The latest of the "bird" books by Donna Andrews. I love the Christmas editions to these stories. This year is a little bit different. Normally we see Meg's house overflowing with family members from far and wide but this year is a quieter holiday than everyone is use to. Delaney and Rob's baby is due any time and Delaney has been put on bed rest. That helps keep family at bay. But you know there has to be something going on. Meg's grandmother and other various family members are conducting a conference for unjustly accused people. They are working to help clear the names of some of the people or help some of their family member be released from jail. It is a worthwhile endeavor and everyone in the family jumps in to help. Then one of the attendees turns up dead behind Meg's barn. While everyone kind of agrees he had it coming they work to clear some of the other attendees' names. We also might have a surprise at the end of the story.

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee is the nicely done thirty-sixth book in Donna Andrews’ always delightful Meg Langslow cozy mystery series. In this one Meg is busy as always - helping her grandmother run a conference called Presumed Innocent which focuses on how to exonerate people who have been unjustly convicted, trying to keep her very pregnant sister-in-law Delaney quiet and healthy, and preparing for Christmas. One a murder victim – an attendee at the conference – is found on her property she becomes even busier trying to figure out who the killer is. The conference setting is nicely done and allows for plenty of suspects – the victim was not well liked and more than one person is glad to see him gone. One thing I really like about this series is the way Meg works hand in hand with the police – she doesn’t poke her nose where it doesn’t belong and trusts the police to solve the case, she just help out where needed. The mystery was well done with some nicely planted clues – the identity of the killer was a surprise to me but cleverly done. All in all another enjoyable mystery from Donna Andrews.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

Great addition to this series. While the book takes place at Christmas, the holiday isn't much of a factor to the story. The Presumed Innocent conference was fascinating and brought another interesting group of characters to Caerphilly. The victim was the worst, but Meg and her friends and family did their usual investigating in order to unmask the killer and get justice - a theme for the book.

This is another book in the series where Meg's large extended family is largely absent, which I enjoyed in the last book, too. While I get a kick out of them, they can be a lot sometimes, and it's nice to have a few stories without them.

Series fans should check this one out. I think these can mostly be read in any order, but it helps if the reader has read a few of the earlier books to get a handle on the large cast of this long-running series. I'm already looking forward to book 37 out next year.

Rockin Around the Chickadee is the 36th book in the Meg Langslow cozy mystery series! This is a Christmas installment and while the holidays are not the main focus of the story there is enough holiday cheer in here to get you in the spirit. The main focus is a legal conference and of course one of the most attested attendees finds himself kicked out and then murdered. Not super hard to figure out who done it but the story getting there is fun and it's always great to catch up with this family. The boys are growing up, it's fun to see Rob in a new light as he's about to become a father, and Rose Noir and Grandfather are still my favorites (although Spike the dog is at the top of the list too)! I always look forward to the latest in this series.

It's Christmas time with Meg and family. This is a series that I've read from book one and have enjoyed all of them. This one did not disappoint me. Although we didn't have the huge family Christmas at their home, we still got to enjoy the family and friends at the Presumed Innocent conference. This is a book that always make me smile, most of the time because of her family.

The book is well-written and easy to read. There were twists and turns that kept it interesting and kept me reading!

These characters are like friends and it's always good to them, especially at Christmas. Now, I just have to wait for the next one.

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee is Donna Andrews latest holiday mystery and her 36th in her bestselling Meg Langslow Mystery series. In this novel readers who are curious about True Crime, will find an enthralling mystery revolving around a murder at a conference Meg’s Grandmother organized for those interested in learning more about the process to exonerate those unfairly convicted of crimes. This aspect of the story will be entertaining to those who have never read the series before.

Of course there is plenty for long term readers to love including the quirky cast of characters from Meg’s family who help her in her investigation and I was most excited that this novel deals with the pregnancy of Meg’s sister-in-law who is on bed rest through the holiday season. Similar to the last few books this one takes a more social conscious view of the world than some of the earlier entries, but still retains a delightful sense of humor throughout. This would be an enjoyable read now or to be added to your list for books to be read during the holiday season. Those looking to start at the beginning will want to checkout Murder with Peacocks.

Meg's sister-in-law Delaney is pregnant and about to burst. While she's on bedrest, the rest of the family is helping out by feeding her chickadees. This leads to Rose Noir finding a body behind the barn. The bad new is that it's the Gadfly.
Gordon Norton, called the Gadfly by Meg's family, has been a thorn in the side of many people in the true crime community. He keeps trying to prove that people who have been exonerated were actually guilty. In fact, he's been harassing them pretty thoroughly. Which is why no one was happy about the fact that he was coming to the true crime conference that Meg's grandmother, Cordelia, had put together.
There seem like a few more side characters than usual but we do get to see a lot of the regulars. I didn't love the ending and the motives but the overall book is a nice addition to the series.

Three and a half stars
Meg Langslow #36
This book comes out October 15, 2024
Follows Between a Flock and a Hard Place
ARC of ebook kindly provided by MacMillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Especially after Kevin's true crime podcast, it's not surprising that this latest installment features a convention where the topic is wrongful conviction. Andrews does such an amazing job mixing up the settings, especially when the books normally take place in the same small town.
As much as I love mysteries, I don't read this series because I want to solve the crime. I will always read these books because I love Meg, her huge crazy family, and the wonderful people in their community. There's always humor and warmth, and sometimes I even learn interesting things about animals, particularly birds. This one is also fun because of the Christmas theme.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for my copy of Rockin' Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews in exchange for an honest review. It published October 15, 2024.
Meg is back for another holiday installment in this fun, lighthearted series. All the cast of characters are back, this time for a conference. I really enjoyed the conference theme of this story. This book is a bundle of fun as they always are!
My only gripe is that it drove me crazy how they made a full-term pregnant woman without complications ride around in a wheelchair like she's royalty from the 1950's, I found that to be really obnoxious. I understand how it helped with the plot, but it made me crazy that she was treated like an invalid when she was totally capable.

This year's Meg Langslow Christmas mystery is centered once again around a convention. I love the way Meg's family members can showcase their projects this way, from the earlier madness of Michael's TV show con to Blake's science or charity centered ones. This one is Cordelia's brainchild and is as believable as it is entertaining. The inn is again a great place to hold the event, which also serves to contain victim and suspects in one place á la Agatha Christie. It is pretty obvious who the victim is going to be. The suspects are plentiful and you start early on hoping for the nice ones to be innocent. Meg's family has their own happy event to look forward to and in the end we can happily agree to wish “Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good night!”

This is book 36 in the Meg Langslow series and I think I've read them all. If you haven't read some of the previous books in the series you may be a little lost but I think you'll enjoy the story after you ravel all the relatives and friends.. A happy Christmas tale. Bells are ringing and alarms are sounding in Donna Andrews' latest cheery addition in the New York Times bestselling Meg Langslow series.Meg's sister-in-law, Delaney is pregnant. Since her due date is on or around Christmas Day, this is putting a bit of a damper on the usual holiday festivities. Meg and Michael are NOT hosting the usual house full of relatives and parties. Instead, Meg, along with her mother, her grandmother, her cousin Rose Noire, and her good friend Caroline, are militantly doing everything they can think of to keep Delaney quiet and healthy. All the relatives are farmed out to friends and neighbors; all the parties are being held somewhere else, and while Delaney is bored and mutinous, she's doing well, and they're managing to maintain a serene, peaceful environment for her . . . until a body is found in Meg and Michael's yard. Can Meg still keep Delaney calm in the middle of a murder investigation, all while trying to catch the killer?Full of her usual twists and turns, paired with relatable family holiday drama and Caerphilly’s traditional Christmas merriment, Donna Andrews brings readers another joyful classic.

It’s Christmas – and for once, Meg doesn’t have a house overflowing with guests. She and her cousin Rose Noire are trying to keep her pregnant sister-in-law Delaney quiet the last few days before she’s due. Delaney, it should be noted, has been on bedrest for the past five months and is beyond tired of it. However, that doesn’t mean Meg’s in for a quiet time listening to carols and watching the chickadees at the bird feeder with Delaney; instead, she’s at the Caerphilly Inn, helping her grandmother stage Presumed Innocent, a conference for people trying to exonerate family or friends who have been unjustly convicted. In addition to the target audience, there’s also a few true crime fans and at least one person who’s made his ‘career’ in proclaiming that the majority of people aren’t unjustly convicted, that they should be behind bars. That individual is naturally causing a lot of attendees (and Meg’s grandmother and thus Meg) unnecessary stress. And naturally said individual is found dead behind Meg’s barn. It turns into the typical juggling act for Meg – helping her grandmother, helping the Chief Burke, and helping keep Delaney rested.

So I’m a huge fan of the Meg Langslow series, having read the whole series multiple times. Yeah, the series tends to be very light on the mystery, but the characters more than make up for it in my opinion. This book, however, wasn’t one of my favorites. Part of why I like the series is how good natured it is, and somehow the side topic in this book – people unjustly convicted – and that the victim was the worst kind of internet troll – was too … maybe too dark? Too ugly? … for me. I still enjoyed the book – still loved seeing all of Meg’s family and friends. I just wished the victim, who in addition to be ugly to his fellow attendees, was caught abusing a service dog, lived long enough to go before Judge Jane (a huge animal lover whose been known to hold court in her barn with her coon dogs in attendance).

Highly recommended. I received a copy of this from NetGallley.com that I voluntarily reviewed.

Christmas is supposed to be a bit calmer for Meg and Michael and the rest of the family. They're not hosting hoards of cousins, no blue jays are loose in the house divebombing unsuspecting visitors, and the focus is on keeping Delaney calm and relaxed. But this is Caerphilly and Meg's family so things can't be completely calm and Meg's grandmother Cordelia is hosting a true crime conference focusing on the wrongly convicted. I was thrilled to see Meg's cousin, Festus, get a little more page time as he's one of my favorite side characters. I also liked that Meg's boys get a bit more page time as well and we see a bit more of their personality.
The victim is one no one will miss but who would want to kill him? And how did he end up in Meg and Michael's yard in the in the middle of the night. As usual the investigation is a fun read with a lot of chaos and relatives and animal hijinks. The mystery was a good one and the read was thoroughly enjoyable.
This is such a fun series with lots of fun characters, animal hijinks, and good mysteries. Given the large cast it can be a bit confusing if you start mid-series, but each book gets better than the last. If you're a cozy mystery fan this is one to read!

I love visiting Ekaterina at the Caerphilly Inn, this time around the setting of a true crime conference, presenting lots of suspects for the murder of an internet mud-slinger who thinks everyone accused is guilty. All the regular characters make an appearance, along with several “guest star” members of the community who provide a bit of a sense that Caerphilly is, at times at least, a normal town. I love that Donna Andrews is never short of ideas to keep this series growing, and I hope she never tires of writing about Meg and her family. Every crime, chaotic series of events, and heart-warming family moment feels like coming home when I pick up any book in this series.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this cozy mystery.

Book 36 in the series! How can that be? I remember reading the first book back when it first came out. I’ve followed this series and loved it for years now. Every book is like a visit with extended family. This Christmas is shaping up to be a quiet holiday because Delaney is on bed rest. Most of the family is involved in Cordelia’s conference. What could possibly go wrong? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

Donna Andrews’ 36th book in the Meg Langslow Mysteries Series is a brilliant addition to the series.
Meg’s sis-in-law, Delaney is quite pregnant and per doctor’s orders, must be kept calm and quiet. Meg and Michael have farmed out all the usual visiting relatives to other places for the holiday, hoping to keep their household quiet for her sake. Meg, her mother, and Rose Noire are helping her grandmother at the Presumed Innocent conference she organized. Some of the attendees want to learn how to help friends or loved ones who were wrongly convicted of a crime, and others are true crime buffs. But there are a few naysayers, one of which has been spouting his beliefs that most of the people exonerated are GUILTY. No one likes this guy, and he is kicked out of the conference. But later that night, he’s found deader than a doornail in Meg’s own backyard! Once again, Meg is on the case trying desperately to keep the investigation away from Delaney.

I think the thing I like best about Donna Andrews are the characters. Reading the books is like visiting old friends, even family. Every single character fits perfectly into the series. I’ve read every single book in the series multiple times, as well as listen to the audiobooks almost every night. And each time I read or listen to a book, I pick up different things I may have missed before. I have certain ones that are my favorites that I go to repeatedly, and Rockin’ Around the Chickadee is definitely going on repeat.

The author is so brilliant at plotting mysteries that keep you guessing until the very end. The majority of the books in the series take place in just a day or two, so everything is concise and keeps the pace up so you never want to put the book down. In this particular installment, we spend more time at the Caerphilly Inn, the beautiful hotel managed by Ekaterina, who may or may not have been involved in some espionage back in the day.

I really enjoy how birds fit into each book, whether they be the highlight or a side note. I can also tell how much research Ms. Andrews does for each book, whether it be a Christmas song from hundreds of years ago, to how to help loved ones become exonerated for crimes they did not commit.

Overall, I loved the new book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book. I happily share my thoughts and opinions on this favorite series.

It is amazing to me, that after 36 books [with more on the way], this series as never felt old, tired, or repetitive. The story's are well-thought out, the mysteries are good[dead bodies or not], and because one is now 36 books in, one gets <i>seriously</i> INVESTED in these characters. I often tell people that Meg and Co. are people I would love being friends with [in SPITE of the chaos that is their lives and their household. Also, even with the plethora of dead bodies ;-) ], and I am always genuinely glad when it is time to "go visit" with them [as I know that I will not be disappointed and I will have an enjoyable read].

It's Christmastime [it feels weird to write that in October LOL] and for once, it is not chaos personified at Meg and Michaels. Delaney is pregnant and on bed-rest and everyone [mostly Rose Noir, but even Meg's mother is pitching in] is doing all they can to both keep her quiet AND keep her entertained. Rob is house-hunting [it will be weird to not have him and Delaney at the house since they have been there for so long; they are almost always in a book, even peripherally], Meg is helping Cordelia [her grandmother] with a crime/forensic conference at the Caerphilly Inn [because NOTHING says Merry Christmas like a good crime.forensic conference amirite?], that includes people from The Innocence Project [that was a cool inclusion] as well as some nay-sayers that are, shall we say, super obnoxious. All is well [even with said nay-sayers] and the conference is going smoothly [and who doesn't want to go and stay at the Caerphilly Inn and have all that they offer available to you? I know I do], Delaney is being entertained and Meg is breathing a sigh of relief. Until...a scream awakens the whole house, a dead body is found, and the hunt is on for a [very clever] killer.

The mystery was very good as there were many possible suspects and everyone, even the twins [I have loved how these books move along at "real time" and that the twins are almost teens now, instead of still toddlers like they would be in so many other cozies] along with their friend Adam, are involved and I was surprised at the reveal [which was really well done] and that is always a plus IMO.

I've said this before, but I will say it again, Donna Andrews could be giving lessons on how to write a fun, well-paced mystery, with good/great reveals that aren't rushed, well-developed characters and often stories that tug at ones heart ALONG with the mystery [as was the case with this one]; she has it down and while this is just my opinion, there are few that do it better and that is why, after 36 books I continue to read [and will read as many as she writes] her books and why I recommend them to everyone. She is, quite simply, amazing.

When I first started listening to the audiobooks for this series [after read reading them for so long], I was not a huge fan of Ms. Dunne's narration [I had my own voices for the characters in my head and it was really tough to make the switch]. I kept with it though as I was not about to give up these books [I NEEDED to read them LOL] and now, finally, I have settled in and I look forward to Ms. Dunne reading me the newest story of Meg and Co. and bringing these stories I love to life. Well done!

Thank you to NetGalley, Donna Andrews, Bernadette Dunne - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

I was a latecomer to this cozy mystery series, but now it's one of my must-reads! As with all the other books I've read in the Meg Lanslow series, this one has a fresh story line, smart mystery, and interesting and (mostly) likeable characters. Christmas is days away but Meg's grandmother, Cordelia, is hosting a "Presumed Innocent Conference", leveraging the expertise of the extended family, including cousin Festus, a lawyer who works to get the wrongly accused freed, true-crime podcaster Kevin, Meg's cousin who is also a computer wizard who often helps the local police with their investigations, Meg's father, a doctor who acts as the local medical examiner, and her grandfather who has a lab working on cutting edge DNA analysis methods. The conference has brought together true-crime fans, people working to get new trials or the release of a friend of family member they believe was wrongly accused, two individuals recently released from prison through such efforts, and one loud, obnoxious detractor who thinks anyone found guilty in a court of law should stay in jail, period. When one of the conference attendees winds up dead, the local crew puts their crime solving skills to work to try to find the killer before Christmas. As always, there are side stories involving Meg's family that keep the returning reader abreast of the latest developments with the Laslow's extended family. If you enjoy clever cozy mysteries alongside some heartwarming holiday cheer, you should definitely put this book on your TBR!

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee AUDIO by Donna Andrews is the newest Meg Langslow mystery which finds us at at conference, organized by Meg’s grandmother, focusing on those wrongly accused and how to get their convictions overturned. Of course, Festus, as a lawyer, is hugely involved, as are all the law enforcement people in town. Meg meets come very interesting people and Kevin, who is normally in the basement, has met a woman who seems to interest him. That and the fact it is nearly Christmas is keeping everyone busy. Rob and Delaney are expecting heir baby any day and still without a house to buy, but that will work out. If not, Meg has plenty of bedrooms.

I love this series, which wasn’t what I said when I was first introduced. These are a group of interesting people, mostly family, who live in the Small town of Carfilly, Virginia. They are a group of characters, well-written and by this time, well-rounded. It is an amusing cozy mystery which presents some interesting cases to solve. This is one of them. Many of the people here are already accused murderers and no one liked this guy. Meg works hard to figure it out and, of course, is successful.

Bernadette Dunn is the narrator and I didn’t like her at first, either, but I have changed my mind. I thought she made Meg sound to old, and I still think that, but it seems to fit her personality. She makes listening very entertaining. This is a good book to read but far more entertaining to listen to.

I was invited to listen to Rockin’ Around the Chickadee by MacMillan Audio. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #MacMillanAudio #StMartinsPress #DonnaAndrews #BernadetteDunn #RockinAroundTheChickadee

Meg Langslow is used to a house filled with family and friends at the holidays, but this year, it’s just the immediate family at home. Her sister-in-law Delaney is on bed rest for a high risk pregnancy, and they are trying to keep the drama to a minimum for her and Rob. So instead of interacting with family this year, Delaney is laying in bed watching the chickadees who come to the bird feeder on the farm. She can even turn on a speaker to listen to them. It’s a great distraction for her, which works for Meg, who has her own distraction.

Meg’s grandmother Cordelia has put together a Presumed Innocent Conference, to bring together those who are interested in true crime and want to help those who are jailed but innocent change their fate. And actually, Meg has a lot of family there, as her cousin Festus is an attorney who helps those who are innocent get out of jail, her nephew Kevin is a true crime podcaster and a computer tech who often helps the police with investigations, her doctor father was the local medical examiner and still helps out as needed, her cousin Horace is a well-respected crime scene investigator, and her grandfather has established a DNA lab originally to help with his work at the zoo but increasingly to help with criminal cases. Add in the local sheriff and some exonerees to tell their stories, and the conference has a full slate of speakers.

But true crime fans and friends and family wanting to help someone prove their innocence are not the only ones at the conference. The podcaster known as The Gadfly, Godfrey Norton, is known for stirring the pot by telling lies about potential exonerees and doing what he can to keep them in jail. Cordelia wouldn’t have let him register for the conference at all, had she known his real name. But he got past her and showed up to stir strife during the talks. However, he took things too far, and Cordelia kicked him out of the conference, and the manager of the hotel kicked him out of his room. He reached out to Meg to try to get her to change Cordelia’s mind (as if that were possible), but she wasn’t able to help him.

And then he turned up dead behind Meg’s barn.

The good news is that there were plenty of crime fighters nearby ready to get started to find Norton’s killer, and the conference means that all the suspects are at the Caerphilly Inn. But it will still take all of their collective skill and expertise, as well as Meg’s ability to bring it all together, to solve the case before the baby comes.

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee is book 36 in the popular Meg Langslow series about her big extended family and their ability to catch killers. These books balance the warmth and comfort of friends and family with the darkness of murder, blending humor with crime science and adding in lots of heart and soul.

I am a big fan of Donna Andrews in general and this series in specific. I have read these for many years now, and I love how the series has morphed. At first, it was a pretty typical cozy series, but it has grown through the years into a modern series that includes true crime podcasts, support for The Innocence Project, and ideas for innovating with DNA research. These characters have gone on a journey, as many true crime enthusiasts have, from merely learning about it from documentaries and podcasts to jumping in to do research and help support those who are doing the work of exonerating the innocent. These books are not just cozy stories, they are a reflection of a larger community, and I for one applaud Andrews for working so hard to keep Meg and her family relevant.

I listened to Rockin’ Around the Chickadee on audio, and narrator Bernadette Dunne knocked it out of the park again. I have listened to many of these book on audio, and Dunne is now the voice of Meg in my head. I think she understands Meg’s intelligence and tenacity as well as her dedication to her family, and Dunne brings her to life in these books. I especially love listening to the Christmas mysteries in the car, riding around doing all those holiday errands. If, like me, you have a low tolerance for Christmas music, then you should give it a try.

Egalleys for Rockin’ Around the Chickadee were provided by Minotaur Books and a copy of the audiobook was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks.