I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Murder with Peacocks
by
Donna Andrews
amateur sleuth, cozy mystery in a Kindle edition that was published by Minotaur Books on February 7, 2006 and has 321 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include The Real Macaw, Some Like It Hawk, The Hen of the Baskervilles, Duck the Halls, The Good, the Bad, and the Emus, Lord of the Wings, The Nightingale Before Christmas, Die Like an Eagle, Gone Gull, How the Finch Stole Christmas!, Toucan Keep a Secret, Lark! The Herald Angels Sing, The Falcon Always Wings Twice, The Gift of the Magpie, The Twelve Jays of Christmas, Murder with Puffins, Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos, Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon, We’ll Always Have Parrots, Owls Well That Ends Well, Terns of Endearment, Between a Flock and a Hard Place, No Nest for the Wicket, The Penguin Who Knew Too Much, Cockatiels at Seven, Six Geese A-Slaying, Stork Raving Mad, Owl Be Home for Christmas, Murder Most Fowl, Round Up the Usual Peacocks, Dashing Through the Snowbirds, Birder, She Wrote, Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow!, Rockin' Around the Chickadee
First in the Meg Langslow cozy mystery series and revolving around an amateur sleuth who happens to be a blacksmith.
In 2000, Murder with Peacocks won the Barry Award for Best First Novel, the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the Lefty Award, and the Agatha Award for Best First Novel in 1999. It was nominated for the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel in 2000.
My Take
Andrews sets an easygoing pace, and if you want a cozy read with a woman protagonist, read Murder with Peacocks. I gotta warn ya, you’ll be hooked!
Meg both cracks me up and drives me nuts. She takes out her frustration and anger by hammering away at metal at her forge because she’s too easy at saying okay. She’s so annoyed at being called upon by everyone in her family to organize, fix, and schedule everything — three weddings in one summer? Is she nuts!?! She is, however, a nice woman. Luckily for her, lol. Did I mention the story is told in first person protagonist point-of-view from Meg’s perspective? Yep, that’s how we know all about her inner struggles.
That Samantha is so incredibly inconsiderate, thinking that “the entire universe revolves around her upcoming wedding”. It’s Meg’s ability to solve anything, well, and her being her fiancé’s sister, that inspired her asking Meg to be her maid of honor. Samantha is not thrilled that Dad is trying to talk Rob out of marrying her. Nor is she “happy” that the “unaesthetic” Pugh will be officiating at her wedding. What a beyotch!
Lolol, Meg finally realizes why she’s looking forward to Samantha’s wedding day. For all the wrong reasons *more laughter*. Okay, it is sympathetic laughter.
Ya know, I gotta wonder why none of these brides are doing anything about their own weddings. Meg needs to grow a backbone! Michael is the complete opposite of these brides-to-be, willing to jump in and help with anything.
Jeez, Jane sounds too much like Samatha, so obsessed with her deceased sister’s jewelry and good furniture and . . . oy. And the things she say’s about Mother! She’s also obsessed with being mean to anyone.
Meg’s mother and dad have a crazy relationship. They had an amicable divorce five years ago. And Dad still shows up to do all the gardening — he’s, um, fascinated by poisonous plants — and run errands! In Murder with Peacocks, he’s prepping the yard for his ex-wife’s marriage to another man as well as redoing the Brewsters’ and Donleavys’ yards. Then we find out what a romantic Dad is. Of course, Meg is Mother’s maid of honor as well.
I gotta say, Andrews’ description of her dad cracks me up: short, bald, and pudgy. I’m surprised her mother accepted this since she’s so obsessed with appearances. Mother is a benevolent martinet, capable of getting everyone else to do the work while she supervises.
Eileen is flighty with her promises and everchanging “weird” ideas for her and Steven’s wedding. Nor will she accept that Meg is NOT INTERESTED in Barry. It does add a unique interest in Murder with Peacocks. Yeah, Barry doesn’t seem to understand no.
Throughout the story Michael explains his mother’s not being in town due to injuries, and when you discover the truth at the end, well, I cracked up. As for the rumors the women in the wedding parties are spreading about Michael. Oh. Boy. Poor boy is too polite to push his way into Meg’s bubble.
Lol, per usual, at least two of the brides have chosen ridiculous bridesmaid dresses. I’m sweating just thinking about Eileen’s! I cracked up at Meg’s appearance in her Southern belle dress!
Ya can’t help but love Mother’s family, the Hollingsworths. They’re free-spirited and turn out for everything, are willing to work, and fortunately bring dishes of food every time. Be warned, they do treat croquet as a blood sport, lol.
It’s a busy, action-packed story with murders, electrical outages, vicious croquet games, landslides, a calligrapher holding invitations hostage, a deceased relative whose ashes prove useful, bombs, poison, hospitals, a need for forensics, acts of sabotage, testing murder dummies, gopher stomping, poison ivy, blackmail, and so much more!
It’s all with a cast of extreme characters who are totally fascinating. It’s hard to believe this many crazy people can exist in a small town. It does guarantee no boredom and plenty of laughter.
The Story
So far Meg Langslow’s summer is not going swimmingly. Down in her small Virginia hometown, she’s maid of honor at the nuptials of three loved ones — each of whom has dumped the planning, organizing, and troubleshooting in her capable hands. One bride is set on including a Native American herbal purification ceremony, while another wants live peacocks on the lawn. Only help from the town’s drop-dead gorgeous hunk, disappointingly rumored to be gay, keeps Meg afloat in a sea of dotty relatives and outrageous neighbors.
And, in a whirl of summer parties and picnics, Southern hospitality is strained to the limit by an offensive newcomer who hints at skeletons in the guests’ closets. But it seems this lady has offended one too many when she’s found dead in suspicious circumstances, followed by a string of accidents — some fatal. Soon, level-headed Meg’s to-do list extends from flower arrangements and bridal registries to catching a killer — before the next catered event is her own funeral . . .
The Characters
Meg Langslow is single and a blacksmith who lives two hours away to escape her family’s demands.
Yorktown, Virginia, is . . .
. . . Meg’s hometown. Mother, a.k.a. Margaret Hollingsworth Langslow, is the imperious woman who has incredible taste but does obsess about decorating. Dad, a.k.a. James Langslow and king of the nibblers, is a semi-retired doctor who thrives on murder mysteries, bird-watching, gardening, and treating injured people. He’s amazingly inept at dealing with machinery. Pam is Meg’s and Rob’s older sister who’s already married with six children. Mal McReady is her husband who’s off to spend the summer with his parents in Australia with their four oldest kids. Eight-year-old Eric and Nathalie are their youngest kids. Duck is Eric’s pet who is laying eggs everywhere. Eric’s young friends include Timmy, A.J., and Berke. Mrs Fenniman is Mother’s best friend who writes the “Around Town” society columns for the paper.
Rob Langslow is Meg’s rather silly brother who tries to avoid responsibility and is currently “studying” for his bar exam. Uh-huh. Samantha Brewster is Rob’s sleazy bridezilla of a fiancée on her second wedding. With 47 pages of guests! Scotty Ballister is a childhood “friend” of Meg’s who’s in training to be the town drunk. His father is also a partner in the bride’s father’s law firm, so he’s an usher in the wedding. An embezzling Miami stockbroker was to have been Samantha’s first groom. Samantha’s snotty bridesmaids include Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer, Kimberly, Tiffany, Heather, Melissa, and Blair. And Ashley. Ian will have to be an usher substitute. Dougie is one of Samantha’s friends who’s overly interested in Meg.
Dahlia Waterston, a military widow, owns the local bridal shop. Michael the Gorgeous is her actor son, suddenly drafted into being his mom’s replacement for the summer. Michael also has a doctorate in drama and is an Associate Professor in the Theater Arts Department at Caerphilly College. Cutesy-poo, a.k.a. Spike, is Dahlia’s evil dog whom she rescued from a shelter. Mrs Tranh is the head seamstress. Aunt Marigold is the sister in Florida.
The dour Jake Wendell, is a next-door neighbor and Mother’s fiancé. He retired from Waltham Consultants, Inc. The wealthy Emma is his deceased wife. The greedy and mean Jane Grover is Emma’s sister.
The Reverend Pugh is the retired rector of the Grace Episcopal Church and an old family friend. Mrs Thornhill is the recommended calligrapher with way more cats than she should have. And a desperate daughter. The River Cafe delivers. Mr Price is the hapless electrician. Mr Dibbit owns peacocks. Red is good with computers.
Three hours west of Yorktown is . . .
. . . where Steven’s farm is located. Eileen Donleavy is Meg’s best friend and business partner — who has an eye for colors. Steven is her fiancé, and Meg is Eileen’s maid of honor. Barry is Steven’s boorish brother. Professor Donleavy is Eileen’s dad. Brian is Eileen’s nephew with the measles. Caitlin is meant to be in the wedding. Little Petey is only two. Father Pete will preside over Eileen’s wedding.
The Hollingsworths are . . .
. . . Mother’s very extended family with a penchant for exaggeration. Uncle Stanley is a judge. Cousin Horace feels safer when he wears his gorilla suit. Great-aunt Sophy has a critical role to play, even though she’s deceased. Aunt Phoebe is another bird-watcher. “Cousin” Walter is with the FBI or maybe the SBI or the DEA?? Cousin Kate is a justice of the peace with a hog-caller’s voice. Cousin Frank is also a minister, although he does live in a . . . home. Sarah is his wife. Mr Ronson is, um, Cousin Frank’s minder. Cousin Matilda is a journalist writing a society column for the Town Crier. Uncle Lou and Cousin Mark have a death grip on the put-upon Rob. Cousin Leon has an 18-wheeler. Cousin Millie made the rehearsal cake. Aunt Esme. The really deaf Great-aunt Matilda. Aunt Catriona has bagpipes. Great-aunt Betty.
Jeffrey is the boyfriend Meg broke up with — and her family refuses to accept this. The Demerest girl was incredibly pregnant at her wedding.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a lush landscape with a close-up of a gorgeous bouquet that includes a scary looking peacock feather — that face! There’s a white lace-trimmed hand holding the bouquet that makes it seem so . . . benign. The background is primarily in green tones with a lawn that goes far back to a three-storied Victorian and a summer sky that radiates up to a soft gray blue. At the top is a pale blue rectangle that serves as the background for the dark green (and blue) title with a purple for the series info just below the title. There’s a blue testimonial under this on the left. There are several badges in the lower half with the top one serrated in fuchsia with white text and the lower one in a pale gray with black and red text. The author’s name is below this to the left of the bouquet-holding hand.
The title simply blends some of the action with Murder with Peacocks.
