Kill or Bee Killed, by Jennie Marts

 

Publication June 4, 2024

If you like your cozy mysteries with fun characters and humor, this is the book for you. Bailey Briggs is a successful mystery writer and the situations she and her best friend and sleuthing buddy Evie get into are frequently laugh out loud hilarious to visualize. I won't spoil things for you but will note that water seems to play a role rather often as the plot progresses. In addition to being a writer and sleuth, Bailey is a mom and her relationship with daughter Daisy grabs my attention every time, as does her long-time love for Sawyer, never mind that as a detective he is constantly warning her to stay safe and out of his investigations. I bet you know how well that goes over.

This installment in this relatively young series focuses on bullying and how different people respond to it. My hunch is that you're not going to waste much time feeling sorry for the murder victims. Well, maybe you'll feel a twinge of temporary sorrow for one but, well, you'll seen why I use the word temporary. There is more than one side to the various stories and, to be oblique, it's complex, especially for a story that starts out seeming to be about a competitive bake-off in the small town of Humble Hills, Colorado. Will Evie win? How does Sawyer always seem to be on the spot to rescue Bailey (and usually Evie) from some hijinx they've gotten themselves into? Do all morticians have a wicked quirky sense of humor?  Would you dress up as a bear for a 3K Bear Run? What creates a bully? How far would you go to get even? 

And, whoa, how the heck do Daisy and Bailey both wind up in the hospital? Oh, come on. You knew Bailey would find herself in danger, so that's not really a spoiler. And, speaking of Daisy, who.....oh, never mind. No more teasers. Just kick back, enjoy the quirky characters, humor, and budding romances, not to mention adorable dogs. Thanks #NetGalley and  #CrookedLaneBooks for inviting me to the Bee Festival. I'll note that you'll learn a bit about bees and bee keeping as you read, too, while the end recipes will have you heading in search of a sweet treat. With honey maybe?

Birder, She Wrote (Meg Langslow #33), by Donna Andrews AUDIO

 

AUDIO  Release August 1, 2023     10h 36m

First, I not only love this series, I've read the Kindle edition. I've found, however, that I have often missed nuances as I've read, usually in rush to find out whodunnit, so I thoroughly look forward to having a chance to review my memory via an audio edition. Narrated by Bernadette Dunne, this one is another winner. 

I'll share my original review below but, first, a few comments on the audio version. Kudos to Dunne for managing to differentiate a multitude of character voices in this installment. From the moment she introduces the book with a musical background, to the exciting ending, she was consistent and the voices largely matched the characters. There were many questions facing Meg, who always exudes what I'll call an almost zen-like calm, even when confronted by danger or a(nother) dead body. As her grandmother Cordelia notes, Meg copes with it all through action, revealing a character trait. The voices used for Meg's mother and Cordelia are particularly effective, I thought, and Britni's rather whiny tone was spot-on. Chapter changes were simply announced, nothing fancy, and background info was largely given via Meg's musings or within the dialogue, so while there are quite a few characters to sort out, new readers shouldn't be confused. It's definitely a book and series worth getting to know everyone, so don't hesitate to grab this one in any version and enjoy.

Thank you #NetGalley and #MacmillianAudio - #MinotaurBooks for allowing me to hang out at Caerphilly and eavesdrop on Meg's world of friends and neighbors. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to be diving into her Christmas offering asap. 

Original Review:

Publication August 1, 2023

I absolutely love this series. It's one of the ones that I'll put down whatever else I'm reading to read. There's so much packed into this installment that I won't even attempt to share the plot. Andrews is a master at weaving multiple plots lines together around multiple (and there are more than a few) characters, all with their own personalities and quirks. As usual, it's not just Meg who holds the Langslow Family together but at times seemingly the entire community, all of with admirable people skills, humor, patience, and intelligence. I've admired her and wished I had her for a friend for years now, so she and the entire family and community feel like ol' friends. That said, while I can certainly imagine the multitude of characters in and out of the story, most regulars, might initially confuse new readers, the book works nicely as a standalone. Wow, #33 and still going strong.

So, since I'm not delving into the plot, what can you expect to find in this book? First, of course, there's a murder victim. Meg doesn't find him but, well, she's on hand doing a good deed when the victim, a cranky NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) from the upscale neighborhood of the community is found. And, hey, did you know Poms make good cadaver dogs? You'll also get a wealth of info on raising and catering to another sort of resident, bees. I knew next to nothing despite some friends actually raising them, so this was interesting. Andrews either has experience with bees and/or did some meticulous research, that's for sure. And, oh, have you heard of bully hummingbirds? Apparently there is such a thing and you'll discover how to remedy that situation. 

Let's see, there's also the search for a lost African-American graveyard that dates perhaps to the Civil War. Never mind it sounds like it's mostly in a muddy bog. Land was precious back then and needed more for the living, after all. The modern world intrudes with mentions of drugs and extortion. Finally, there's the little matter of grandmother Cordelia tolerating Britni, an unlikable reporter for a story that sounds poised to present her as a snooty, pretentious socialite rather than the tough, outdoorsy type who harbors no fools. Somehow, Donna Andrews ties it all together smoothly, hopefully in time for Meg to squeeze in that relaxing session in the hammock she missed in chapter one. 

Bottom line, if you love character driven mysteries with multi-layer plot lines, you will love this one, Then, most likely, if you're new to the series, you'll quickly be on the lookout for the previous books to discover how Meg's life evolved to where we find her in this book. I've never been disappointed and frequently find myself chuckling as I envision some of the scenes playing out in front of me. My thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #MinotaurBooks for inviting me back to Caerphilly again to spend some quality time with Meg and the whole gang. Love the cover!

 

Birder, She Wrote (Meg Langslow #33), byDonna Andrews

 

Publication August 1, 2023

I absolutely love this series. It's one of the ones that I'll put down whatever else I'm reading to read. There's so much packed into this installment that I won't even attempt to share the plot. Andrews is a master at weaving multiple plots lines together around multiple (and there are more than a few) characters, all with their own personalities and quirks. As usual, it's not just Meg who holds the Langslow Family together but at times seemingly the entire community, all of with admirable people skills, humor, patience, and intelligence. I've admired her and wished I had her for a friend for years now, so she and the entire family and community feel like ol' friends. That said, while I can certainly imagine the multitude of characters in and out of the story, most regulars, might initially confuse new readers, the book works nicely as a standalone. Wow, #33 and still going strong.

So, since I'm not delving into the plot, what can you expect to find in this book? First, of course, there's a murder victim. Meg doesn't find him but, well, she's on hand doing a good deed when the victim, a cranky NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) from the upscale neighborhood of the community is found. And, hey, did you know Poms make good cadaver dogs? You'll also get a wealth of info on raising and catering to another sort of resident, bees. I knew next to nothing despite some friends actually raising them, so this was interesting. Andrews either has experience with bees and/or did some meticulous research, that's for sure. And, oh, have you heard of bully hummingbirds? Apparently there is such a thing and you'll discover how to remedy that situation. 

Let's see, there's also the search for a lost African-American graveyard that dates perhaps to the Civil War. Never mind it sounds like it's mostly in a muddy bog. Land was precious back then and needed more for the living, after all. The modern world intrudes with mentions of drugs and extortion. Finally, there's the little matter of grandmother Cordelia tolerating an unlikable reporter for a story that sounds poised to present her as a snooty, pretentious socialite rather than the tough, outdoorsy type who harbors no fools. Somehow, Donna Andrews ties it all together smoothly, hopefully in time for Meg to squeeze in that relaxing session in the hammock she missed in chapter one. 

Bottom line, if you love character driven mysteries with multi-layer plot lines, you will love this one, Then, most likely, if you're new to the series, you'll quickly be on the lookout for the previous books to discover how Meg's life evolved to where we find her in this book. I've never been disappointed and frequently find myself chuckling as I envision some of the scenes playing out in front of me. My thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #MinotaurBooks for inviting me back to Caerphilly again to spend some quality time with Meg and the whole gang. Love the cover!