Book Title: Rockin’ Around the Chickadee
Author: Donna Anderson
Series: Meg Langslow Book #36
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press-M
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: October 15, 2024
My Rating: 4 Fun Stars
Pages 288


This adorable cover lets us know this is going to be a fun Christmas story, however, we also know Meg is going to get involved in a mystery.

Delaney, Meg’s sister in-law is expecting on or around Christmas Day. Meg and Michael decide to keep Meg quiet and health and forgo their usual parties.

Delaney is bored by the peaceful environment the family has created. When a body is found in Meg and Michael's yard, will it be possible to keep Delaney calm when she wants to get in on the investigation, Meg’s grandmother Cornelia is hosting on a true crime convention in the local hotel. The attendees support helping wrongly convicted cases to be overturned. However, there is an unpleasant pod caster who isn’t on the same page as the others and thinks more people should be in jail and no convictions should be overturned even if there is new DNA evidence.
He turned out to be very nasty and ends up being removed from the conference.
However, he is the one who ends up dead in Meg and Michael’s backyard.

I have read others in this series and have loved them ~ which is true of this as well.
I loved that the twins Josh and Jamie got to play a role in case. While at the hotel they volunteer actually offer a challenge that they could leave as well as enter the hotel without the hotel’s many security cameras spotting them. They had three tries. They were caught on the first two tries but the third they were successful – they were NOT seen on any of the cameras.
This was valuable to the investigators as well as the innkeeper who now knew what needed to be corrected.

Story kept me curious as there were so many whodunit suspects!

Although this is #36 in this series, I have only read a few but I. quickly got to know Meg and fell in love her and her somewhat quirky friends.
Ms. Anderson uses a bird theme in all her titles - such as:
Murder with Peacocks,
Revenge of the Wrought
Iron Flamingos,
Owls Well that Ends Well,
Stork Raving Mad and
#35 Between the Flock and a Hard Place].

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 15, 2024.

Ms. Andrews' Meg Langlow mystery series is intriguing and this book is no exception. The family works together to solve mysteries and in this one has a convention to offer info on the Innocence Project.….at Christmas time. A body really shakes up their plans, but they get serious about solving it.
Written with strong friends and family ties, mystery and a bit of humor and romance this is the perfect holiday cozy. I highly recommend.
I requested a NetGalley arc and to my delight I received one gratis.

This is one of those series that when I see it's available, I quickly click request to review. I don't even read the blurb, check the length, or even the publication date. Hey, it's worked through the rest of the series so I trust Donna Andrews to deliver another Meg Langslow story that I'll find myself unable to stop myself from reading as soon as possible. In this case, It was extra fun imagining the soft, soothing, well, attempted soothing voices being used on Delaney, whose baby is due just about any time. Cousin Rose Noire takes it seriously when told no disturbing sounds or activities, much to the usually active Delaney's frustration. Of course, when your father-in-law is a doctor, you're pretty much expected to just go along with medical decisions. Good thing she has the Chickadees to distract her attention, even if she does fret whether they have enough suet or not.

That's where the book opens. The mystery that follows centers around a Presumed Innocent Convention set up by grandmother Cordelia although, as usual, the entire family is involved in some way. Dedicated to efforts to assist those falsely imprisoned in any way possible, it's the brainchild of the lawyer of the family, Festus Hollingsworth. It's also being held just before Christmas, giving extra emphasis to everyone's hopes that nothing goes wrong. Of course, those hopes are shattered when an obnoxious detractor is found dead. In Meg and Michael's backyard at that. Chief Burke's hopes for a short suspect list are quickly shattered when it turns out Godfrey Horton, aka Gadfly, seems to have a very lengthy list of people who'd like to see him dead. I wasn't feeling too kindly toward him myself after his encounter with sweet dog Ruth,

Distracted by everyday worries, like making sure her barely teen boys don't get into mischief at the convention, worrying about Michael being on the road to pickup and deliver family members, keeping Delaney calm, or at least entertained, and helping Chief Burke in the investigation, Meg is her usual organized, seemingly never unsure self. Well, most of the time. Ask her about her son crawling through the rafters of a loading zone. Everyone is also pondering what name Delaney and Rob, who are also fretting over buying a home, will give their child-to-be. Trust me, Delaney, you really don't want to name them after the scientific name for chickadees. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Nope, not telling.

Bottom line, there's a great deal more going on. The characters, even the minor ones or new to the series ones, are all fleshed out nicely. You'll feel like you know them all by the time you finish the book which moves along quickly and is hard to put down once you start. Needless to say, I was delighted to see sweet Ruth play an important role in the book, too, as the service dog in training by ex-inmate Ezekiel "Izzy" Blaine. Finally, for true crime fans, I must mention an important caution that Kevin issues during his presentation, that fans need to be careful not to spread false information or, in fact, even true information the police would prefer not be shared. That added an extra dose of reality to the book. Read it. You won't be sorry. My thanks to #StMartin'sPress - #MinotaurBooks for allowing me an early peek at life in Caerphilly for Meg and her family and friends. I'm hoping some of the new characters stick around, particularly Izzy and Ruth.

I always love a new installment from Meg and her family. Not too much Christmas in this one but a pregnant Delaney adds a spark to the family party. When a troublesome attendee from her Grandmother’ s workshop gets killed in the backyard, Meg must pitch in and figure things out. A wealth of suspects makes this a challenge. And of course the baby arrives in the last chapter.

This was the perfect book to get me through the heat wave. It took my mind far, far away and involved in something besides sweating. I hope Ezekial sticks around. He would fit into the characters in this book perfectly.

Donna Andrews has done it again. Each book is a good addition to the “bird” series and builds on the previous books.

Donna Andrews returns with the latest installment in her long-running cozy mystery series featuring Meg Langslow, with Meg’s extended family and many friends making their usual appearances. Set during the Christmas season, Meg’s grandmother is hosting a conference focused on those wrongfully convicted of crimes. When a conference attendee demonstrates boorish behavior and is thrown out of both the conference and the hotel, everyone hopes the rest of the weekend will focus on those impacted by wrongful convictions. After the boor turns up dead behind Meg’s barn, everyone galvanizes to solve the crime and prevent the conference from derailing. Oh, and there’s the personal situation of Meg’s brother, Rob, and his wife expecting their first child to add to the stress.
Ms. Andrews’ deft writing in combining all of these events shows why she’s considered a master of the cozy mystery craft. She brings heart, pathos and education on topics like wrongful incarceration while still delivering another solid entry in this series. I look forward to the next book!

In this latest book in the series, Meg Langslow's grandmother, Cordelia Mason, is hosting a Presumed Innocent conference. Unfortunately, Gustave Niedernstatter AKA Godfrey Norton AKA the Gadfly has snuck into the conference and is harassing attendees and attempting to disrupt presentations and panels. After making false accusations against the dog of Ezekiel, one of the exonerees sharing his experience, Godfrey is expelled from the conference and the hotel.
Very early the next morning, he is found murdered behind Meg and husband Michael's barn by her cousin Rose Noire. With almost everyone a suspect, sorting out which of the people Godfrey offended badly enough to kill him is very difficult.
A murder investigation is really NOT what Meg's family was looking for just before Christmas and with her sister-in-law, Delaney on bed rest with a difficult pregnancy.
The Cairfilly Sheriff's Office, Meg's nephew Kevin (computer extraordinaire), the staff at the Inn and Meg and family finally manage to connect all the dots to find the guilty party, just not quite in time to keep Meg out of danger. Her narrow escape from a clever killer comes from an unlikely source, just in the nick of time.
The really BIG question is Rob and Delaney's baby a boy or girl. And will they finally find the house of their dreams?
Always a pleasure to spend time with Meg's quirky family and friends and seeing her twins grow into their teen years.
Totally recommend both this particular book and the whole series.

I fear I might be in the holiday spirit at the end of August. During the holidays, Meg's grandma is putting on a true crime convention where the hope is to find wrongly convicted cases to help overturn. There is an unpleasant attendee who thinks more people should be in jail and no convictions should be overturned even if there is new DNA evidence. The unpleasant attendee ends up dead and since most people in the convention disliked him, it is pretty hard to figure out the culprit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought the mystery was entertaining but not very difficult to solve which I like in a cozy mystery. The nice thing about Donna Andrews' books is that while you get a similar cast of characters on most books, they do not stagnate but continue to grow. I really enjoyed that Rob is having his own family and I liked seeing that the twins are growing up. I mean it is easy to for me to say that I like this series, after all I wouldn't have read the previous 35 books if I didn't. But while not the best in the series, I thought this was a really nice addition and recommend it to anyone who enjoys holiday cheer and cozy mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Donna Andrews for giving me the opportunity to review this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

With a plan to do nothing festivities wise for Christmas, Meg finds herself trying to keep a very pregnant Delaney occupied. No parties, no visiting relatives or friends, no problem. Until a body is discovered right in Meg’s yard. Can she keep Delaney from getting involved and worked up over the discovery while trying to solve a murder herself.

If you’re looking for a great cozy series with plenty of books to binge on, this is your series! A smart protagonist, a well written cast of supporting characters and a solid mystery to solve. Along with Meg and the gang makes each entry in this series binge worthy!

It’s Christmas time in Caerphilly, but Meg’s sister-in-law is on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy, so things are low-key this year at Meg’s house. Her grandmother has set up a conference at the local conference center/hotel focused on murder cases where the convicted person is exonerated or families who are trying to get them exonerated. Many of the family are involved and all seems set until a blogger who is against having the convictions of anyone overturned and will make up stories if he has no facts. He truly is a horrible person, so there are lots of suspects when he is found dead behind the barn at Meg’s house. Not everyone is as they seem, though, so the investigation is difficult.
The mystery is excellent and the characters are familiar and enjoyable, like having a reunion with old friends. The story has a warm, holiday feel and I love chickadees and always associate them with the holidays.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Another hit in the series. This one is set around a conference dealing with people who have been thrown in jail although they are innocent. When a loud mouth critic is found dead, there are plenty of red herrings to go through to find the killer. Enjoyed this one, as always, and would highly recommend.

This book was so enjoyable, I just love Meg and her wacky family!! This is another laugh out loud wild romp, with Meg, I have fallen in love with these characters, the mystery was fun and entertaining!! The storyline was well written and kept me hooked from star to finish!! I highly recommend this book to everyone!!

This was a great edition to the series. So glad that Ms. Andrews writes a Christmas time book for the series each year.

Donna Andrews did it again! Her latest Meg Langslow installment, Rockin’ Around the Chickadee was another hilarious and un-put-downable book. This page-turner had Meg’s sister-in-law, Delaney, on bed-rest for her high-risk pregnancy during the holidays. Meg’s grandmother, Cordelia, decided to host her conference on educating others on the plight of the wrongly accused and convicted.

As usual, the whole Langslow and Hollingsworth clans are around to help with all of the craziness that is going down that holiday season, from trying to keep Delaney from going stir-crazy to setting up meeting rooms at the Caerphilly Inn for the conference.

Unfortunately, a well-known internet troll appears at the conference and begins to stir up trouble. The troll interrupts every event that he can and even attacks a service animal for attention.

When Rose Noire stumbles over a dead body while doing a morning feeding of the animals that live at Meg’s house, she is understandably shaken up, but everyone trips over themselves to keep Delaney calm…and safe.

Can the Langslow family and Caerphilly’s finest catch the murderer before they strike again? Will this dim the town’s holiday cheer?

This cozy mystery is cute, funny, and super engrossing! I couldn’t stop when I started reading it. I can’t wait for Meg’s next adventure!

Thank you So much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press’ Minotaur Books for this ARC!!!

The annual Christmas mystery from Donna Andrews takes place at the Caerphilly Inn during a conference organized by Meg's grandmother. The conference attendees are discussing cases of wrongfully convicted individuals and how to seek exoneration, but one attendee believes there is no such thing as an innocent person and makes his opinion known in the most obnoxious way possible. So when his corpse is discovered, the list of suspects is long. Meg works with her family and the local police to find the killer. The annual Christmas mystery is like slipping on an old sweater - nothing new or groundbreaking, but cozy and familiar and a quick read. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

I always look forward to Donna Andrews Christmas release of her delightful Meg Langslow newest books and Rockin' Around the Chickadee, the 36th book in this fun series met my expectations wonderfully. Since Rob's wife is bed bound in the farmhouse library near the end of her pregnancy, Meg's dad insists that they not open the house to the usual holiday invasion of family, but that limit doesn't stop the wonderful holiday feel as her mother decorates with all her usual style, we get to ride around with Meg and friends to enjoy the unique decorations, and our favorite choir entertains us several times. Unfortunately, the conference Cordelia and Kevin have arranged for those interested in Operation Innocence is visited by a villain who makes Scrooge look kind and someone decides he doesn't deserve to live. The conference offers enough suspects to make the Chief head spin, but Meg and Kevin are more than willing to help with police spread thin between the investigation and the usual holiday issues and Meg's now teenaged boys and the Chief's grandson are more than willing to help out. Of course, the adults limit their efforts, but they manage to have a good time with what they get to do. Once the evil man is gone, most of the suspects are quite likeable which makes finding the murder harder than usual, but Meg and company are more than up to the job.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur books for allowing me to read and review an ARC of the wonderful Rockin' Around the Chickadee. Donna Andrews has brightened my summer with this charming Christmas mystery.
#NetGalley #MinotaurBooks #StMartinsPress #MegLangslow #DonnaAndrews #RockinAroundtheChickadee

Rockin' Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews

Rockin' Around the Chickadee is the lastest volume in Donna Andrew's popular Meg Langslow mystery series.

Set during the Christmas season Meg along with other friends and family are involved with Presumed Innocent - a conference organized by Meg's grandmother to assist with those wrongfully convicted. Unfortunately, the conference is inflicted with a true crime podcaster and troll who after many bad acts is thrown out of the conference only to turn up the following morning murdered in Meg's backyard. Meg and her cohorts are on the trail of the killer all while trying to keep the household calm for the extremely pregnant Delany - Meg's sister-in-law who is due any day.
Another great edition to the Meg Langslow series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this work in exchange for an unbiased review.

Another December, another murder for Caerphilly amateur sleuth Meg Langslow. Like many of the previous holiday editions of this series, this one takes place once again at "The Inn". In town this season are all of the usual extended family members who have come to participate in a conference centered on the legal profession.

While all the relatives one has come to expect in this series are present in the story, they are not all featured equally or prominently. The years keep advancing, yet Dr. Burke is as healthy as ever and Cordelia remains a force of nature, unfortunately this translates to very little development for the recurring characters across the series. One development that appeared on the scene quickly-a soon to be niece or nephew from Rob & Delaney.

Despite the cursory check-ins on the family, this book pushed them mostly to the side to introduce characters new in town for this editions murder-mystery. The victim was introduced quickly and the murderer just as expediently. As is the case with most of these stories the solutions all worked themselves out in the end.

If you are looking to reenter Meg's world this will do that. But it is not exactly the cozy holiday mystery with the Langslow-Hollingsworth clan I had anticipated.

Meg Lanslow is ready to celebrate the holidays in a quiet fashion, since her sister in law is due for her baby any time.
While helping her grandmother with a true crime event, where people can try to find help for the wrongfully accused, they come upon a person who is against the whole thing. He makes his opinions known and finds himself removed from the event and the venue. What he doesn't expect is that someone is going to silence him, permanently.
Join Meg and this wonderful cast of characters in the investigation, it's sure to delight all readers.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.