Murder With Peacocks by Donna Andrews

I started this series in the middle, something I don't usually do.  And it is a thoroughly wonderful series.  The protagonist, Meg, is a reluctant sleuth, her real avocation being blacksmithing.  Really, she's a blacksmith.  That alone would have kept me reading the series but it's also well-written and entertaining.  Which reminds me... I just re-read the plot for this book and I think I want to read it again.

Meg is remarkably dependable and organized which probably explains why she is the maid of honor in three weddings at the same time. It means she is moving back to her mother's house for the summer to help plan all the weddings. Unfortunately, one of the guests ends up dead. And then, someone seems to be targeting Meg's Dad as the next victim.

Four stars

Followed by Murder with Puffins

This book came out February 7th, 2006

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Reread May 2022

Lord of the Wings by Donna Andrews

Meg is back and this time... it's Halloween. And Caerphilly has banded together to put together a holiday festival. Only, there's something deeper going on. First, the break-ins at the haunted house. Then the fake body parts at the zoo. And the bodies that start turning up. Once again, Meg is up to her eyebrows, trying to get her now six-year-old twins ready for Halloween, try to avoid/help the newly hired festival coordinator, and figure out what is once again going on in her small town. 
A very good addition to the Meg Langslow series. Readers definitely won't be disappointed.

Four stars

Follows The Nightingale Before Christmas

Followed by Die Like an Eagle

This book came out August 4, 2015

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread as Audible book October 2022, August 2023

The Nightingale Before Christmas by Donna Andrews

It's Christmas and Meg Lanslow has once again been talked into "being in charge." This time, she's coordinating interior designers in a show house. Of course, while they designers are all PITAs, there is one particular fella who's causing major problems for everyone. Is it a surprise when he turns up dead? Nope. As usual, Meg is solving a mystery while getting everything else on her list done. 

A fun read and enjoyable addition to the canon. Regular Langslow readers will enjoy.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 21, 2014

Follows The Good, the Bad, and the Emus

Followed by Lord of the Wings

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread as Audible December 2022,  August 2023

The Good, the Bad, and the Emus by Donna Andrews

Megan Langslow's newly discovered grandfather had decided to out local PI Stanley in the track of her grandmother. It turns out that she is dead but her cousin doesn't believe it was an accident as it has been declared. Meg's entire family becomes involved when an emu runs across the street on the way home from her first meeting with the cousin and that pulls in not only her entire family, but an army of volunteers who are willing to help her grandfather with a rescue.
A nice addition to the series. The regular cast expands a bit but otherwise regular readers will enjoy immensely.

Four stars

Follows Duck the Halls

Followed by The Nightingale before Christmas

This book came out July 8th, 2014

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread August 2023

Hen of the Baskervilles by Donna Andrews

Caerphilly has started a local Un-Fair to help fill the gap left by the local State Fair (and to fill their city coffers). Part of the fair is also in Clay County. So is the dead man. At least partially. While he wasn't a prime specimen (never helping his wife; now cheating on her), it wasn't necessary to kill the man. Unless he was somehow connected to the thefts and vandalism that are threatening to close the fair. And then there's the added aggravation of the Clay County deputy who is dead set on sticking his nose into every aspect of the case.

Good thing Meg Langslow is on hand to help figure out exactly what was going on.

Three and a half stars

Follows Some Like it Hawk

Followed by Duck the Halls

This book came out July 16, 2013

Audiobook borrowed from Libby 

Opinions are my own

Reread August 2023

Some Like It Hawk by Donna Andrews

The town of Caerphilly is in trouble. The ex-mayor has mortgaged the town to the hilt and taken off with all of their money. One town clerk, Phineas Throckmortion, has managed to barricade himself in the basement of the courthouse for almost a year and a half (with the help of a secret tunnel and several townsfolk.) 

However, a vice-president of the Evil Lender has just been found dead in that same basement and it seems like Phineas is the only man who could have done the job.

Three stars

This book came out June 17th, 2012

Follows The Real Macaw

Followed by Hen of the Baskervilles 

Audiobook borrowed from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread August 2023

The Gift of the Magpie by Donna Andrews

It’s the holiday season and Meg is, as usual, in charge. This time, she’s riding herd on a Helping Hands group. People can call up and ask for help, Meg organizes groups of volunteers to get projects done. Current projects include spreading fertilizer, finishing a quilt, and helping a hoarder clean out his house. Harvey, the hoarder, is the bane of his neighborhood. And his family. But both groups are strangely against the Helping Hands coming in to clean out his junk. It gets to the point that someone bonks him on the head. 

Not a super deep story but we see all of the characters we’ve gotten to know and love as the series has built and there is a feel-good ending that regular readers will appreciate.

Four stars

This book comes out October 20, 2020

Follows The Falcon Always Wings Twice

Followed by Murder Most Fowl

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Reread January 30, 2020, as audible book December 2023

The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews

It's time to get out of town for the summer! Meg's grandmother is hosting a Ren Faire on her property. Of course, hyper-organized, super-solver Meg is involved, especially behind the scenes, and her professor/actor husband is in charge of the semi-improv actors one of whom, Terrence, has set himself up as the jerk of the troupe. Technically, that is his role in the fair but he tends to act that way both on the job and off. Thus it is no surprise to the reader that he is the one who gets bumped off.
The murderer was fairly easy to guess but does anyone really read to try and solve the mystery? Longtime readers will love this book as Andrews does what she does best. All of our favorite characters grow, even with the requisite time jumps (which are an awesome plot device; not only does she move the place around but adds in these breaks of, sometimes years, so that the sheer number of bodies Meg runs into seem a little more plausible. Okay, not a ton but a little.)
Could first time Meg Langslow readers start with this book? I think so but you'd miss some of the depth of the characters that regular readers have gotten to know and love. Plus, you'll just want to go back to the start anyway so why not just begin there?

Four stars
Follows Owl be Home for Christmas

Followed by The Gift of the Magpie
This book comes out August 4, 2020
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Reread January 2022

Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews

Meg is not expecting to have to deal with a death at her grandfather's conference on owls but... well. She does encounter them more than the average person. This time, she's in the middle of a virtual locked room mystery since Virginia is being hit by a massive snow storm, one that was unexpected but explained in the book in a nice touch. Of course, the murdered man was the nastiest of the lot, Professor Frogmore. A man who was not only rude, he was also a racist mysoginist. So, lots of people were ready to celebrate his death.

I like that Andrews does time jumps between many of the books and makes an effort to not have the "Murder She Wrote" syndrome of why-would-people-live-there? Some of the characters were a little caricature-is but this book once again knocks it out of the park.

Four stars

Follows Terns of Endearment
Followed by The Falcon Always Rings Twice

This book came out October 15th

ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread May 2021 as ebook from CloudLibrary, July 2021 as ebook from Libby, December 2022, December 2023 as Audible book

Terns of Endearment by Donna Andrews

Meg's grandfather has been asked to lead a series of bird talks on the cruise line Pastimes. In return, he got a friends and family discount. So the entire clan has packed up and headed to Florida to get on the boat. Even waiting to embark is sending up red flags since the porter does not seem willing to take aboard her family's 32 bags. The trip only gets odder after Meg meets a group of 4 writers who had a friend die recently; the woman they blame, Desiree, has also joined the cruise. It becomes quite quickly obvious that Desiree is a exactly as the other writers describe her, thoroughly despicable. Is it, however, a surprise that her shawl and shoes are found on deck 4 along with a suicide note. This happens on the same day that the boat's engines go silent.
With the officers of the boat behaving as if all is well (it very noticeably is NOT), the staff size mysteriously small, and the appearance of a body (not Desiree's), Meg is up to her eyeballs in mystery.
Andrews usually does a great juggling her large cast of minor characters and mostly does okay in this book but there are some places where it feels like there are a LOT of people introduced; this will probably be confusing for new-to-the-series readers but not as hard for those of us who are Langslow fans. I appreciated that the book was moved out of Caerphilly but was never really pulled into the story.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out August 6th, 2019

Follows Lark! The Herald Angels Sing

Followed by Owl Be Home for Christmas
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Reread as Audible book December 2023

How the Finch Stole Christmas! by Donna Andrews

It’s Christmas in Caerphilly once again. This year brings Michael directing A Christmas Carol but, instead of a one-man show, it’s a full-on play. The university is insisting he bring in an aging B-list (on a good day) television actor in as Scrooge. Too bad the man is not only ill-tempered, he’s drunk more often than not, even with the mayor threatening retaliation to anyone who gives the man liquor. And Meg Langslow’s usual web of spies can’t figure out where the man is getting his booze.

While it might be expected that the grumpy actor is the one to get bumped off, it is actually the man who is supplying him the alcohol. Oh, and seems to be illegally smuggling animals at the same time.

This is your usual Langslow book though lately I’ve felt like the books have fallen into the trap of some other long-time series – there is a certain smugness combined with seemingly miraculous fixes at the end. This has always been a fast, fun, and fluffy series without a lot of depth but the ending on the last couple books have felt more… judge-y than usual. 

Three stars

This book comes out October 24

Follows Gone Gull

Followed by Toucan Keep a Secret

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as Audible book December 2023

Gone Gull by Donna Andrews

The book opens with Meg Langslow helping her grandmother Cordelia run Cordelia's artist retreat. There have been several incidents of misbehavior as well as some out right sabotage. Both Meg and her grandmother suspect the work of another artist cooperative, one that is not as well run (because Meg's family does everything flawlessly).
However, when the mischief escalates to murder, Meg is not amused. Then a second body turns up.
Regular Andrews readers will probably be delighted. I was little bummed that we didn't get a little more character development but there isn't usually a ton in these books.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 1, 2017
Follows Die Like an Eagle
Followed by How the Finch Stole Christmas

Reread as audiobok from Hoopla August 2023

Die Like an Eagle by Donna Andrews

Twenty books in and I am still enjoying the Meg Lanslow mysteries. Okay, so they're slightly formulaic but that's part of the comfort of reading these cozies. I really enjoy that the books take place as time goes by with at least a year between each book. It makes it slightly easier to believe that so many people are dying in one small town.
Meg has taken on a new role in this book, Team Mom to her sons' baseball team, the Eagles. Michael is one of their coaches. They are mostly having fun except that the regular league head has cancer and his replacement is the head of the old league that everyone left (mostly to avoid Biff.)
So there are a lot of people that dislike Biff Brown. He's petty, vindictive, sexist and just pretty much adjective a good villain needs to have applied to him. And his business dealings are shady as well. It would be no surprise to have him turn up dead. Except that it's his half-brother Shep who's found in the (disgusting) port-a-potty that Biff had supplied for the baseball field.
Who killed Shep? And was he the intended victim? How can Meg do a runaround Biff to make sure her boys have fun this summer?
A nice addition to the Lanslow series. Can't wait to read the next one.

Four stars
This book comes out August 2, 2016

Follows Lord of the Wings
Followed by Gone Gull

Reread as audibook from Libby August 2023

Lord of the Wings by Donna Andrews

Meg is back and this time... it's Halloween. And Caerphilly has banded together to put together a holiday festival. Only, there's something deeper going on. First, the break-ins at the haunted house. Then the fake body parts at the zoo. And the bodies that start turning up. Once again, Meg is up to her eyebrows, trying to get her now six-year-old twins ready for Halloween, try to avoid/help the newly hired festival coordinator, and figure out what is once again going on in her small town.

A very good addition to the Meg Langslow series. Readers definitely won't be disappointed.