It is Christmas time in Caerphilly but Meg is not as busy as usual. Her sister-in-law Delaney is pregnant, almost due and on bed rest so the usual hordes of relatives that stay with Meg at Christmas are farmed out to other nearby relative’s homes. With less chaos on the home front Meg is helping her grandmother, Cordelia, who is hosting a conference for those with an interest in innocent people accused or convicted of crimes. But this is Meg we are talking about so soon we have a murder and dozens of suspects.
This is one of my favorites mystery series and the Christmas entries are always ones I look forward to. Even though we don’t have the usual fun and chaos in Meg’s farmhouse this time around we do have a great mystery and a victim who will not be mourned. The action moves along quickly, as usual the murder, investigation and solution, take only a few days. I will confess I was not sure of the identity of the murderer until the same time as Meg was. All in all, another wonderful entry in a great series. Highly recommended.

Rockin' Around the Chickadee is the 36th book in Donna Andrews’ Meg Langslow Mystery series, which I’ve been reading for over 15 years. One thing I love about the series is the familiar cast of characters. Donna Andrews never lets them fall into a rut; they constantly grow and evolve. In this mystery, most of the book takes place at the local inn, where a true crime convention is happening. One of the attendees is a man who believes genuine wrongful convictions are quite rare. He isn't afraid to express his belief to convention attendees that believe otherwise. Of course, he ends up being murdered, and Meg, along with the local police, races against time to find the killer before the convention ends and the attendees head home.

Rob and Delaney are expecting a Christmas baby! Delaney has had a difficult pregnancy so she's on baby house arrest and bored out of her skull. Everyone is trying to keep her entertained while also conducting a conference for people who are focused on exonerating people who have been wrongly convicted. Though they tried to keep out trolls, at least one snuck in... maybe more?

I love this series! There are only a few series that I have been interested enough in to binge read and this is one of them. Now that I'm all caught up with this series I'm left to eagerly await new books.

There's always so much going on in this series. In the beginning it was Meg and her parents and siblings and a few nieces and nephews and as the series went on we met more and more cousins, more aunts and uncles, grandparents, friends who are like family, then Meg married Michael, they welcomed Josh and Jamie, now Rob is married to Delaney and they're awaiting the birth of their first baby. Everyone is so smart and supportive and kind and they all do for each other. The town of Caerphilly is idyllic, filled with wonderful people who help the needy and decorate to the hilt for holidays. After 30+ books you feel like part of the family. This series puts the "cozy" in cozy mystery!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Another fun cozy mystery from Donna Andrews. Keeps you guessing right to the end. It’s always a joy to have a good visit with Meg and her entire family.

Meg's sister-in-law Delaney is pregnant and due around Christmas Day. Since she's been put on bedrest, the usual holiday festivities are not happening at Meg and Michael's place. Instead, Meg is very involved in her friend Caroline's conference Presumed Innocent which is a gathering of true crime afficionados and those who are trying to help exonerate people wrongly convicted of crimes.

Meg's special task at the conference is to be a trouble shooter. Although care was taken to select the attendees, one person has gotten through who believes that all the actual or would-be exonerees are guilty of the crimes for which they were convicted and is very rude about saying so. Known as the Gadfly, Godfrey Norton is known for his podcast and his disdain for the truth. Not above creating information, he is a very powerful and irritating person.

After torturing one of the exoneree's dog Ruth, he is dismissed from the conference and conference hotel. But that isn't the last Norton is heard from. When his body is found dead out behind Meg's barn, she was to add a murder investigation to her Christmas plans. And most of the suspects are attending the Presumed Innocent convention.

This was an enjoyable story with lots of interesting information about the power of the internet for good or evil. It is not amazing that lies spread more quickly than truth, but it does make it hard for those who are fighting for the truth.

The story does end on a slight cliffhanger which makes me eager for the next book in this long-running series.

Rockin' Around the Chickadee is the latest entry in the Meg Langslow series. This year, the annual Christmas celebration is a bit different in the Langslow household: rather than hosting hordes of relatives, Cordelia is hosting a conference of people who work to exonerate people they believe are unjustly convicted. Murder happens, and Meg and her crew work to figure it all out.

The conference is a bit of a downer in what is meant to be a lighthearted Christmas-themed cozy mystery. Still, Andrews' justice, fairness, and redemption themes are very much on-topic.

I enjoyed the book and can heartily recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I have always loved Donna Andrews cozy mysteries, love the bird theme titles, but this one has been my favorite with the story line being very compelling. Thanks to #NETGALLEY and #DONNAANDREWS for the free Arc of this title. Rocking around the Chickadee is a fun read, I do wish the final chapter had finished the life event because it will be hard to wait for the next title to be released.

I will say that I've read all the books in this series, but it seems like it's been too long since the last one. This one drew me in because the cover was adorable and I have a lot of chickadees around my home. That said, this was a fun one. The family is changing and growing, but the mystery (and yes...there's a dead body) remain. I really loved this book, and Donna Andres hasn't lost her touch. Read it on a chilly winter night!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

unpleasant-victims, pet-dog, amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, Virginia, situational-humor, verbal-humor, local-law-enforcement, families, relationships, relatives, friends, friendship, frustration, murder, murder-investigation, conference*****

This is not an unbiased review because I have loved nearly all of the books in this series, and this one does not disappoint. Meg Langslow is a blacksmith, wife of professor/TV actor Michael Waterston, mother of twin boys, assistant to the mayor, and a member of the far-flung quirky Hollingsworth family, and a great amateur sleuth. Any book in this series gives enough info on past books that the reader is never lost.
It's Christmas season and Meg's grandmother is hosting a conference highlighting the Presumed Innocent organization at the local posh resort for those who want to learn how to exonerate a friend or family member who has been unjustly convicted and later proven innocent as well as a number of true crime devotees.
The rotten fruit here is a despicable internet troll/podcaster who appears to believe that anyone who is arrested is guilty and must serve the entire sentence imposed. Of course, this is the guy who turns up dead. And in Meg's back yard no less! There are more than enough people who hated the guy enough to do the deed, but that makes for a ton of suspects and a whole lot of due diligence. Plan to get the audio when it comes out!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#MegLangslowMysteriesBk36 Avail Oct 15, 2024

There's going to be a new little one in the family, Delaney and Rob are expecting. Delaney's pregnancy is at risk and she needs to be kept quiet. So most of the family have gone to other locations for Christmas.
Cordelia is hosting a conference focused on how to help convicted people become exonerated. A nasty person (and internet troll) shows up to wreak havoc on the conference. He gets thrown out by Cordelia, but is found dead by Rose Noire behind Meg and Michael’s barn.
It's Christmas, and Meg must find out who killed the man, though everyone hated him.
I loved the increased involvement of her sons and how she keeps the cast of characters fresh. Overall, I did not figure out the murderer was, not that I care too much when reading cozies, but for some it's a plus.
Not her best Christmas novel, but certainly not her worst. I do enjoy the series and wasn't disappointed at all.

Book Title: Rockin’ Around the Chickadee
Author: Donna Anderson
Series: Meg Langslow Book #36
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press-M
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: October 15, 2024
My Rating: 4 Fun Stars
Pages 288


This adorable cover lets us know this is going to be a fun Christmas story, however, we also know Meg is going to get involved in a mystery.

Delaney, Meg’s sister in-law is expecting on or around Christmas Day. Meg and Michael decide to keep Meg quiet and health and forgo their usual parties.

Delaney is bored by the peaceful environment the family has created. When a body is found in Meg and Michael's yard, will it be possible to keep Delaney calm when she wants to get in on the investigation, Meg’s grandmother Cornelia is hosting on a true crime convention in the local hotel. The attendees support helping wrongly convicted cases to be overturned. However, there is an unpleasant pod caster who isn’t on the same page as the others and thinks more people should be in jail and no convictions should be overturned even if there is new DNA evidence.
He turned out to be very nasty and ends up being removed from the conference.
However, he is the one who ends up dead in Meg and Michael’s backyard.

I have read others in this series and have loved them ~ which is true of this as well.
I loved that the twins Josh and Jamie got to play a role in case. While at the hotel they volunteer actually offer a challenge that they could leave as well as enter the hotel without the hotel’s many security cameras spotting them. They had three tries. They were caught on the first two tries but the third they were successful – they were NOT seen on any of the cameras.
This was valuable to the investigators as well as the innkeeper who now knew what needed to be corrected.

Story kept me curious as there were so many whodunit suspects!

Although this is #36 in this series, I have only read a few but I. quickly got to know Meg and fell in love her and her somewhat quirky friends.
Ms. Anderson uses a bird theme in all her titles - such as:
Murder with Peacocks,
Revenge of the Wrought
Iron Flamingos,
Owls Well that Ends Well,
Stork Raving Mad and
#35 Between the Flock and a Hard Place].

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 15, 2024.

Ms. Andrews' Meg Langlow mystery series is intriguing and this book is no exception. The family works together to solve mysteries and in this one has a convention to offer info on the Innocence Project.….at Christmas time. A body really shakes up their plans, but they get serious about solving it.
Written with strong friends and family ties, mystery and a bit of humor and romance this is the perfect holiday cozy. I highly recommend.
I requested a NetGalley arc and to my delight I received one gratis.

This is one of those series that when I see it's available, I quickly click request to review. I don't even read the blurb, check the length, or even the publication date. Hey, it's worked through the rest of the series so I trust Donna Andrews to deliver another Meg Langslow story that I'll find myself unable to stop myself from reading as soon as possible. In this case, It was extra fun imagining the soft, soothing, well, attempted soothing voices being used on Delaney, whose baby is due just about any time. Cousin Rose Noire takes it seriously when told no disturbing sounds or activities, much to the usually active Delaney's frustration. Of course, when your father-in-law is a doctor, you're pretty much expected to just go along with medical decisions. Good thing she has the Chickadees to distract her attention, even if she does fret whether they have enough suet or not.

That's where the book opens. The mystery that follows centers around a Presumed Innocent Convention set up by grandmother Cordelia although, as usual, the entire family is involved in some way. Dedicated to efforts to assist those falsely imprisoned in any way possible, it's the brainchild of the lawyer of the family, Festus Hollingsworth. It's also being held just before Christmas, giving extra emphasis to everyone's hopes that nothing goes wrong. Of course, those hopes are shattered when an obnoxious detractor is found dead. In Meg and Michael's backyard at that. Chief Burke's hopes for a short suspect list are quickly shattered when it turns out Godfrey Horton, aka Gadfly, seems to have a very lengthy list of people who'd like to see him dead. I wasn't feeling too kindly toward him myself after his encounter with sweet dog Ruth,

Distracted by everyday worries, like making sure her barely teen boys don't get into mischief at the convention, worrying about Michael being on the road to pickup and deliver family members, keeping Delaney calm, or at least entertained, and helping Chief Burke in the investigation, Meg is her usual organized, seemingly never unsure self. Well, most of the time. Ask her about her son crawling through the rafters of a loading zone. Everyone is also pondering what name Delaney and Rob, who are also fretting over buying a home, will give their child-to-be. Trust me, Delaney, you really don't want to name them after the scientific name for chickadees. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Nope, not telling.

Bottom line, there's a great deal more going on. The characters, even the minor ones or new to the series ones, are all fleshed out nicely. You'll feel like you know them all by the time you finish the book which moves along quickly and is hard to put down once you start. Needless to say, I was delighted to see sweet Ruth play an important role in the book, too, as the service dog in training by ex-inmate Ezekiel "Izzy" Blaine. Finally, for true crime fans, I must mention an important caution that Kevin issues during his presentation, that fans need to be careful not to spread false information or, in fact, even true information the police would prefer not be shared. That added an extra dose of reality to the book. Read it. You won't be sorry. My thanks to #StMartin'sPress - #MinotaurBooks for allowing me an early peek at life in Caerphilly for Meg and her family and friends. I'm hoping some of the new characters stick around, particularly Izzy and Ruth.

I always love a new installment from Meg and her family. Not too much Christmas in this one but a pregnant Delaney adds a spark to the family party. When a troublesome attendee from her Grandmother’ s workshop gets killed in the backyard, Meg must pitch in and figure things out. A wealth of suspects makes this a challenge. And of course the baby arrives in the last chapter.

This was the perfect book to get me through the heat wave. It took my mind far, far away and involved in something besides sweating. I hope Ezekial sticks around. He would fit into the characters in this book perfectly.

Donna Andrews has done it again. Each book is a good addition to the “bird” series and builds on the previous books.

Donna Andrews returns with the latest installment in her long-running cozy mystery series featuring Meg Langslow, with Meg’s extended family and many friends making their usual appearances. Set during the Christmas season, Meg’s grandmother is hosting a conference focused on those wrongfully convicted of crimes. When a conference attendee demonstrates boorish behavior and is thrown out of both the conference and the hotel, everyone hopes the rest of the weekend will focus on those impacted by wrongful convictions. After the boor turns up dead behind Meg’s barn, everyone galvanizes to solve the crime and prevent the conference from derailing. Oh, and there’s the personal situation of Meg’s brother, Rob, and his wife expecting their first child to add to the stress.
Ms. Andrews’ deft writing in combining all of these events shows why she’s considered a master of the cozy mystery craft. She brings heart, pathos and education on topics like wrongful incarceration while still delivering another solid entry in this series. I look forward to the next book!

In this latest book in the series, Meg Langslow's grandmother, Cordelia Mason, is hosting a Presumed Innocent conference. Unfortunately, Gustave Niedernstatter AKA Godfrey Norton AKA the Gadfly has snuck into the conference and is harassing attendees and attempting to disrupt presentations and panels. After making false accusations against the dog of Ezekiel, one of the exonerees sharing his experience, Godfrey is expelled from the conference and the hotel.
Very early the next morning, he is found murdered behind Meg and husband Michael's barn by her cousin Rose Noire. With almost everyone a suspect, sorting out which of the people Godfrey offended badly enough to kill him is very difficult.
A murder investigation is really NOT what Meg's family was looking for just before Christmas and with her sister-in-law, Delaney on bed rest with a difficult pregnancy.
The Cairfilly Sheriff's Office, Meg's nephew Kevin (computer extraordinaire), the staff at the Inn and Meg and family finally manage to connect all the dots to find the guilty party, just not quite in time to keep Meg out of danger. Her narrow escape from a clever killer comes from an unlikely source, just in the nick of time.
The really BIG question is Rob and Delaney's baby a boy or girl. And will they finally find the house of their dreams?
Always a pleasure to spend time with Meg's quirky family and friends and seeing her twins grow into their teen years.
Totally recommend both this particular book and the whole series.

I fear I might be in the holiday spirit at the end of August. During the holidays, Meg's grandma is putting on a true crime convention where the hope is to find wrongly convicted cases to help overturn. There is an unpleasant attendee who thinks more people should be in jail and no convictions should be overturned even if there is new DNA evidence. The unpleasant attendee ends up dead and since most people in the convention disliked him, it is pretty hard to figure out the culprit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought the mystery was entertaining but not very difficult to solve which I like in a cozy mystery. The nice thing about Donna Andrews' books is that while you get a similar cast of characters on most books, they do not stagnate but continue to grow. I really enjoyed that Rob is having his own family and I liked seeing that the twins are growing up. I mean it is easy to for me to say that I like this series, after all I wouldn't have read the previous 35 books if I didn't. But while not the best in the series, I thought this was a really nice addition and recommend it to anyone who enjoys holiday cheer and cozy mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Donna Andrews for giving me the opportunity to review this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

With a plan to do nothing festivities wise for Christmas, Meg finds herself trying to keep a very pregnant Delaney occupied. No parties, no visiting relatives or friends, no problem. Until a body is discovered right in Meg’s yard. Can she keep Delaney from getting involved and worked up over the discovery while trying to solve a murder herself.

If you’re looking for a great cozy series with plenty of books to binge on, this is your series! A smart protagonist, a well written cast of supporting characters and a solid mystery to solve. Along with Meg and the gang makes each entry in this series binge worthy!