This Christmas themed cozy finds Meg stepping into a reality show focused on blacksmiths. The book gets off to a slow start and does drag in the beginning. Thankfully it does pick up about one-third of the way in. It is only slightly Christmas-y so not the best choice if you are looking for a holiday themed cozy. The last two-thirds of the book make up for the slowness of the first part, and the book ends up being an enjoyable read.

It’s Christmas in Caerphilly, and Meg is looking forward to the usual crowd of relatives and friends who all seem to descend on her house. There are plenty of relatives to take over the chores and put up decorations. All Meg has to do is keep everyone organized. Herding cats would be easier.

She is a blacksmith, as well, and turned down the opportunity to be part of a reality show, a weapon smithing competition, called Forged in Fire. However, just days before the show is to start, her friend and mentor is attacked and will be unable to take part. To cover for him, make the number of contestants even, and provide one female blacksmith, she agrees.

The show will be filmed at the estate of her friend Ragnar who is a former heavy metal star. He’s remodeling his spacious home and has room for the cast, crew, Meg’s family, and friends who came to visit and never left.

Of course, the makers of reality shows thrive on rivalry among the contestants, sabotage, and equipment failures to add drama. This show is no exception. Jasmine, the production assistant, is tightly wound, there are crows to entertain or punish the crew, and challenge-ending tricks are played.

This is book 34 in the series. Readers are always astonished Meg is able to stay calm in the midst of the chaos, figure out who did what and why, and manage, in this case, to fashion a knife any blacksmith would envy. With her boys, her father, grandfather, husband, mother, and extended family, Meg’s holidays are a mobile small town. Somehow, everything gets done. Meg’s closest relatives provide the most entertainment in any situation, whether by joining in or because they are the cause of whatever mishap just happened.
Andrews also wrote the Turing Hopper mysteries. Sad to say, there are only four books in that series. Turing is an artificial intelligence personality living inside a corporate computer and an enjoyable read as well.

Wow! This was such an enjoyable book. I really will need to read other books by this author. I enjoyed her writing style and wonderful characters.

This is the 34th Meg Langslow mystery. They are still just as good now as they were at the beginning. I keep wondering when she will run out of bird names. This latest book is set at Christmas. Meg and family are staying at Ragnaarshjem for a blacksmith competition. Meg intended to be an advisor and help out but due to some unforeseen circumstances she is drafted to compete. Some of the other good ole boys in the world of blacksmithing are not happy with the addition to Meg. She is disappointed the filming will take place during Christmas but she does get to bring Michael and the boys with her. Of course you will see her parents and most of her other distant relatives as well. You know there will be a murder and Meg will work hard with Clarance and the Sheriff to solve the mystery.

How can you not enjoy Meg Langslow and the crazy cast of characters from Caerphilly? In "Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow!", Meg is back, this time being roped into participating as a contestant in a blacksmithing reality television competition. The sparks fly as drama and sabotage threaten to end the competition before it has a chance to finish, Meg is once again on the case.

This latest book was amazing at every turn. The holidays are upon meg and family, and she goes to this castle and in between working hard she has great fun. I really enjoy and relax when I read one of Donna Andrews books. Keep them coming!!!!

The book Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! was an enjoyable read. I would recommend any book written by Donna Andrews. Happy Reading!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

In this latest offering in the Donna Andrews mystery novels, Meg takes part in a reality show filming in which she is able to show off her blacksmithing skills. The filming takes place at a local castle, which provides an atmospheric setting for the competition. When one of the competitors becomes deceased, Meg becomes involved in trying to solve the crime.

My favorite part of this novel was the cool setting and the descriptions of the castle and the area, plus the Christmas festivities. I also liked reconnecting with the characters from the other novels in this series. The author has done a good job of updating the characters throughout the series, although this book works as a standalone too. The information about reality shows and blacksmithing was an added bonus.

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

Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! (Meg Langslow #34) 5 stars

It is the 2023 Christmas mystery, let the mayhem ensue. Meg is roped into participating in “Forged In Fire” a reality TV show blacksmithing competition. Think Holiday Baking Championship, but instead of cookies and cake you are making daggers and swords. One of the obnoxious competitors is murdered and the other contestants are suspects. Can Meg figure out who really did the crime in time to ring in the holiday cheer? You have to read the book to find out.

It is always a joy to read a Meg Langslow mystery. It is even better to listen to Bernadette Dunne narrate the book. You have the usual slew of relatives and the unusual setting of Ragnarshjem, the gothic estate of her friend Ragnar, the former heavy metal drummer for several bands. The only tiny sliver of discontent is due to lack of appearance time for the Poms. I adore the Poms, but I think their spot was taken by the crows. I adored this book and can’t wait for the next one – Between A Flock and A Hard Place (August 2024)

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
This is part of the series but can be read as a standalone. I loved the reality show plot and how the author brought up the ending, it was short explained everything, and was not overly drawn out. Great sense of humor and so many amazing Christmas references.

*Meg Langslow mystery 34
*Humorous-fun read
*Blacksmith forging competition- Meg is the only female competitor
*Lots of characters to keep track of
*Lots of facts about crows included
*Clever way to capture the killer
*The audiobook read by Bernadette Dunn is a great option ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC and Minotaur Books for the Audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this story. Considering that's it's the 34th in a series is impressive that I'm still enjoying it. The character development continues to grow. It did seem to take a bit to get going though.

This made me happy to see that Meg is doing more blacksmithing again! Or rather, swordsmithing. A Blades of Glory competition is taking place on Ragnar's property and Meg ends up being roped in as a blacksmith competitor. This is the first time Donna Andrews has included some type of "competition show" story to her series. Of course around Meg, someone always ends up dead. But with the competition and filming consuming so much of her time, will she be able to snoop into the case of the death of one of her competitors?

For fans of Rob, Dad, Grandfather, and Cordelia, you will be mostly disappointed as they are away on a trip throughout most of this story. Plenty of Michael, the twins, Rose Noire, and Ragnar though!

Some aspects of the way Donna Andrews portrays filming the show seem a little unrealistic to me, but overall it was a refreshing change and scenery and I really liked the involvement of the crows.

I was unaware this was part of a series, but definitely worked as a standalone

A fun cozy mystery that involves a reality show and is set around Christmas.

When Meg is asked to fill in on the set of Blades of Glory, a reality tv show about blacksmiths, we meet an interesting group of folks. One of the contestants ends up murdered, everyone is freaking out and pointing fingers, and Meg joins forces with local law enforcement to solve the case.

The blacksmith part was interesting to me. It was a perfect cozy for this time of year.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this installment of the Meg Lanslow series. I had no idea Meg was a blacksmith! I found the book a fun easy listen. I also love the use of animals in all her mysteries. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! is the 34th(!) Meg Langslow cozy mystery by Donna Andrews. Released 10th Oct 2023 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.

This is such a delightful and long running series and it's refreshing to see that the author still has adventures and mysteries for MC blacksmith Meg and her family. The books are like a visit with a good friend with whom you feel comfortable, even if you haven't seen them for a while. This time, Meg and family are involved with a reality TV show, first as a consultant, and then through a series of mishaps, as a last minute substitute contestant.

There's a lot going on behind the scenes and it's not long until she's drawn into investigating sabotage and murder on the set.

It's a holiday themed mystery, and perfect for cozy reading. The author does a good job of relating some interesting metallurgy and weaponsmithing info without being pedantic or boring at all. Meg's family are a delight and her mom, sons, and husband make appearances. The mystery is well crafted (if a -tiny- bit easy to anticipate), and the denouement and resolution are satisfying and well written.

Four and a half stars. This would make an excellent binge/buddy read, as well as a super pick for inclusion in a holiday themed shelf read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

Another fun Meg Langslow mystery. I loved the bladesmithing and the reality show angle - I had been longing for some blacksmithing to work its way back into the series, and this was exactly what I was hoping for. The mystery was okay, but not my favorite part of this. But everything else, including the Christmas elements, were great.

I simply loved this book! And I love Meg, the main character!!

I've been reading a lot of cozy mysteries lately and while I wouldn't consider myself a fan of the genre necessarily, I am becoming an avid one (to my surprise).

This book is well-written and the characters are likable and well-drawn out.

Believe it or not, Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! is the 34th installment of the popular Meg Langslow Mystery series by award winning author Donna Andrews. Who knew that Meg and her blacksmithing could turn into that many well-written and fun novels. In this novel, Meg finds herself competing in a reality television show after her mentor, Faulk, is attacked and can’t compete due to a broken arm. One of the contestants is caught by Meg trying to sabotage the other contestants; he is later found murdered, and since the police aren’t finding the actual murderer quickly, Meg investigates. The novel takes place at Ragnar’s castle, and that adds some charm and mystery, since most readers only dream of hanging out in a castle.

While some readers have most likely followed Meg through all the installments, there are also those who haven’t read the previous novels. However, Andrews presents the characters in such a way that this novel can be read as a standalone and still have an enjoyable reading experience. Meg, et al, are well developed, and Andrews is an excellent storyteller, so the novel is easy to follow. There are plenty of twists and turns in this novel, and the suspense builds throughout.

This series is quite unique because of Meg’s occupation as an ornamental blacksmith – hardly any readers are actually familiar with the particulars in blacksmithing, and it makes for interesting reading, and even a bit of knowledge on the subject.

All told, this is a fun cozy mystery. Many first-time readers of the series will want to pick up the previous novels, as the characters are likeable and interesting.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

What a fun little mystery. I don’t think I have read any of the other books in this series (hard to believe if this is number 34) but it didn’t keep me from following the characters or enjoying the story. Meg gets roped in to a reality competition she didn’t want to participate in. In addition to the regular reality show based drama one of the contestants ends up dead. This was a funny holiday filled who dun it book.