stories live in the details of hunt country. Dawn rides, muddy lanes, stables, kennels, clipped talk at club gatherings, and the constant reading of weather and terrain all shape what happens. Brown knows the world firsthand, and that gives the series a worked-in, practical feel. You do not just hear about foxhunting. You feel how it organizes a community.
The mysteries usually begin with an upset in that community. A body on hunt land. A theft. A blackmailer. An inheritance fight. A missing painting. Something that looks small until it opens into older grudges and newer greed. Sister Jane is a natural investigator because she understands both the public rituals and the private feuds of the people around her.
The animals matter here as much as the humans.
Hounds, horses, foxes, and house pets observe, judge, and sometimes grasp the truth before people do. Their conversations give the series wit without turning it into farce. Brown uses them to widen the point of view and to remind readers that the land is shared, watched, and remembered.
If you want a place to begin, Outfoxed is the obvious start. Later books build on the same pleasures: intricate social ties, Virginia history, and a heroine who balances authority with curiosity. Sister Jane is not a cozy amateur in the usual sense. She leads, manages, and reads a field, and that changes how she reads a crime.
These are strong picks for readers who like mysteries with a real sense of labor, custom, and place. The series is less about flashy twists than about how a whole countryside reacts when something goes wrong, and who has the steadiness to follow the trail to the end.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
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