Cockatiels at Seven

Donna Andrews

Book 9 of Meg Langslow Mysteries

Language: English

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: Jun 29, 2009

Description:

When her old friend Karen drops by with her two-year-old son, Meg Langslow reluctantly agrees to mind him for a few hours. The next morning, when Karen is still MIA, Meg retraces her friend’s footsteps and starts to suspect that her disappearance is linked to at least one serious crime. Has Karen been killed or kidnapped? Is she on the run? What’s the story with her ex-husband Jasper? The police don’t seem to care…So now it’s up to Meg to crack the case—no small task when you consider she’s also dealing with a house full of reptilian guests courtesy of Dad and Grandpa, thinking about starting a family of her own with new husband Michael, and chasing after a two-year-old who doesn’t understand that the bad guys might be after him next.

From Booklist

Virginia blacksmith Meg Langslow is working hard to add to her stock before a big Labor Day craft show when her friend Karen asks Meg to watch her toddler, Timmy, for “a little while.” When Karen doesn’t return that day, Meg finds Karen’s apartment ransacked and learns that Karen’s ex-husband has been murdered and an embezzlement scheme has been uncovered at the college where Karen works. Meg investigates, often with Timmy in tow. Meg also has to deal with her brother, who seems to be slowly moving into her house, and her father and zoo-owner grandfather, who are storing confiscated finches in her third-floor bedroom and snakes in her basement. Timmy is a lovable supporting character, and Meg becomes increasingly attached to him as she tries to decide whether she is ready to have a child of her own. Andrews mixes humor and domestic life effectively in this ninth installment of the popular series. --Sue O'Brien

Review

“Suspense, laughter and a whole passel of good clean fun.”—Publishers Weekly 

“If you long for more ‘fun’ mysteries, à la Janet Evanovich, you’ll love Donna Andrews’s Meg Langslow series.”—The Charlotte Observer