Reviewed By Liz

ISBN 0-312-32940-7

NO NEST FOR THE WICKET is the 7th Meg Langslow book. This time, Meg has been persuaded to participate in a game of eXtreme croquet, a game of skill, endurance, and fortitude. But when her ball is knocked down a small cliff and Meg tries to locate it, she discovers a dead body. A body made recently dead, and quite possibly by a croquet mallet. Since Meg had been persuaded to not just play, but to host the games and the eXtreme croquet teams at her farmhouse in the country, all the suspects are conveniently located for the police investigation. Or for another murder.

Of course, murder is not the only event happening at Meg and Michael’s farmhouse. The house is swarming with repairmen and relatives who are helping out/getting in the way. Meg and Michael are still trying to clean out the belongings left by the house’s previous owner and are and Meg’s ghoulish father is on hand pursuing his new obsession – ducks. And then there are the Morris dancers, real estate developers, the sheep rustlers, and Spike the ferocious dog who tries to eat any and everyone who comes near him…

As usual, Andrews has given us a delightful turn through Caerphilly and Meg’s odd family and acquaintances. It is, perhaps, pissy of me to say so, but I wanted a little more. If you haven’t read Andrew’s other Langslow books, you will find this one delightful. But I found this one to have a little less of the “odd” factor that makes her books so humorous.

Favorite character? Meg’s father is always fun, but Meg is so long-suffering that she is probably my favorite in this book. Did I guess it? No. Will I read another? Absolutely. Andrews can be counted upon to write books that are intelligent, well-written, and funny and THE PENGUIN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is up next.

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2007

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ISBN 0312329423

THE PENGUIN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH – While digging a hole to make a pond for his borrowed penguins, Meg’s father digs up a body. And when rumors begin to spread that the corpse might be the owner of the bankrupt local zoo that is normally the penguins’ home, anxious volunteers begin taking advantage of Dad’s generous offer to take in the animals they’ve been fostering. As the llamas, sloths, and hyenas begin to arrive, Meg fears that by the time the police solve the crime, she and her fiance, Michael, will have a zoo in their back yard. A unnerving prospect at any time, but particularly now, when Meg fears it will derail her and Michael’s plan to escape their families and elope. So Meg does some sleuthing of her own.

Check out Donna’s web site at www.donnaandrews.com/.

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ISBN 0-312-32938-5

Owls Well That Ends Well is a Meg Langslow book. Meg and her significant other, Michael, have purchased an old house from a woman who apparently collected and saved every item she came across. The house is filled, the barn is filled, and Meg is overwhelmed by stuff. When they bought the house, they made a deal with the heirs that Meg and Michael would clean out the stuff, sell it, and give the heirs a percentage of the proceeds of these “treasures.” So they are having the world’s largest yard sale.

And to attract even more buyers, they invited Meg’s relatives to add their own yard sale items to the pile and are billing it as a 30 family sale. Unfortunately, all 30 families have come to bunk with Meg and Michael for the duration of the sale. While Meg and Michael’s house has great potential, it is currently in a shocking state of disrepair and has only 2¼ bathrooms for all the relatives to share. So even before the murder occurs, Meg has a lot on her hands. When a local antiques dealer is found murdered, things become even more complicated.

This book is a re-read for me. It has an unusual style that I enjoy. Meg is in constant motion during most of the book – running the sale, running from problem relatives, investigating the murder. There are very few down moments and lots of funny vignettes as the inevitable antics occur. While this pace might seem hectic and stressful, it isn’t really. Instead it is very believable for anyone who has ever done a project like this one and worked throughout.

Favorite character? Meg’s family is so filled with slightly twisted relatives that it is difficult to pick just one. But I will go with her father, the doctor, who is currently obsessed with owls.

Did I guess it? I actually remembered who did it from my first reading, so I will say no.

Will I read another? Absolutely. Donna Andrews never fails to make me smile.

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2007

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Don’t be put off by the weird title, this is a fun and funny book. I love books that put their characters into unusual circumstances. Meg Langslow is an injured blacksmith who is helping out her brother while her hand heals and she can’t work at her craft. Her brother has a feeling that something is wrong at the software company he founded and wants Meg to snoop around while acting as a temporary office manager at the company. Meg is surrounded by eccentric computer and design professionals and sitting next to the company’s buzzard mascot when she realizes that the office practical joker who has been riding around on the automated mail cart pretending to be dead actually is dead.

Meg’s brother is goofy, her father delightfully morbid, her mother slightly pushy, and her boyfriend is both sexy and supportive. Meg is strong, intelligent, and nice. I like these characters, I like the situation, and I want more of these slightly offbeat books.

Did I guess it? No. Andrews gave us lots of possible suspects and a big loony finish, which made up somewhat for the weak motive of the murderer. The book is well written, fun, and addictive. More, please.

Mystery Book Reviews by http://Reviewed By Liz.com ©2006

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