This was such a fun story! I loved the pacing, the odd plot point with the feral turkey flock, and that there were multiple mysteries going on at once. I never really felt particularly attached to any of the characters, but that doesn't mean I don't like them. Honestly, the somewhat mundane feel to the whole story was kind of refreshing in a way, and although I wasn't shocked by the twist of whodunnit, the person wasn't top of my suspect list.

I will definitely be looking into more stories by Donna Andrews! If you're looking for a fun, sort of everyday murder mystery with a flock of turkeys to boot, I highly recommend!

*Between a Flock and a Hard Place* by Donna Andrews is a delightful addition to the Meg Langslow Mystery series, offering readers a charming blend of humor, intrigue, and quirky characters. Set in the idyllic backdrop of Caerphilly, Virginia, this installment sees Meg, a blacksmith and amateur sleuth, embroiled in yet another puzzling murder case.

Andrews's writing shines with her trademark wit and engaging storytelling. The narrative is peppered with clever dialogue and whimsical scenarios that keep readers entertained while unraveling the mystery at hand. As always, the small-town setting adds a cozy feel, with a cast of eccentric locals that bring the story to life.

The plot revolves around a local festival, complete with a flock of geese, which adds a delightful layer of chaos and humor. Meg’s interactions with her family and community add depth to the story, showcasing the dynamics of small-town life—and the meddling that often accompanies it. The murder mystery is well-crafted, with enough twists and red herrings to keep readers guessing until the very end.

Meg Langslow, as a character, continues to evolve, balancing her various roles as a mother, wife, and small-town blacksmith. Her resourcefulness and determination shine as she navigates the complexities of the case, all while juggling family dynamics and community expectations.

Overall, *Between a Flock and a Hard Place* is a captivating read that balances mystery with humor and heart. Donna Andrews has once again delivered a delightful mystery that will engage both longtime fans of the series and newcomers alike. It’s a perfect choice for those who enjoy cozy mysteries with a touch of charm and whimsy, leaving readers eagerly anticipating Meg’s next adventure.

I don't know how I have not read anything from this series before, it was such a fun read complete with cranky neighbors and a home renovation show. The audiobook was fun to listen to. The narrator is a great storyteller and made the characters come to life. I definitely want to read more in this series now to really get to know the characters.

The narrator sounds like an older woman with a good cadence and clear diction. The audiobook is well produced.

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series and this book did not disappoint! This was a fun read about how a house remodel literally went to the birds. I loved the quirky characters; especially Meg who was down-to-earth and constantly running around town making sure the citizens of Caerphilly were ok while getting the tea on all the suspects. Meg's grandpa was another of my favorites with his thirst for knowledge and high energy. Through his character, the reader learns about turkeys and how they are related to dinosaurs. The other thing I enjoyed about his book was the humor sprinkled throughout the story. It kept things light during the town's time of turmoil. This story had several mysteries to solve, keeping the story moving and interesting. I was not totally surprised by the main reveal of the house but I was surprised by some of the smaller subplots of the story.
The audiobook was a joy to listen to as I read the book. The narrator Bernadette Dunne is a great storyteller. There was a voice for every character which made it easy to follow along as I listened. This would be a great choice for a road trip, driving around town, or while doing chores around the house.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and the audiobook of this book in exchange for my honest review!

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Another fun cozy mystery from this series! I dont think i read them in any order but theyre a fun read either way lol

So thanks to #NETGALLEY and #DONNAANDREWS for the free arc of this audio version of Between a flock and a hard place. Meg Landsolow and her family and friends are one of my favorite groups to visit in print or audio. I loved the humor as always in the Donna Andrews titles. Trust me when I say read the story for the mystery but also the turkey subplot. One of my favorite authors and cozy mystery series.

Between a Flock and a Hard Place is a Meg Langslow cozy Mystery from Donna Andrews.

"Meg's neighbors, the Smetcamps, have won a makeover from the remodeling show - Marvelous Mansions. Many of the neighbors are against any changes to their neighborhood. Someone transplants a hundred feral turkeys to the house and construction is halted. The birds are mean and smelly and destructive. Meg comes up with a plan to relocate the turkeys, but they arrive they find the body of Mrs. Smetcamp. So now they have to solve a murder and get rid of the birds."

This was my first book in this series. Other than being familiar with the characters, there are no problems reading this as a standalone. It did have a slow start with several instances of fluff or things that seem to have no bearing on the story. It eventually picks up (a murder will do that to a story) There are lots of over-the-top characters and situations. Lots of red herrings and some surprise villains.

Bernadette Dunne has the perfect voice for Meg. She captures her personality and nuance.

If you can get through the slow start, it's worth your time to read this one, especially if you're a cozy mystery fan.

A home renovation tv show is making over the Smetkamp’s home in a historic neighbourhood in Caerphilly much to the chagrin of the neighbours so tensions are already high when someone releases dozens of feral turkeys near the house. It shuts the project down but the turkeys are territorial, aggressive and, in general, creating complete chaos. When Meg Langslow, as the Mayor’s assistant, is called in to help with coordinating efforts to round up the recalcitrant fowl, she stumbles across the dead body of Mrs Smetkamp in the shed and it is very clear she has been murdered.

Between a Flock and a Hard Place is the 35th book in the Meg Langlsow cozy mystery series by Donna Andrews and it is all kinds of fun. As always, the story is entertaining with a nice thread of humour running through it and the mystery was interesting with plenty of suspects and red herrings to keep the reader guessing. Visiting Meg and all the other denizens of Caerphilly is always a pleasure and I look forward to more adventures with them in the future. I read an arc of the book while listening to an audiobook narrated by Bernadette Dunne who does a wonderful job.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the arc and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook

When you combine cranky neighbors, a home renovation show that does not know what they're doing, death and a lot of troublesome turkeys. What you get is this book. Laugh out loud, funny and incredibly entertaining. This was a journey and a delight to read.

The absolute hilarity of the towns people gathering together to rid the neighborhood of the feral turkey population and what they do to achieve that. Honestly, if you're looking for a cozy mystery that's just fun and light-hearted you can't go wrong with any book in this series but 10 out of 10 recommend this one.

What a wild turkey of a read!
 
This community definitely flocks together in times of need. The wild turkey escape was such a fun situation for them to be dealing with. The trapping of the turkeys took up practically half the book. I really enjoyed the process of finding out who did it. The murder aspect didn’t occur for a while. I kept waiting for it. But the wait wasn’t off-putting for me. The whole situation was entertaining.

I didn’t read any of the other books in this series beforehand. This being book 35, I was a bit worried. However, everything and everyone were fairly easy to follow. If I was unsure about who someone was, it was cleared up in a timely manner. I’m definitely interested in reading more from this series.

This mystery is so funny! The town is overrun with feral turkeys and Meg is hot on their tail feathers. The mystery revolves around the turkeys, but also around a home renovation in the town that is really not turning out to be what the homeowners were expecting. Throw in a murder or two, a couple of little cadaver finding dogs, lots of teenagers who are on the bubble of trouble and you have a wildly entertaining book!

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Bernadette Dunne. The narration was very well done and I loved the tone of her voice. It really resonates a maturity to the character of Meg and helps you believe that she really is capable of solving the mysteries.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

Donna Andrews is the queen of cozy mysteries and Between a Flock and a Hard Place did not disappoint. When turkeys take over the town after a home renovation reality TV show, the town organized to control the turkeys. When a woman winds up dead, the plot thickens and the mystery really raps up. With a lot of laughter and connecting the dos, Between a Flock and a Hard Place packs a punch.

Narrator Bernadette Dunne nailed the complexity of tones needed for the various characters and conveys the right emotions as the story ebbed and flows from serious to hilarious.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.

Now what can happen to Meg this time? Well her neighbors get lucky and win a home makeover, but are they lucky? The whole project is a disaster and the house looks ready to collapse, so Meg has her hands full making sure that all the city codes and ordinances are being followed. Add to the mixed a flock of feral turkeys, that are mean and territorial now are terrifying the neighborhood. Then she finds Mrs. Smetkamp, who no one really liked dead in her backyard shed. Another typical day in the crazy life of Meg Langslow.
A fun book and audiobook, really got a few good laughs with the turkey antics. Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own. #BetweenaFlockandaHardPlace #MegLangslow

Between a Flock and a Hard Place AUDIO by Donna Andrews is a Meg Langslow cozy mystery. As always, it is outrageous. There have been problems with feral turkeys on the outside of town and now somehow they are in town, harassing an entire neighborhood. To complicate matters, there is a home renovation underway in the same neighborhood. It doesn’t appear to be going well and the homeowners are sleeping in cots on the premises. The whole thing is really entertaining nonsense. The show runner for the home makeover show doesn’t know what he doing and has hired day labor to dismantle the interior of the home, including the load-bearing walls. Meg is right there in her job as assistant to the mayor, as she calls it “assistant in charge of nuts and nuisances.” As if things aren’t moving slowly enough, there is a murder: the lady of the house, found in the shed. The murderer tried to make it look as if the turkeys had done it, but that didn’t fly (sorry). There were all sorts of complications, starting with moving the turkeys.

Meg is a busy woman, as are her parents, and her grandparents, as well as taking care of teenage twin sons. She is competent and creative, always looking for solutions and using her family to implement many of them. Her husband, Michael, teaches drama at the local college and we don’t actually hear much from him. It’s life in a small town at its most interesting. All kind of characters populate this interesting series, one of the longest running in cozy history. It turned out to be a homegrown mystery, leaving the outsiders free and clear. The turkeys were looked after and stopped (surgically) from continuing to breed, living out their lives at grandfather’s zoo. The rest all took care of itself although at some peril to Meg. Very entertaining. Thanks Donna Andrews for this fun character!

Bernadette Dunne is the reader for this series and although her voice sounds too old for Meg, I have adjusted and fully enjoy her portrayals of all the characters. She lends a touch of background humor that is hard to beat!

I was invited to listen to Between a Rock and a Hard Place by MacMillan Audio. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #MacMillanAudio #DonnaAndrews #BernadetteDunne #BetweenAFlockAndAHardPlace

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series, primarily because of the characters and the humor; however, there is a tendency with long running series to “check in” with all the various characters, who add up as the series continues, and it takes up a large portion of the beginning of the book. This is the case with this series and in this latest one in particular. The murder doesn’t happen until 45% in, and while the lead up had the usual wonderful characters and scene setting, with a flock/rafter of turkeys to add comic levity, that was way too long to get to the investigation. All that aside, once the murder was discovered, the mystery was front and center and I enjoyed investigating with Meg and the rest of Caerphilly, and I look forward to the next.

Meg Langslow has a lot of jobs in Caerphilly. She is a blacksmith as well as a wife and mother of twins. She also helps out the mayor with special projects, soothing ruffled feathers when she can and recruiting various family members to help out when someone needs a quite place to do work, a place to stay, a lawn cleared of invasive weeds, or some advice on how to deal with a flock of feral turkeys. Oh, and she helps solve crimes.

So when the reality television home makeover show Marvelous Mansions comes to Cerphilly, specifically Bland Street, to remodel the Smetkamp’s house, Meg had to show up to help calm neighbors who were upset about the noise. What she finds is a large flock of feral turkeys in the Smetkamp’s lawn and trees, terrorizing anyone who comes close and generally making a mess. The turkeys are not new to town. They had been around for several years, and the mayor had been trying to figure out a way to get them under control. But they had never been on Bland Street. Clearly, someone had brought them there to disrupt the filming.

That means Meg’s first order of business is to help figure out a way to extract dozens of wild turkeys and finding a place for them to stay. She offers up her farm as a safe place for the neighbors to stay for the duration of the turkey wrangling, or even the whole remodel. A couple of people from the neighborhood take her up on that and head out. When she goes in to the Smetkamp house to see if Mrs. Smetkamp is willing to leave while they move the turkeys, she and the mayor find out that the team from the remodel show have gone overboard in the demo, taking out some load-bearing walls. The mayor insists that Mrs. Smetkamp leave until he can get some engineers in to make sure that it’s safe to be in the house.

The next morning, the Turkey Wrangling Team is up before dawn. There is a place at the zoo to house them, and everyone is in place with their hard hats and helmets, armed with garden implements and umbrellas to keep the turkeys moving in the right direction. But Mrs. Smetkamp is nowhere to be found. She’s not in the house, and it’s not until Meg checks the small shed out back that the mystery is solved. But another one is just beginning, because Mrs. Smetkamp was clearly murdered.

There is no shortage of suspects. Mrs. Smetkamp was not one to make friends, so her neighbors were not happy with her, even before she got a reality tv show to remodel her house. There is a young man who rented out the attic apartment across the street, and he rarely leaves. His behavior is suspicious, but would he have any reason to kill Mrs. Smetkamp? Was is her husband (the husband is always a suspect)? Was it someone with the show? Meg is ready to put all her resources towards solving the mystery, all the mysteries, really. But when the killer figures out how close she’s getting to the truth, will she find a way to alert the authorities, or will she be too late for prime time?

Between a Flock and a Hard Place is book 35(!) in Donna Andrews’ popular Meg Langslow series. I can’t say I’ve read all the books in the series, but I have read a lot. I’ve spent a lot of time with Meg and her family, so getting a new book from Andrews is such a treat. It’s like a vacation from reality, to spend time with my favorite family and hearing all about their crazy adventures. When I am stressed or unhappy, a trip to Caerphilly never disappoints. And this time was another fantastic trip to Virginia, and I’m already dreaming of going back again.

I listened to Between a Flock and a Hard Place, narrated beautifully by Bernadette Dunne. Things in my head have felt a little frantic lately, so when I started listening, I thought it was excruciatingly slow. Which is not unlike living in the American South for the first time. But the more I listened, the more it felt right and I was able to relax into the slower pace of Southern life and just enjoy the story. It’s a fun story, with puppies and parrots that listen to audio books (and quote back Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or George Carlin, depending on the parrot) and more puppies and so much delicious food.

I loved Between a Flock and a Hard Place. I mean, I’m a long-time fan of Andrews and this crazy Caerphilly she’s crafted, so I pretty much always love these books. And maybe that shows because I have to admit I knew who the killer was right away. But knowing that and still having to watch the whole story unfold was not the slightest bit disappointing. I was entertained through the whole story, and as always, I was a little disappointed when it was over. There were lots of good red herrings and distractions throughout, so there was never a dull moment in this story. If you haven’t yet tried one of Andrews’s mysteries, this is a fun one because of the home remodeling show. If you have, then you know how good it’s going to be and you can just jump right in.

Egalleys for Between a Flock and a Hard Place were provided by Minotaur Books, and an early copy of the audiobook was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks.

eBook - 5 Stars

After a run of unsatisfactory [for me] cozy reads, I was a little nervous to start this [what IF all cozies were bad for me now?? Clearly, I was tired and in need of coffee] one, even though Meg & Co. is typically what my bestie calls "my comfort reads" [she isn't wrong]; I should have saved my anxiety for something else, as this was 1. VERY good [as usual], and 2. it was absolutely what I needed to get out of my cozy slump.

Meg & Co. are up to their eyeballs in shenanigans in this outing; a house being re-habbed by a TV show [that is not even remotely going the way it should, naturally], feral turkey's, rogue turkey handlers up to no good, weird renters, Pomeranian cadaver dogs [who knew?], and of course, because there wasn't enough shenanigans, murder. And it is all a huge chaotic mess and I was totally here for all of it and enjoying it 100%!!

The mystery/murder was interesting - so many suspects [so little time LOL] that all lead to OTHER crimes [which was intriguing, as it was like the domino effect], plus a very surprising disovery and a very interesting reveal [why are all the baddies so ego-driven that they cannot see how their plan is about to go seriously awry?? BIG EYEROLL], it all makes for a very entertaining read. Oh, did I mention sheep? And methane testing? Ahhhh, how I love Meg's grandfather!! LOL

I saw the killer early on, but totally talked myself out of it because there was a real plethora of suspects here [how sad to be SO unlikable that when you're murdered there are so many suspects to choose from], so I was surprised, but not really. It certainly didn't affect my complete enjoyment of this book and I am SO GLAD we get another book this year!!

For a series that I decided to read on a whim and then BOUGHT the first 8 books [they were on sale] before even cracking one open, this has been a real winner for me and as long as Ms. Andrews is writing them, I will be in line to read them!


Audiobook ARC - 4 Stars

Now that Bernadette Dunne has settled in for me as a narrator [I will admit, I had all these voices in my head already and when I had to switch to audiobooks due to eye issues, I was...well let's just say I struggled with the narration as it was nowhere near what I already had in my head; thankfully, that has settled and all my voices {with the exception of Meg's mother} for this book are gone and I only hear Ms. Dunne's narration] for Meg & Co. I look forward to listening to her tell these fun stories and I enjoy her way of telling them; such was the case here and I am so glad I was able to get the audiobook ARC and didn't have to wait for it. ;-) A job 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 in exchange for an honest review.

I discovered Donna Andrews's Meg Langslow series two years ago when I picked up Dashing Through the Snowbirds because of the fun cover. I've read a few more books in the series since then and have discovered that I really like the audiobooks in this series. Now this isn't a new series. Between a Flock and a Hard Place is book 35. I haven't had the time to go back and read the older titles but I haven't had any trouble starting so late in the series.

If you like quirky in your cozy mysteries then this is a great book to read. As the titles imply, birds feature in each novel. In the other books I've read they are kind of like side characters or just features in the book, but in this book, the birds are front and center in the plot. Though they are turkeys and not seagulls there were a few scenes that might have been worthy of the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds.

The turkeys aren't usually in the neighborhood so many think they were purposely brought in to cause mayhem. So much time at the beginning of the novel is spent on the birds and rounding them up, I thought perhaps this was the mystery to be solved (which would be refreshing in a cozy mystery), but eventually, Meg stumbles upon a dead body.

I love home makeover shows so I usually enjoy it when a home makeover is featured in a book. But there is actually very little of the show in the book. I guess Andrews didn't want to do another reality show since that was part of the plot in Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! (Meg was on a blacksmithing reality show similar to Forged in Fire).

I'll be honest - this wasn't my favorite in the series. I love the characters but at times they came off judgemental with their criticism of people having non-native plants. I've always liked that the series is pro-environment but it just felt a little too heavy-handed in this story. I also found the plot to be slow. I think I was more than a third of the way through the book when there was finally a dead body. While the turkeys added some fun to the novel it just didn't hold my attention.

I still enjoyed the novel. It was a fun distraction while doing housework. Bernadette Dunne does a wonderful job as the narrator. I don't have any trouble telling characters apart and there are a lot of characters in the book. Meg has a large family and many townspeople are present as they round up the turkeys, plus there is the construction crew and production crew.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/08/between-flock-and-hard-place-by-donna.html

Donna Andrews continues to write intricately woven cozy mysteries. At one point in the story, I thought in my head, channeling Oprah Winfrey, “You have a motive, and you have a motive, and you have a motive. . . .” By the end of the book, multiple crimes have been committed. As usual, the whole town is involved in solving the mysteries.

In a past installment, I noted not caring for Bernadette Dunne's narration. I had no such complaints this time around. This installment can be read without having read the entire series before it.

3.5⭐