This was a typical cute cozy mystery with a Christmas theme. I realized too late that I had requested part of a series, but this book could be read as a stand alone. The FMC was fairly judgy and I was put-off by the overuse of dialogue and verbiage that seemed dated and too formal.

Donna Andrews and the Lanslow family don't ever disappoint! This book is no exception. This was fun and quick read! I love that Meg and her crew always swoop in the save the day! I can't wait to read the next in the series!

"Rockin' Around the Chickadee" was a bit different from other books I typically read. After all, the primary setting of this story is during a conference about exonerating criminals, hosted by a family whose every member seems to be involved some way in fighting crime and/or injustice. I actually really enjoyed that part of it.

But while the event was held around Christmas, there was a strong pagan element, which wasn't what I anticipated in what I thought was going to be a Christmas story.

Despite the occasional stumble over things like that, I felt the mystery itself was good. I enjoyed the characters. I did figure out whodunnit sooner than I'd have liked, but the author did a great job of creating characters who were unique and entertaining.

Thank you to Donna Andrews, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This book was just so so for me. Cute and light but had trouble keeping my attention to want to continue on.

I really liked the premise of this entry in the series. While a little more serious than typically cozy mystery plots, it makes sense with Kevin’s podcast. The usual cast of characters make an appearance. The only downside is Meg. What does she actually do? She comes across as a know it all in this story.

Meet Meg Langslow, lady blacksmith, mother of twin preteens, wife to a drama professor (as in acting not the other sort of drama), assistant to the mayor of Caerphilly, and sometime sleuth. It is Christmas time in Caerphilly and Meg’s grandmother, Cordelia, has organized the Presumed Innocent conference for exonerates and family members of those in jail who may not belong there. This time of the year might seem like an odd time to host an event but it is the season of hope, joy, and love; and isn’t that what exonerates and the wrongly prosecuted are looking for? They certainly aren’t looking for Godfrey Norton, podcaster on a mission to make sure no one ever gets out of jail/prison regardless of innocence. The Gadfly, as Jamie and Josh, Meg’s tween twin sons refer to the contrarian podcaster, most likely registered under an alias so that he stir up trouble and harass the attendees. Thank goodness that Meg is good at heading off problems; she has past experience dealing with sticky situations including murder. So when the Gadfly turns up dead, behind the barn at Meg’s house, she does what she does best, help the Chief to figure out who did it, how they did it, and why they did it.

Meg is unlike most amateur sleuths in that she actually stays in her own lane but still manages to get the answers that are needed and she usually manages to do it without putting herself in danger. She is also the most organized amateur sleuth thanks to her notebook that “reminders her when to breath.” Oh and there is the amazing family network that I would LOVE to be adopted into because the Hollingsworths are that amazing and/or entertaining.

As far as this mystery goes, the suspects are interesting, the victim is over the top obnoxious, the sheriff is meticulous, the twins are helpful, Delaney is about to burst, Kevin is a little smitten, and Meg has everything under control. This is a great series because not only does it entertain and often educate, but it is so good on a book by book basis that you can read as a stand-alone but you really should take some time to check out the earlier 35 novels. My only critique is that voice used for the twins sounded a little too young for two boy tweens.

This was a quick on read that I enjoyed and was able to finish within a day. I really liked the plot and found the characters relatable.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Interesting mystery with decent characters and pacing. I have not read any of the others in this series but it was fine as a standalone. The narrator did a good job.

I love this cover! It’s so pretty and inviting. Then you open it up and the plot is not at all what I was expecting. The narrator is one of a kind. She brought the characters/story to life and made this cozy mystery much more enjoyable for me since it’s a little slow at some points. For being book #36 in a series, the perfect amount of details are given so it works as a standalone.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!

This is a wonderful cozy mystery series! I love the characters because they have strong, quirky personalities.
Meg is a great main character because she is everywhere talking to people in the community and they naturally open up to her and give her crucial information needed to solve the case. This book has a complex plot that focuses on the exoneration of innocent people in prison and helping them with life after prison. It reminded me of the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Bernadette Dunne. I liked that she used a different voice for each character so the listener could distinguish who was speaking while listening to the book. This is a perfect book for a weekend read!
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Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan for my copy of Rockin' Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews Narrated by Bernadette Dunne in exchange for an honest review. It published October 15, 2024.
First off, Bernadette Dunne is back doing an excellent job, I will never be able to separate Meg Langslow from her voice.
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.

Rockin' Around the Chickadee is a Meg Langslow cozy mystery from Donna Andrews.

"Meg's grandmother has organized a True Crime conference - Presumed Innocent. Some attendees are there hoping to find a way to get someone exonerated - others are just True Crime fans. When a body is found on Meg's property - and it's someone who thought everyone convicted was guilty - everyone attending becomes a suspect."

This is another Andrews book full of regular people that just happen to find a body...again. A lot of murders happen in this town. There are a lot of red herrings here - lots of suspects - and you're never sure who is guilty until Andrews reveals it. There's an unlikely hero and some holiday cheer at the end.

Great audio performance from Bernadette Dunne. She is the voice of Meg Langslow.

Nice story from Andrews.

This was a cute cozy mystery that was a bit slow at times, but did a good job mixing in the holidays, family, and the holidays. If you want a quick audio book to get you in the mood for the holidays mixed with a little mystery this would be a good choice.
Posting tomorrow on Instagram.

I will never not enjoy a book in this series! It gives you all of the cozy small town Christmas vibes in this book and I loved it!

The thing I love about this series so much is that even though 36 books and you get the same cast of characters, all of them have continued to grow. None of them have felt like they're standing still and not changing. The mystery itself was a little bit predictable which is fine because this is a cozy mystery and I wasn't trying to solve it. I was just listening to the audiobook.

I highly recommend any audiobook in this series. The narrator Bernadette Dunne is absolutely phenomenal and makes the reading experience just so immersive and comforting.

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Bernadette Dunn. Her voice is perfect for this series and she does a wonderful job with it.

This is probably my third Meg Langslow mystery, and I think I enjoy each one more as I become more familiar with the returning characters. Cozy mysteries are fun and flow pretty well. The mystery in this book surrounds a guy that no one appears to like. That leaves a whole lot of suspects for Meg and the sheriff to wade through. As usual, Meg ends up getting herself caught up in a bad situation by the time she figures out who the murder is.

This was interesting and just plain fun to listen to.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

I read and frequently review all of Donna Andrews' new Meg Langslow books. In fact, I like them so much that I often read the book and then listen to the audiobook, too. Rockin’ Around the Chickadee brings the series up to 36 books. I have read all of them. I can’t think of a single one that isn’t well written with a solid mystery. I love Meg, her family and friends and how they work together for the greater good. I love the town, Caerphilly, with its quirky characters and over the top celebrations. Rockin’ Around the Chickadee is a quality addition to the series. I feel that to say more would be to repeat myself from other reviews. It must take a lot of creativity to keep a series going for so long. I thoroughly enjoyed this new Christmas story, but somehow, while reading it, I was thinking that in Andrews’ richly developed world, there is still room to expand. Andrews has given us so many wonderful secondary characters. As readers, one of the things we enjoy about series like this is seeing those characters each time we visit that world. But somehow I feel like I’m not getting enough of my favorites. What if some of the Meg mysteries could feature a secondary character in a greater role? Could Meg and Rose Noir team up to solve a mystery in the Wiccan community? Maybe Meg and Horace could work together on a case? And what about Meg’s husband, Michael? He’s an awesome character that has faded into a background support person. I’d love to see Meg and Michael on a romantic getaway where there just happens to be a murder. I don’t mean to say I know more about what a book series needs than the very talented author and her skilled editor. So, let’s just call this my Christmas wishlist for the series and leave it at that. If you are a Meg Langslow fan, be sure to pick up Rockin’ Around the Chickadees for your Christmas reading. If you haven’t met Meg yet, you can start with any of the books, but the first book in the series is Murder with Peacocks.

Cute cozy mystery. Very realistic and the cast of characters were awesome! It was a good mystery with some great holiday themes. I am definately interested in reading some of the previous books in the series, as well as continuing it.

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews is the 36th book in the Meg Langslow series, but don’t worry, you can dive in without reading the others. It’s almost Christmas, and Meg is juggling a lot: helping her grandma with a true crime/Innocence Project Conference at the fancy Caerphilly Inn, stressing over her sister-in-law’s tough pregnancy, and, of course, solving a murder mystery right by her barn.

My husband’s a public defender, so I loved all the details about the exonerated characters and the work of the conference. It’s a heavier topic, but it’s handled really well—respectful but still keeping that cozy, light vibe the series is known for. And as always, the food descriptions were mouth-watering! Ekaterina, the Inn manager, is one of my favorite characters.

One tiny complaint: it didn’t feel as “holiday-y” as usual. The lights and decorations were there, but I missed more holiday-specific activities.
This time, I tried the audiobook version. Bernadette Dunne, the narrator, did an amazing job with the voices and really brought the characters to life. But I discovered that I’m still not great with audiobooks—I kept zoning out and had to rewind a lot, which made it harder to stay engaged. That was entirely my fault, and not because of the story or the narrator.

Overall, another fantastic entry in this fun series. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

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.

In this latest instalment of the Meg Langslow mystery series, readers are treated to a festive blend of family, fun, and intrigue, bringing together an eclectic mix of characters. However, the atmosphere quickly turns deadly when someone is found murdered in Meg's yard, prompting a race to uncover the truth before more lives are at stake.

The charm of this series lies not only in the mystery itself but also in the character dynamics and growth throughout the books. The engaging plot is funny and heartwarming, showcasing the importance of family bonds during the holiday season.

While the primary storyline revolves around the murder investigation, Andrews masterfully weaves in themes of justice and the complexities of wrongful convictions. Readers are encouraged to reflect on the implications of the innocence movement as the characters navigate moral dilemmas alongside their personal challenges. Though some may find the identity of the murderer predictable, the real joy of this book lies in the clever dialogue and a vibrant setting that makes Caerphilly feel like a character in its own right.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read. thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the audio arc.