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Merry Wrath Mysteries #30
Mistaken Identity Murder
From USA Today bestselling author Leslie Langtry comes a hilarious case of mistaken identity...
Merry Wrath, ex-CIA agent turned Girl Scout leader, is having a hard time dealing with the fact that the girls in her troop are now at that extremely dangerous age—the middle school years. Bearing this in mind, Merry should have anticipated what disaster chaperoning the school dance would be. Chaos reigns with everything from a rogue attack penguin to a punch-induced hallucination brought on by the very latest synthetic LSD. Things only get worse when a man is murdered, and the killer has been caught on camera—and is none other than Merry Wrath!
Merry knows she's innocent, but proving it to the police is another matter. And family issues are keeping her awake at night too, now that Merry’s hosting the Holy Mud Man from Chechnya and his goat Warren, to see if her new twin nephews are prophets. Add to that the zoo is considering revoking Scout Lauren’s junior zookeeper status, and there’s a howler monkey loose in City Hall, and Merry may just be in over her head. Can she control her girls and solve the case before Officer Kevin Dooley and his hamster patrol throw her in jail?
Merry Wrath, ex-CIA agent turned Girl Scout leader, is having a hard time dealing with the fact that the girls in her troop are now at that extremely dangerous age—the middle school years. Bearing this in mind, Merry should have anticipated what disaster chaperoning the school dance would be. Chaos reigns with everything from a rogue attack penguin to a punch-induced hallucination brought on by the very latest synthetic LSD. Things only get worse when a man is murdered, and the killer has been caught on camera—and is none other than Merry Wrath!
Merry knows she's innocent, but proving it to the police is another matter. And family issues are keeping her awake at night too, now that Merry’s hosting the Holy Mud Man from Chechnya and his goat Warren, to see if her new twin nephews are prophets. Add to that the zoo is considering revoking Scout Lauren’s junior zookeeper status, and there’s a howler monkey loose in City Hall, and Merry may just be in over her head. Can she control her girls and solve the case before Officer Kevin Dooley and his hamster patrol throw her in jail?
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
Paperback
Published July 16, 2024
92 people are currently reading
2714 people want to read
About the author
Leslie Langtry
97 books724 followersLeslie Langtry is a USA Today Bestselling Author of the Merry Wrath Mysteries and the Bombay Family of Assassins Greatest Hits series. She lives in the Midwest with her family and is an active Girl Scout volunteer. Her dream is to someday invent calorie free cake.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 10, 2024
Love this series.
July 23, 2024
I have come to the conclusion that Leslie Langtry is a doctor of sorts because her Merry Wrath mystery series is the cure for what ails you. Before you have completed the first chapter you have cracked a smile or laughed out loud. This is only my second “trip” to Who’s There, the most murderous town in Iowa and home to the Museum of Murder where Merry’s varied and unusual encounters with murder are on display. This might sound unusual for a cozy, but Merry is not your average sleuth, she is a former CIA operative who was ousted by the Vice President and now lives in her home town, married to police detective Rex, co-leads a somewhat unusual and impressive Girl Scout troop with her BFF Kelly, is Bird Goddess to the Cult of the NicoDerm, and possibly the Great Pook Snort.
There is so much to unpack with the various and most unusual characters in this series, but in a good way. The Girl Scouts, middle school-aged, and quite possibly capable of taking over a small country add a bit of excitement and intrigue to the story. They also add an immeasurable amount of laughter based on the very different personalities and hijinks. An example would be if you were to imagine checking out animals from the zoo as if they were library books. Junior Zoo Keeper Lauren feels that animal field trips are justifiable, after all there is a school dance and Sir Picklesworth the penguin comes already dressed for the occasion. It turns out to be a pity that fruit punch makes penguins crazy.
Another crazy thing is the fact that a video surfaces showing Merry stabbing the victim, one Vernon Coyer, CEO of Tall Corn State Insurance, not once but four times. Even CIA assassin and friend Hilly, says that no one would be able to walk away without a crazy amount of blood splatter. Such an action would be a rookie move and not a former CIA operative thing. Obviously this is a deepfake video and Merry will do everything she can to get to the bottom of it while trying to stay out of her husband Rex’s investigation. Thank goodness Merry has Kelly and Hilly to ride shotgun when she goes out on fact finding adventures to narrow the suspect list. Merry even finds herself benefitting from the help of the Holy Mud Man from Blasto Blasto, who is in town to test Merry’s infant nephews for possible prophet status. That is a whole other level of crazy that includes a goat named Warren, a bathtub of noodles, and simultaneous burping.
Each and every event in the story is chaos, complete and total chaos that is so crazy it has you laughing out loud with every turn of the page. I’m not sure whether this deserves 5 out of 5 boxes of Lucky Charms or 5 out of 5 paper clips. Either way this is a highly enjoyable read that is a stand-alone that makes you want to read the other books in the series.
There is so much to unpack with the various and most unusual characters in this series, but in a good way. The Girl Scouts, middle school-aged, and quite possibly capable of taking over a small country add a bit of excitement and intrigue to the story. They also add an immeasurable amount of laughter based on the very different personalities and hijinks. An example would be if you were to imagine checking out animals from the zoo as if they were library books. Junior Zoo Keeper Lauren feels that animal field trips are justifiable, after all there is a school dance and Sir Picklesworth the penguin comes already dressed for the occasion. It turns out to be a pity that fruit punch makes penguins crazy.
Another crazy thing is the fact that a video surfaces showing Merry stabbing the victim, one Vernon Coyer, CEO of Tall Corn State Insurance, not once but four times. Even CIA assassin and friend Hilly, says that no one would be able to walk away without a crazy amount of blood splatter. Such an action would be a rookie move and not a former CIA operative thing. Obviously this is a deepfake video and Merry will do everything she can to get to the bottom of it while trying to stay out of her husband Rex’s investigation. Thank goodness Merry has Kelly and Hilly to ride shotgun when she goes out on fact finding adventures to narrow the suspect list. Merry even finds herself benefitting from the help of the Holy Mud Man from Blasto Blasto, who is in town to test Merry’s infant nephews for possible prophet status. That is a whole other level of crazy that includes a goat named Warren, a bathtub of noodles, and simultaneous burping.
Each and every event in the story is chaos, complete and total chaos that is so crazy it has you laughing out loud with every turn of the page. I’m not sure whether this deserves 5 out of 5 boxes of Lucky Charms or 5 out of 5 paper clips. Either way this is a highly enjoyable read that is a stand-alone that makes you want to read the other books in the series.
July 2, 2024
Thoughts: This was a hilarious, sometimes confusing, oddball cozy mystery. If you take all the weird characters you’ve read about, put them in a town called “Who’s There”, and add in the CIA, hamsters who are cops, a hermit who parades as a Hobbit, a Holy Mud Man, and a town mayor who’s a thirteen-year-old girl (who likes to take animals from the zoo for fun), and you’ll get an idea of what’s going on here.
Actually, no you won’t. But all of the above is in there and plenty more. Merry is an ex-CIA operative. Her best friend is an ex-assassin (and enemy!). Merry’s husband, Rex, is the town cop and he shows her a video of her stabbing a man to death. And Merry and friends are off and running to prove her innocence. Merry also runs the local girl scout group—but those girls are scary! While the demon cultists aren’t. There are a lot of suspects in the story for Merry and friends to track down.
I found the story to be a fun read with a satisfying ending, but, like most series, coming into it not from the beginning, can be confusing at times. Though the author does an excellent job at weaving in the various connections between everyone. I would have liked a little more scenery, though, but overall, a decent story.
Recommended.
Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Actually, no you won’t. But all of the above is in there and plenty more. Merry is an ex-CIA operative. Her best friend is an ex-assassin (and enemy!). Merry’s husband, Rex, is the town cop and he shows her a video of her stabbing a man to death. And Merry and friends are off and running to prove her innocence. Merry also runs the local girl scout group—but those girls are scary! While the demon cultists aren’t. There are a lot of suspects in the story for Merry and friends to track down.
I found the story to be a fun read with a satisfying ending, but, like most series, coming into it not from the beginning, can be confusing at times. Though the author does an excellent job at weaving in the various connections between everyone. I would have liked a little more scenery, though, but overall, a decent story.
Recommended.
Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
July 16, 2024
Best one yet! There is soooo much going on in this latest addition to Ms. Langtrys crazy Merry Wrath series! If you haven’t read any of this series (this is book #31), I would highly recommend you start with the first one, “Merit Badge Murder (Merry Wrath Mysteries Book 1)”. There is so much background to this series! Ms. Langtry does an amazing job of piecing all the components together for a first time reader, but it’s such a wacky, fun read that I’d hate for you to miss it! I laugh out loud throughout all of her books (which of its self seems rather odd when the premise is that someone was murdered)! I usually read them in a day or two. Take my advice and read this series. Whether you start at the beginning or start with this one, you will love this crazy series!
June 21, 2024
Someone is making deepfake videos of Merry committing murder! The first one was innocent and the murder didn't actually happen, but the next one became much more serious as there was an actual victim! Who tried to frame Merry for murder? This is a funny book in the series, with side stories involving a Holy Mud Man and his goat, missing zoo animals, and hilarious antics by Merry and Kelly's Girl Scout troop. Secrets are also revealed about the mysterious assassin, Hilly, you won't want to miss also. Oh, and are Blasto and Blasto declared prophets? Complete over the top fun, and of course, another murder in Who's There!
June 28, 2024
Holy Moley, Roger, this book has it all! (Read it to have several laughs about Roger alone!) From a filmed murder to certifying that the Blasto cousins are prophets, Girl Scout plans and Girl Scout cookies, and all sorts of mayhem that includes murder, this book has something for everyone. It's definitely a book that is hard to put down!
Characters that I met in the first book and along the journey have developed into friends that I look forward to reading more about in succeeding books.
From the author's fertile imagination comes this entertaining book #30 in the series. (Hard to believe!!) And I can only hope that there are many many more to come. Pure enjoyment!
Characters that I met in the first book and along the journey have developed into friends that I look forward to reading more about in succeeding books.
From the author's fertile imagination comes this entertaining book #30 in the series. (Hard to believe!!) And I can only hope that there are many many more to come. Pure enjoyment!
July 21, 2024
I adore this series!
If you have not read this fun series by Leslie Langtry about CIA agent, outed by the VP, who moves back home to become a Girl Scout leader to the smartest group of girls ever--why not? I love the outrageous story lines, the quirky characters, and the way Merry rolls with the flow. Invariably, I laugh or chuckle out loud when I am reading this series--try to explain to someone unfamiliar with the series about 4 hamsters dressed as police officers, all wearing tiny police uniforms, all named "Officer Hamlet." Do yourself a favor...read this series. You're welcome.
If you have not read this fun series by Leslie Langtry about CIA agent, outed by the VP, who moves back home to become a Girl Scout leader to the smartest group of girls ever--why not? I love the outrageous story lines, the quirky characters, and the way Merry rolls with the flow. Invariably, I laugh or chuckle out loud when I am reading this series--try to explain to someone unfamiliar with the series about 4 hamsters dressed as police officers, all wearing tiny police uniforms, all named "Officer Hamlet." Do yourself a favor...read this series. You're welcome.
July 14, 2024
Mistaken Identity Murder is another mad romp with Merry and the gang! I am in awe of Ms. Langtry’s ability to keep this series fresh, interesting and fun. Join Merry, her scouts, her family, the hamsters and the Holy Mud Man and his goat in this mystery where someone is deep faking Merry as a murderer! With too many suspects, more odd characters and murder, the case will keep Merry on her toes. I always enjoy my time in Who’s There, Iowa!
July 16, 2024
I received a copy from the publisher. This is one of my absolute favorite series and authors. Each book is like catching up on a group of friends and family. There are so many laugh out loud moments. It is fun to watch the scout troop grow through each book. They are such a hoot. How Merry rolls with the punches is amazing. She's such a great character. You will enjoy this series and the mysteries in each book.
July 25, 2024
Knock, Knock……
Who’s There, Iowa that is. Merry and her crazy cast of characters are back for a new wild adventure. I think this is one of the most imaginative original ones yet and that’s saying something if you’re familiar with this series. I am not sure how the author keeps coming up with new & different stories but I am glad she does. The stories are fun, laugh out loud and entertaining. I look forward to the next one.
Who’s There, Iowa that is. Merry and her crazy cast of characters are back for a new wild adventure. I think this is one of the most imaginative original ones yet and that’s saying something if you’re familiar with this series. I am not sure how the author keeps coming up with new & different stories but I am glad she does. The stories are fun, laugh out loud and entertaining. I look forward to the next one.
August 10, 2024
One best series mistaken identity great mystery
You got twins babies and Holly mud man , goat escape zoo animals School dance murder deep fake videos missing pets murder girl scouts hamster cats with attitude lit going on but what fun and really good murder mystery . and we learn some things about Hillary and her family
You got twins babies and Holly mud man , goat escape zoo animals School dance murder deep fake videos missing pets murder girl scouts hamster cats with attitude lit going on but what fun and really good murder mystery . and we learn some things about Hillary and her family
October 22, 2024
4 1/2 stars
Merry and the Merry band of off the wall characters are back with a vengeance. The premise involves deep fakes which is so timely. It's also the only element that doesn't make the reader suspend disbelief. From the school dance, to the hobbit, to the holy man imported to test the babies, this is another wild ride in Who' There, Iowa!
Merry and the Merry band of off the wall characters are back with a vengeance. The premise involves deep fakes which is so timely. It's also the only element that doesn't make the reader suspend disbelief. From the school dance, to the hobbit, to the holy man imported to test the babies, this is another wild ride in Who' There, Iowa!
July 23, 2024
Another one down!
Another great installment for Merry and the troop, and they keep getting better! This is a series that never gets boring and keeps you guessing throughout. Can't wait for the next book to come out!
Another great installment for Merry and the troop, and they keep getting better! This is a series that never gets boring and keeps you guessing throughout. Can't wait for the next book to come out!
August 2, 2024
Meh
I initially found this series quirky and witty, but it seems like the author is needlessly throwing in the ridiculous for no purpose. This last book was difficult to get through.
I initially found this series quirky and witty, but it seems like the author is needlessly throwing in the ridiculous for no purpose. This last book was difficult to get through.
October 3, 2024
Another enjoyable read
A well written and fun murder mystery. Merry finds yet another dead body and sets about finding the murderer while trying to rein in her girl scouts who are turning into mini dictators. Highly recommend.
A well written and fun murder mystery. Merry finds yet another dead body and sets about finding the murderer while trying to rein in her girl scouts who are turning into mini dictators. Highly recommend.
July 16, 2024
Gosh this was so darn good. I laughed so hard I cried multiple times. This one totally kept me guessing.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
July 18, 2024
Hilarious!
Merry has blundered into another murder! But this time, she's supposedly the murderer!
Can Merry clear her name and find the actual murderer?
Merry has blundered into another murder! But this time, she's supposedly the murderer!
Can Merry clear her name and find the actual murderer?
July 21, 2024
Another good one.
July 23, 2024
Really funny
An ex CIA assassin and a troop of girl guides. Add in a strange cat and a few other weird characters and you will laugh out loud at their antics. Well worth five stars.
An ex CIA assassin and a troop of girl guides. Add in a strange cat and a few other weird characters and you will laugh out loud at their antics. Well worth five stars.
July 27, 2024
I love this series!
August 14, 2024
Who killed Vernon and why??? He was a monster??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.
August 26, 2024
Leslie Langtry never disappoints in the funny and outrageous shenanigans of Merry Wrath and her Girl Scout troop. Great fun read!
September 15, 2024
Great
As always there was spot happening. Betty is up to her old tricks and also some new one's.. You are kept on your toes and you are laughing your rear end off.
As always there was spot happening. Betty is up to her old tricks and also some new one's.. You are kept on your toes and you are laughing your rear end off.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews