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.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHICKADEE (Book 36 of the Meg Langslow mystery series) by Donna Andrews in exchange for an honest review. Meg’s grandmother Cordelia has organized a conference at a local inn for those interested in the exoneration of innocents convicted of crimes. Though most of the attendees are interested in freeing friends or family members, some attendees are true crime enthusiasts, and some are trolls actively working to thwart justice. One such character’s actions spiral beyond the pale and result in him being kicked out of the inn and the conference. When his body is found the next morning, there are no shortage of suspects at the conference. Finding his killer will take a concerted effort of the usual team and a Christmas miracle.

I liked the book and enjoy the series. I recommend this book to fans of the series and the series to fans of cozy murder mysteries surrounding small towns, small venues, extensive families, birds, animals, and quirky characters.

Another excellent and amusing mystery by Donna Andrews. I don't know how she does it, but Donna Andrews manages to continuously write new books in this long running series that remain fresh, with plausible characters and crimes. Even though the location may be the same, there is more than enough new to keep the book interesting, and the mystery one that you don't want to stop reading. I read this book in one sitting.

At a conference dedicated to finding ways to overturn wrongful convictions organized by Meg's grandmother, an internet podcaster who is a born troll makes a major nuisance of himself, and gets kicked out of both the conference and the hotel. Being hated by a number of the people attending makes for a very large suspect pool when he turns up dead. Meg and friends are their usual competent selves making for an excellent read.

Another super fun entry in Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow series.
This time it is a Christmas setting.
All the family members are involved in the murder and Meg saves the day.
Recommended for fans of the series.