Donna Andrews has done it again! Meg is trying to (avoid) helping her mother plan Rob and Delaney's wedding, when her nephew comes to her to ask for help in figuring out who nearly ran down his friend, and if it was related to their new true crime podcast.

We follow Meg as she tries to solve 3 mysteries at once. I had one case solved almost immediately during an encounter at Ragnar's house. The other two were much more difficult to figure out. Andrews sprinkles humor throughout and I was literally laughing out loud when the borrowed peacocks went on the rampage. Nothing about Meg's life is normal, and yet I feel like I can relate to her so much that she and I are the same person.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am a sucker for a good cozy mystery and this one fit the bill. It had peacocks in it which is why I chose it to read. Little did I know that this was a series and I could read 30 other books in the series. At first it was a little confusing trying to keep all of the people straight.

Meg's nephew and his friend, Casey, are doing a true crime sold case podcast. someone tried to run Casey over and Meg is trying to find out which of the cold cases her nephew profiled is stirring up some trouble. All while trying to avoid helping out for her brother's wedding. Throw in some crazy peacocks that are a tad destructive and you have the makings of a hilarious scene.

The story moved quickly and kept me interested the entire time. I will be reading the other stories in the series.

I have read this series from the first book in the series and now it seems like I'm visiting old friends when I start reading one of Ms. Andrews' books.

As usual, there is a lot going on in Meg's life, her brother's wedding has her extended family in town as everyone works to plan the perfect wedding. However, when her nephew's podcast seems to make his friend a target, Kevin enlists her help to solve the mystery.

Trust me, if you've read others in the series and enjoyed them, you'll enjoy seeing the family again. And if you haven't read one, give this one a try!

"Round Up the Usual Peacocks" presents readers with another installment in the Donna Andrews novels featuring amateur sleuth Meg Langslow. Meg and friends investigate three cold cases following an attempt on the life of a podcaster. In addition to following up on these three crimes, Meg and family are in the throes of planning a family wedding. Four-legged creatures and a variety of birds play a hilarious role in the story and in the wedding ceremony.

While this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. The story contains no overt violence, swear words, or intimacy, but does feature quirky characters and some hilarious situations, as well as a lot of good Norwegian food descriptions and plot twists and turns. It is also notable that Meg works with law enforcement to solve the crime, instead of striking out on her own, as some amateur sleuths are prone to do. Readers of past novels in this series will enjoy reuniting with old friends and family.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Kevin, Meg's cyber-savvy nephew has a problem he needs Meg to fix. He's producing a true-crime podcast that focuses on Virginia cold cases and unsolved crimes. Someone's not happy and makes a murder attempt on his partner Casey. Meg agrees to look into the cold cases and protect the friends. Meanwhile, she's helping her mom plan a huge wedding that involves fiesty peacocks. Will everyone survive? And will Meg be able to solve any of the cold cases?
I enjoyed reading about Meg's locksmith talents. And the farm animals stole the show. Also, I would love to visit Ragnar's property and see all the amazing craftsmanship.
The author doesn't provide enough clues for readers to solve the crime on their own, though, which is fine. Also, the peacocks were a distraction. And the wedding is just over the top.
Although this book is 31 in the series, it can stand alone.

Meg’s nephew, Kevin lives in her basement. He is cyber savvy yet comes to Meg with a problem hoping she will help him. He is involved as the techie for a true crime podcast that talks about unsolved cases and cold cases. He thinks someone on the podcast has hit on a nerve with one of the podcast team. That podcast team had a brush with death. Kevin doesn’t think it was an accident but attempted murder. He ask Meg to help him as he is not good with asking people questions. At the same time Meg has been roped into doing the wedding for her brother at her house. She wants to wait until the wedding is over but Kevin says no as he is afraid it could be too late. So Meg will do the impossible . Will she be able to solve Kevin’s problem?

The author writes fun mysteries. I remember reading her very first novel finding it to be entertaining and she has continued to is my thought after reading this one. In this mystery, the characters are wacky and witty. I enjoyed watching Meg deal with her brother’s soon to be his mother-in-law wanting non-molting peacocks and dealing with “demanding” out of town guests. It’s a good mystery.

Round Up The Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow is gearing up for a wedding, that will be in her backyard. At the same time, she is going to do some sleuthing.


Good book. I enjoyed all the animals. Quite adventuresome. She’s kept her story going.. Not a minute to spare. I liked all her characters. I recommend this book.

Meg's nephew Kevin has a problem and he hopes she will be able to help him solve it. He and a friend run a true crime podcast that deals with cases that happened in the area. One of their members was almost killed making Kevin believe that one of their podcast might have been the cause. Meg agrees to talk to a few people and to see what she can come up with. So while she is dealing with an upcoming wedding she has to find time to help Kevin with his problem. Meg begins with the surviving suspects from the cases the podcast has done. Is their someone among them trying to keep people quite. Follow along and see if Meg can figure things out before something happens to her nephew.

Another great Meg Langslow mystery. I really enjoyed how the story included sleuthing with wedding planning and peacocks. I’ve read several of the early books so I definitely need to catch up. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

More fun happens when mother requires peacocks for her sons wedding (little does she know they got married earlier...). Meg and Michael are finding other important things to do to stay out of mother's way. Then Meg's nephew has an encounter with an almost hit and run. Is it because of his podcast? Meg looks into it, and gets into danger herself

This 31st in the ever popular series combines wedding preparations (and cranky peacocks) with several cold case investigations for Meg.

Meg's beloved brother Rob and his fiancee Delaney had hoped for a simple wedding but their indomitable mothers have bigger plans - including more peacocks!

Complicating matters, Meg's nephew Kevin asks for her help. He and his friend Casey have started a true-crime podcast, focused on cold cases and someone just tried to kill Casey.

This episode ends on a most unusual, but beautiful wedding.

Round Up the Usual Peacocks is the 31st Meg Langslow cozy mystery. And I've read them all! Kevin delves into some cold cases it does and sparks the wrong person's interest period of course he needs Meg's help. This call this coincides Meg's brothers wedding and everyone is pulled into multiple directions. With Meg on the case, can the mystery be wrapped up in time to enjoy the wedding? Hilarity combined with tongue and shake hammer. The case wraps up well and the mystery is solved but there was actually very little focus on the wedding. Still, a fun read from one of my favorite cozy mystery series.

Great fun along with sleuthing cold cases keeps this interesting. Author manages to include a lot of characters without it getting confusing. And somehow she manages to make peacocks, wedding plans and creepy criminals work. . Thanks to #NetGalley and #RoundUpTheUsualPeacocks for an advanced digital copy.

Cozy mystery or a how-to-book for multi-tasking while avoiding wedding prep chores, you decide. Meg Langslow is a witty and completely personable cozy main character who has a knack for solving mysteries. You find yourself chuckling and nodding your head while you read about her most unusual and delightful family, which seems to make up a good part of the town (it helps to have connections). The story takes two old and one case and sends us on a merry chase full of college collusion, mistaken identity, a mysterious disappearance, and the hunt for perfectly plumed peacocks. Be sure to grab your notebook if you are taking notes about the characters, their motives or alibis be sure to grab your notebook or in Meg’s case, her “tells me when to breath” notebook. I might just start keeping one myself; she sure does seem to get a lot accomplished by using her notebook. I did notice that this seemed to be one of the only books where she wasn’t working in her shop (her blacksmith shop). To top it all off there is a slew of Norwegian goodies with completely unpronounceable names for everyone to enjoy when they visit Ragnar the retired rock star at his goth-like mansion Ragnarsholm. I for one am looking up recipes for Krumkaker and Trollkrem, as well as the proper pronunciation. I enjoyed this one so much I went back and read A Murder of Peacocks, the series starter, which also involved Meg in wedding plans and hunting down peacocks as well as a murderer.

I usually just read the holiday themed books in this series but this one sounded so interesting. Romance, mystery, and mayhem. Such a good book.

Still one of my favourite series of all time! The latest instalment was just as fun to read, but it was nice to have a little bit of the madcap toned down. Good to have the large cast of characters rotate in and out, but I loved getting a bit more Seth Early. And the bit with Lad, Tinkerbell, and the Pomeranians was super. The mystery, which then led to mysteries, were all great. Can’t wait for the next one!

I love the inclusion of a true-crime podcast in a cozy mystery. After someone possibly tries to murder Meg's nephew's friend/podcast co-host, Meg has to unravel several cold cases while helping plan a wedding. Talk about a full plate!

Three cute mysteries with a gaggle of animal escapes thrown in, just for fun. Need an escape? You will enjoy this books.

I always enjoy the Meg Langslow books. They are a delightful mix of down-to-earth and whimsical, procedural and cozy (and they are cozy but over the years, Meg has picked up techniques from the police), and just fun.

In this installment, Meg's brother is finally having a wedding. But their mother has grand plans, including peacocks, and there are complications. One of Meg's many relatives comes to her for help during the wedding preparations. He and a friend need help finding someone who may be out to hurt them. They started a podcast about cold cases and it seems one may not be cold after all. I enjoyed the use of podcasts even though I don't listen to them. Meg, as I mentioned earlier, has developed skills for investigation, and unlike many cozy heroines, has the respect and trust of the local police. She in turn respects them. It's refreshing.

There's another mystery about a missing singer and I was pleased that I figured that one out, mostly, where I was less successful in cracking the cold case. Meg is calm, practical, observant, and quick-witted; all characteristics I enjoy. I've been reading this series since the first book, and have loved seeing her grow and develop. We've also seen her family grow, and they are a large cast. At times, I got a little mixed up on who was who but it didn't affect the story or my enjoyment. Another thing I enjoy, is the information we learn about the featured animal in each book. Andrews has featured peacocks before but it's been a while and I'm pretty sure I learned some new things in this story.

If you like solid story telling, interesting characters who are a mix of quirky and "normal", with intriguing and relatable mysteries, and animals, you should give this series a try. But maybe don't start with book thirty-one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy of Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews in exchange for an honest review. It published August 2, 2022.
Another fun entry in the Meg Langslow series. I love the continuation of the story, and just the overall relationships with everyone. This series is always a fun little escape from reality!