Member Reviews
Donna Andrews is the queen of cozy mysteries and Between a Flock and a Hard Place did not disappoint. When turkeys take over the town after a home renovation reality TV show, the town organized to control the turkeys. When a woman winds up dead, the plot thickens and the mystery really raps up. With a lot of laughter and connecting the dos, Between a Flock and a Hard Place packs a punch.
Thank you Minotaur Books for the gifted ARC.
One of the things I love most about this series is all the chaos that always seems to be happening around Meg. This may be the most ever and may be my new favorite (narrowly edging out the Christmas mystery where they were all having to wear hats indoors to protect themselves from dive bombing blue jays). This time Meg goes to help out one disaster - an ill-informed resident who is participating in a home makeover show - and immediately lands in the middle of an even bigger disaster. This time it's a flock of over 200 feral turkeys running amok and causing massive amounts of damage.
While Meg and others try and deal with the turkey crisis they soon stumble on another and even bigger crisis - a murdered resident. Meg, as usual, ends up in the middle of the investigation with a handful of town officials and more than a few turkeys. I am very glad I'm not Meg and I don't know that I would visit Caerphilly if it was a real place as they do have a rather large number of disasters.
As usual, this was a lot of fun and incredibly entertaining read. I love catching up with Meg and her family and friends - and assorted animals. The mystery both of who relocated the turkeys and who killed the unpleasant homeowner kept me reading and guessing. This is my go-to series for a fun entertaining cozy with characters I love and a few laugh out loud moments. This one did not let me down!
Meg is trying to a deal with a flock of feral turkeys set loose in a suburban neighborhood, a shady house renovation show, and complaining neighbors in Between a Flock and a Hard Place.
This is the 35th book in this series and I’ve read them all. This book contains the same laugh-out-loud funny situations as all the others. However, this one focuses more on the town’s crazy residents than on Meg’s crazy family. And I admit I rather missed them. However, it is hard to fault any book in this series.
Between a Flock and a Hard Place is a zany way to spend a few hours. I guarantee you will feel better, and your family will look more normal, after reading it. 5 stars!
Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advance review copy.
Caerphilly is not a dull place to live! This story starts with an invasion of an army of wild turkeys to a quiet neighborhood. Is it a prank? And how did they catch all those turkeys and transport them overnight? Reviews of this prank are mixed as the feral turkeys attack anyone they choose to. Is it a coincidence that it's stopped a TV makeover show from redoing a house at ground zero? Meg and her team are on the case! I enjoyed the imaginative ways the townspeople cope and help one another. Another winner!
Yet again Donna Andrews creates a perfect cozy mystery. Whether you have read all the others in this series or this is a one off the story is compelling and sucks you right in. I counsels get enough of the story of the turkeys and neighborhood goings on. The story is so well written I feel like I was in the story multiple times looking around to try and find the turkeys. Love this series and this author and can’t want for more in this perfectly cozy series.
Meg Langslow has a lot of jobs in Caerphilly. She is a blacksmith as well as a wife and mother of twins. She also helps out the mayor with special projects, soothing ruffled feathers when she can and recruiting various family members to help out when someone needs a quite place to do work, a place to stay, a lawn cleared of invasive weeds, or some advice on how to deal with a flock of feral turkeys. Oh, and she helps solve crimes.
So when the reality television home makeover show Marvelous Mansions comes to Cerphilly, specifically Bland Street, to remodel the Smetkamp’s house, Meg had to show up to help calm neighbors who were upset about the noise. What she finds is a large flock of feral turkeys in the Smetkamp’s lawn and trees, terrorizing anyone who comes close and generally making a mess. The turkeys are not new to town. They had been around for several years, and the mayor had been trying to figure out a way to get them under control. But they had never been on Bland Street. Clearly, someone had brought them there to disrupt the filming.
That means Meg’s first order of business is to help figure out a way to extract dozens of wild turkeys and finding a place for them to stay. She offers up her farm as a safe place for the neighbors to stay for the duration of the turkey wrangling, or even the whole remodel. A couple of people from the neighborhood take her up on that and head out. When she goes in to the Smetkamp house to see if Mrs. Smetkamp is willing to leave while they move the turkeys, she and the mayor find out that the team from the remodel show have gone overboard in the demo, taking out some load-bearing walls. The mayor insists that Mrs. Smetkamp leave until he can get some engineers in to make sure that it’s safe to be in the house.
The next morning, the Turkey Wrangling Team is up before dawn. There is a place at the zoo to house them, and everyone is in place with their hard hats and helmets, armed with garden implements and umbrellas to keep the turkeys moving in the right direction. But Mrs. Smetkamp is nowhere to be found. She’s not in the house, and it’s not until Meg checks the small shed out back that the mystery is solved. But another one is just beginning, because Mrs. Smetkamp was clearly murdered.
There is no shortage of suspects. Mrs. Smetkamp was not one to make friends, so her neighbors were not happy with her, even before she got a reality tv show to remodel her house. There is a young man who rented out the attic apartment across the street, and he rarely leaves. His behavior is suspicious, but would he have any reason to kill Mrs. Smetkamp? Was is her husband (the husband is always a suspect)? Was it someone with the show? Meg is ready to put all her resources towards solving the mystery, all the mysteries, really. But when the killer figures out how close she’s getting to the truth, will she find a way to alert the authorities, or will she be too late for prime time?
Between a Flock and a Hard Place is book 35(!) in Donna Andrews’ popular Meg Langslow series. I can’t say I’ve read all the books in the series, but I have read a lot. I’ve spent a lot of time with Meg and her family, so getting a new book from Andrews is such a treat. It’s like a vacation from reality, to spend time with my favorite family and hearing all about their crazy adventures. When I am stressed or unhappy, a trip to Caerphilly never disappoints. And this time was another fantastic trip to Virginia, and I’m already dreaming of going back again.
I listened to Between a Flock and a Hard Place, narrated beautifully by Bernadette Dunne. Things in my head have felt a little frantic lately, so when I started listening, I thought it was excruciatingly slow. Which is not unlike living in the American South for the first time. But the more I listened, the more it felt right and I was able to relax into the slower pace of Southern life and just enjoy the story. It’s a fun story, with puppies and parrots that listen to audio books (and quote back Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or George Carlin, depending on the parrot) and more puppies and so much delicious food.
I loved Between a Flock and a Hard Place. I mean, I’m a long-time fan of Andrews and this crazy Caerphilly she’s crafted, so I pretty much always love these books. And maybe that shows because I have to admit I knew who the killer was right away. But knowing that and still having to watch the whole story unfold was not the slightest bit disappointing. I was entertained through the whole story, and as always, I was a little disappointed when it was over. There were lots of good red herrings and distractions throughout, so there was never a dull moment in this story. If you haven’t yet tried one of Andrews’s mysteries, this is a fun one because of the home remodeling show. If you have, then you know how good it’s going to be and you can just jump right in.
Egalleys for Between a Flock and a Hard Place were provided by Minotaur Books, and an early copy of the audiobook was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks.
Did you know a “flock” could mean turkeys? Yes, turkeys that have been let loose in a quiet area of Caerphilly, VA, Meg’s hometown. And they are at the area of the house where a makeover remodel tv company has been working on an and upsetting several of the neighbors. If you have ever attempted a remodeling, either a DIY or hired a company, you will immediately feel sympathy for this situation. Meg, as the go between for the mayor and the fire chief, is deep into the chaos. But there are definitely crises for Meg to untangle not the least of which is finding the female owner of the house murdered. Enjoy this caper with many of the usual characters. This was one of my favorites books of the Meg Langslow’s Mystery Series which would make a great tv series. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC; this is my honest review.
Donna Andrews crafts another delightful mystery in "Between a Flock and a Hard Place," where humor and suspense blend seamlessly. Meg finds herself in the midst of chaos as her neighbors, the Smetkamps, undergo a controversial home makeover by the dubious Marvelous Mansions. With a flock of feral turkeys causing havoc and tensions boiling over, Meg's task of maintaining peace becomes even more challenging. Andrews' signature wit shines through as Meg navigates the absurdity of the situation, dealing with aggressive turkeys and irate neighbors while trying to ensure the renovation complies with local building codes.
The plot thickens when Mrs. Smetkamp is found murdered in her backyard, an attempt to frame the turkeys for the crime falling flat. Meg, along with the Chief and the Sheriff, must unravel the mystery behind Mrs. Smetkamp's death while also figuring out how to handle the unruly turkeys. The blend of quirky characters, an engaging mystery, and a touch of humor makes this a compelling read. While some plot points might feel a bit predictable to seasoned mystery readers, the overall storytelling and charm of the book make "Between a Flock and a Hard Place" a thoroughly enjoyable addition to the series.
I can't imagine how hard it must be to get to book 35 of a series and still have fresh, interesting plot ideas, but Donna Andrews continues to keep the Meg Lanslow series relevant and enjoyable to read! As Executive Assistant for Special Projects to Caerphilly's mayor, Meg deals with every little problem that arises in the small town. When a flock of aggressive feral turkeys is deposited in the yard of a home undergoing a major renovation for a TV show called Marvelous Mansions, Meg finds herself dealing with turkey relocation, helping the police chief track down the person responsible for their relocation, ensuring the home make-over is sticking to the plans the town approved, offering beds to disrupted neighbors, and generally trying to keep the peace. The scope of the problems to deal with expand exponentially when Meg stumbles across a dead body during the turkey relocation. Whether you are a long-time fan or new to the series, if you like a solid mystery interlaced with humor and eccentric characters, you will enjoy this book!
Between a Flock and a Hard Place is book 35 in the Meg Langslow mystery series by Donna Andrews.
I loved reading Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow!
This book was a page turner, I loved the story and the mystery really kept me guessing.
Andrews writes a most engaging story. The cast of characters is rather extensive and their banter - quite fun and amusing.
The suspense and action will hook you and have you reading past your bedtime.
A fun and intriguing little cozy mystery.
Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
eBook - 5 Stars
After a run of unsatisfactory [for me] cozy reads, I was a little nervous to start this [what IF all cozies were bad for me now?? Clearly, I was tired and in need of coffee] one, even though Meg & Co. is typically what my bestie calls "my comfort reads" [she isn't wrong]; I should have saved my anxiety for something else, as this was 1. VERY good [as usual], and 2. it was absolutely what I needed to get out of my cozy slump.
Meg & Co. are up to their eyeballs in shenanigans in this outing; a house being re-habbed by a TV show [that is not even remotely going the way it should, naturally], feral turkey's, rogue turkey handlers up to no good, weird renters, Pomeranian cadaver dogs [who knew?], and of course, because there wasn't enough shenanigans, murder. And it is all a huge chaotic mess and I was totally here for all of it and enjoying it 100%!!
The mystery/murder was interesting - so many suspects [so little time LOL] that all lead to OTHER crimes [which was intriguing, as it was like the domino effect], plus a very surprising disovery and a very interesting reveal [why are all the baddies so ego-driven that they cannot see how their plan is about to go seriously awry?? BIG EYEROLL], it all makes for a very entertaining read. Oh, did I mention sheep? And methane testing? Ahhhh, how I love Meg's grandfather!! LOL
I saw the killer early on, but totally talked myself out of it because there was a real plethora of suspects here [how sad to be SO unlikable that when you're murdered there are so many suspects to choose from], so I was surprised, but not really. It certainly didn't affect my complete enjoyment of this book and I am SO GLAD we get another book this year!!
For a series that I decided to read on a whim and then BOUGHT the first 8 books [they were on sale] before even cracking one open, this has been a real winner for me and as long as Ms. Andrews is writing them, I will be in line to read them!
Audiobook ARC - 4 Stars
Now that Bernadette Dunne has settled in for me as a narrator [I will admit, I had all these voices in my head already and when I had to switch to audiobooks due to eye issues, I was...well let's just say I struggled with the narration as it was nowhere near what I already had in my head; thankfully, that has settled and all my voices {with the exception of Meg's mother} for this book are gone and I only hear Ms. Dunne's narration] for Meg & Co. I look forward to listening to her tell these fun stories and I enjoy her way of telling them; such was the case here and I am so glad I was able to get the audiobook ARC and didn't have to wait for it. ;-) A job well done.
Thank you to NetGalley, Donna Andrews, Bernadette Dunne - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love this series. I like the fact that there are reoccurring characters who continue to develop. I like the setting and it is a place I wouldn't mind visiting. The mystery kept me guessing.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I discovered Donna Andrews's Meg Langslow series two years ago when I picked up Dashing Through the Snowbirds because of the fun cover. I've read a few more books in the series since then and have discovered that I really like the audiobooks in this series. Now this isn't a new series. Between a Flock and a Hard Place is book 35. I haven't had the time to go back and read the older titles but I haven't had any trouble starting so late in the series.
If you like quirky in your cozy mysteries then this is a great book to read. As the titles imply, birds feature in each novel. In the other books I've read they are kind of like side characters or just features in the book, but in this book, the birds are front and center in the plot. Though they are turkeys and not seagulls there were a few scenes that might have been worthy of the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds.
The turkeys aren't usually in the neighborhood so many think they were purposely brought in to cause mayhem. So much time at the beginning of the novel is spent on the birds and rounding them up, I thought perhaps this was the mystery to be solved (which would be refreshing in a cozy mystery), but eventually, Meg stumbles upon a dead body.
I love home makeover shows so I usually enjoy it when a home makeover is featured in a book. But there is actually very little of the show in the book. I guess Andrews didn't want to do another reality show since that was part of the plot in Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! (Meg was on a blacksmithing reality show similar to Forged in Fire).
I'll be honest - this wasn't my favorite in the series. I love the characters but at times they came off judgemental with their criticism of people having non-native plants. I've always liked that the series is pro-environment but it just felt a little too heavy-handed in this story. I also found the plot to be slow. I think I was more than a third of the way through the book when there was finally a dead body. While the turkeys added some fun to the novel it just didn't hold my attention.
I still enjoyed the novel. It was a fun distraction while doing housework.
My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/08/between-flock-and-hard-place-by-donna.html
Marvelous Mansion has begun work on a house in an older neighborhood. The houses are small 2 bedroom with no basement. The owners want larger but the town is not approving many changes. The former owner is stalking the changes and driving the neighbors crazy. As Meg is making her regular check on the neighborhood and the Marvelous Mansion crew, the street in inundated by feral turkeys. At first, it’s an all-in volunteer group, devoted to capturing the turkeys and moving them to the zoo, but when a body is found in a backyard shed the tone changes. Meg and the chief joined by her dad and brother are off to capture the guilty party. Love this series!
An entertaining and engaging tale. It was delightful to once again visit with Meg Langslow, her family, friends, and dogs. Feral turkeys are causing havoc in this story. Fun cozy mystery. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.
Well you know the turkey didn't do it! No one in Caerphilly likes the Smetkamps-especially Mrs. Smetkamp who is just a pain-but now the community has to deal with the renovation the family won from Marvelous Mansions. And so someone released a pack of feral turkeys (!) and when Meg, who is meant to get Mrs. Smetkamp to tone things down, finds her body, we're off. I like this series, which doesn't take itself seriously, for the people of Caerphilly, Meg, and her family. Fans will enjoy this latest and new readers will be pleased with it as a standalone. The characters are nicely written, the dialogue snappy, and the plot sharp. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good cozy read.
Between a Flock and a Hard Place is the latest charming cozy mystery from Donna Andrews! It's always delightful to return to Caerphilly to tackle another whodonit with modern Miss Marple, Meg Langlsow. This time around, a home in a beautiful Caerphilly neighborhood is the site of a home remodeling show, and neighbors are up in arms at the chaos. Insert hundreds of wild turkeys, running amok in the neighborhood. Just when things couldn't get any crazier, Meg stumbles upon a dead body. With the usual cast of zany supporting characters, including Grandfather (aka Dr. Montgomery Blake) working on his "fart box," Meg puts the pieces of the puzzle together, tracking down the pranksters and murderer!
If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, you will love Between a Flock and a Hard Place, with excellent characters, well paced plot, and great twists and turns!
(Note - will share review on IG closer to pub date)
I loved this book! This is such a marvelously quirky, delightfully humorous thirty-fifth addition to this series! A flock of feral turkeys has descended upon Caerphilly, and as Meg, her family, and the town begin an investigation of the flock's origin and organize to corral the flock and move it to the local zoo. they realize the flock is not the only mystery afoot in Caerphilly. Donna Andrews has brilliantly combined the mysterious turkey invasion with intertwining plots involving a television home makeover reality show, fraud, cybercrimes, and murder. She has created quite a fascinating cast of characters (familiar and new) with a complex plot that kept me guessing and chuckling from beginning to end. One of my favorite series! Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. The opinions of my review are my own.
I do so enjoy this series by Donna Andrews from the way the characters have evolved to the titles of the books.
Another great entry in the Meg Lanslow series. I always enjoy these books and catching up with her family and friends almost as much as the mysteries! In this book a home makeover show has gone off the rails and the neighborhood has been over run with wild turkeys. As special assistant to the Mayer, Meg steps in to see what she can do to help. Twisty mystery and fun interaction. I highly recommend. Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.