Kevin, Meg's cyber-savvy nephew who lives in the basement, comes to her with a problem. He's become involved as the techie for a true-crime podcast, one that focuses on Virginia cold cases and unsolved crimes. And he thinks their podcast has hit a nerve with someone . . . one of the podcast team has had a brush with death that Kevin thinks was an attempted murder, not an accident.

Kevin rather sheepishly asks for Meg's help in checking out the people involved in a couple of the cases. "Given your ability to find out stuff online, why do you need MY help?" she asks. "Um . . . because I've already done everything I can online. This'll take going around and TALKING to people," he exclaims, with visible horror. "In person!" Not his thing. And no, it can't wait until after the wedding, because he's afraid whoever's after them might take advantage of the chaos of the wedding at Trinity or the reception at Meg and Michael's house to strike again.

So on top of everything she's doing to round up vendors and supplies and take care of demanding out-of-town guests, Meg must hunt down the surviving suspects from three relatively local cold cases so she can figure out if they have it in for the podcasters. Could there be a connection to a musician on the brink of stardom who disappeared two decades ago and hasn't been seen since? #31 ( )

Meg Langslow is usually reluctant to be dragged into a mystery, but when nephew Kevin asks her to help find out who may have tried to run down his podcast partner, she jumps at the chance in Round Up The Usual Peacocks. Helping Kevin gives her the chance to get out from under her mother's endless errands preparing for brother Rob's marriage to Delaney, which happens to be taking place at Meg's house.

Kevin and his partner have started a true crime podcast and it appears that one of their episodes may have riled up someone enough to come after them. Meg starts looking into a few of the likeliest episodes that might be responsible including a 26-year-old cheating scandal at Caerphilly College and a singer who disappeared several years ago.

Meg can't entirely escape wedding errands, but when she and Michael's peacocks molt she uses a trip to pick up some more full feathered peacocks as an excuse to do some sleuthing. Michael gives her some Caerphilly college contacts to start asking questions as well.

Andrews always manages to highlight different family members and townspeople in her stories and they are all delightful. This time we get to know Kevin a little better. The usual cast and crew turn up for their by turns helpful and exasperating assistance. Meg manages to goad a perpetrator into a mistake and put her life in danger once again before ultimately saving the day and making sure the wedding goes off without a hitch!
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. ( )

Peacocks just do not understand their role as decorative objects

“Round Up the Usual Peacock” is part of the “Meg Langslow Mystery” series, but new readers will easily follow along. Meg and Michael are preparing for her brother’s upcoming wedding reception, and any needed details about people, relationships, and past events are included in the current narrative. Readers meet the extended family and learn the complex interpersonal dynamics.

Meg tells the story in a first person narrative driven by driven what people say to her, what she says to others, what she says to herself, and what she says directly to readers. Events occur over just a few days, and Meg has a lot to say about what should happen and what does happen. Her family has a long tradition of owning peacocks, and their role in the upcoming wedding is critical, well, at least an important tradition. The family’s peacocks are molting, and a wedding without peacocks is just unacceptable. Others must be procured.

There is a lot to do to prepare for the wedding, but extended family members have various avocations, interests, and jobs in addition to wrangling the hesitant peacocks. Nephew Kevin has a true crime podcast, and he needs help with the research for an upcoming episode. This project stirs up complicated past events that some would have preferred to remain hidden forever. However, there is no statute of limitations on murder, so the investigation continues.

Andrews balances the serious murder investigation with the hilarity provided by the peacocks who do not fully understand their roles as “wedding decorations.” In the process, various humans and animals were “wounded,” but no permanent damaged occurred except what resulted from laughing.

I received a review copy of “Round Up the Usual Peacocks” from Donna Andrews, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books. It was a beautiful wedding, and sometimes making people happy is the most important work.

“Round Up the Usual Peacocks” is now available in print, as an e-book, and on audio from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries and anywhere you get your books. ( )

I'm giving this one the benefit of doubt at 4 stars because I went into it with reservations. As the title implies, this mystery is sort of an homage to the first in the series, Murder with Peacocks, which I loved - and I rarely enjoy attempts at revisiting the well.

Fortunately the homage is more like just a light breeze of familiarity that wafts through the story, as Meg helps her nephew Kevin with his true crime podcast, reviewing several old cold cases in an attempt to figure out who has it in for Kevin and his co-host. This structure works well, as it keeps Meg busy and the reader from getting bored. In the background is the preparation for the wedding to end all weddings, with the running gag that everyone is trying to avoid Meg's mom so they aren't put to work.

Of course Meg solves the cold cases, and here's the one area that stretches believability because she solves all of them. I sort of feel like the story would have worked better had one of the cases been left unanswered; as it stands, everything is wrapped up too neatly at the end, even for a cozy. Although it was somehow satisfying to see everything tied up neatly, even if it felt over the top. ( )

"Round Up the Usual Peacocks" presents readers with another installment in the Donna Andrews novels featuring amateur sleuth Meg Langslow. Meg and friends investigate three cold cases following an attempt on the life of a podcaster. In addition to following up on these three crimes, Meg and family are in the throes of planning a family wedding. Four-legged creatures and a variety of birds play a hilarious role in the story and in the wedding ceremony.

While this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. The story contains no overt violence, swear words, or intimacy, but does feature quirky characters and some hilarious situations, as well as a lot of good Norwegian food descriptions and plot twists and turns. Readers of past novels in this series will enjoy reuniting with old friends and family.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. ( )