My heart says this is a great cozy! My brain will give in and forgive it for having so many suspects! This is my first venture into this cozy series written by Meg Laslow. I now want to go back and read the first of this series, “Owls Well That Ends Well”.The story starts off with an "eXtreme croquet" which means croquet played in rough terrain, this time involving cow and sheep pastures. Which means that you could end up with a cow standing guard over your wicket? Meg, the main character finds a tall, beautiful blonde bludgeoned a by croquet mallet. Since there were four teams of players that means there was a plethora of suspects. But I really enjoyed. I felt at home with Meg, her fiancé Michael, both her quirky parents and in particularly Spike, a very unusual dog. All this happens in the little town of Caerphilly.Since Meg’s house was undergoing major renovations Meg and Michael were sleeping in the barn during the time of the croquet match. After the discovery of the victim, all the suspects and even the Shiffleys had to stay put. The Shiffleys were a large family that you went to get anything done. The Shiffleys won my heart with their huge breakfasts that they cooked up for everyone. They set the spread on horses and sheets of plywood. I could almost smell their cooking. This may sound a bit confusing but it wasn’t for me. I let the narrator, Meg carry me along with story and even ventured a guess or two about who committed the murder. This book is so rich in quirky characters and even a strange event, the Battle of Pruitt’s Ridge during the Civil War. Sometimes even battles need to be questioned!I highly recommend this book to all cozy mystery lovers and quirky character lovers.
In this entry in the delightful series of Meg Langslow mysteries, Meg takes part in an "eXtreme croquet" tournament, and finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery instead. I always find it amusing in these cozy mysteries that the lead character, a civilian, attracts dead bodies. As witty and fun as I find Meg, if I knew her in real life, I'm sure I would keep my distance as a matter of personal safety. Reading about her adventures is another matter entirely. She, Michael, her family and friends; they make for wonderful characters and I'm always sorry to say goodbye to them at the end of a book. Unlike other series that I've now given up on, Donna Andrews makes every entry in her Meg Langslow stories different. She doesn't just slap on a new title and give us the same old story. Also, refreshingly, she never wastes my time laboriously describing Meg's wardrobe and hair styling habits as if they are useful information to the story. Donna Andrews is more interested in crackling dialogue, fun plot twists, and seemingly unrelated threads that come together in an intriguing way. Now I have to find out if anyone plays "eXtreme croquet" around here, because it sounds like a heckuva a lot of fun.
Do You like book No Nest For The Wicket (2006)?
A solid, if slightly forgettable addition to the Meg Langslow series. The story revolves around Meg finding a murder victim while playing eXtreme (not a typo) croquet, and obviously it turns out that the victim was someone slightly nefarious who no one actually liked, so it's totally fine that she's dead. Similarly, it turns out that half the croquet players have a reason to have killed her, so all the suspects are conveniently located in one place to assist Meg in her better-than-the-police investigation. It's fairly mindless reading, but it's entertaining and the characters are fabulous as always. Besides, sometimes you need a little mindless reading...
—Kirsti (Melbourne on my mind)
The new installment in the Meg Langslow series is just as fun as the rest. Meg’s brother has gotten her involved in extreme croquet and that has resulted in murder. While Meg tries to solve the crime, the regular case of relatives get involved and a work crew continues fixing the house. (Meg and her fiancée have moved into the barn) In typical Andrews fashion, multiple things are going on and all will have the reader laughing. If you have read the series, you are in for another treat. If you haven’t found these books yet, start at the beginning with Murder with Peacocks.
—Patty
No Nest for the Wicket - Donna Andrews (8/10)Light mystery; book 7 in the Meg Langslow series.I love Meg Langslow and her crazy family. In this book she and her fiancé, Michael, are hosting an "Extreme Croquet" tournament that turns into a murder investigation when Meg finds the body of a young woman who appears to have been killed from a blow to the head with a croquet mallet. The usual insanity occurs and a fun time is had by all - except perhaps the victim and the murderer of course.[Copied from LibraryThing.]
—Kerry
