Donna Andrews (1) (1967–)

When an old friend comes and asks Meg to look after her toddler for a while, Meg agrees. But when her friend Karen doesn't return for Timmy in "a little while," Meg begins looking for her with a toddler in tow.

Searching for Karen leads to discovery of an embezzling plot at the college where Michael teaches and to possible animal trafficking which greatly interests not only her dad and her new-found grandfather Dr. Montgomery Blake but also the DEA, FBI, and other alphabet agencies.

With her dad and grandfather storing snakes in her laundry room and birds in one of the third-floor bedrooms, animals have their usual roles in this series. There is Jade the Emerald Tree Boa who is in the middle of a difficult shed. And let's not forget Spike who is his usual irritable self.

This was another fun episode in a long-running series.… (más)

Meg is helping her grandmother run a Renaissance Faire this summer when one of the actors is found stabbed. Half of the cast and crew at the Faire had a motive for killing him. Meg will have to help the police solve this mystery while working in her blacksmith's tent and being the assistant manager of the Faire.

I love the Renaissance Faire setting for this book and hope this setting is used in future books. A couple of Meg's friends from Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos shows up in this book.… (más)

Meg and Michael are weekending at a convention for the cult TV show in which Michael plays the part of a wizard. Besides dealing with the death of the owner/star/executive producer of the program they have to deal with an influx of parrots and monkeys and one tiger.

No one liked Miss Wyncliffe-Jones who played the lead in the program and the convention is rife with suspects from fellow cast members to other attendees to the cheated author of the comic books the series was based on.

Even though Meg doesn't set out to investigate the crime, she does find herself hearing things that she feels she needs to bring to the attention of the police. And, having been the one to find the body including the scrap of paper clutched in the victim's hand, Meg has a head start on the police. She has even more of a head start because she's familiar with the culture of fan conventions.

Having attended a convention or two in my life, I appreciated the picture Andrews paints of what life is like at a con. I liked the way Meg is a little corner of sanity in a crazy situation. This was a fun episode in the series.… (más)

pet-dog, TV-film-industry, amateur-sleuth, Virginia, unpleasant-victims, unputdownable, scam, situational-humor, verbal-humor, local-law-enforcement, sniffer-dogs, family, relatives, small-town, elitism, cozy-mystery, murder-investigation, friends, friendship, frustration*****

I couldn't wait to read this one even though I've preordered the audio! Pub Date 06 Aug 2024
If you're new to this series, don't pass it up. Each one can easily be enjoyed as a stand alone, but you'll want to find out why there are so many Pomeranians (and some of them are sniffer dogs!) Meg comes from a large family but only a few of them are highlighted in this episode. There are nasty neighbors, lots of feral turkeys causing a mess, a work crew without a clue, a film manager who isn't what he says he is, and a whole lot more. Loved it!
This cannot be an unbiased review because I reread some of them (the print copies walk away so now I have them in audio) and wait with bated breath for each new one.
I requested and received a temporary EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#MegLangslowMysteries Pub Date 06 Aug 2024… (más)