Swan for the Money: Meg Langslow Mysteries

by: Donna Andrews

Published by: Minotaur Books

Reviewed by Diane A Brown

Meg Langslow is smack dab in the middle of another mystery. Just as expected.

Donna does a wonderful job of turning a local rose show into an adventure that will make you laugh, frown, and puzzle away. Her characters are so eccentric they will stretch your imagination to the limit. Of course, not all of them are human!

Roped into organizing the Caerphilly rose show, Meg holds her own against trying circumstances and animal antics. Mrs. Winkleson has agreed to allow the rose show to take place in her barns, but she is also one of the entrants. This causes suspicions as baffling things begin to happen.

Every day is a new challenge for Meg. Even the simple tasks become complicated. Rose bushes, dogs and pruning shears go missing. Animals appear out of nowhere to harass the rose show contestants, and in the midst of it all, the pruning shears become a murder weapon.

Meg’s grandfather, an animal activist, is sure Mrs. Winkleson is up to no good when he discovers her treatment of the “less-than-perfect” animals that are born on the ranch. If they don’t meet her “color scheme,” they disappear.

Shortly before the rose show, Meg is horrified to find out that Mrs. Winkleson has called the rose club members informing them that the only roses to be shown are white and black. (She insists because it is her motif for the whole ranch.) Needless to say, it takes Meg a while to straighten everything out and keep the peace between the contestants.

When Meg outsmarts the geese, passes the fainting goats, and breaks into Mrs. Winkleson’s rose garden, in the name of justice, the outcome takes a dangerous twist.

Swan for the Money was a “hoot” if you are a humor junkie. However, it was a bit much for my practical imagination.

Armchair Interviews says: Fun read if you like humor mixed in your cozy mysteries.

Author’s Web site: http://www.DonnaAndrews.com