Macmillan Audio presents Rockin’ Around the Chickadee: A Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews is book 36 in the series. Do not let that number put you off like it did for me for a few days. This is a stand alone audiobook narrated by Bernadette Dunne and I must say if you love singing Christmas carols in the middle of Fall like I do this is totally the listen for you. This was my first ever Donna Andrews novel and the mystery is just as cozy as a roaring fire on a snowy morning. Yet, this amateur sleuth story does come with a few trigger warnings including details about blood and animal abuse (the animal is not seriously injured). Even with that I can honestly say this book was so good I didn’t even mind that the murder did not happen in the first 2 chapters of the book, a detail I usually complain about, but with the many layers and the narrator helping give everyone their own personality, I forgot for a while murder was on the menu and just enjoyed the story. It really felt like I was a third party onlooker and not sitting on the bus heading to and from work. Needless to say I will be checking out the first book in this series so I can meet the family from the start and see the drama unfold from the beginning.

Rockin Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews
Narrated by Bernadette Dunn
Book 36 in the Meg Langslow Series

This is the eleventh Christmas book over the course of this favorite series and I have enjoyed them all. Admittedly, some more than others but I have re-listened to all of them over the years. Happily, this one has less Dickens and no owls (that I recall) which made me happy.
The primary storyline is about Grandma Cordelia’s Presumed Innocent Conference at the Inn, with all the usual characters that we have come to love. A nasty bad guy gets murdered and you might find the culprit surprising but I found it pretty obvious. However, for me the point of these stories is the eccentric cast of characters and the family togetherness and the just plain fun.
As usual the narration was excellent and the whole experience was completely enjoyable.
Oops, I forgot to say there is a baby at the end. Since Delaney’s pregnancy is the other storyline this is not a spoiler.

This book was exactly what I was expecting and was a perfect cozy read after a really hard historical fiction book.

This lighthearted and fluffy mystery was a fun commentary on true crime and the double edged sword that people's fascination with it brings. The book seems to say that the interest leads to cases getting more attention and culprits found, as well as wrongful convictions being more likely to be turned over, but at what cost to the people involved? It's a good question that I think most of us that ready true crime/mystery/historical fiction have pondered in the last few years as we have seen cases gain traction in mainstream media and podcasts come out on long forgotten missing persons.

This book asks that question in a fun way, one that lets you still enjoy a fictional romp around Caerphilly with all the regulars, and a few new faces that might just stick around.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes cozy mysteries and true crime inspired stories.

Thanks for the ARC, I enjoyed it. :)

Edit: I have listened to the audiobook and I have changed my review from 4 stars to 5 stars.

I thought this story was so so fun already but boy does the narrator make it so much better. Bernadette Dunne, the narrator that you are!!!! Bernadette Dunne makes the characters come to life and just gives such an amazing performance for Rockin' Around the Chickadees by Donna Andrews. I love companion reading with my audiobook and this one is totally worth the splurge to get it in both printed and audio format. I highly highly recommend the narration!

Original Review: 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. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys holiday cheer and cozy mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, 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.

I just finished the latest Donna Andrews book. Rocking Around The Chickadee was a blast! I loved it!

ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHICKADEE is the 36th book in the Meg Langslow Mysteries by Donna Andrew. I’m not sure how she does it, but the author always makes her holiday-themed cozy mysteries fresh and entertaining. The cast of characters, from protagonist Meg Langslow, to her immediate family and distant cousins along with friends, have continuously grown and evolved, much the same as any real-life group of people. And while this can be read as a standalone, being “involved” with the characters from the very start has felt rewarding. In this newest release, the family is eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new baby to the family. Meanwhile, Meg, her grandmother, and her nephew are involved in the Presumed Innocence Conference—organized to help people who have been wrongly convicted. I love how Meg and her family are firm believers in social justice. There are some statistics woven into the story that are quite disturbing and I appreciate the author bringing the issue to the attention of readers. And while this character-driven book is full of charm, the mystery itself is well-plotted and captured my attention. If you enjoy holiday-themed cozy mysteries filled with delightful characters, then you’ll enjoy Rockin’ Around the Chickadee!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook narrated by Bernadette Dunne. The narrator does an excellent job in capturing not only the voices but also the personalities of each character. I also find it admirable that over the course of the series, the voices for each character remain the same, bringing continuity.

I dnf after 30% of the audiobook. I felt the story moved very slowly and I didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters. In all fairness to the author and narrator, I have not read or listened to any of the previous novels in this series and that may be where the problem lies.

In the midst of the holiday season, at a true crime conference, an unsavory character makes everyone's lives miserable. And then he turns up dead. This leaves the investigators with a long list of people who might have a motive to kill him. Meg Langslow is there to help, as usual, but this time, her job includes keeping her pregnant sister-in-law cool and calm. Can she juggle keeping everything in line and helping to unearth the killer?

Thank you Donna Andrews and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook copy of this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

I absolutely love a good cozy holiday mystery. This one was definitely a fun one! The only thing I could have wished for more of is a stronger holiday vibe. Other than that, I greatly enjoyed following along with Meg in the investigation. This is the first Meg Langslow book by Donna Andrews that I have experienced, and it left me with wanting to go back and learn more about Meg's family and friends in the previous books.

I am really glad that I got to experience this book in the audio format. It is the perfect book to listen to as it is easy to follow while also being entertaining and mysterious. My recommendation is to definitely pick up this holiday mystery as the holiday season begins and colder weather rolls in!

I really enjoy cozy mysteries. I haven't read this series yet but since I like cozy mysteries, audiobooks, and Christmas time tales I wanted to give this one a try. I like that it isn't necessary to have read the previous stories to not feel completely lost. I'm sure it can be helpful, but I didn't feel lost. It was a good story and I think the narrator did a good job.

Thank you for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I listened to this audiobook today and could not get into it at all. It was very slow moving. The narrator did an ok job. Probably not my favorite but it was good. The book itself just did nothing for me. It moved slow and did not pull me in at all. There was no connection with any of the characters.

First of all, I can't believe this is the 36th book in the series. Where, oh where, did the time go?!? It is always a pleasure to visit the fictional town of Caerphilly, Virginia - especially around the holidays where there are 2 things that can be counted on to happen: a white Christmas and a murder! Things are hopping with Delaney confined to bed/couch with her high-risk pregnancy, the inn hosting a true crime convention with a special focus on wrongly convicted citizens, and Rose Noire discovering a dead body on Michael and Meg's property! With plenty of suspects and a baby on the way, Rockin' Around the Chickadee is another fun and very cozy mystery from the incredibly talented Donna Andrews. A+++ and 5 stars!!!

While not as Christmassy as I was hoping, this was a cute little mystery. The characters are likable, and the narrator did a great job guiding the reader through the journey. Though it lacked some holiday atmosphere, the story's charm made up for it. A delightful, light-hearted read overall. However, I didn’t realize this was part of a very long series, which might have helped me connect more with the characters since many of them are recurring. For newcomers, diving into the earlier books might enhance the experience, but it’s still an enjoyable standalone!

Thank you to Macmillan audio and NetGalley for an advanced audiobook copy of Rockin' Around the Chickadee. After listening to 30% of the book, I realized that I was not the intended audience for it.

The book is a cozy mystery and takes place around Christmas time. Meg Langslow isn't hosting her usual holiday parties this year, and relatives will be staying with other friends and family in order to maintain a calming atmosphere for her pregnant sister-in-law. That is until a dead body appears in Meg and Michael's yard and the mystery needs to be solved.

This was my first book by Donna Andrews and I know they are very popular books as they are continuously checked out at the library I work at, which is why I decided to give one a try. I was aware that this is book #36 of the Meg Langslow Mystery series, but after reading multiple reviews about Donna Andrews books, it did seem okay to read as a stand alone.

As previously stated, I only listened to 30% of the audiobook, however, I do believe it is okay to read this book as a stand alone, as Donna Andrews does a good job of filling in any gaps and introducing characters that are probably well known to previous readers of her series, a new reader just might not have a deeper connection to those characters. There is nothing necessarily wrong with the book, I just don't believe the type of humor in the book is my style. It was a bit corny for my taste, but I think plenty of people would enjoy this book and I would still recommend it to others who are looking for a cute and cozy murder mystery book with clean humor.

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee is #36 of the Meg Langslow books, a series I dip in and out of. I think that’s part of my problem with it. Andrews does a good job with the characters growing and changing, but I only catch bits of it. But it’s way too long a series for me to go back to the beginning.

Meg is a blacksmith, wife of professor/ actor Michael, mother of twin boys, assistant to the mayor, and a member of the quirky Hollingsworth family, and, of course, our amateur sleuth. She wears a lot of hats and in each book one or the other seems to be at the forefront. This time, being a member of the Hollingsworth family is at the top of the list. Her grandmother is hosting a conference highlighting the Presumed Innocent organization and several of the family members are helping by being on panels or making sure it all runs smoothly. While most attendees are either true crime buffs or hoping for help proving someone innocent, there is one man who is against the purpose of the conference and makes his opinions well-known. It’s no surprise he ends up dead, but it is unfortunate that his body is found in Meg’s backyard.

The conference gives us plenty of suspects in the murder. The mystery unfolds at a good pace even in the midst of all the family activities, with Meg gathering clues and even getting her boys to help out a bit. The identity of the killer is not a surprise, but at least one of the characters didn’t see it coming.

Overall, it was a fun book. I listened to the audio version and the narrator did a good job keeping all the characters straight and the tone, even while discussing serious topics, light.

3.5 stars

In this 36th book in the 'Meg Langslow' series, Meg - who's a blacksmith, wife, mother, assistant to the mayor, and amateur sleuth - helps investigate the murder of a despised provocateur. The book can be read as a standalone, but knowledge of the characters is a plus.

A nice feature of the Meg Langslow cozy mysteries is the evolution of the characters, who mature and change as the years go by. The main protagonists in the books are members of Meg's large extended family, all of whom live near each other in Caerphilly, Virginia.

As the story opens, it's Christmas season, and Meg's brother Rob and his wife Delaney, who's very pregnant and on bed rest, are staying with Meg while they look for a house. Meg's cousin Rose Noire - a Wiccan hippy-dippy free spirit - is happily looking after Delaney, encouraging the expectant mother's hobby of watching chickadees in the backyard. As it turns out, the yard's 'bird camera' proves very helpful later on, when a murder occurs.

To back up a little, Meg's nephew Kevin (an up-and-coming true crime podcaster), and Meg's grandmother Cordelia (a social justice activist), have organized a symposium - called the Presumed Innocence Conference - to help people who are trying to exonerate someone they believe has been wrongly convicted. Meg observes, "We have something like two million people in jail or prison across the country, and experts estimate between one and ten percent of them are innocent. That's between twenty thousand and two hundred thousand people serving time for something they didn't do." Meg's lawyer cousin Festus Hollingsworth is already deeply involved in the cause, having helped free Ezekiel Blaine, an innocent man imprisoned for fifty years. Ezekiel is scheduled to help at the conference, accompanied by his cute little dog Ruth.

The innocence symposium, which is being held at a local luxury hotel called the Inn, has a large number of registrants who'll be staying at the hostelry. The attendees will have the opportunity to hear speakers like Chief of Police Burke and attorney Festus Hollingsworth, and get advice from advocates who are knowledgeable about innocence projects.

Unfortunately, one of the conference registrants is a VERY unwelcome guest. The man, who's known as the Gadfly, is Godfrey Norton, who believes anyone convicted of a crime is guilty. Thus Norton harasses people involved in innocence projects, spewing his invective on social media and at conferences. Norton even goes a step further, stalking and harassing former convicts who've been declared innocent. Norton makes it his business to spread lies about exonerees, trying to get them fired from their jobs and evicted from their homes.

Once the Presumed Innocence Conference gets going, Norton is right there, shouting at people and calling them names. Most of Norton's tirades are directed at people who believe someone in their life was wrongly convicted, and are fighting to get them freed. However, Norton is an equal opportunity annoyer, irritating EVERYONE in his path. Norton even harasses the little pooch Ruth, which is truly unforgivable. Needless to say, Norton is murdered, and his body is found in Meg's backyard. The police investigate, and amateur sleuth (and self-proclaimed nosybody) Meg tags along to help. Meg gets the idea to use tapes from from the 'bird camera', which helps tie down Norton's time of death, so people's alibis can be tested.

It's presumed the perpetrator crept out of the Inn to kill Norton, somehow getting past the hotel's security cameras. So Meg's young teenage twins, Jamie and Josh, help with the murder inquiries by trying to sneak past the Inn's CCTV cameras. (This is pretty entertaining. 🙂)

I have to say it wasn't too hard to guess the identity of the murderer, but the mystery is only part of the fun of the book. It's a pleasure to visit with Meg, her husband Michael, and their family and friends. It's also great to observe the Christmas festivities; see Rob and Delaney consider names for their baby (like the chickadee genus name Poecile); hobnob with Rose Noire, whose Wiccan New Age rituals are always fascinating; and more.

The Meg Langslow books make great light reading, and this Christmas-themed book is an enjoyable addition to the series.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Bernadette Dunne, who does a fine job.

Thanks to Netgalley, Donna Andrews, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.

Meg is at her best organizing and investigating in the latest book in the series. I like the later books in that the crazy family is a bit subdued but still around to add humor. I also like the fact that there are no diet references and Meg has confidence in herself.

Another solid installment in this long-running series. I love Meg and her entire family of quirky characters. This one was set around the Christmas holiday which was fun. I also enjoyed the fact that Donna Andrews used this book to shine a light on our justice system and the efforts being made to overturn wrongful convictions. It was done in a lighthearted, cozy way; but this one gave me more food for thought than I usually get from this series. Great for cozy mystery fans whether you're a long-time reader of the series or not.

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee (Meg Langslow #36)
Donna Andrews
Meg is helping her grandmother at a Presumed Innocent convention. The premise is to assist people that have been wrongly convicted of crimes and to overturn the conviction. There is one particularly unpleasant attendee that keeps interrupting the speakers; he thinks there should not be any convictions overturned despite the new evidence. The vile man is an internet troll/podcaster. He is removed from the conference. Most of the people at the conference dislike him. The man turns up dead in Meg’s backyard. Everyone at the conference is a suspect. Meg’s boys help with the investigation by looking for how the killer could have walked out of the conference hotel without being seen.
At home Delany, Meg’s sister-in-law, Delany is supposed to have a quiet atmosphere until her baby is born; the due date is around Christmas Day. Meg and Michael will not be hosting their usual Christmas festivities. The parties have been farmed out to others. Delany spends her time watching the Chickadees.
This is the first book I’ve read in this series. Meg Langslow is the wife of a professor/TV actor Michael Waterston, she and Michael have twin boys, she is a blacksmith, an assistant to the mayor, a member of the Hollingworth family and an amateur sleuth. I loved the character of Ezekiel Blaine and his dog Ruth. The narrator Bernadette Dunne did a great job. There is a lot of humor in this book.
This book moves along at a fast pace. This is a nice clean cozy mystery.

Book Title: Rockin’ Around the Chickadee
Author: Donna Anderson
Series: Meg Langslow Book #36
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narrator: Bernedette Dunne
Publisher: Macmillian Audio
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: October 15, 2024
My Rating: 4.2 Fun Stars
Pages 288


Delaney, Meg Langslow’s sister in-law is expecting- Meg and Michael decide to keep Meg quiet and healthy and forgo their usual Holiday parties.

Soon 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 [ book: 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].

I was lucky and got both the Galley as well as the audiobook. I am a big audiobook fan and have to admit that although both versions are good- I did like the audiobook better. Narrator Bernadette Dunne has performed many of the audiobooks in this series and does an excellent job with acting out the characters.

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 15, 2024.

I have enjoyed all of the books in this series and always look forward to them. This book was no exception. In this latest book a conference is taking place that involves people that have been wrongly accused of crimes. Meg's family is involved with the conference and she and the twins are spending a lot of time there to help out and make sure that things run smoothly. The story was well written and kept me engaged and trying to figure out who was responsible for the murder. I love the characters in this series and liked many of the new characters that were introduced in this book. I hope that some will return in future installments. The narrator of the audio book, Bernadette Dunne, is wonderful and I recognized her voice from other books I have listened to in this series. This is book 36 in the series, but the author gives enough background of the characters that it can be read as a stand alone. However the series is so good that I would recommend going back to the beginning and reading them all.

I received a complimentary copy of this audio book from the Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.