Duration 10h 33m
As I said in my
ebook review, the Meg Langslow series never disappoints. This is also
true of the audio version courtesy of #MacmilanAudio and #StMartinsPress
- #MinotaurBooks.
Narrator Bernadette Dunn does an excellent
job capturing Meg's often zen-like ability to stay cool, calm, and
collected, even when faced with difficult, even wild situations. Since
there is frequently a large cast in the series, I was particularly
interested in seeing how Dunne differentiated voices. I was particularly
fond of the voice she used for Meg's mother. She captured "mother"
nicely, using that slightly exasperated, slightly uppity tone that
conveys she can't imagine how anyone could argue, so why have you
disappointed me, but I still love you voice well. The different voices
add to the experience, I must admit. The audio version of the, well,
let's call it "the llamas and guests meet the visiting peacocks" scene,
definitely made it come alive for me, cheering the arrival of Border
Collie Lad to save the day. Grandfather's voice is slightly impatient,
while Michael remains the ever calm voice of sanity. Kudos to Dunn for
her interpretation of characters.
To be honest, I'm amazed at
how much a talented voice actor's change of pace, tone, or touch of "oh,
wow" can add to the story. I will definitely continue to read and enjoy
the print versions of this series but take every chance I get to listen
to the audio, too. The plot moved along steadily, chapter breaks
defined by a slight pause then simply announcing "Chapter (whatever)".
Bottom line, a fun experience and nice diversion from reality.
EBOOK/Original review follows:
This series never disappoints.
Despite
the chaos about her, Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow always seems to
maintain her almost zen-like calm while dealing with the bad guys. In
this, the 31st book of the series, she actually solves three cold cases.
Her nephew Kevin and Casey, a friend, were doing a true crime podcast, a
very modern touch to the plot, and had managed to rile up someone
enough to make them attempt to run down Casey. Spooked and more at home
in front of a computer than dealing with people, Kevin asks Meg to help
investigate. Since helping Kevin sounds like a great excuse to avoid
some of the wedding planning chaos going on, Meg readily agrees.
I
won't detail the plot, it's readily available elsewhere, but will say
that the wedding hoopla takes a backseat to the investigation although,
quite frankly, is the source of some absolutely hilarious scenes
involving Meg. Who knew herding dogs could herd peacocks? Or that
peacocks make great watchdogs, er, watch...birds? Well, when they're not
attacking you. Have you ever heard a peacock shriek? It isn't a
pleasant sound, so just the image conjured up of their possible
participation in the wedding program is amusing. Beautifully feathered,
yes. Peaceful and serene, no.
So, first, what is the Clay County
involvement in the cases? Why the heck are they stalking Meg's
movements? Second, in this day and age, why would any college department
resist converting its records to digital files? Could the answer to the
death of a professor be hidden there? Third, what happened to the
talented singer/college girl who simply seems to have disappeared? Did
her stalker kill her? If not, could she still be around to be found?
And, will Meg really wind up creating a gargoyle collection, so to
speak, for Ragnor? Sounds like they're fit right in.
These
questions are only the tip of the iceberg as Meg organizes and does
errands for the upcoming wedding, listens to the previous podcasts,
talks to Chief Burke, keeps her guests safe, wrangles peacocks, avoids
Spike's bad tempered bites, and dodges bad guys. This is a
can't-put-it-down read, full of both tense and hilarious moments with
lots of critters. My friends who have herding dogs will love it, I'm
sure. Lad, you're my furry hero in this one.
Thanks #NetGalley
and #StMartinsPress for my "wedding invite". It was fun to see Meg come
full circle from the beginning as she dealt with a wedding, quirky
relatives one can't help but love, and helps put the bad guys away.
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