I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
Between a Flock and a Hard Place
by
Donna Andrews
amateur sleuth, cozy mystery in a Kindle edition that was published by Minotaur Books on August 6, 2024 and has 301 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 Peacocks, 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, 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
Thirty-fifth in the Meg Langslow amateur sleuth cozy mystery series and revolving around Meg Langslow. The focus is on a flock of runaway turkeys and a disastrous home make-over.
My Take
Life keeps evolving and right now Meg is more of a troubleshooter for the mayor than a blacksmith. She does love being in the know (she is the amateur sleuth in the series), and she’s having a come-to-Jesus moment about applying to be a deputy. Her considerations do make sense. These are thoughts we’re privy to through Andrews’ use of first person protagonist point-of-view from Meg’s perspective.
It’s a bit disappointing that the family doesn’t appear much in Between a Flock and a Hard Place. That’s not to say there isn’t any family in this — Rose Noire and Kevin play their parts, as does Grandfather Blake.
To keep things more “real world”, Caerphilly is a tourist town with its attendant problems. Then there are the other IRL issues a town can have, from that of the legal, i.e., building permits, violations, etc., to the attractions to draw in the tourists, some of which includes the Garden Club’s fascination with native plants and their Weed Warriors always ready to help out; that impromptu potluck picnic; the generosity of the New Life Baptist Church; and, other compassionate considerations.
Less real world is that flock of antagonistic turkeys dumped on the Smetkamps’ lawn. Meg, Randall, and Burke are intensely involved in finding out whodunnit. It’s a resolution that emphasizes the decency of these Caerphilly residents.
Part of my attraction to this series is the interactions between the core characters and how much they help others out. I do think Meg is a bit too nice in inviting all and sundry to shack up at their house while the drama is ongoing, but that’s her. A good Samaritan. It’s a dream world, and one I’d like to live in.
The real fun comes in with the Smetkamps and the makeover show. Oh. Boy. It’s a good lesson for people who’d like to host a makeover show for their own places. Check out their credentials!! Load-bearing walls, people!
More nasty comes in with the accommodations provided for the show’s crew. Oy. They are truly lucky to be in Caerphilly, where they’ll be cared for.
A recurring series arc has environmental and animal aid themes — I do love the re-education of those parrots. It was also fun to listen to Grandfather going off on the relationship between dinosaurs and turkeys.
It’s an easy-to-read tale that’s mostly character-driven with action that allows this to play out. If you want a fun tale that’ll make you feel good, read Between a Flock and a Hard Place. You don’t need to read the previous stories, but it does make this one richer.
Hmm, feral peacocks. Meg will know how to deal with them.
The Story
Tensions are high between the Smetkamps, their neighbors, the renovation show, and city building inspectors. An emotional drama heightened when some pranksters unload a flock of feral turkeys on the neighborhood.
Territorial, cranky, and aggressive, these turkeys refuse to be moved and have taken over people’s yards, digging up everything.
It’s flock round-up day when the body is discovered.
The Characters
Meg Langslow, a blacksmith artist, spends more time being the mayor’s executive assistant for special projects. Michael Waterston, her husband, is a drama professor at Caerphilly College; he is also a volunteer firefighter. They have twin sons: Josh and Jamie. Spike is the Small Evil One, who has a fascination for Road Runner cartoons.
Rose Noire is a cousin who lives with them and is focused on natural products; Winnie is her Pomeranian and good at general tracking (The Twelve Jays of Christmas, 30). Kevin McReady, a computer geek who is also the PD’s computer forensic expert and Meg’s nephew, lives in the Langslow-Waterston basement. Widget is Kevin’s Pomeranian. He and a friend host Virginia Crime Time, podcasts about crimes in Virginia. Mother is Meg’s benignly autocratic mother with excellent taste. Father is Dr Langslow with a fascination for mysteries who also works as the town’s medical examiner. Rob is Meg’s brother. Tinkerbell is his Irish wolfhound.
Dr J Montgomery Blake, Meg’s grandfather, is a zoologist who is passionate about animal welfare and an environmentalist who owns a zoo just outside town. Part of his support network includes Blake’s Brigade, volunteers who show when Grandfather needs help. Zoo employees include Manoj. Dr Clarence Rutledge is the town veterinarian who likes his leather and chains. Festus Hollingsworth, a cousin, is one fierce lawyer who loves helping the underdog.
Randall Shiffley is the mayor with a BIG family. Buck Shiffley is the building inspector. Virgil Shiffley. Ernie Shiffley may still have that mobile home. Judge Jane Shiffley raises Redbone coonhounds. Jeanine is a real estate agent with a heart. Hannah is Randall’s niece.
Henry Burke is the chief of police. He and his wife, Minerva, are raising their orphaned grandsons: Cal Burke (old enough for a driver’s license!) and Adam Burke. Willie Mays is the Burke family Pomeranian. His officers include Aida Butler (Whatever is her Pomeranian), and she’s a friend of Meg’s. Horace Hollingsworth is one of Meg’s cousins; Watson is his Pomeranian. Vern Shiffley, who needs a dog. Sammy. George is the civilian staffer.
The Smetkamps, a.k.a. the Smellybads, — the snarly Imogen and the kindly Reg — are quite the contrast in personalities. Emma Peabody is the easygoing next-door neighbor with a beautiful, well, it used to be, garden. More neighbors include Darlene Browning, a Shiffley cousin whose Marine husband is deployed, with two sons, Evan and Luke. Dagmar is Darlene’s twin sister with a tracking dog, Piper. Meera Patel is a math professor who is in the Garden Club and avoids Imogen as much as she can. Charles Jasper is the man from whom the Smetkamps bought their house. Poor man just can’t let it go. Mrs “Jasper” who worked in the finance department at the college under her maiden name had run off some years ago. Myra Lord and her sons, Jason and Eli, who are incredibly helpful with those stepladders, and Tyler who is quite observant. Squeaky is their dog.
Dr Gloria Willingham is a drama professor working on a study of Black women playwrights of the Harlem Renaissance. Jennifer Hodges, a college student, rents Gloria’s spare bedroom. Chris Smith, another computer geek, rents Gloria’s attic.
Seth Early is a farmer with a herd of sheep who are always escaping. They’ll be doing their bit for global warming. Lad is Seth’s very competent border collie. Ragnar, a musician, has a farm outside town where the Langslow-Waterston family is always welcome. Ekaterina, a compassionate friend of Meg’s, is still the manager of the popular Caerphilly Inn, a five-star hotel. Enrique is a bell captain. Luigi’s is a favorite Italian restaurant.
The College Arms is a run-down garden apartment complex, a.k.a. The Armpits or the Pits. Westlake is the elite end of town with the snotty neighbors included. It seems the acreage to create Westlake was provided by Uncle Thaddeus Shiffley. Benny is a terrified Amazon driver. The Shack, a Shiffley enterprise, is such a popular barbecue restaurant that they plan to open the Secret Shack, location on a need-to-know basis. The Nameless Bar aims to appear as a sleazy seedy bar — decorated by Mother, lol.
The no-good Clay County is Caerphilly’s enemy. The Clay County Motor Lodge, a.k.a. the Roach Motel or Bedbug City, is not a desirable place to stay. The Clay Pigeon is a sleazy drinking establishment.
The Rockford PD and FBI are on the lookout.
Marvelous Mansions is . . .
. . . a makeover show, focusing on the Smetkamps’ house on Bland Street. Jared Blomqvist is the producer. Maddy is Jared’s assistant. The construction crew includes Loren, Kaden, and Todd.
The Cover and Title
The background of the cover is something of a gradient with a bright orange-yellow fading to white in the center which gradates into a bright green on the bottom. The author’s name is at the very top in green with the title in a pale yellow at the bottom. The central graphic is a stepladder with a can of red paint and one of a spilled yellow on the right. To personalize it *grin* is a turkey with displayed tail perching on the ladder. Another turkey is flying in with another can of paint and one is observing from the ground. To the lower middle right is the series info in green.
The title is too accurate, for the neighbors on Bland Street are definitely Between a Flock and a Hard Place.
