Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Another great book in the Meg Langslow series. I absolutely love this series and have loved every book in it. They are always well written and thought out. I always love the characters as well. Great addition to the series!

A Makeover of a house next door to Meg and a flock of feral Turkey's has the neighborhood in an uproar. Meg is the assistant to Randall and when she discovers the body of the neighbor she investigates. This was so fun I recommend it.

I always love revisiting the Meg Lanslow series. Her family is a hoot and there is a always a fun mystery that incorporates birds. This can be read as a standalone.

It may be a little flawed, but I am happy to revisit Caerphilly and its denizens at all.

I love Meg Langslow. She is feisty, intelligent, doesn't do stupid, deservedly gets the monikers of sane and normal from other book characters, and is certainly always a pleasure to visit with. She is one of the very few book heroines that I'd really want to get to know in real life and hopefully be friends with. So the two new books a year are always a highlight and very much looked forward to.

The latest installment of Meg's adventures, “Between a Flock and a hard Place“ has all the right ingredients: Meg and her assorted quirky family members up to cousin Festus, the various Shiffleys, the Chief and family, Seth, Shep and the ubiquitous sheep, a strange situation that needs Meg's clever handling and of course a murder, BUT... It has the same problem I noticed with the last book. It feels a little short on development and slightly rushed. It lacks the elaborate twists and turns of former stories. The best I can describe it is that it moves along too straightforward.
It starts off promising enough. Then, I think, the story gets lost in a lot of descriptions and not enough actually happening. There is the main story thread, which is a good one. A few side twists and red herrings get introduced along the way. Unfortunately, they then fall short and get dealt with almost as an afterthought or, in two cases, simply aren't addressed any further at all, which is a pity as they could have made things more interesting, and possibly given some of the other book characters a little more story-time.
As for Meg's family and friends, everybody gets a mention, but most of them show up and disappear again without really moving the story forward, sideways or in any way at all. It is as if they get their required cameo and then can be crossed off as done. Meg's Dad doesn't even have any dialogue apart from “In there?” !
Although the culprit(s) and their motives were somewhat obvious right away, it was a decent enough mystery. I expected the eventual body to show up in a different place, so that was a nice surprise. And yet, that part of the story-line also deserved a bit more time than the quick resolution it got at the end. Still, all in all, the book is worth 4 stars for me as it took me back to Caerphilly for a little while, and that is never a bad place to be. I'll be waiting for the next one.

pet-dog, TV-film-industry, amateur-sleuth, Virginia, unpleasant-victims, unputdownable, scam, situational-humor, verbal-humor, local-law-enforcement, sniffer-dogs, family, relatives, small-town, elitism, cozy-mystery, murder-investigation, friends, friendship, frustration*****

I couldn't wait to read this one even though I've preordered the audio! Pub Date 06 Aug 2024
If you're new to this series, don't pass it up. Each one can easily be enjoyed as a stand alone, but you'll want to find out why there are so many Pomeranians (and some of them are sniffer dogs!) Meg comes from a large family but only a few of them are highlighted in this episode. There are nasty neighbors, lots of feral turkeys causing a mess, a work crew without a clue, a film manager who isn't what he says he is, and a whole lot more. Loved it!
This cannot be an unbiased review because I reread some of them (the print copies walk away so now I have them in audio) and wait with bated breath for each new one.
I requested and received a temporary EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#MegLangslowMysteries Pub Date 06 Aug 2024

"Between a Flock and a Hard Place" is the 35th book in Donna Andrews' long-running series about happenings in Caerphilly, Virginia. In this book, a once lovely block in a historic neighborhood is blighted by a flock of feral turkeys, an inept home makeover TV crew, and a few creepy neighbors — and then a murder is discovered. Who did it? Why?

Meg Langslow, sometime blacksmith, mom of twins, and special assistant to Caerphilly's mayor, winds up trying to relocate the turkeys, help the police solve the murder, and calm the neighbors of the makeover home, with help from her many family and friends.

It's a fun read with serious undertones — I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

This was my first book from the series however I believe you can read any of the stories about Meg Lanslow, in any order and be fine.

A flock of turkeys is set loose and a few murders are committed. This was a quick read with a lot going on but I was able to follow the story line just fine. Meg must help the chief solve the crimes. I love her family and the dynamic they have. I’m looking forward to reading more stories about Megan.

Meg helps round up a flock of wild turkeys and helps solve a murder, all while dealing with the shenanigans of a home makeover reality TV show. This book is a quick, fun read and features lots of Meg's family and friends plus a plethora of suspects. The author does a good job tying together a number of plt threads. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for the ARC.

Another great cozy mystery with Meg and her family. When a big flock of wild turkeys are released into a neighborhood, things get busy. Then of course a body or two are found. This does have several side stories going on, but all converge at the end. Nice to see a bit more of Meg's husband and sons in this one too. Hard to put this one down and would highly recommend.

Donna Andrews continues to write wonderful stories about Meg Langslow and her friends! Between a Flock and a Hard Place brings a home makeover show, feral turkeys, and murder to Caerphilly. Meg’s natural curiosity and job requiring her to be in the middle of all the action lead her to helping Chief Burke solve the crime. I especially enjoyed Kevin’s major role in this book, and enjoyed seeing the twins growing into responsible young men. Looking forward to the next book!
Thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for the ARC.