This is one of my absolute favorite series! It's book 31 and it hasn't gotten stale. The series keeps moving on, changing with the times, with good character development and the mysteries are always fresh and new. Round Up the Usual Peacocks is my favorite in the series so far. The addition of a podcast hosted by her nephew and three cold cases moved this one to the top of the list. Bonus points for the feisty peacocks - the funniest part of the story. I just can't get enough of Meg and her family.

Narration was excellent - no issues.

Book 31 in a well loved long running series.
Narration by Bernadette Dunne
Although there is a wedding there is not much about it. Also not much of Michael and the twins. Most of the story is about the main character and her nephew who has a cold case podcast with his friend from college. It’s a wild ride although the bad guys are pretty obvious. That is not really the point of these stories anyway. There are some mean peacocks though.
Bernadette Dunne is a fabulous narrator, as always, with great voices for everyone.
I enjoyed this start to finish and am already looking forward to the next one.

INCLUDES BOTH EBOOK and AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
Audiobook: Duration 10h 33m

As I said in my ebook review that follows, the Meg Langslow series never disappoints. This is also true of the audio version courtesy of #MacmilanAudio and #StMartinsPress - #MinotaurBooks.

Narrator Bernadette Dunn does an excellent job capturing Meg's often zen-like ability to stay cool, calm, and collected, even when faced with difficult, even wild situations. Since there is frequently a large cast in the series, I was particularly interested in seeing how Dunne differentiated so many voices.She did great. I was particularly fond of the voice she used for Meg's mother. She captured "mother" nicely, using that slightly exasperated, slightly uppity tone that conveys she can't imagine how anyone could argue, so why have you disappointed me, but I still love you voice well. The different voices add to the experience, I must admit. The audio version of the, well, let's call it "the llamas and guests meet the visiting peacocks" scene, definitely made it come alive for me, cheering the arrival of Border Collie Lad to save the day. Grandfather's voice is slightly impatient, while Michael remains the ever calm voice of sanity. Kudos to Dunn for her interpretation of characters.

To be honest, I'm amazed at how much a talented voice actor's change of pace, tone, or touch of "oh, wow" can add to the story. I will definitely continue to read and enjoy the print versions of this series but take every chance I get to listen to the audio, too. The plot moved along steadily, chapter breaks defined by a slight pause then simply announcing "Chapter (whatever)". Bottom line, a fun experience and nice diversion from reality.

EBOOK/Original review follows:

This series never disappoints.

Despite the chaos about her, Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow always seems to maintain her almost zen-like calm while dealing with the bad guys. In this, the 31st book of the series, she actually solves three cold cases. Her nephew Kevin and Casey, a friend, were doing a true crime podcast, a very modern touch to the plot, and had managed to rile up someone enough to make them attempt to run down Casey. Spooked and more at home in front of a computer than dealing with people, Kevin asks Meg to help investigate. Since helping Kevin sounds like a great excuse to avoid some of the wedding planning chaos going on, Meg readily agrees.

I won't detail the plot, it's readily available elsewhere, but will say that the wedding hoopla takes a backseat to the investigation although, quite frankly, is the source of some absolutely hilarious scenes involving Meg. Who knew herding dogs could herd peacocks? Or that peacocks make great watchdogs, er, watch...birds? Well, when they're not attacking you. Have you ever heard a peacock shriek? It isn't a pleasant sound, so just the image conjured up of their possible participation in the wedding program is amusing. Beautifully feathered, yes. Peaceful and serene, no.

So, first, what is the Clay County involvement in the cases? Why the heck are they stalking Meg's movements? Second, in this day and age, why would any college department resist converting its records to digital files? Could the answer to the death of a professor be hidden there? Third, what happened to the talented singer/college girl who simply seems to have disappeared? Did her stalker kill her? If not, could she still be around to be found? And, will Meg really wind up creating a gargoyle collection, so to speak, for Ragnor? Sounds like they're fit right in.

These questions are only the tip of the iceberg as Meg organizes and does errands for the upcoming wedding, listens to the previous podcasts, talks to Chief Burke, keeps her guests safe, wrangles peacocks, avoids Spike's bad tempered bites, and dodges bad guys. This is a can't-put-it-down read, full of both tense and hilarious moments with lots of critters. My friends who have herding dogs will love it, I'm sure. Lad, you're my furry hero in this one.

Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for my "wedding invite". It was fun to see Meg come full circle from the beginning as she dealt with a wedding, quirky relatives one can't help but love, and helps put the bad guys away.