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Meg Langslow #8
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much
Hold on to your hats, everybody! Donna Andrews is taking us on another ride into the wonderful world of Meg Langslow, a world filled with laughter as well as the knotty problems Meg always seems to encounter and---somehow---solve. Okay, maybe there are people in Antarctica with penguins in their basements, but in Virginia? Only Meg's dad could manage that one. A body down there---well, that's somewhat more likely.It turns out that explaining the penguins' presence is easy---Meg's dad volunteered to take care of the birds until the future of the bankrupt local zoo could be determined. But identifying the body in the basement proves a harder task---could it be, as Meg fears, that of the vanished zoo owner?In the small southern town of Caerphilly, rumors fly quickly, and all the other well-meaning citizens who have agreed to take in zoo animals are now worried that they might be stuck with their guests indefinitely. So when Meg's dad generously offers to help out anyone who can no longer care for their four-legged charges, a parade of wild creatures begins to make Meg and Michael's newly renovated house look more like Noah's ark.Meg and Michael have been planning to elope in order to avoid the elaborate wedding their mothers have begun to organize---a plan that's threatened by both the murder investigation and the carnival of animals. The only way to set things right, Meg decides, is to identify both their uninvited visitor and the killer who put him in their basement.The award-winning Donna Andrews has demonstrated her immense talent by creating and nurturing a series that continues to delight and surprise with each new book.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 7, 2007
256 people are currently reading
1431 people want to read
About the author
Donna Andrews
103 books2,105 followersDonna 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...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/donnaa...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 348 reviews
April 9, 2020
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews is a 2007 Minotaur publication.
This eighth installment starts off with the shocking discovery of a dead body buried in Meg’s basement. Not only that, there are few penguins running around down there too. Yes- penguins.
But, that’s not all- a strange menagerie of animals begins arriving at Meg and Michael's newly renovated home, right as they were preparing to elope.
Chaos once again erupts, throwing a wet towel on the couple's plans. Will they manage to solve the murder before their wedding?
I love Meg’s first- person narrative, her humor, and her zany family. The mystery, this time around, calls attention to some horrible practices involving animals, but of course, it’s not preachy or heavy.
Naturally, there are many laugh out loud moments and once again, I didn’t guess whodunit, which is always a plus. This is very much a comfort read for me, and a very nice diversion. It is so nice to touch base with these characters, who have become like old friends by now, and these lively plots that are always well-written, very original, and comical.
As always, I am looking forward to the next chapter in the series!
4 stars
This eighth installment starts off with the shocking discovery of a dead body buried in Meg’s basement. Not only that, there are few penguins running around down there too. Yes- penguins.
But, that’s not all- a strange menagerie of animals begins arriving at Meg and Michael's newly renovated home, right as they were preparing to elope.
Chaos once again erupts, throwing a wet towel on the couple's plans. Will they manage to solve the murder before their wedding?
I love Meg’s first- person narrative, her humor, and her zany family. The mystery, this time around, calls attention to some horrible practices involving animals, but of course, it’s not preachy or heavy.
Naturally, there are many laugh out loud moments and once again, I didn’t guess whodunit, which is always a plus. This is very much a comfort read for me, and a very nice diversion. It is so nice to touch base with these characters, who have become like old friends by now, and these lively plots that are always well-written, very original, and comical.
As always, I am looking forward to the next chapter in the series!
4 stars
January 7, 2026
Not only did this cozy mystery have the penguins (that I was expecting to be featured based on the title), but it also had llamas and camels! So cute. Meg and Michael are just finishing up renovations on their house and are secretly planning to elope to avoid a huge wedding and drama with their mothers when unfortunately a body is discovered in their basement. There’s always something quirky and fun going on in each book in this series, and this one ties into a small local zoo and its zookeeper. I especially enjoyed the hijinks of the animals and the colorful cast of characters. Some interesting surprises and reveals towards the end!
April 8, 2009
I usually finish any book that I begin but this was the exception. I got 100 pages into it and just couldn't go any further. I am not a 2 page a day reader and this was all I could read before I fell asleep or became too bored. I guess the title should have tipped me off that it was a silly, uninteresting book. The premise of having penguins living in one's unfinished basement was just too impractical to buy into. All of the characters were weird with no reason to like them or be interested in their situations.
July 17, 2024
Meg and Michael are finally ready to move into their new house. Unfortunately, Meg's dad finds a dead body while digging a pool for the penguins. Wait a minute. Penguins? Yep, it's another mad cap romp with Meg and her family. I found the book very funny and laughed the entire way through. Unfortunately, the ending was a tad weak for my tastes. But that was the only flaw in the book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
December 29, 2025
My sixth time reading this one. Love all the zaniness of Meg's clan and Caerphilly's citizens. This one is full of murder and mayhem in the most delightful way. :-)
December 8, 2015
This series has become my go-to comfort series, ready for the next one!
September 13, 2019
A body in the basement and exotic animals in the back fields.....oh my this is funny stuff!!!
November 20, 2011
Rating: 3.5* of five
Another fun entry in the Meg Langslow mystery series, set in fictional Caerphilly County, Virginia, and populated by the usual cast of nuts, weirdos, and goofballs that surround Meg, her husband Michael, and the one or two other normals that Andrews heaves into the chaos of her plots to provide anchors for the action.
This entry in the series takes on a lot of expository responsibility. It requires the characters to navigate Meg and Michael's moving into their huge new home, the party that *must* ensue from that in Southern culture, the discovery of a long-lost relative, the actual wedding of Meg and Michael, and the ordinary nuttiness of an Andrews mystery.
It succeeds, but barely. This is a breathless hurtle from giddy-up to whoa. Andrews's trademark bellow-with-laughter lines are fewer and farther between because of the pace at which events progress (though I will be stealing shamelessly the gut-busting, "Oh good, the hyenas are here" for the next family do). The need for speed trumps the need to make a person hoot.
That said, this is still a very funny book. The reactions of all characters to the madhouse environment of Meg and Michael's world is pitch-perfect and just the right degree of puzzled acceptance of the most wacked events as normal.
Recommended for those already in the know. Anyone not acquainted with the series should really start with the first one, Murder With Peacocks, in order to acclimatize to the madness. From there, I think there are few rules...though it's wise to remember that chronology makes life easier....
Another fun entry in the Meg Langslow mystery series, set in fictional Caerphilly County, Virginia, and populated by the usual cast of nuts, weirdos, and goofballs that surround Meg, her husband Michael, and the one or two other normals that Andrews heaves into the chaos of her plots to provide anchors for the action.
This entry in the series takes on a lot of expository responsibility. It requires the characters to navigate Meg and Michael's moving into their huge new home, the party that *must* ensue from that in Southern culture, the discovery of a long-lost relative, the actual wedding of Meg and Michael, and the ordinary nuttiness of an Andrews mystery.
It succeeds, but barely. This is a breathless hurtle from giddy-up to whoa. Andrews's trademark bellow-with-laughter lines are fewer and farther between because of the pace at which events progress (though I will be stealing shamelessly the gut-busting, "Oh good, the hyenas are here" for the next family do). The need for speed trumps the need to make a person hoot.
That said, this is still a very funny book. The reactions of all characters to the madhouse environment of Meg and Michael's world is pitch-perfect and just the right degree of puzzled acceptance of the most wacked events as normal.
Recommended for those already in the know. Anyone not acquainted with the series should really start with the first one, Murder With Peacocks, in order to acclimatize to the madness. From there, I think there are few rules...though it's wise to remember that chronology makes life easier....
June 26, 2015
Did someone say Zoo? Did someone say pond? Whose body is in the basement of Michael and Meg's newly renovated home as they are preparing to move in? Memorial Day will never be the same! There's going to be a picnic, a party and a marriage is on the way. There's more than one mystery to be solved and things once again have gone hinky with the Langslow tribe! You will be laughing until tears are rolling down your face so you better have tissues or a bucket ready. Love Donna Andrews and her portrayal of the eccentric and fun family!
November 17, 2013
It's a zoo! Literally! Spitting llamas, howling hyenas, and peckish penguins, oh my! More slap stick fun and laughter with a body thrown in. The real mystery is how Meg stays sane! Good, clean silly fun for those times one needs to take a break from reality.
March 13, 2017
As The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews opens, Meg Langslow, who knows her father's penchant for finding bodies, is fairly unphased by Dr. Langslow's announcement that he has dug up a body in her cellar. But why was he digging in her cellar? To create a pond for the penguins, of course! Meg learns that her father has volunteered to foster the penguins from the zoo that has gone insolvent and is being repossessed by the bank. But the zoo owner has disappeared, so everyone who has taken in animals after being told it would be only just a couple days, is now fed up and drops off the animals at Meg's house the same weekend she is moving into it. Now the zoo owner has reappeared, but in Meg's cellar.
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
April 14, 2013
Definitely an escape from reality. Only Meg's family would have a whole zoo dumped on them while moving into a new house.
More than just birds, there's llamas, and lemurs and wolves and hyenas and a truly phobic medical examiner and an elderly animal lover along the lines of Marlin Perkins, and trenches and crossbows and it's really convoluted and weird and funny.
More than just birds, there's llamas, and lemurs and wolves and hyenas and a truly phobic medical examiner and an elderly animal lover along the lines of Marlin Perkins, and trenches and crossbows and it's really convoluted and weird and funny.
March 1, 2017
I like this series so much! Meg stumbles across another body on moving day and there are animals galore. Who knew penguins and hyenas could be so much trouble? I am looking forward to the next book.
December 10, 2023
3.5 pink stars.
Dare I say it? This one was a bit too much of a zoo. Donna Andrews has a tendency to let her zaniness get a bit out of control. Still a great read when you want something funny and even a bit crazy. Just dial it back a notch! Maybe this is why I space this series out a bit. The sub-plot of planning to elope during the moving in party was fun. And Meg's nephew got more of a role this time. And the twist at the end. What??! As if her family isn't zany enough.... But I'll keep reading these.
Description: Maybe there are people in Antarctica with penguins in their basements, but in Virginia? Finding a body down there is somewhat more likely for Meg. Explaining the penguins' presence is easy; Meg's dad volunteered to take care of the birds until the future of the bankrupt local zoo could be determined. But identifying the body in the basement proves a harder task. Meg and Michael have been planning to elope to avoid the elaborate wedding their mothers have begun to organize; a plan that's threatened by both the murder investigation and the carnival of animals. The only way to set things right, Meg decides, is to identify both their uninvited visitor and the killer who put him in their basement.
Dare I say it? This one was a bit too much of a zoo. Donna Andrews has a tendency to let her zaniness get a bit out of control. Still a great read when you want something funny and even a bit crazy. Just dial it back a notch! Maybe this is why I space this series out a bit. The sub-plot of planning to elope during the moving in party was fun. And Meg's nephew got more of a role this time. And the twist at the end. What??! As if her family isn't zany enough.... But I'll keep reading these.
Description: Maybe there are people in Antarctica with penguins in their basements, but in Virginia? Finding a body down there is somewhat more likely for Meg. Explaining the penguins' presence is easy; Meg's dad volunteered to take care of the birds until the future of the bankrupt local zoo could be determined. But identifying the body in the basement proves a harder task. Meg and Michael have been planning to elope to avoid the elaborate wedding their mothers have begun to organize; a plan that's threatened by both the murder investigation and the carnival of animals. The only way to set things right, Meg decides, is to identify both their uninvited visitor and the killer who put him in their basement.
November 22, 2022
The eighth book in the Meg Langslow mystery series was a fun romp. Meg and Michael are getting ready to move into their newly renovated home and hold a housewarming party (from which they intend to elope). However, when the local zoo has some problems and Meg's Dad agrees to take in some penguins (and tells other volunteers that he'll take in any animals that prove too difficult), Meg finds herself living in a modern version of Noah's Ark.
First there are penguins, then llamas, hyenas, and countless other species show up. Knowing her father, this isn't too unexpected. But when the body of the zookeeper is found in a half-dug trench in her cellar, Meg has a mystery to solve and little time to solve it if they want to get to their honeymoon on time.
Adding to the confusion are the Shifley's who begin digging up Meg's yard looking for their long-lost great-uncle when they realize the body isn't him and a visiting world-famous zoologist whose reason for being in Caerphilly seems really suspicious to Meg makes Meg's investigation even more complicated.
This was a fun story with lots of humorous moments and some dangerous ones too. I'll admit that the villain seemed particularly inept but dangerous none the less.
Bernadette Dunne made all the various characters come to life with her narration.
First there are penguins, then llamas, hyenas, and countless other species show up. Knowing her father, this isn't too unexpected. But when the body of the zookeeper is found in a half-dug trench in her cellar, Meg has a mystery to solve and little time to solve it if they want to get to their honeymoon on time.
Adding to the confusion are the Shifley's who begin digging up Meg's yard looking for their long-lost great-uncle when they realize the body isn't him and a visiting world-famous zoologist whose reason for being in Caerphilly seems really suspicious to Meg makes Meg's investigation even more complicated.
This was a fun story with lots of humorous moments and some dangerous ones too. I'll admit that the villain seemed particularly inept but dangerous none the less.
Bernadette Dunne made all the various characters come to life with her narration.
June 8, 2025
Meg and Michael are just about to finally move into the old Sprocket place this weekend, Memorial Day. The whole family is coming to help them move and hold a housewarming party. What the family doesn't know is that Meg and Michael plan to elope and head out on a honeymoon - ALONE! Alas, the best laid plans and all that... When Meg's dad discovers a dead body in the basement while digging a pool for the penguins (what penguins?! asks Meg! From the zoo that closed down- temporarily, of course), moving plans are put on hold while Chief Burke investigates. Soon people are arriving at Meg and Michael's dropping off exotic zoo animals they promised to foster for Patrick Lanahan, owner of the Caerphilly Zoo. Everyone is angry with Patrick and he's nowhere to be found. If he was smart, he would have done a runner but alas, it seems as if he's the stiff in the basement. Now there are any number of suspects and Chief Burke has his hands full trying to figure out whodunit. Meg REALLY wants and needs this wedding and honeymoon. She'll just snoop around and try to figure out what really happened to Patrick- for the sake of the animals, of course. They need to go ASAP! Her search for answers leads her to the Shiffleys and a dispute over hunting rights. She also discovers an angry animal rights protest group causing drama and a rival zoo owner. Meanwhile, the Sprocket heirs show up believing the dead body to be Edwina's husband, their great-uncle and won't go away even when informed otherwise. Who actually killed Patrick? Will Meg and Michael survive to get hitched and escape on a honeymoon?
This series is getting better and better. While the animal antics in Buzzard were the funniest, this one is near the top. The animals take center stage with the humans playing second fiddle. Meg's family doesn't cause too much trouble, except for her dad, and the mystery kept me guessing. I thought I figured it out halfway through but then there was a suspect doing suspicious things so I wasn't totally sure.
I feel really bad for Meg. Is she SURE she wants to marry Michael? He's mostly MIA in this one, handling the family and animals while Meg investigates. I have a new problem with him now - he likes her family too much and enjoys the chaos and drama they bring. Meg is harried as usual but not as much as in previous books. Michael is helping and Mother is less obnoxious. Someone had a talk with her or she realized she was micromanaging her adult daughter's life and backed off. I think she knows about the wedding but isn't interfering for a change. She's happy to have a project to manage and even though she doesn't do moving, she and the ladies are in charge of feeding everyone and she's content with that. Dad is the obnoxious one in this story. He's very dear but clueless. I admire his dedication to the animals but he needs to do more research and find real help, especially after learning Patrick has been killed. Eric is still sweet and innocent but Duck didn't come with him again this time. She must be at the farm enjoying laying eggs all over the place. Eric helps with the investigation. Aunt Meg is not the best babysitter but Eric is a good kid and I think someone assisted with the trouble he gets into.
Patrick sounds more like a rescuer than a businessman. One of those hoarders who means well but can't figure out the business of running a rescue or in this case, a zoo. He's had some financial difficulties lately and for some reason Meg's dad offered to take some of the animals. And for some reason, Patrick took him up on the offer. Dr. Langslow should have known it wasn't temporary but he has his head in the clouds. Penguins? Really? The llamas are fine and a perfectly normal farm animal but hyenas? and OMG there might be a lion out there somewhere! I know that hungry roar well and can't tell the difference between a recording and live either. The penguins aren't really in the story much, just the catalyst for the murder mystery.
Dr. Smoot is the strangest medical examiner anyone has ever seen. He's claustrophobic, has PTSD and is so paralyzed with fear, he can't get in a car and go home. Meg offers a perfect solution but no go. He's a moocher and I wonder how he got to be a doctor if he's afraid of everything and can't do his job? Poor Chief Burke has his hands full with Langslows running around and the animals everywhere. Sammy is a big help as usual but even his knowledge of the locals isn't helping much in this case.
The Shiffleys seem suspicious. They're overcharging Meg and keep finding little things to buy to run up the bill. Yes the property needs work but maybe a little at a time? The Shiffleys are concerned with land rights. They want the right to hunt defenseless animals on their land. Yuck. No way. I'm with Mother Langslow. Margaret is against hunting and humans harming animals. She understands as well as I do, animals have natural predators so when her cat eats mice, it's normal animal behavior. THAT she allows but hunting with a gun or a cross-bow? No way. I agree. No way! Meg is more pragmatic and realizes the local farmers consider the deer pests. She doesn't want people hunting and killing animals on her property though so that's a NO from the Lansglows. Their nephew, Charlie, has already been in trouble for illegal hunting with a cross-bow. Patrick was killed with a cross-bow. Charlie accidentally killed a zoo animal - or he claims accidentally but there's no way he could have mistaken a small wild antelope for a common white tailed deer! My guess is he's either blind or a really bad shot. He shows Meg he can't possibly be a bad shot. Is he just plain old lacking in common sense or did the thrill of an illegal hunt get to him? It seems as if this wasn't an isolated case. Someone is letting the zoo animals out and someone is allowing poachers to kill them. Is it the same person? Was it Patrick? Did he try to make money to save the zoo by culling the herd and get cold feet? Or was it someone else? I think the Shiffleys are involved and the neighboring property owner too.
OMG Sheila D. Fugleman, current manager of the feed store, is collecting zoo animal dung and selling it in her store as fertilizer. It's a best seller, making money for the zoo and making Sheila famous. She's been invited to go on TV with Martha Stewart! Sheila is a little too obsessed and up to something shady. Did she stop giving money back to the zoo? Did she and Patrick get into a dispute over her stealing the zoo doodoo and not giving back? Why would she kill her cash cow? Unless she has a new supply somewhere else? Montgomery Blake, wildlife enthusiast and TV celebrity, is kind of obnoxious. Meg and her mom don't find him charming but Dad is excited to have Blake around to help with the animals. Blake is a pompous idiot and I think he's more fame than knowledge. He's dismissive of anyone who doesn't agree with him and doesn't stop to have a conversation with someone. Like Meg, I think it's creepy he knows who she is and who Michael is and everything about the family. Why is that? How did he know where and when to show up at the Sprocket place? He's supposedly there to rescue the zoo but no money has been discussed and he doesn't seem to have a place to put the animals or plans to renovate the zoo.
Ray Hamlin, proprietor of the Clay Count Zoo, a rival to the Caerphilly zoo, is suspicious in Meg's mind because he doesn't seem to know as much as he should about the animals. His facility is small and their animals are average farm animals for city kids and not exotic zoo animals. Funny how neither of these zoos are accredited or doing anything towards conservation of species and species survival plans. I would think the AZA would shut them down in a heartbeat. That's the tactic Meg should take with this Ray guy because he seems a little shady to me. However, she doesn't WANT more animals so if Ray gets shut down, where do the animals go?
Save Our Beasts, a militant animal rights group, is busy protesting outside the closed Caerphilly Zoo. They're opposed to all zoos and keeping animals caged/enclosed/ etc. Yet none of them are willing to actually care for the animals they want so badly to protect. The leader, Shea Bailey, is an angry, antagonistic guy who tangles with Meg over Spike. Meg actually feels compelled to defend Spike's behavior, that's how nasty this guy is. A student reporter from Michael's film class fills Meg in on the details of the protest, giving Meg a new angle for Chief Burke's investigation. Shea is at the top of my suspect list. He's sneaky, devious, mean and generally unpleasant.
What's wrong with the Sprokets? None of them seem to be functioning with all brain cells in tact! These two are particularly odd. What do they hope to gain by finding their great-uncle's remains? They can't prove Edwina killed him even if they do find him. There must be money involved. That's all that seems to motivate the Sprokets.
Well I enjoyed this one and really wanted to continue but I have to skip the next one. I don't do toddlers. I'll take the hyena over the toddler any day!
This series is getting better and better. While the animal antics in Buzzard were the funniest, this one is near the top. The animals take center stage with the humans playing second fiddle. Meg's family doesn't cause too much trouble, except for her dad, and the mystery kept me guessing. I thought I figured it out halfway through but then there was a suspect doing suspicious things so I wasn't totally sure.
I feel really bad for Meg. Is she SURE she wants to marry Michael? He's mostly MIA in this one, handling the family and animals while Meg investigates. I have a new problem with him now - he likes her family too much and enjoys the chaos and drama they bring. Meg is harried as usual but not as much as in previous books. Michael is helping and Mother is less obnoxious. Someone had a talk with her or she realized she was micromanaging her adult daughter's life and backed off. I think she knows about the wedding but isn't interfering for a change. She's happy to have a project to manage and even though she doesn't do moving, she and the ladies are in charge of feeding everyone and she's content with that. Dad is the obnoxious one in this story. He's very dear but clueless. I admire his dedication to the animals but he needs to do more research and find real help, especially after learning Patrick has been killed. Eric is still sweet and innocent but Duck didn't come with him again this time. She must be at the farm enjoying laying eggs all over the place. Eric helps with the investigation. Aunt Meg is not the best babysitter but Eric is a good kid and I think someone assisted with the trouble he gets into.
Patrick sounds more like a rescuer than a businessman. One of those hoarders who means well but can't figure out the business of running a rescue or in this case, a zoo. He's had some financial difficulties lately and for some reason Meg's dad offered to take some of the animals. And for some reason, Patrick took him up on the offer. Dr. Langslow should have known it wasn't temporary but he has his head in the clouds. Penguins? Really? The llamas are fine and a perfectly normal farm animal but hyenas? and OMG there might be a lion out there somewhere! I know that hungry roar well and can't tell the difference between a recording and live either. The penguins aren't really in the story much, just the catalyst for the murder mystery.
Dr. Smoot is the strangest medical examiner anyone has ever seen. He's claustrophobic, has PTSD and is so paralyzed with fear, he can't get in a car and go home. Meg offers a perfect solution but no go. He's a moocher and I wonder how he got to be a doctor if he's afraid of everything and can't do his job? Poor Chief Burke has his hands full with Langslows running around and the animals everywhere. Sammy is a big help as usual but even his knowledge of the locals isn't helping much in this case.
The Shiffleys seem suspicious. They're overcharging Meg and keep finding little things to buy to run up the bill. Yes the property needs work but maybe a little at a time? The Shiffleys are concerned with land rights. They want the right to hunt defenseless animals on their land. Yuck. No way. I'm with Mother Langslow. Margaret is against hunting and humans harming animals. She understands as well as I do, animals have natural predators so when her cat eats mice, it's normal animal behavior. THAT she allows but hunting with a gun or a cross-bow? No way. I agree. No way! Meg is more pragmatic and realizes the local farmers consider the deer pests. She doesn't want people hunting and killing animals on her property though so that's a NO from the Lansglows. Their nephew, Charlie, has already been in trouble for illegal hunting with a cross-bow. Patrick was killed with a cross-bow. Charlie accidentally killed a zoo animal - or he claims accidentally but there's no way he could have mistaken a small wild antelope for a common white tailed deer! My guess is he's either blind or a really bad shot. He shows Meg he can't possibly be a bad shot. Is he just plain old lacking in common sense or did the thrill of an illegal hunt get to him? It seems as if this wasn't an isolated case. Someone is letting the zoo animals out and someone is allowing poachers to kill them. Is it the same person? Was it Patrick? Did he try to make money to save the zoo by culling the herd and get cold feet? Or was it someone else? I think the Shiffleys are involved and the neighboring property owner too.
OMG Sheila D. Fugleman, current manager of the feed store, is collecting zoo animal dung and selling it in her store as fertilizer. It's a best seller, making money for the zoo and making Sheila famous. She's been invited to go on TV with Martha Stewart! Sheila is a little too obsessed and up to something shady. Did she stop giving money back to the zoo? Did she and Patrick get into a dispute over her stealing the zoo doodoo and not giving back? Why would she kill her cash cow? Unless she has a new supply somewhere else? Montgomery Blake, wildlife enthusiast and TV celebrity, is kind of obnoxious. Meg and her mom don't find him charming but Dad is excited to have Blake around to help with the animals. Blake is a pompous idiot and I think he's more fame than knowledge. He's dismissive of anyone who doesn't agree with him and doesn't stop to have a conversation with someone. Like Meg, I think it's creepy he knows who she is and who Michael is and everything about the family. Why is that? How did he know where and when to show up at the Sprocket place? He's supposedly there to rescue the zoo but no money has been discussed and he doesn't seem to have a place to put the animals or plans to renovate the zoo.
Ray Hamlin, proprietor of the Clay Count Zoo, a rival to the Caerphilly zoo, is suspicious in Meg's mind because he doesn't seem to know as much as he should about the animals. His facility is small and their animals are average farm animals for city kids and not exotic zoo animals. Funny how neither of these zoos are accredited or doing anything towards conservation of species and species survival plans. I would think the AZA would shut them down in a heartbeat. That's the tactic Meg should take with this Ray guy because he seems a little shady to me. However, she doesn't WANT more animals so if Ray gets shut down, where do the animals go?
Save Our Beasts, a militant animal rights group, is busy protesting outside the closed Caerphilly Zoo. They're opposed to all zoos and keeping animals caged/enclosed/ etc. Yet none of them are willing to actually care for the animals they want so badly to protect. The leader, Shea Bailey, is an angry, antagonistic guy who tangles with Meg over Spike. Meg actually feels compelled to defend Spike's behavior, that's how nasty this guy is. A student reporter from Michael's film class fills Meg in on the details of the protest, giving Meg a new angle for Chief Burke's investigation. Shea is at the top of my suspect list. He's sneaky, devious, mean and generally unpleasant.
What's wrong with the Sprokets? None of them seem to be functioning with all brain cells in tact! These two are particularly odd. What do they hope to gain by finding their great-uncle's remains? They can't prove Edwina killed him even if they do find him. There must be money involved. That's all that seems to motivate the Sprokets.
Well I enjoyed this one and really wanted to continue but I have to skip the next one. I don't do toddlers. I'll take the hyena over the toddler any day!
December 30, 2017
Meg's life is moving right along in this next installment. Literally. It's moving day. As Meg and Michael's house has finally finished renovations, the family has come to help them move in and then celebrate Memorial Day weekend. Added bonus, Meg and Michael plan to slip away during the celebration and elope. So the family will be there for the party, but not the actual wedding. So the theory is that everyone will be happy.
Of course things don't go as planned. Meg wakes up the morning of the move to find animals showing up at her house. And her dad, working on a penguin pond in the basement, uncovers a dead body. Turns out the zoo was in trouble, or being renovated or something, so the owner (Patrick) had given the animals to various community members to keep for a couple days. But he wasn't responding to calls and people were tired of having the animals so Meg's dad volunteered Meg's house to keep all the animals at. Penguins, llamas, camels, sloths, snakes, hyenas, wolves.... you get the idea. So Meg is trying to move into her home, deal with all the animals, and solve a murder. Piece of cake.
The new medical examiner (Smoot) is claustrophobic and basically worthless. Charlie Shiffley is a suspect as he was accused of intentionally killing one of the zoo animals (small deer got out of the zoo and was in hunting territory, where Charlie killed it) as this was potentially damaging to Charlie's scholarship at VA Tech, his whole family (and himself) were very concerned. Then there is Sheila the poop lady, she collects and sells exotic animal poop as fertilizer. Ray Hamlin, the Clay County zoo keeper, competition to the Caerphilly zoo. Dr Blake, a very famous zoologist who is well known from TV shows, shows up and is acting very suspicious.
During all the adventures in this book, Meg ends up with a cut cheek, black eye, gashes in her side (from a bobcat), and a broken leg. But she caught the killer (it was Hamlin, he was buying animals form Patrick and then selling them for canned hunting, which is illegal. Patrick found out what he was really doing with the animals so Hamlin killed him.) and she and Michael escape the hospital to elope. Though she is 100% sure her mother had figured out what they were up to.
Interesting discovery in this book. Meg's dad was an orphan, found as a baby in the library. well it turns out that Dr Blake believes he is his father and is having their DNA tested to see if it's true. Looking forward to the next one!
Of course things don't go as planned. Meg wakes up the morning of the move to find animals showing up at her house. And her dad, working on a penguin pond in the basement, uncovers a dead body. Turns out the zoo was in trouble, or being renovated or something, so the owner (Patrick) had given the animals to various community members to keep for a couple days. But he wasn't responding to calls and people were tired of having the animals so Meg's dad volunteered Meg's house to keep all the animals at. Penguins, llamas, camels, sloths, snakes, hyenas, wolves.... you get the idea. So Meg is trying to move into her home, deal with all the animals, and solve a murder. Piece of cake.
The new medical examiner (Smoot) is claustrophobic and basically worthless. Charlie Shiffley is a suspect as he was accused of intentionally killing one of the zoo animals (small deer got out of the zoo and was in hunting territory, where Charlie killed it) as this was potentially damaging to Charlie's scholarship at VA Tech, his whole family (and himself) were very concerned. Then there is Sheila the poop lady, she collects and sells exotic animal poop as fertilizer. Ray Hamlin, the Clay County zoo keeper, competition to the Caerphilly zoo. Dr Blake, a very famous zoologist who is well known from TV shows, shows up and is acting very suspicious.
During all the adventures in this book, Meg ends up with a cut cheek, black eye, gashes in her side (from a bobcat), and a broken leg. But she caught the killer (it was Hamlin, he was buying animals form Patrick and then selling them for canned hunting, which is illegal. Patrick found out what he was really doing with the animals so Hamlin killed him.) and she and Michael escape the hospital to elope. Though she is 100% sure her mother had figured out what they were up to.
Interesting discovery in this book. Meg's dad was an orphan, found as a baby in the library. well it turns out that Dr Blake believes he is his father and is having their DNA tested to see if it's true. Looking forward to the next one!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2019
The Zoo is Foreclosed Caerphilly has a zoo. A small zoo, but a zoo. The owner has run into money troubles and has been selling his animals and then is found dead in the basement of Meg and Michael's recently renovated home. He is found on the day that they are starting the move into the house. Things come to a grinding halt when they have to wait for the investigation.
They call the chief and let him know that a body has been found in a recent hole dug by Meg's father to allow for a pond for the penguins he has been caring for because of the foreclosure. As the day progresses, more police show up, her cousin shows up and many other characters start showing up. People are dumping animals at her house for her to care for and she meets the great Dr. Montgomery Blake. He has come to town to see if he wants to be financially responsible for the zoo.
The family has started to show up and the Sprockets (the family Meg and Michael bought the house from) start showing up, digging holes in Meg's yard on the premise that the body they found is their missing uncle.
I already shared one of my favorite moments, from pages 86-87 where someone who was not invited to stay at her home finds a snake in the bathroom, the coroner (who has too many phobias) is terrified in the yard by Meg's brother, Rob, and all the animals being kept on her property and her father's neighboring property.
Meg gets involved in finding out who murdered and buried the zookeeper in her yard and finds out all the weird things that were happening, even learning about canned hunts. I had never heard about this, until this book. This is where hunters pay to hunt rare animals in a small area where the animal cannot get away so that it is an easy target for them. I don't agree with trophy hunting, but I understand the need for food hunting from any other levels.
Good story. Lots of funny moments.
They call the chief and let him know that a body has been found in a recent hole dug by Meg's father to allow for a pond for the penguins he has been caring for because of the foreclosure. As the day progresses, more police show up, her cousin shows up and many other characters start showing up. People are dumping animals at her house for her to care for and she meets the great Dr. Montgomery Blake. He has come to town to see if he wants to be financially responsible for the zoo.
The family has started to show up and the Sprockets (the family Meg and Michael bought the house from) start showing up, digging holes in Meg's yard on the premise that the body they found is their missing uncle.
I already shared one of my favorite moments, from pages 86-87 where someone who was not invited to stay at her home finds a snake in the bathroom, the coroner (who has too many phobias) is terrified in the yard by Meg's brother, Rob, and all the animals being kept on her property and her father's neighboring property.
Meg gets involved in finding out who murdered and buried the zookeeper in her yard and finds out all the weird things that were happening, even learning about canned hunts. I had never heard about this, until this book. This is where hunters pay to hunt rare animals in a small area where the animal cannot get away so that it is an easy target for them. I don't agree with trophy hunting, but I understand the need for food hunting from any other levels.
Good story. Lots of funny moments.
April 24, 2015
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Meg Langslow is not really about a penguin that much. It just starts off with penguins. This is a cozy that focuses on ridiculous situations and it made me laugh quite a few times. Meg Langslow is moving into a Virginia Victorian house with quite a bit of land. She and her future husband to be are planning to elope after they get moved in.
What worked for me are the very odd characters. Her dad is the one who seems to get into all sorts of troubles involving animals and this time is no different. He is down in the basement digging a hole for the penguins that he promised the local zookeeper that he would baby sit them. Why inside? Because of the terrible Texas summer heat.
There is also the woman who collects the animal droppings and makes a profit off them. She is very wary that someone will try to compete with her in dropping business and her charming little nephew who needs to be watched. The corpse who is found in the hole in the basement also has an interesting history. There is also an irritating Dr. Blake who may be showing up in future cozies.
I have been reading edgier cozies (that sounds like a contradiction) but this cozy surprised me with its ridiculous humor. I recommend it if you feel like implausible but very funny mystery.
What worked for me are the very odd characters. Her dad is the one who seems to get into all sorts of troubles involving animals and this time is no different. He is down in the basement digging a hole for the penguins that he promised the local zookeeper that he would baby sit them. Why inside? Because of the terrible Texas summer heat.
There is also the woman who collects the animal droppings and makes a profit off them. She is very wary that someone will try to compete with her in dropping business and her charming little nephew who needs to be watched. The corpse who is found in the hole in the basement also has an interesting history. There is also an irritating Dr. Blake who may be showing up in future cozies.
I have been reading edgier cozies (that sounds like a contradiction) but this cozy surprised me with its ridiculous humor. I recommend it if you feel like implausible but very funny mystery.
December 16, 2017
Meg and Michael are deep into plans to restore their run-down Victorian farmhouse and elope before their mothers start arguing over the wedding of the century for the couple, when Meg's Dad finds a body in the basement. Of course no book in this series is that straightforward, so Meg's Dad is digging in the basement to make a pond for the penguins he's temporarily adopted from the local zoo. That morning the hyenas and llamas arrive, and soon sloths are hanging from the chandeliers.
This is a series that requires the reader to suspend disbelief, and that's even more true in this book. You have to be willing to go along with the crazy family and their unlikely complications or you won't like it at all. Still I thought this one began to go too far. Sloths in the dining room - really? Also there was a lot left unexplained here and I felt the end details about Mr. Blake and Meg's Dad were unnecessary and really far-fetched. In contrast the talk about canned hunting of the animals, where they're essentially penned up and people pay to come slaughter them, was disturbingly real and grim. I was uncomfortable giggling over a story that included such possibilities. So I'd only recommend this to readers of the entire series. And be sure you're ready for a story that's really "out there". All in all it isn't the best.
This is a series that requires the reader to suspend disbelief, and that's even more true in this book. You have to be willing to go along with the crazy family and their unlikely complications or you won't like it at all. Still I thought this one began to go too far. Sloths in the dining room - really? Also there was a lot left unexplained here and I felt the end details about Mr. Blake and Meg's Dad were unnecessary and really far-fetched. In contrast the talk about canned hunting of the animals, where they're essentially penned up and people pay to come slaughter them, was disturbingly real and grim. I was uncomfortable giggling over a story that included such possibilities. So I'd only recommend this to readers of the entire series. And be sure you're ready for a story that's really "out there". All in all it isn't the best.
December 4, 2017
#8 in the Meg Langslow series
This is another entertaining book in this series. Very quick read that made me smile throughout. I was happy to learn right from the beginning that Meg and Michael are planning an elopement, finally, and hoping to keep it a secret until the last minute. In the meantime, however, neighbors are suddenly dropping off random zoo animals at Meg's house now that the local wildlife zoo has gone out of business. When the dead body found in their basement turns out to be the zookeeper, Meg has a greater interest in finding his murderer so she can figure out what to do with all these exotic animals on her farm. The book is very entertaining as they deal with penguins (which started the whole thing when her dad decided to build them a pool in Meg's basement), llamas, camels, hyenas, wolves, and several other animals. As always, secondary characters are hilarious--Dad, Mother, Chief Burke, brother Rob, and various relatives and neighbors. Additional story of a neighbor's attempt to start a new business selling zoo-poop as some exotic sort of fertilizer. I like that Meg doesn't go off half-cocked to solve mysteries, just asking questions, visiting the crime scene, and making intelligent deductions. Looking forward to continuing.
This is another entertaining book in this series. Very quick read that made me smile throughout. I was happy to learn right from the beginning that Meg and Michael are planning an elopement, finally, and hoping to keep it a secret until the last minute. In the meantime, however, neighbors are suddenly dropping off random zoo animals at Meg's house now that the local wildlife zoo has gone out of business. When the dead body found in their basement turns out to be the zookeeper, Meg has a greater interest in finding his murderer so she can figure out what to do with all these exotic animals on her farm. The book is very entertaining as they deal with penguins (which started the whole thing when her dad decided to build them a pool in Meg's basement), llamas, camels, hyenas, wolves, and several other animals. As always, secondary characters are hilarious--Dad, Mother, Chief Burke, brother Rob, and various relatives and neighbors. Additional story of a neighbor's attempt to start a new business selling zoo-poop as some exotic sort of fertilizer. I like that Meg doesn't go off half-cocked to solve mysteries, just asking questions, visiting the crime scene, and making intelligent deductions. Looking forward to continuing.
March 24, 2015
I chose this for a "humorous mystery" genre study and I have to say I didn't think it was all that humorous. In fact, all the humor stemmed from a zoo closing and the droves of animals that were dropped off at Meg Langslow's house (a repetitive joke throughout). However, I do have to say that the complete lack of involvement by the police chief was pretty funny (not sure if this was even intended, but he's in one scene eating corn on the cob and then you don't really hear about him again).
Also, since this book is pretty far along in the series, although the author catches you up with nearly every supporting character and what their current relationship is in regards to Meg, I never could figure out Meg's deal- is she a detective? A busybody? so perhaps it's necessary to get invested from book one.
If sweet whodunits with a little light humor are what you're into, then you'll like this book.
Also, since this book is pretty far along in the series, although the author catches you up with nearly every supporting character and what their current relationship is in regards to Meg, I never could figure out Meg's deal- is she a detective? A busybody? so perhaps it's necessary to get invested from book one.
If sweet whodunits with a little light humor are what you're into, then you'll like this book.
November 24, 2011
Meg comes home one evening to penguins in the basement--well actually, not anymore, now that the body has been discovered. With a whole crowd of relatives coming any day now, not to mention various displaced zoo animals being dropped off (Meg's father volunteered to take care of them after the local zoo closed), Meg's life IS a zoo. Before long the police chief has set up headquarters in her parlor, and Meg is determined to figure out whodunnit, so she can happily elope as planned--hopefully with people and animals all taken care of someplace other than her house and grounds.
Unpredictable situations and zany characters add to the fun of trying to figure out who the guilty party is. I'll have to find more by this author. This one cracked me up!
Unpredictable situations and zany characters add to the fun of trying to figure out who the guilty party is. I'll have to find more by this author. This one cracked me up!
April 16, 2011
Donna Andrews delivers another zany mystery with her usual style! A fun read involving a murder and zoo animals that move in with Meg as she is moving into her house. These mysteries are a joy to read as there are always several suspects and I never know who is the murderer until the end. I also love this series because of the consistency of the same characters; I feel like I know each of the characters and can't wait to see what they will do next.
July 30, 2012
This is another hilarious book in the very entertaining Meg Langslow series. The story involves a body found in the basement of Meg and Michael's renovated house, plus an onslaught of penguins, hyenas, llamas, and other refugees from a local zoo that has closed. Recommended for readers who enjoy a lighthearted, laugh-out-loud mystery featuring a large cast of zany humans and wild animals.
September 21, 2017
A rather silly little mystery that is amusing enough to save it from complete idiocy. Probably a good read if you know you will be constantly interrupted since there isn't too much to remember as you go along.
April 28, 2015
I hadn't read one of this series for a few years. Aaah why so long? So funny. The whole family was around, but not in the story enough. Also not enough Michael.
September 3, 2016
Another romping adventure with the Meg and her festive family. This one over mis-placed zoo animals. I always laugh out loud with these tall tales.
March 27, 2018
3.5 stars very quick entertaining cozy mystery.
May 15, 2017
Meg and Michael are settling in to their new home, but Meg’s dad has taken it upon himself to do a little volunteer work that 'accidently' spills out onto their property. He takes in some penguins while the local zoo sorts out its money issues (and tells the other foster homes to drop off their animals at Meg's home if the wait gets too long for them) and helps himself to his daughter’s nice, cool cellar for their temporary storage. In digging up their floor for a wading pool, he discovers a body, because of course he does.
If I'd picked up this series with this one first, I never would have gone on to read the rest. It's a hard admission to make, but the author seemed to phone this one in. The plot isn't bad and Meg and the others all stay in character. The problem isn't that the humor falls flat. In fact it has one of my favorite cold opens in the series:
"Meg! Guess what I found in your basement?"
I looked up from the box I was unpacking to see Dad standing in the basement doorway. his round face shining with excitement.
"A body?" An unlikely guess, but Dad was a big mystery buff- perhaps if I amused him, he'd stop playing guessing games on moving day.
"Oh, rats- you already knew? Well, how soon will the police get here? I need to move the penguins- we don't want them any more upset than they already are."
He disappeared down the basement steps without waiting for an answer.
(Donna Andrews, The Penguin Who Knew too Much, p.1)
But you'll actually see a little of the problem I'm taking about in that very passage. It gets the ball rolling, but it sounds silly. It's a fine way to start a book late in the series with a readership eager to get to the action, but it's a goofy open. The entire book sounds like this. It smacks of the same hammy comedy that I've blasted cozies over before. The entire premise makes no damn sense. The zoo animals are all fostered out and are being continuously dropped off at Meg's place without warning? First off, why did her father not warn her? Maybe he thought it wouldn't come to it initially but once the camels, llamas, sloths, monkeys, wolves, hyenas, and lemurs get dumped on her doorstep, often without their foster families even bothering to alert her before abandoning them and driving off, a responsible person would be rushing to tell her what else she could be expecting. But not only does Dad fail to offer this information, when she asks for it directly he plays dumb in a transparent attempt to avoid getting himself in more trouble. Also, why the hell were all these animals fostered with normal citizens? Ship them to other zoos or licensed animal sanctuaries for God's sake!
And we get two new characters who're just as hammy as the comedy. One is my least favorite character in the series; I'd go so far as to say I hate him. He's so unnecessarily silly that he sticks out painfully in the community of otherwise normal people (and everything does go back to normal after Penguins ). And Donna Andrews keeps him around (thankfully in a changing capacity and fluctuating prominence) for the remainder of the series. I’m speaking of the temporary medical examiner, Dr. Smoot. He starts out annoying but not too silly, with a quirk of being afraid of darkened doorways, but then we learn why he has that fear and you immediately know it's going to be one of those books. He's afraid a vampire is going to jump out of the doorways to scare him, and he's one of those annoying people who don't bother to get therapy and instead just unload their issues on anyone foolish enough to try striking up a conversation. And with a peculiar fear like that, you just know it's going to come up so often that you'll think of 'vampires' every scene Dr. Smoot is in. But even worse is how he gets over his fear midway through by going hurtling off in the extreme other direction and becoming a vampire wannabe. And that's not a spoiler, it's a warning. Why is he even still there? There's no explanation, he just kind of sets up a campsite in Meg's backyard for the rest of the book for no reason whatsoever.
The other new character that identifies this as the book where the author has finally started to scramble for conflicts is Dr. Montgomery Blake. Dr. Blake is in town because he's a big-name animal activist who has a show on Animal Planet where he goes out on dangerous rescues. He's also the one trying to save the Caerphilly Zoo, which has become far more difficult to do now that the owner has gone missing (Right around the time the dead body shows up in Meg's cellar. Gee, I wonder where he could be). He looks as stereotypically 'big game hunter' as possible down to always trotting around with a pith helmet, happily lecturing/berating people about animal welfare and taking advantage of Meg's property and Dad's enthusiasm. It makes for a few genuinely funny moments when he has someone to play his foil, but Mrs. Fenniman can't hang around him all day.
Mrs. Fenniman gathered up most of the meat that had been on the picnic tables during the monkeys' rampage and slung it into the wolves' cage.
"They're on carefully controlled diets!" Dr. Blake protested.
"Time they had some fun, then," Mrs. Fenniman muttered as she tossed a monkey-gnawed roast of beef into the cage.
(Donna Andrews, The Penguin Who Knew too Much, p.251)
He's actually mildly annoying but still rather enjoyable right up until the end when the author tries to drop a twist on us that will make you cringe. The character recovers but his relationship with the main cast is forever tainted for me with just how lazily and stupidly he was shoehorned in.
Though Penguins absolutely gets points for Michael getting a character upgrade. He was always a pretty bland character with few interesting traits other than 'perfect' with a few flaws thrown in, but it's really starting to become evident that Meg needs to keep an eye on him. Not only had he known her father took in penguins and never told her (to be fair he hadn't realized her Dad had moved them into their basement, and he'd point blank told him they wouldn't be taking any zoo animals themselves which just makes Dad look like more of a ass), but he's like a little kid trailing her father and Dr. Blake around. This is how they ended up with a hobby farm, mark my words.
The verdict? While it remains one of my favourite books in the series just on the merit of Meg's attitude of 'how is this my life now', it’s not one for a new reader to pick up if they’re looking to find an author to follow. The comedy is still good, but it's sparse. There're a lot of things going on that didn't add much to the story. But there are still a few things, silly as they are, which make an impact of Meg's life moving forward so it's also not one I can advise long-time readers to skip.
I’ve only just realized that I only ever call Meg’s parents Dad and Mother in these reviews, and I just wanted to make it clear that that’s actually what they’re called in the books. I’m sure their names are dropped at some point, there are enough cousins running around to have called Mother ‘Aunt Something’ at least once, but the books are from Meg’s POV and we call her parents what she calls them.
If I'd picked up this series with this one first, I never would have gone on to read the rest. It's a hard admission to make, but the author seemed to phone this one in. The plot isn't bad and Meg and the others all stay in character. The problem isn't that the humor falls flat. In fact it has one of my favorite cold opens in the series:
"Meg! Guess what I found in your basement?"
I looked up from the box I was unpacking to see Dad standing in the basement doorway. his round face shining with excitement.
"A body?" An unlikely guess, but Dad was a big mystery buff- perhaps if I amused him, he'd stop playing guessing games on moving day.
"Oh, rats- you already knew? Well, how soon will the police get here? I need to move the penguins- we don't want them any more upset than they already are."
He disappeared down the basement steps without waiting for an answer.
(Donna Andrews, The Penguin Who Knew too Much, p.1)
But you'll actually see a little of the problem I'm taking about in that very passage. It gets the ball rolling, but it sounds silly. It's a fine way to start a book late in the series with a readership eager to get to the action, but it's a goofy open. The entire book sounds like this. It smacks of the same hammy comedy that I've blasted cozies over before. The entire premise makes no damn sense. The zoo animals are all fostered out and are being continuously dropped off at Meg's place without warning? First off, why did her father not warn her? Maybe he thought it wouldn't come to it initially but once the camels, llamas, sloths, monkeys, wolves, hyenas, and lemurs get dumped on her doorstep, often without their foster families even bothering to alert her before abandoning them and driving off, a responsible person would be rushing to tell her what else she could be expecting. But not only does Dad fail to offer this information, when she asks for it directly he plays dumb in a transparent attempt to avoid getting himself in more trouble. Also, why the hell were all these animals fostered with normal citizens? Ship them to other zoos or licensed animal sanctuaries for God's sake!
And we get two new characters who're just as hammy as the comedy. One is my least favorite character in the series; I'd go so far as to say I hate him. He's so unnecessarily silly that he sticks out painfully in the community of otherwise normal people (and everything does go back to normal after Penguins ). And Donna Andrews keeps him around (thankfully in a changing capacity and fluctuating prominence) for the remainder of the series. I’m speaking of the temporary medical examiner, Dr. Smoot. He starts out annoying but not too silly, with a quirk of being afraid of darkened doorways, but then we learn why he has that fear and you immediately know it's going to be one of those books. He's afraid a vampire is going to jump out of the doorways to scare him, and he's one of those annoying people who don't bother to get therapy and instead just unload their issues on anyone foolish enough to try striking up a conversation. And with a peculiar fear like that, you just know it's going to come up so often that you'll think of 'vampires' every scene Dr. Smoot is in. But even worse is how he gets over his fear midway through by going hurtling off in the extreme other direction and becoming a vampire wannabe. And that's not a spoiler, it's a warning. Why is he even still there? There's no explanation, he just kind of sets up a campsite in Meg's backyard for the rest of the book for no reason whatsoever.
The other new character that identifies this as the book where the author has finally started to scramble for conflicts is Dr. Montgomery Blake. Dr. Blake is in town because he's a big-name animal activist who has a show on Animal Planet where he goes out on dangerous rescues. He's also the one trying to save the Caerphilly Zoo, which has become far more difficult to do now that the owner has gone missing (Right around the time the dead body shows up in Meg's cellar. Gee, I wonder where he could be). He looks as stereotypically 'big game hunter' as possible down to always trotting around with a pith helmet, happily lecturing/berating people about animal welfare and taking advantage of Meg's property and Dad's enthusiasm. It makes for a few genuinely funny moments when he has someone to play his foil, but Mrs. Fenniman can't hang around him all day.
Mrs. Fenniman gathered up most of the meat that had been on the picnic tables during the monkeys' rampage and slung it into the wolves' cage.
"They're on carefully controlled diets!" Dr. Blake protested.
"Time they had some fun, then," Mrs. Fenniman muttered as she tossed a monkey-gnawed roast of beef into the cage.
(Donna Andrews, The Penguin Who Knew too Much, p.251)
He's actually mildly annoying but still rather enjoyable right up until the end when the author tries to drop a twist on us that will make you cringe. The character recovers but his relationship with the main cast is forever tainted for me with just how lazily and stupidly he was shoehorned in.
Though Penguins absolutely gets points for Michael getting a character upgrade. He was always a pretty bland character with few interesting traits other than 'perfect' with a few flaws thrown in, but it's really starting to become evident that Meg needs to keep an eye on him. Not only had he known her father took in penguins and never told her (to be fair he hadn't realized her Dad had moved them into their basement, and he'd point blank told him they wouldn't be taking any zoo animals themselves which just makes Dad look like more of a ass), but he's like a little kid trailing her father and Dr. Blake around. This is how they ended up with a hobby farm, mark my words.
The verdict? While it remains one of my favourite books in the series just on the merit of Meg's attitude of 'how is this my life now', it’s not one for a new reader to pick up if they’re looking to find an author to follow. The comedy is still good, but it's sparse. There're a lot of things going on that didn't add much to the story. But there are still a few things, silly as they are, which make an impact of Meg's life moving forward so it's also not one I can advise long-time readers to skip.
I’ve only just realized that I only ever call Meg’s parents Dad and Mother in these reviews, and I just wanted to make it clear that that’s actually what they’re called in the books. I’m sure their names are dropped at some point, there are enough cousins running around to have called Mother ‘Aunt Something’ at least once, but the books are from Meg’s POV and we call her parents what she calls them.
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