This was a delightful cozy mystery. It was my first Meg Langslow book, since this was book 33 in the series, I have a lot of making up to do.
This is set in the lovely small town of Caerphilly, filled with wonderful characters and the mystery was intriguing and kept you guessing. On top of all that I learned about bees and hummingbirds. I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator was great.
Thank-you to MacMillan audio and Netgalley for the advanced listener copy.

Fun cozy murder mystery. Meg has set up her morning to relax when all of a sudden she has too much to do. With a group of friends, they set out to locate an old cemetery and find a body instead. After chatting with various neighbors, no one really liked the deceased, but the killer is not clear. We have destroyed bee hives, a nosy reporter accused of blackmail, and some newcomers to town who have build McMansions and complain about everything.
Much action and a few red-herrings keep you guessing until the end.

"Birder, She Wrote" by Donna Andrews is a delightful add to the Meg Lanslow series of cozy mysteries. Despite being the 33rd book in the series I found it fairly stand alone. I have only read the first book in the series, other than this one, and maybe that's why I enjoyed this one as much as I did. I felt the first one was a bit much and a big immature. However, the main character seems to have truly matured and developed into an interesting character. I really enjoyed all the antics of the Pomeranians and hummingbirds.

The mystery was pretty decent as well. I pretty much had it figured out right away. Despite that, I still kept second guessing my guesses.

The newest installment in the Meg Langslow series. In this edition we learn about bees. Meg's dad has become interested no obsessed with bees and bee hives. He and several neighbors have gotten into saving the bees and have their own hives. Only one of the bee keepers neighbors are not happy having them in their backyard and they will go to great lengths to keep them out. Will they go as far as kill someone to keep the bees away. Meg's usual cast of characters oh I mean family members help her find out who done it in this installment. Reading these books are like spending time with a close friend and their family.

Name of Book: Birdie, She Wrote
Author: Donna Andrews
Series: Meg Langslow #33
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Pub Date: August 1, 2023
My Rating: 3.7 rounded up!
Pages: 304

Meg Langslow Book #33! Although have not read that many- this story really is fine as a standalone.
Readers quickly get to know Meg and love her as well as her family.

In this story Meg and grandmother Cordelia are out to find a lost African American cemetery as friends believe their family is buried there. Using unlikely cadaver dogs; they do find it, but also discover something else!

Additional, Meg is busy with her job with the mayor; who often has her run interference with the NIMBYs (aka: Not in my back yard); complaining now about bees! Meg’s father has done beekeeping so Meg knows an expert they can call. Soon both the beekeeping expert and the NIMBY complainer go missing!
Yep Meg found the complainer dead when she was on her search for the lost cemetery.

Another thread is Grandma Cordelia being followed by Brittany who a pesky magazine reporter who is writing an article about her artist colony.
Brittany sure seems annoying but she kept me curious.

A quick fun enjoyable read.

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this fun audiobook.
Publishing Release Day scheduled for: August 1, 2023.

I love this series and I am so grateful to get an early copy. Thank you, NetGalley!!! In this book, Meg is becoming a beekeeper. Her father and brother are installing hives in her backyard, Meg is fighting off Nimbys (rich people who do not want to live near farmers), and Meg and her family are assisting with an enslaved cemetery identification project. Never a dull moment! While looking for a lost cemetery, the crew stumbles on a dead body, one of the Nimbys! The case gets more complex as the NIMBYs and Yimbys all accuse each other and an annoying reporter from a suspect magazine keeps popping up where she’s not wanted. Again, my gripe is that Michael is almost entirely absent in this book, as has been typical in the last few. I know it’s getting crowded but I miss him. Also, the subject of NIMBYs and yimbys came up in the previous book and I would like for the subject to be applied to the lack of housing for the college students, rather than just farmers, but that’s a personal gripe, this is maybe my favorite, most comforting series and is an autobuy and I love it so much, please keep giving me the audiobooks in this series.

Closer to a 3.5 stars I think.

I’m going to start by saying that I didn’t realize this was the 33rd book in a series and there’s a lot of characters! That being said, it’s written well enough that it was fairly easy to keep them straight and it could be read as a stand-alone without missing too much.

It starts with MCs grandmother being shadowed by a journalist who is writing an article on her (the grandmother) for the magazine she works for.

There’s sabotaged beehives, noisy neighbours, a murder, an attempted murder and other hijinks.

It’s a cute book and I may read others in the series.

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

I love Donna Andrew's books and was so excited to see the latest offered at NetGalley for review. I was thrilled to be approved. I started the book right away and was drawn into the world of Meg and Carephilly immediately. The mystery was interesting and the cast of characters was fun to watch as always. Another hit for Donna Andrews!

I received an uncorrected audiobook ARC of “Birder, She Wrote” from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio/Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review.

With opening music reminiscent of a BritBox murder special, the author, Donna Andrews, really knows how to put a story together. Andrews is obviously knowledgeable about country life. Her references to the NIMBY’s ( Not In My Backyard!) who come from the city with a yearning for country life is spot on. I live in the country and not a year goes by when a city person shows up. But while the city folk come to “escape” from the city, they turn around and do everything in their power to turn the country into the city.

As a country girl myself, I love how the author talked about the numerous wild and domestic plants, along with the domestic and wild birds, including chickens. Like the MC, my mom also has a Welsummer hen (among many other). And the fact that Andrews included an abandoned African American cemetery in the book shot arrows of joy into my heart. My doctoral dissertation focused entirely on old African American cemeteries. In fact, I have waded through more brush than a raccoon looking for old cemeteries. The way that Andrews described the site was so visual, I felt like I was there. Even the author’s references to Ditch Lillies were fantastic (we have them planted in our garden!).

The narrator, Bernadette Dunne, is an award winning audiobook narrator. She’s narrated a ton of well-known books (e.g., The Devil Wears Prada, Memoirs of a Geisha) including autobiographies. After listening to this book, the narrator obviously has a lot of artistic range. But the narrator has a natural gravelyness to her voice that made Meg seem older than she appeared to be in the book. In fact, before I knew that the MC’s parents and grandparents were still alive, the narration for the MC’s voice made me think that she was an elderly lady, like a Great Aunt. I think the narrator should have opted for a different tone when narrating for the MC.

The author made sure to include some diversity in her book, which is greatly appreciated. The body appeared at the end of Chapter 5, approximately 14% after the book began. It would have held my interest longer if the murder had occurred either by the end of Chapter 3 or at 10%-12% after the beginning of the story.

This novel included all of the elements that one expects to find in a Cozy Mystery: tongue-in-cheek humor, no scary parts (i.e., blood, gore, etc.), no dramatic politicization, and a body. When I first requested this book, I wasn’t aware that this is the author’s 33rd novel in the series. Yes, you read that right—her **33rd novel in the series**.

Other readers may have a different opinion, but for me, I found it difficult to connect with most of the characters because I haven’t read any of the prior books in the series. And although the story line was good, it just didn’t grip my interest, so I likely won’t go back and read the series from the beginning. When I discovered that this book was the 33rd novel in a series, it reminded me of a girl that I knew in graduate school.

XX (name redacted) was nearing the completion of her MA, but refused to submit her thesis to her committee. When I asked her why, she told me that her MA was financially guaranteed, but her PhD studies were not. XX told me—and this is verbatim—that she was, “…gonna ride that pony ‘till it collapses…” In other words, XX was going to milk the MA assistantship for $$$ as long as humanly possible. When the funding finally ran out, XX did successfully defend her thesis. But even though she was accepted into the doctoral program, she dropped out. She got married, had kids, and has absolutely nothing to do with our field now.

People that read Cozy Mysteries ***love*** series. With a series, readers gets to know the MC and learn to love them. The author is a really good writer and understands the cozy readership. But 33 novels in a series is, well…let’s just say that it’s akin to animal abuse. Like the Life Alert lady, the pony has fallen and it can’t get up.

It is clear that the author understands country living. She also understands what is expected of writers in the Cozy Mystery genre. I would like to read a series written by Andrews where I can become intimate with the MC and the other characters, but hope that the author will limit that series to a number that is more easily digestible for the average reader (and more humane to that poor pony). Although I did like the character in this novel, I just wasn’t invested enough in the story to go back and read all 32 previous novels.

BIRDER, SHE WROTE, the thirty-third book in the Meg Langslow Mysteries by Donna Andrews, is another unputdownable read! The author weaves a tantalizing tale involving bees, hummingbirds, NIMBYs (not in my backyard), and murder. And while the protagonist, Meg, gets involved in helping to solve a murder and find out why a reporter for a Southern ladies’ magazine is dogging her grandmother, it’s the fantastic core characters that keep me coming back. Birder, She Wrote, can easily be read as a mystery standalone. But if you love to watch characters grow, change, and become even more interesting, then start at the beginning of the series. Ms. Andrews’ writing style is fun to read with humor thrown in, and it’s quite easy to binge on these books. The murder mystery is straight forward. While I didn’t guess the culprit, there were enough clues and suspects for the armchair detective to follow along with Meg’s investigation. This series is a must-read for me (whether in print or audio) whenever there’s a new release!

I was provided with an advance audiobook, thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley. The narrator, Bernadette Dunn, does a fantastic job bringing the characters to life. She clearly differentiates between each character, including male voices. I especially like how she inflects humor into the sentences and situations that call for it.

In Birder, She Wrote, Meg, her grandmother Cordelia, a reporter, and friends are searching for a lost African-American graveyard with the Poms who are being trained as cadaver dogs. They find the graveyard, but they also find a more recent body! It turns out to be an exceptionally obnoxious resident of a ritzy neighborhood of NIMBY’s. The NIMBY’s complain about everything, especially the beehives on a neighboring farm. Someone takes care of the problem by poisoning the beehives and killing all the bees. Is that the reason for the murder? But wait…there’s also blackmail, an obnoxious reporter who is profiling Cordelia, and more. Meg’s friends and family are as fun and unique as ever, so the story is fun to read. The mystery kept me guessing to the end.
I enjoyed the narration. It was easy to listen to.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audiobooks for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This is the first one in this series that I have listened to and I really enjoyed it. I’m going to seek out the books from the start of the series so I can listen to them as well.
Nice little mystery and good narrator.

I've only read the first few books in the Meg Langslow series, but I got the opportunity to jump into a time machine and listen to the newest book in the series.

Donna Andrews continues her marvelous work with this cozy mystery series. Meg puts her investigative skills to the test looking into a bee mystery as well as blackmail. While there are parts of this book continued from previous novels, this works fine as a standalone mystery as well. Meg and the wonderful and wacky cast of characters around her are all present and accounted for here. And Ms. Andrews writing is still as brilliant as ever.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, the things Meg gets dragged into… No matter what the situation, I know I’m in for a good story and a lot of laughs. I love everything about this series: Meg, her extremely large family, the other townspeople, the animals, and the situations Meg finds herself in. The stories are always well written with a nice flow and pace. The mysteries are complex and have just enough suspects to keep you guessing the whole way. I can’t wait to see what they get up to next.

Birder, She Wrote by Donna Edwards
Narrator, Bernadette Dunne
Thanks to NetGalley, this was a second read/listen for me. I read the book a few months ago and the audiobook just recently. I enjoyed it both times but because I love the narrator, it is always more fun to listen to this series.
As always, looking forward to the Christmas entry now.

I adore Donna Andrews’ Meg Laslow series and Birder, She Wrote was a delight. I have enjoyed her books from the beginning and was thrilled to read an advance copy. Of her newest book. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves cozy mystery books, plus a lot of fun and laughter as well.

I can't believe that this is already the 32nd book in this series by Donna Andrews. I have been hooked from the start and always look forward to the new books. I love the full cast and characters in the series and feel that they are all dynamic and well written. I also love the supporting cast of animals especially the fun portrayal of Pomeranians as search dogs. The story line did not disappoint this book and kept me guessing until the end.

Bernadette Dunne is always a narrator that I look forward to listening to. She has a very unique voice that keeps me captivated the whole time. This book had numerous different characters and Dunne had a separate voice for each one and it was easy to separate them.

AUDIO Release August 1, 2023 10h 36m

I feel like I'm home again, surrounded by old friends when I read this series. The characters feel like family. I not only love this series, I've read the Kindle edition of this book. I've found. that I have often missed nuances as I've read, usually in rush to find out whodunnit, so I thoroughly look forward to having a chance to review my memory via an audio edition. Narrated by Bernadette Dunne, this one is another winner.

I'll share my original review below but, first, a few comments on the audio version. Kudos to Dunne for managing to differentiate a multitude of character voices in this installment. From the moment she introduces the book with a musical background, to the exciting ending, she was consistent and the voices largely matched the characters. There were many questions facing Meg, who always exudes what I'll call an almost zen-like calm, even when confronted by danger or a(nother) dead body. As her grandmother Cordelia notes, Meg copes with it all through action, revealing a character trait. The voices used for Meg's mother and Cordelia are particularly effective, I thought, and Britni's rather whiny tone was spot-on. Chapter changes were simply announced, nothing fancy, and background info was largely given via Meg's musings or within the dialogue, so while there are quite a few characters to sort out, new readers shouldn't be confused. It's definitely a book and series worth getting to know everyone, so don't hesitate to grab this one in any version and enjoy.

Thank you #NetGalley and #MacmillianAudio - #MinotaurBooks for allowing me to hang out at Caerphilly and eavesdrop on Meg's world of friends and neighbors. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to be diving into her Christmas offering asap.

Original Review:
Publication August 1, 2023

I absolutely love this series. It's one of the ones that I'll put down whatever else I'm reading to read. There's so much packed into this installment that I won't even attempt to share the plot. Andrews is a master at weaving multiple plots lines together around multiple (and there are more than a few) characters, all with their own personalities and quirks. As usual, it's not just Meg who holds the Langslow Family together but at times seemingly the entire community, all of with admirable people skills, humor, patience, and intelligence. I've admired her and wished I had her for a friend for years now, so she and the entire family and community feel like ol' friends. That said, while I can certainly imagine the multitude of characters in and out of the story, most regulars, might initially confuse new readers, the book works nicely as a standalone. Wow, #33 and still going strong.

So, since I'm not delving into the plot, what can you expect to find in this book? First, of course, there's a murder victim. Meg doesn't find him but, well, she's on hand doing a good deed when the victim, a cranky NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) from the upscale neighborhood of the community is found. And, hey, did you know Poms make good cadaver dogs? You'll also get a wealth of info on raising and catering to another sort of resident, bees. I knew next to nothing despite some friends actually raising them, so this was interesting. Andrews either has experience with bees and/or did some meticulous research, that's for sure. And, oh, have you heard of bully hummingbirds? Apparently there is such a thing and you'll discover how to remedy that situation.

Let's see, there's also the search for a lost African-American graveyard that dates perhaps to the Civil War. Never mind it sounds like it's mostly in a muddy bog. Land was precious back then and needed more for the living, after all. The modern world intrudes with mentions of drugs and extortion. Finally, there's the little matter of grandmother Cordelia tolerating Britni, an unlikable reporter for a story that sounds poised to present her as a snooty, pretentious socialite rather than the tough, outdoorsy type who harbors no fools. Somehow, Donna Andrews ties it all together smoothly, hopefully in time for Meg to squeeze in that relaxing session in the hammock she missed in chapter one.
Bottom line, if you love character driven mysteries with multi-layer plot lines, you will love this one, Then, most likely, if you're new to the series, you'll quickly be on the lookout for the previous books to discover how Meg's life evolved to where we find her in this book. I've never been disappointed and frequently find myself chuckling as I envision some of the scenes playing out in front of me. My thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #MinotaurBooks for inviting me back to Caerphilly again to spend some quality time with Meg and the whole gang. Love the cover!