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Murder With Peacocks (Meg Langslow #1)

by Donna Andrews (Goodreads Author)

3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 · rating details · 3,255 ratings · 358 reviews

Three Weddings...And a Murder

So far Meg Langslow's summer is not going swimmingly. Down in her small Virginia hometown, she's maid of honor at the nuptuals of three loved ones--each of whom has dumped the planning in her capable hands. One bride is set on including a Native American herbal purification ceremony, while another wants live peacocks on the law. Only help from...more

Paperback, 311 pages

Published February 7th 2006 by St. Martin's Paperbacks (first published 1999)

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Dec 22, 2008 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, to-read-ebook

Murder With Peacocks is the very first of the Meg Langslows, one of those "amateur sleuth" sorts of series. Meg is a blacksmith, of all things--which I think is possibly the coolest profession I've encountered thus far in any of the mysteries of this type. To go along with this profession, we are given a clear impression that Meg is not exactly of a dainty sort of build, of which I also approve. She's a Virginian by birth, who fled out of her hometown. This got her even more sympathy points from...more Murder With Peacocks is the very first of the Meg Langslows, one of those "amateur sleuth" sorts of series. Meg is a blacksmith, of all things--which I think is possibly the coolest profession I've encountered thus far in any of the mysteries of this type. To go along with this profession, we are given a clear impression that Meg is not exactly of a dainty sort of build, of which I also approve. She's a Virginian by birth, who fled out of her hometown. This got her even more sympathy points from me, a Kentuckian by birth who did pretty much the same thing. So yeah, liking me some Meg.

Her love interest Michael was also enjoyably swoonable. Typically mind-bogglingly gorgeous and charismatic as well as intelligent and amusingly snarky, about what you'd expect out of a hero in a cozy mystery, but his lack of any real uniqueness of character wasn't a flaw in the slightest. It was easy to see why he and Meg clicked, and watching him throw himself without blinking into the wackiness of Meg's family was quite delightful. The recurring gag of most of the town being convinced he was gay while he kept trying to get a moment alone with Meg to prove otherwise got to be a bit much at times, especially given that Michael is an actor. On the other hand, given what I've experienced out of people in the South, it wasn't at all unrealistic, either. So! And I was absolutely feeling for the poor guy when towards the end he had to belt back some wine to work up his courage to get Meg alone and talk to her--only to discover yet another dead body. Muahahaha.

Which leads me into the real strength of this book--the actual plot and setting. Since I've also been reading Deborah Donnelly's Carnegie Kincaids, having Meg trying to plan out weddings for not one, not two, but three of her relations hit a bit of deja vu for me, especially when Michael observes to Meg that there are people who get paid good money for what she's doing for her family. Like Donnelly, though, Andrews has a great knack for taking what ought to be a pretty normal everyday situation and turning it on its ear with mischief, mayhem, and murder. The supporting cast here is fabulous; I especially like Meg's father, who for a switch winds up being the person driving most of the investigating, while Meg wants to do what any normal person would do and get the madness of the three back-to-back weddings out of her hair. Mrs. Fenniman is hysterical, and so are Mrs. Tranh and the cadre of little Vietnamese ladies who help out Michael at his mother's shop.

I also liked that the local law enforcement, once the string of Suspicious Incidents got underway, actually started launching investigations of their own--and bringing in FBI types as well. Who then were snuck into the weddings undercover as random assorted "cousins". This, too, was hysterical. Especially watching their various deadpan responses to being introduced to the actual guests. ^_^

All in all quite entertaining, and definitely enough to get me to come back for more.(less)

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Dec 07, 2010 Kirsty Darbyshire added it

These comments are out of context; I originally made them in an email book group discussion....

I think she was trying to write an out and out humourous book with bellylaughs from cover to cover, and I think she failed in that. However Ifound the book mostly amusing; there were good lines of dialogue and afew images that cracked me up (like when one of the ushers collapses inchurch and the other pick him up and carry him out "like pall bearerswho have misplaced the coffin").

I didn't find the boo

...more

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Jan 07, 2009 bookczuk rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: bookcrossing, cozy-type-mystery, read-on-recommendation

Not a bad little cozy mystery. There are more in the series (bird titles I think) that I may investigate as time goes by.

From the Publisher
Three Weddings...And a Murder

So far Meg Langslow's summer is not going swimmingly. Down in her small Virginia hometown, she's maid of honor at the nuptuals of three loved ones--each of whom has dumped the planning in her capable hands. One bride is set on including a Native American herbal purification ceremony, while another wants live peacocks on the law. O...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Christyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cozy-mystery, favorites, humor, mystery

I am tempted to give this 5 stars, not because the writing was superb, the mystery absolutely enthralling and the characters deep - but because it was fun. I've read a lot of cozy mysteries so I suppose I've become a bit more critical about them. Murder with Peacocks remind's me why I first started reading cozies, because they are fun. And this one made me give some truly hearty laughs that, had I not been alone, would've probably earned me odd stares.

This has some things that I normally don'...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Kerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2004, 8, mystery

This book was a delight. The characters are quirky, funny and quite, quite insane. The story rolls along at an easy pace and goes in logical but totally unexpected directions.

Meg Langslow knows she has a busy summer ahead of her. She's bridesmaid at three weddings and the main organiser of them all. Meg's mother is getting remarried, despite no-one understanding why she and Meg's father ever split up in the first place, especially since her father spends almost all his time at the family house...more This book was a delight. The characters are quirky, funny and quite, quite insane. The story rolls along at an easy pace and goes in logical but totally unexpected directions.

Meg Langslow knows she has a busy summer ahead of her. She's bridesmaid at three weddings and the main organiser of them all. Meg's mother is getting remarried, despite no-one understanding why she and Meg's father ever split up in the first place, especially since her father spends almost all his time at the family house as if he had never left, only staying nights in his new home with Meg's sister. Her brother's fiance - the one who decided her wedding requires the peacocks of the title - has given Meg the honour and the hard work of being chief bridesmaid. To round the number out to three, her best friend is also getting married and Meg is in charge of her wedding as well.

The entire prospect is daunting, one bright spot being Michael, who is running the local dressmakers while the owner, his aunt, is recuperating from an unexplained accident. She is soon informed he is gay, which given his good looks she considers a disappointment, but his help and friendliness is much appreciated. Between them, they start undertaking the difficult task of getting three bridal parties outfitted, while Meg also has to deal with all the other wedding preparations.

Once guests start arriving, things only get more frantic. Especially when Meg's mother's sister-in-law to-be arrives in town. She is a tactless, disagreeable woman who clearly has the ability to make enemies at the drop of a hat. The only thing that could make life more difficult than her presence is her death. When she is found dead below the cliff near Meg's family home, difficult is an understatement.

Her father dives in to trying to solve the mystery - in his own unique fashion - while Meg attempts to keep her attention on the weddings. Even so, with Michael's help, she seems to keep finding herself in the middle of it all to the point that someone starts trying to kill her.

Andrews writes the book in a quirky and easy-to-read style. Meg's various trials are sympathetically written and yet funny to read. Her accidental solving of the murder slides easily into place beside the wedding planning and she is an engaging and sympathetic character. Meg's father is beautifully drawn and his gift to his ex-wife who is about to marry someone else is truly touching. The other characters are generally well penned, but my favourites remain Meg, Michael and Meg's father.

Oh, and the peacocks. They are there to stay.

[Copied across from Library Thing; 25 September 2012](less)

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Mar 03, 2012 Brooke Banks rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

When first reading this, I didn't like it. It was pretentious with a ridiculous cast of unbelievable rich white people running around like morons. The author hardly took any time to describe the places, or people for that matter, unless the Meg decided to use her so called wit to describe them. Like what the hell does the houses and rooms actually look like or Micheal the love interest for that matter, or good lord, Meg herself? I do however know what Berry the "slow" creeper Meg hates look like...more When first reading this, I didn't like it. It was pretentious with a ridiculous cast of unbelievable rich white people running around like morons. The author hardly took any time to describe the places, or people for that matter, unless the Meg decided to use her so called wit to describe them. Like what the hell does the houses and rooms actually look like or Micheal the love interest for that matter, or good lord, Meg herself? I do however know what Berry the "slow" creeper Meg hates look like. I wanted to put it down and hate it but since I hate leaving things unfinished even more, I finished it. I want to preserve my list of its-so-horrible-I-couldn't-finish-it list and didn't want to add a so-so book to it.

Its an amateur cozy-mystery and it is actually more about the cast of clowns the authors wants us to believe than anything else. Meg did hardly any sleuthing and the mystery itself was so underrated because Meg herself was hardly bothered by it. There was no suspense about it, no build up, it was utterly lame on the mystery front. Its more of a rich white eccentric family and chaos ensues kind of book, like a family vacation summer movie. The murders were just mentioned as an inconvenience to the family in the background most of the time. Someone rids off a cliff in your backyard RIGHT in FRONT of YOU because someone tampered with it trying to kill your father and its just thank god we found someone to replace him as an usher in the wedding? WTF?

But Oh lord! Nobody is enjoying the party or eating the food because of a would be poisoner, oh woes me. Get the mentally challenged person to test all the food to ensure its safe for you. Yes, that character is a major creep but I have major problems with the privilege and bigotry shown in this book. The author totally nails the selfish stuck snobs that are completely intolerance so well it makes me wonder about the author herself.

This is the part that frustrates me,it picked up beyond page 100 and I actually laughed out loud at several places. So despite everything, this book definitely gets points for making me laugh. I don't want to like this book but few authors make me laugh out loud.

I hope it picks up in the next book or its going to be a long love-hate relationship. I can't believe I'm reading more. I hate that I even like it a little, even if its because it made me laugh.(less)

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Oct 02, 2011 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cozy-mystery

Murder with Peacocks is a thoroughly amusing read; I wouldn't say it's to the point of being laugh-out-loud as many of reviewers have described, but I certainly found the quirky characters, crazy situations and Meg's dry sense of humour quite funny. I'd recommend mystery fans not to pick this up with any expectations for real detecting or any suspense, however, because this aspect is surprisingly bare even for the cozy mystery subgenre.

At the expense of the mystery, this book is really a humorou...more Murder with Peacocks is a thoroughly amusing read; I wouldn't say it's to the point of being laugh-out-loud as many of reviewers have described, but I certainly found the quirky characters, crazy situations and Meg's dry sense of humour quite funny. I'd recommend mystery fans not to pick this up with any expectations for real detecting or any suspense, however, because this aspect is surprisingly bare even for the cozy mystery subgenre.

At the expense of the mystery, this book is really a humorous chronicle of Meg's frantic attempts to keep everything together as she works to bring off three weddings: her mother with a suspiciously nervous Jake Wendell, her brother to the snobby Samantha Brewster, and her friend Eileen with her boyfriend Steven. Meg's eccentric family and a supporting cast of equally outrageous characters provide most of the entertainment with their antics. They're hilarious to read about, but I definitely wouldn't want to live with them!

On top of that, just about every possible bizarre situation occurs, including the peacocks of the title - they begin their permanent residence in the Langslows' backyard after Samantha decides that they're necessary additions to her wedding.

At the center of the insanity is Meg Langslow, our very grounded main character. Meg Langslow ranks as one of my favourite amateur sleuths thus far, although I suppose the "sleuth" label is fairly debatable in this case since Meg's Dad does most of the sleuthing. She's a bit unusual; she's a blacksmith, not to mention she's reliable and possesses more than her share of common sense. No ridiculous obsession with shoes/fashion, this girl! Her only major flaw is her inability to say no - the way Meg allows people like Samantha and her mother to bully her into being maid of honour and doing unreasonable tasks irked me. Doormat characters are usually a deal-breaker for me, but another reviewer here commented on how much of the humour came from Meg's martyr complex. I think that's why I found it acceptable in this case, and it's really impossible to dislike Meg's wry and sarcastic comments.

As for the murder, it is something that happens to a disliked stranger who appears for all of... a chapter(?) before she's knocked off. Afterwards it is relegated to a minor annoyance that crops up every now and then. Perhaps this book would have fit in better in the humour genre, because that's essentially what it is and excels at.(less)

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Aug 08, 2011 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This came recommended by a few different people as a "very funny mystery series". I didn't really laugh so much as get irritated by the main character, Meg. She was such a doormat, that it was tough to take! She owns her own smithy business and therefore can take off an entire summer to devote every waking minute to the whims of her family and friends. She is such a type A personality and I guess I just can't relate. Why does she talk the way she does? And why does Michael, for that matter? I fe...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Tracey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, south

I am sorely tempted to give this five stars, just because. It's a cozy mystery – a young woman who blacksmiths for a living takes the summer off to plan not one, not two, but three weddings (for her best friend, her brother, and her divorced mother, in that order), and when her mother's fiancé's dead wife's sister (still with me?) is found dead it's only the beginning of the mayhem. I have prejudices and whatnot that generally keep me from giving a cozy mystery five stars – it always feels like...more I am sorely tempted to give this five stars, just because. It's a cozy mystery – a young woman who blacksmiths for a living takes the summer off to plan not one, not two, but three weddings (for her best friend, her brother, and her divorced mother, in that order), and when her mother's fiancé's dead wife's sister (still with me?) is found dead it's only the beginning of the mayhem. I have prejudices and whatnot that generally keep me from giving a cozy mystery five stars – it always feels like the perfect score should be saved for the truly superlative: Litrachure. Except when I just couldn't enjoy a book more if there were a twenty dollar bill stapled to the inside cover, and then I throw caution to the winds. And you know? This may be "just" a cozy mystery, but it has no pretensions of being anything but a really fun story really well told, and as a cozy it hits all the right notes and not a single wrong one. There were a small handful of places where the writing hitched slightly – a word used twice in a compound sentence, that sort of thing – but … Abraham Lincoln said "Whatever you are, be a good one". Murder with Peacocks is a cozy, and a very good one, and it deserves credit for that. Consider it four and a half.

I've read several "bridezilla" cozies; with so many of the heroines of the subgenre working as caterers, it's inevitable that weddings will crop up here and there. And they've been my least favorite of their respective series, usually. The women are always rich, entitled, anorexic, vicious, and beyond unreasonable, and usually have mothers to match, and they harry the poor caterer day and night and into the weekend until she wants to frost their cakes with white lead icing and the reader hopes for a funeral instead of a wedding. Here, though, the author pulls off as remarkable a feat as her Meg does: three brides who are thoughtless, demanding, and frazzled, and the only one I hated was the one I was meant to hate. Moreover, I believed this brand of thoughtlessness and heedless mind-changing as I never did in those other cozies.

A little while back I complained bitterly about a book which was advertised as madcap, with which descriptor I disagreed strongly. This? This was madcap. One of the quotes the book used promised the reader she would "laugh heartlessly" – and I sighed, because usually when a book promises to make me laugh it fails miserably. It tries too hard, and before long I picture it as the little man in the bad suit up on stage, sweating and stammering and repeating himself in the spotlight as a drunk heckles him from the second row. Donna Andrews, however, used a light and deft touch, and this book did make me laugh. Not uproariously; not on every page; I wouldn't necessarily agree with "heartlessly" (there was no cruelty in this book beyond that any thoroughly hassled person might express toward her tormentors). But I laughed, and smiled more than I laughed, and wanted to know what was going to happen, and in the end that's all I'm looking for in my day to day reading. With the weddings, the murders, frequent power outages, the almost-derailed-before-it-started romance for Meg, and not only a little boy with a pet duck but also the title peacocks, it's all frothy as a meringue – and I know firsthand how hard a meringue can be. It's well managed.

On the one hand, I'm pleased that this launched a series: I enjoyed the characters, Meg and David and her family, and I enjoyed the heck out of the writing, and I enjoyed the storytelling. But this was a book about a young woman dropped into a bizarre chain of events, with theft and murder and blackmail, poison and explosives and sabotage suddenly rife as weeds in her small hometown. The plotline is frenetic, and what keeps it from stretching suspension of disbelief to its limits is the skill with which Andrews handles her blacksmith main character's reactions to the mayhem: in part, with her duties as unpaid and unthanked planner for three ever-changing weddings within weeks of each other, with an attitude of I don't have time for this. The book adeptly threw flaming torch after chainsaw after live chicken into Meg's juggling act, and it was fun to watch her grit her teeth and adapt. I don't know if this will get old over the course of the series, as Meg inevitably becomes one of those cozy mystery heroines who would be utterly alarming to know in reality – "Have you ever noticed that wherever she goes bodies begin to stack up?" We'll have to see. I liked the characters, and their writer, more than enough to give them some slack. (less)

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Aug 11, 2011 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, mystery

I have no idea why I liked this book, I just know that I really did.

For a mystery it doesn't pack a great mystery punch. There are murders, people acting suspicious etc. But there is very little real detecting even in the relatively low-bar for amateur cozy-mystery sleuthing when measured on the Sherlockian Scale of Great Deduction.

Meg Langslow has allowed herself to be the unpaid wedding planner-dogsbody-whipping post for her mother (getting remarried), her brother's fiancee, and her best frie...more I have no idea why I liked this book, I just know that I really did.

For a mystery it doesn't pack a great mystery punch. There are murders, people acting suspicious etc. But there is very little real detecting even in the relatively low-bar for amateur cozy-mystery sleuthing when measured on the Sherlockian Scale of Great Deduction.

Meg Langslow has allowed herself to be the unpaid wedding planner-dogsbody-whipping post for her mother (getting remarried), her brother's fiancee, and her best friend. All three women are getting married within weeks of each other. Each one has more outlandish requests than the last (peacocks strolling decorously on the lawn, last minute change to a medieval theme etc.)

During the social whirl of festivities that surround all three weddings in their Yorktown, VA town, a particularly unpleasant visitor is murdered. She has seemingly had unpleasant run-ins with everyone so almost anyone could have murdered her.

Meg's "sleuthing" consists of conveniently over-hearing things and largely being in the right place at the right time.

So, no, from a mystery stand-point this is not a stand out. But it is an effortless, funny read. I think the real charm comes from Meg's large, extended, eccentric family and group of friends. All the quirky personalities are on full, fun display and the writer gives them all free reign to just...be.

I do wish Meg had not allowed herself to be such a doormat when it came to her role in planning and executing the weddings. I could understand her wanting to help out her own mother, but her brother's fiancee was just plain old unpleasant on every level. But I guess much of the humor came from Meg's own martyr complex.

I also wish we'd got a little more info on Meg's job. She is an ornamental blacksmith, but she doesn't so much as come into spitting distance of a pair of tongs or an anvil!

But those things aside, this was still an awfully fun read and the characters were great to hang out with for awhile.(less)

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May 26, 2011 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reading-list, mystery-suspense

Okay, so this isn't really a mystery. It's more like a haphazard blend of crazy characters, bizarre situations, and random moments. Meg is an interesting character, if not a little self absorbed and mopey, but I really liked her. Her profession of blacksmith wasn't really much of a plot point, other than to occaisionally justify her upper body strength, and I would have liked to have seen more of that. She gets wrangled into being a maid of honor for three weddings and her quirky family quickly...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Wayne rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I really liked it. I really disliked it.

This is a murder mystery with a backdrop of three weddings over the course of a month. Or, it's the story of preparing for three weddings over the course of a month, and several people are murdered.

The main character is Meg, who is a blacksmith. She is the maid of honor for the weddings of her mother, her brother, and her best friend. What this actually translates to in the book is that she's responsible for plan...more I have very mixed feelings about this book. I really liked it. I really disliked it.

This is a murder mystery with a backdrop of three weddings over the course of a month. Or, it's the story of preparing for three weddings over the course of a month, and several people are murdered.

The main character is Meg, who is a blacksmith. She is the maid of honor for the weddings of her mother, her brother, and her best friend. What this actually translates to in the book is that she's responsible for planning and executing every single detail of three wedding that take place one July.

Given the characters, I can see Meg's mother forcing Meg to plan and organize her wedding. Meg's mother was lazy, controlling, and demanding. That one I can see. But the others? No way. Also, why on earth would such a strong, intelligent person as Meg willingly agree to organizing three weddings as she did?

[Reality check needed: Is this really what people expect of their maid of honor? None of the weddings I've been involved in (as groom, as groomsman, as attendee, as musician, as janitor) would the bride her relinquished such control. Except to their own mother.]

Most of the book involved Meg putting together these weddings, arranging dress fittings, finding peacocks, finding officiants, finding replacement officiants, figuring out how to keep the rain from falling, finding a food taster to ensure the reception food isn't poiseoned -- y'know, all the normal things expected of a maid of honor.

Meg's father ran around trying to solve the murders. Except the murder-solving was very much a background thing. Weddings foreground, murders background. This was the other thing I really didn't like about this book. I got really tired of reading about someone putting together three weddings. Especially when IMO it wasn't her job to be doing it. I very much wanted to slap some sense into Meg's head, but she'd have taken a hammer to mine.

But... Despite the frustrating dominant pieces of the book, it was very hard to put down. I really liked some of the characters. Meg, Michael, and Dad, especially. Despite my frustrations with Meg, I liked her.

So. I liked this book. I didn't like this book. I want several dimensions of stars, because a single vector isn't enough. I'm settling on three, as a means of averaging things out somehow. I am planning on reading another of the Meg books.

And Duck. I liked Duck.(less)

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Dec 15, 2010 Tobinsfavorite rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mother sent me this and its sequel as the beginnings of one of her current favorite cozy-mystery series. (I am looking forward to getting to "We'll Always Have Parrots" on the strength of the title alone.)

This is really fun reading. I was a bit worried at first about Ms Andrews' decision to write in a pseudo-journal style, with a paragraph or more for each date, but it worked well. (I had really worried about an attempt to carry that idea through later books, but she did not try.)

The author also...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

Well I just wrote a tidy, witty little review and I lost it and unfortuantly I can only be witty once a day. I really liked this book but if I were to be honest and really start analyzing, I just might analyze myself out of liking it - so no analyzing! I really liked Meg, although I admit I had a hard time believing that a entrepreneurial business owner - she is a blacksmith, how cool is that! - would be such a doormat (stopping self from analyzing). I thought the family was quirky enough to be...more

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May 03, 2011 Charmayne rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is book one in an amazing and fun series of books. This is just a fun read and if you need a pick me up, this is the series to read. These people are crazy and trouble just seems to follow them around. We all have crazy relatives, Meg has a million! I will have to say that book 2 was a bit of a let down and I almost did not continue reading this series after that one, but book three was right back up there and the books that follow have been nothing short of hilarious. As usual I can hardly...more

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Sep 16, 2010 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, mystery, 1990s

This is the sort of comfortable mystery which doesn’t make many demands on the reader: the murder victim is sufficiently unknown and unlikeable that the death isn’t distressing; the plot unfolds gently without any dramatic turns; and the solution, while not obvious, is easy enough to work out, even for someone like myself who doesn’t read many mysteries. However, just because it was uncomplicated does not mean it was a bad read, and I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxation of reading this book.

Becaus...more

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Jul 21, 2010 BarkLessWagMore rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

Reading for my local book group.

Meg has returned to her hometown for a chaos filled extended stay. She’s a bridesmaid for three weddings with three demanding brides and has her hands full with their ridiculous expectations. It’s the same old town, with the same uninteresting men, save for Michael, who is rumored to prefer men. Not only is he gorgeous but he’s intelligent and friendly and they become fast friends. Meg does her damndest to banish all lusty thoughts when they’re together but the me...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Kornela rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

Sensible Meg Langslow travels to her hometown city of Yorktown, Virginia to plan three weddings, deal with her family's crazy shenanigans, and solve a murder. Every once in a while I like a cozy mystery and thought this would fit the bill nicely. I was disappointed, however. The mystery in this is very flimsy, the identity of the culprit is pretty obvious, and the unveiling of the culprit comes out of nowhere and takes about a page. All in all, the whole mystery aspect takes up maybe 30 pages of...more Sensible Meg Langslow travels to her hometown city of Yorktown, Virginia to plan three weddings, deal with her family's crazy shenanigans, and solve a murder. Every once in a while I like a cozy mystery and thought this would fit the bill nicely. I was disappointed, however. The mystery in this is very flimsy, the identity of the culprit is pretty obvious, and the unveiling of the culprit comes out of nowhere and takes about a page. All in all, the whole mystery aspect takes up maybe 30 pages of the book. The rest of the time is filled with constant wedding planning, wedding shopping, wedding parties, etc.
I did not care for Meg. She spent the whole book letting people walk all over her and then complaining about it. Either stop letting people use you as a doormat or quit complaining. Sheesh. I also didn't care for her "eccentric" family and found their actions ludicrous and tiresome rather than humorous. The "romance" aspect of the novel was also obnoxious. Meg's love interest is supposedly gay (although it's pretty obvious to anyone with eyes and ears that he's not). She spends the whole novel thinking he's off-limits while he tries to tell her over and over that he's not. Yet every time he tries to tell her this, they get interrupted by something. Every. Single. Time. Seriously?
Also I feel that the author tried too hard to model this after popular British cozy mysteries. These people lived in Virigina, yet there was not a single "ya'll" among them. Instead they said things like "you're mad" (instead of you're crazy), "trousers" (instead of pants), "that's quite lovely" (who has actually heard anyone in America say a phrase like this?). Outside of Britian, I dont think people talk like this. And they almost certainly don't talk like this in the South.
Overall, if you're in the mood for a fun, cozy mystery, I suggest picking up something else as this isn't going to do it for you. Or better yet, pick up one of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple books and see how a mystery in a small, quaint town is properly done. (less)

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Apr 26, 2013 ☯Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013, mystery

I have read many of the books in this series. However, I have never read the first one. I can't say I thought this first mystery was really great and I am glad I got hooked on Meg and her family by reading the books later in the series. If this had been the first book read, I probably would not have read any more.

So what didn't I like? I guess it was the way everyone used/took advantage of Meg and how Meg allowed it to happen. Meg was the maid of honor for three brides, mainly because the bride...more

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May 18, 2012 Estella rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: cozy-mysteries

This book was somewhat over the top for me, with little time spent on the actual mystery and a TON of time spent on a looooong series of improbable events which happened either to or in close proximity of the protagonist during a (MAYBE) three-week period. In the "real" world, only one or two of these events would be experienced (or witnessed) by an individual in an entire lifetime. My head was still spinning as I turned the last page. That being said, Donna Andrews, the author, is hilarious! I...more

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Aug 15, 2007 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: readers who like to mix mystery and humor

Shelves: humorous-mysteries

Donna Andrews has a lively sense of the absurd. Part romance, part murder mystery, and part comedy of manners. Whoever thought that planning three weddings simultaneously could be such an entertaining -- and deadly -- process?

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Mar 28, 2010 Jody rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you want to laugh out loud, you cannot go wrong with one of Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow books. I hadn't got around to reading Murder with Peacocks before so took the opportunity to do so the last couple of days. Poor Meg is trying to help get three weddings organized: her mother's , her brother's and one of her best friend's. Too say that's too much is the truth. Add in a handsome guy filling in for his mother at the wedding dress shop, a couple of murders, Meg's usual cast of crazy relatives...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Marleigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

First line: "I had become so used to hysterical dawn phone calls that I only muttered one half hearted oath before answering."

Summary: Meg is dragooned into wrangling three different weddings in her hometown, 2/3 of which she personally thinks are bad ideas. Then people start dying and almost dying. Which you'd think would stop the weddings, but not so much.

I found this kind of charming. Sort of reminded me of Wonderfalls, except with a murder mystery instead of talking tchotchkes to push the p...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Sue Squires added it

I _love_ this book.

Meg Langslow -- one summer, three weddings (each using her in the wedding party, and _she's_ been volunteered to organize them), murder, mayhem (and these aren't even family members -- which I could easily understand at times), and MAJOR humour. Add to that the fact that it was her first novel, and immediately won at least five awards.

I've enjoyed every one of this series that I've read, and also adore "You've Got Murder" whose narrator/detective is quite the interesting A.I...more

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Apr 13, 2009 Graceann rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Janet Evanovich fans

Recommended to Graceann by: Kerry

Shelves: mystery, series

Please see my detailed review at Amazon Graceann's "Murder with Peacocks" Review"

Please click that the review was helpful to you at Amazon so that my rating continues to climb!

A fun and funny mystery, the first in the Meg Langslow series. A Maid of Honor tied into three weddings also gets embroiled in a murder investigation in her small Virginia town. I enjoyed all the characters and hope to hear more from them in future stories. I'm glad I have the next few books on my shelves already, because...more

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Aug 20, 2010 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very entertaining light read. It was very funny.

The story is based around Meg Langslow, a female blacksmith who also wears the hat of maid of honor (x3) and amateur detective. I absolutely loved the characters in this book! Meg's father is a riot and I saw a lot of myself in Meg.

The ending was a little bit predicable, but the identity of the murderer was well hidden. Also, there was just enough romance mixed in for good measure.

I would recommend this book to anyone in the mood for a...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Laura Rodd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved, Loved, Loved this book.
Donna Andrews is a marvel, a fresh voice that gives life to the sassy characters that stumble, bumble, strut, love, raise children in an insular community that is full of odd balls, eccentric elderly from "established" old aristocracy and their offspring that are trying to find their way.
What do you get when you add three weddings, a snobbish future sister-in-law, a peeping tom, a wayward duck, spanish moss, divorced parents, noisy peafowl, a ornery shaved dog and a...more

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Jun 25, 2012 J A W rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: re-reads, own

The first in the series and to my mind the best: Meg is an engaging character, hopelessly over committed planning 3weddings for people who, at the end of the day, don't truly appreciate what she is doing. I love this book enough to own it in hard copy and re-read it, but I do have some issues. Meg had more gumption than to be used by her soon to be sister-in-law in that fashion and her mother and father are afterthoughts, not fully developed characters. But it wins for stars for a like-able her...more

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Aug 14, 2009 Margo Brooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

I giggled all the way through this book. The first in the series of bird-titles book introduces the intrepid Meg Lagslow, a Virginia blacksmith turned wedding planner for the summer when her best friend, brother, and mother all plan July weddings. Meg's family is a highly entertaining set of free spirits. I suspect we all know one or two of her relatives, but when they descend on Yorktown in the hundreds it is a free-for-all that made me laugh out loud. Oh--there is a series of murders here too...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Kevin Lanahan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cozy, chick-lit, mystery

This was a pleasant little cozy, and great fun to read. I would have rated it higher, except I just couldn't image that an out-of-town maid-of-honor was expected to do all sorts of tasks for the brides. Maybe that's a Yorktown thing, but it is not anything I've ever witnessed. However, as a plot device, it kept a few of the recurring gags going, even as it beggared disbelief.

I believe I've read another of these stories, and they are well crafted if a bit silly. If you enjoy cozies with screwbal...more

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About Donna Andrews

Donna Andrews was born in Yorktown, Virginia, the setting of Murder with Peacocks and Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos, and now lives and works in Reston, Virginia. When not writing fiction, Andrews is a self-confessed nerd, rarely found away from her computer, unless she's messing in the garden

http://us.macmillan.com/author/donnaa...

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Books by Donna Andrews

Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos (Meg Langslow, #3)

Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon (Meg Langslow, #4)

We'll Always Have Parrots (Meg Langslow, #5)

Owls Well That Ends Well (Meg Langslow, #6)

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“Clowns, hoboes, gypsies, and furry animals of all kinds scattered madly and dived for cover. No doubt they thought I'd finally lost it and was planning to lob more grenades.” — 6 people liked it

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Murder With Peacocks (Meg Langslow #1)

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