I didn’t realize this was such a huge series. I read it and it was fine as a standalone. Great story. Terrific cozy mystery. Peacocks are jerks.

Wow, I didn't realize that peacocks were such dicks! This was a great book, I love Donna Andrews! This is the 2nd book in this series that I have read, out of order at that, and now I have to go back and start at the beginning and read them all! Can't wait for the next in the series to come out, hopefully I will be up to date by then!

Enjoyable cozy mystery with peacocks providing much mischief. Donna Andrews puts together interesting characters in an entertaining story A true crime podcast explores three cold cases which leads to new murder attempts.
NetGalley provided a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Peacocks just do not understand their role as decorative objects

“Round Up the Usual Peacock” is part of the “Meg Langslow Mystery” series, but new readers will easily follow along. Meg and Michael are preparing for her brother’s upcoming wedding reception, and any needed details about people, relationships, and past events are included in the current narrative. Readers meet the extended family and learn the complex interpersonal dynamics.

Meg tells the story in a first person narrative driven by driven what people say to her, what she says to others, what she says to herself, and what she says directly to readers. Events occur over just a few days, and Meg has a lot to say about what should happen and what does happen. Her family has a long tradition of owning peacocks, and their role in the upcoming wedding is critical, well, at least an important tradition. The family’s peacocks are molting, and a wedding without peacocks is just unacceptable. Others must be procured.

There is a lot to do to prepare for the wedding, but extended family members have various avocations, interests, and jobs in addition to wrangling the hesitant peacocks. Nephew Kevin has a true crime podcast, and he needs help with the research for an upcoming episode. This project stirs up complicated past events that some would have preferred to remain hidden forever. However, there is no statute of limitations on murder, so the investigation continues.

Andrews balances the serious murder investigation with the hilarity provided by the peacocks who do not fully understand their roles as “wedding decorations.” In the process, various humans and animals were “wounded,” but no permanent damaged occurred except what resulted from laughing.

I received a review copy of “Round Up the Usual Peacocks” from Donna Andrews, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books. It was a beautiful wedding, and sometimes making people happy is the most important work.

“Round Up the Usual Peacocks” is now available in print, as an e-book, and on audio from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries and anywhere you get your books.

Round Up the Usual Peacocks: A Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews was a great listen. There was a lot going on – a wedding, a podcast, and cold cases. The characters were likeable, and the plot was charming.
The book was narrated by Bernadette Dunne, and I really enjoyed her delivery of the characters. I remained engaged throughout the book.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

While this is the 31st book in a series, it was my first exposure to the Meg Langslow series! Who knew! Thank heaven this book was just fine to read as a stand-alone cozy mystery, in which Meg tries to solve some cold cases brought to her attention by her tech-savvy nephew. And all this while helping to prepare for her brother's wedding.
I really enjoyed the quirky characters that make up Meg's family, as well as the other supporting characters. The narrator does a great job of making them all seem unique. The book has a great mix of humor, mystery and family drama. The inclusion of all the different animals makes it even more enjoyable. Guess I'll have to go back and read the previous 30 books in the series now! If you are looking for a nice break from dense, dark thrillers, this would be a great choice.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Round Up the Usual Peacocks is the 31st book in Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow Mystery series. This installment brings the series full circle as Meg is helping plan her brother's wedding. Readers who have read the entire series will remember that in book one of the series Meg was helping plan 3 different wedding: her best friend's, her mother's, and her brother's. Only the wedding of her best friend actually came off as planned in that book leaving Meg's brother free to find true love later on in the series. As with all of this series, Meg's rather large extended family impacts Meg's life and plans in a number of different ways. Meg soon finds herself embroiled in a mystery surrounding her nephew Kevin's new podcast about cold cases that enables her to reduce her involvement in the wedding plans.

The author has done an excellent job of character creation and development and has maintained extraordinary consistency throughout the series. By branching out to address cold cases, the majority of the characters involved in this installment have been introduced in previous books. The number of twists, turns, side plots, subplots and red herrings lead the reader to anticipate several different outcomes of the book which all lead to multiple surprises during the final revelations related to all aspects of the story. I can only imagine where the author takes these characters in the future.

The narrator of this book has done an outstanding job of creating and maintaining unique voices for each of the characters throughout the series.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I didn't realize until I started this one that it was a series book but I took a breath and took the plunge and started the series on #31 and I am so glad. This one had me laughing my way through this cozy mystery. Running around interviewing people for cold cases while putting on a wedding with peacocks running around, this woman is made of sterner stuff than I am. As a side note, yes, peacocks really do molt and their feathers last, just pick them up and stuff them in a vase and enjoy! If this series continues, I will be sure to continue right along with it!

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* pretty good, i have read a few of the books from this series and they are always a fun cozy read! one day i will have to try to read them all!

Hey guess what?
This is book 31 in a series I had never previously heard of…. Good thing it held its own as a stand alone, ha ha ha.

This cozy mystery offers readers not one, not two, but THREE cold cases to solve all while helping the protagonist prepare for (or avoid preparing for) a wedding. As things heat up with the cold cases it become apparent that someone is not pleased about the truths being uncovered and hilarity ensues as everything comes to ahead on the big day.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Four stars for this cozy mystery infused with humour.

Funny as always with Donna andrews. Somehow the birds always make a messed but the story moves on. This series is a bast!

I throughly enjoyed this book. The characters give way to all sorts of ways the story can go. Who was guilty and of what. When I thought that one mystery was going to be solved another mystery emerges

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews Narrated by Bernadette Dunne 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!

Meg’s brother is getting married and both mothers are determined for this to be the over-the-talk event for years in Virginia. The reception will take place at Meg and Michael’s farm with every relative and friend invited for miles around along with the complete animal menagerie of the family. Meg manages to be the errand runner-the least of which involves picking up the most unruly of peacocks that had to be borrowed from her father’s friend because their own peacocks are molting and wouldn’t be presentable for the affair. These tasks enable Meg to investigate at the request of her nephew who might have been responsible for attempting to kill his podcast journalist. They have been presenting cold case files and have they struck the actual attention of a past murderer. This audiobook was narrated by Bernadette Dunne which adds a delightful addition to the book. She is the sole narrator but is able to project each character with an indication of their own personality and her voice accentuates the over-the-top affair of the family wedding and the craziness of relatives and animals. Another great story in the Meg Langslow Mystery Series. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC; this is my honest review.

This is such a great series and I love Meg and her interesting family. I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed the narrator, Bernadette Dunne. She really captured Meg's personality and the way that she can stay calm in most situations. Each book has some humor and I laughed out loud when they were talking about the peacocks. In this book everyone is busy helping to get things together for the upcoming wedding and Meg is trying to help Kevin with a problem. There were three cold cases that she was looking into so there were many possibilities to the mystery. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and was entertained throughout. Such a great book and a wonderful series.

I received a complimentary copy of this audio book from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

ROUND UP THE USUAL PEACOCKS, the thirty-first book in the Meg Langslow Mysteries by Donna Andrews, continued to capture my attention in the same way as previous books in this highly entertaining series. It’s been a treat following the protagonist, Meg Langslow, over the years. And while this can be read as a standalone, the character development over the course of the series is well worth making your way through each book.

With a fast-paced plot centered on cold cases being highlighted by Meg’s nephew’s podcast, the reader is taken for a whirlwind of a ride. The author throws in attacking peacocks, an attempted murder on the co-podcaster, business college shenanigans, past their prime rock musicians, and Meg’s brother’s upcoming wedding nuptials. Despite the frantic pace, Meg keeps her cool and meticulously attends to every detail. With humorous dialog and situations, I found myself chuckling out loud on numerous occasions. The characters themselves are creatively developed and they’ve all taken on a life of their own, including the animals. As Meg delves into the cold cases at her nephew’s behest, it becomes apparent that someone isn’t happy about it. But which cold case is it? It was enjoyable following along with Meg as she hunts down clues and questions potential suspects. With an edge-of-your seat reveal, the clues dropped into place, and the various threads of the subplots came together in a highly satisfying conclusion.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version, thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Minotaur Books. I’ve been a longtime fan of the narrator, Bernadette Dunne, and am thrilled that she’s continued to narrate this series. She effectively captures Meg’s calm demeanor while giving each character individual voice characteristics that are consistent over the course of the series. Listening to the narration really brought certain scenes to life, especially the out-of-control, laugh-out-loud scenes which made it all the more enjoyable.

This is my first Meg Langslow Mystery! I LOVE a good cozy mystery, and I'm utterly shocked it's taken me this long to find this series! I think I would have liked it a lot more if I knew a lot of the sub-plots, backstories and inside jokes. But it was still a wonderful book.

I love a good mystery where I don't see the ending coming. It's always a thrill. If you're in the mood for a good cozy mystery with a fantastic ending. This is the book for you!!!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars, I really enjoyed it.

Book 31 in the series! (I listened to the audio version)

This is probably one of my favorite cozy series. Ms. Andrews is always good for an engaging, humorous story, and this one was no different. This book is a nod back to where we all started in book 1, with Meg rounding up peacocks for a wedding. While only a brief portion of the book, the peacock scenes had me giggling out loud.

There was a lot going on in this book, and it was fast paced and entertaining, with much of the usual crew and some nice new characters thrown in as well. It's honestly been so much fun watching all of the usual cast grow and evolve. This book can probably be read as a stand alone, but the large cast of characters may confuse at first, and really, go read them all, they're so worth it!

Note: I rarely listen to audio books, most of the time I have voices for characters in my head, and don't care for the narrator's version. But I've quite enjoyed Bernadette Dunne in several books in this series, so when I saw the audio book was available on NetGalley I jumped at it. I'm glad I did, and I'm actually looking at getting more audio books, because it makes the time on my treadmill go awfully fast, haha.

Now I am off to read #32, this year's holiday book. Please keep them coming, Ms. Andrews!

I was thrilled to get early access to this audiobook. I am obsessed with the Meg Langslow series and I jumped right in. This book sort of brings this series full circle, as once again there's a big wedding, with peacocks haha, and Meg is solving a mystery. The book is set in 2022 and that is very exciting. Meg is having to deal with her nephew's podcast stirring up trouble, including a recent frame-up, a cold case and a missing person. I was sad that Michael wasn't more of a character (again) but I did love getting the whole family clan together, and Rob getting to be more of a character. I definitely recommend this series and particularly the audiobooks, because I love the narrator, and I am thrilled to get more access.

What a delightful cozy mystery!

When her nephew starts a podcast and his friend is subsequently run down by a car, there is nothing to do but investigate. But which podcast has angered whom?

Is it the cheating scandal at the local college or the disappearance of a local girl years ago?

All of this unfolds while her family plans Ann elaborate wedding for her brother complete with a flock of angry peacocks.

A little long, but a delightful elaborate story with plenty of twists and turns.