Customer Reviews

Murder with Peacocks (Meg Langslow Mysteries)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I am not a frequent reader of the 'cozy' mystery genre. Not that I haven't enjoyed them over the years, but I normally go for a suspense story, with a dash of horror and a cup or two of pure detection. So notwithstanding the large number of Lilian Braun's and Elizabeth Peter's in my library, I tend to heavier fare. Inevitably, though, one needs a bit of light relief, based on several reviews and recommendations I decided to try Donna Andrews. Equally unusual for me, I began with the first in the series, not the last.

'Murder with Peacocks' introduces a new 'investigator,' Meg Langslow. No Miss Marple is Meg, she a young craftswoman specializing in ironmongery. In short, she is a blacksmith. Meg has returned home for a short time period to play wedding coordinator for three ceremonies, her best friend Eileen's, her brother Rob's, and her mother's. These are due to take place in Yorktown, a small town in Virginia, which seems to be occupied primarily by Meg's eccentric relatives, or by those who are shortly to become her relatives. All three brides seem determined to dump the work on Meg. It speaks a great deal for her temperament that it is not she who commits murder.

The victim, when she finally arrives is the extremely unpleasant sister-in-law of Jake, Meg's future stepfather. In the short time we get to know her, she manages to offend most of the Langslow brood, browbeat Jake, and terrorize the local children. It is not really a surprise when she shows up dead. It is a surprise though when Meg's father takes an interest in the case and suddenly is narrowly escaping being blown up and poisoned. Meg's own interest is piqued when she also faces several attempts on her life. The Langslow's eccentricity keeps saving their lives, but it us a near thing, and there are innocent bystanders to consider.

Into this already heady mix come Duck, an avian with a taste for devilled eggs, a flock of peacocks who step in as the alarm system, and the incredibly handsome Michael Waterston, a university professor who is taking care of his mother's dressmaking business while she is getting a facelift. Michael is the romantic interest, for Meg any, and is one of those rare people who has both looks and smarts. And, lest we forget, there's Samantha, the potential sister-in-law from hell.

This is a true comic mystery, where even the victims are a cause for hysteric. Andrews manages the difficult task of being delightful and grim, and manages to keep this confection of a plot spinning in the air right up to the end. This kind of material is tough to write, since it is always in danger of interminable cuteness. Meg has won me over, and I will be keeping a lookout for the rest of the series.

Move over, Janet Evanovich and Jennifer Crusie! Here comes another terrific author who writes hilarious mysteries! MURDER WITH PEACOCKS is a great read - very funny and very entertaining! The main character is Meg, a bridesmaid in three weddings this summer. Then a murder occurs. In between writing invitations, booking peacocks and other sundry bridesmaid duties, she attempts to solve the mystery.Add other fun characters, hilarious situations and a dropdeadgorgeous leading man (who I imagined to look like Greg Montgomery from Dharma and Greg), and you will have finished this book in no time! Bravo, newcomer Donna Andrews! Write some more - you're GOOOOOD!!

Meg Langslow has agreed to be the maid of honor at three separate weddings. All three of the brides place the planning in her capable hands, leaving her running around trying to make sure all three weddings go smoothly. Which isn't easy when one wants a theme wedding but won't decide on dresses, and another wants peacocks. Then, an out-of-town visitor turns up dead under mysterious circumstances. Meg's father is convinced it's murder and drags her into his investigation. Soon, mysterious accidents convince Meg that her dad is right. But can she find the murderer before anyone else dies and still make sure the weddings go as planned?

This is a fun book. It's filled with eccentric characters that make it a pleasure to read. I often found myself chuckling or laughing at their behavior. However, as a mystery it leaves a little to be desired since solving the murder often takes a back seat to the antics of the brides and Meg trying to deal with them. Still, I found the book a pleasure to read. The characters come off as believable and not caricatures. The romantic sub-plot with Michael is amusing because we as the reader know what's going on, even if Meg has no clue. By the end of the book, the mystery has been solved and all the plots tied up, leaving me anxious for more.

An interesting note is that instead of chapters, the author breaks the action down by day. It makes for rather uneven breaks in the narrative, but it's also easier to keep track of the passing time since the plot takes place over two months.

In lesser hands, this book would have fallen flat, but in her debut, Donna Andrews proves what a superb writer she is. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the Meg Langslow series.

I am always on the look-out for a new author in the field of cozy mysteries, but I am picky-picky. Donna Andrews pushed all the right buttons. Her sleuth is very amusing without being cutesy. Her plot works well, fresh without reaching for unlikely coincidences. And the humor was marvelously well done. I was also happy that, for once, the romantic interest wasn't a cop as I'm having trouble believing lately that there are enough unmarried, gorgeous detectives in the world for every female sleuth to have one. (I wish it were true, goodness knows!) Anyway, I'll definitely be buying Ms. Andrews' next book, MURDER WITH PUFFINS because I've come to care for the characters.

A delightful heroine, Meg, overworked, has amazing energy to organize three weddings for difficult brides-to-be, one of whom is her mother. In spite of a murder here and there and near-fatal ``accidents," Meg tries to organize everything from fittings for gowns to addressing hundreds of invitations and even ``renting`` peacocks for her brother's wedding. In between her hectuc schedule, she tries to solve the murders as well, all the while hampered by demanding brides-to-be, relatives, an eccentric father and fatuous mother, and a host of zany characters.

A fun book to read, as a mystery, and as a comedy and good natured farce on weddings, their rituals, and the entanglements of a small town where almost everyone is related.. Even the animals are fun... Duck, the Dog Spike, and of course, the peacocks.

The unraveling of the mystery leaves some questions unanswered, but it's fun getting all the way to the end.

How would you like to be maid of honor for three weddings? Your Mom's (to a dishwater dull guy), your best friend's (who wants velvet in July), and your sister-in-law-to-be (who needs a personality makeover). Well, that's that problem confronting Meg, the wonderful ironworker heroine of Ms. Andrew's delightful mystery. All sorts of weird Southern relatives are thrown in the mix. There's the gay subsitute dressmaker, Michael and his nasty dog, Spike. The mystery, starting with the murder of Mrs. Grover, the dishwater dull guy's ex-sister-in-law (family connections are very important in this novel), is clever and satisfying. All in all, one of the best mystery debuts I've read in years! More please!

It's certainly easy to see how or why this book won the the St. Martin's Press Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Contest. The author rarely sets a foot wrong in this witty look at what can happen to one family in which there will be three weddings during one summer in Virginia. The characters are absolutely unique in their own way, but are lovingly patterned after those found in large families, complete with eccentrics and lovable elderly relatives and precocious kids.

Meg Langslow is the calm, sane one--the one everyone always turns to for help, only this time she may well have bitten off more than she can reasonably chew, as her idea of having a summer off from her welding/sculpting career lands her with the awesome task of wedding planner for the wedding of her Mom (the second time around, with suitable interference from Dad, who's still very much present); her brother Rob to Samantha (who nobody much seems to care for) and, finally her best friend Eileen, to Steven. Meg is also Eileen's maid of honor.

The village dressmaker, while on a visit to Florida, had some kind of accident, leaving her gorgeous son in charge. Of course, he's the most gorgeous unattached male in town, and Meg is instantly smitten, but rumors quickly put the cabosh on that relationship even before it can settle very firmly in her mind. Nevertheless, Michael does seem to be always somewhat nearby whenever Meg needs a helping hand. And as the first wedding day draws ever nearer, she seems to need several helping hands.

The small-town observations are dead-on, and the wry, witty voice of Meg as she describes the goings-on will have you laughing out loud when you're not just merely chuckling.

And the peacocks? You won't believe. You'll just have to read the book to find out for yourself. You won't mind it a bit. Promise.

I'll just start out by saying that I really liked this book. If you've ever had friends that got really hyper about their weddings, and/or if you've ever promised to do something and then regretted it, but stuck with it anyway, you'll probably identify with the main character of the book. If you like stories with basically happy endings, go for it. I found a lot of the characters likeable, and even the ones that weren't, at least reminded me (albeit in an exaggerated fashion) of people I have known.

On the other hand, there is not really a lot of psychological tension. Also, if you like books that have a lot of people swearing and grisly descriptions of corpses, this is not the book for you.

The plot is not particularly intricate, but the writing is good and the characters are engaging. Also, unlike some books I've read recently, the method of solving the crime depended on people actually figuring out what happened, rather than having the solution accidentally fall in their laps.

This first effort reminds me of the delight I felt reading Dorothy Cannell's first book, "The Thin Woman," so many years ago. Much the same style of humor, sparkling self-deprecation, and romantic obliviousness combine to make great flighty fun for the lucky reader. Unlike the reviewer below who thought this writer took too long to get going, I would not have minded had she stretched out some of the hilarious interludes at the dressmaker and family meetings. I'm eager for "Murder with Puffins" to come out in 2000!

This was a private review by Lisa Small. See all of Lisa Small's public reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A13KQ84VC1HA30/

For anyone with a crazy family - and that's just about everyone - Murder with Peacocks will make you laugh out loud. I was completely swept away by this breezy and fast-paced tale, which somehow manages to blend weddings, blacksmithing, and peacocks with flair. I also felt that Donna Andrews managed to capture the small-town atmosphere just about perfectly, while juggling her many plot threads. This was my first Meg Lanslow mystery, but it definitely won't be my last! (P.S. to anyone who thinks all these family antics are over the top: You clearly have never been to an Italian wedding....)