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Merry Wrath Mysteries #1
Merit Badge Murder
From national bestselling author, Leslie Langtry comes a mystery series of laugh-out-loud proportions...
When CIA agent Merry Wrath is "accidentally" outted, she's forced her into early retirement, changes her appearance, and moves where no one will ever find her—Iowa. Instead of black bag drops in Bangkok, she now spends her time leading a young Girl Scout troop. But Merry's new simple life turns not-so-simple when an enemy agent shows up dead at scout camp. Suddenly Merry is forced to deal with her former life in order to preserve her future one.
It doesn't help matters that the CIA sends in her former, sexy handler to investigate…or that the hot new neighbor across the street turns out to be the local detective in charge of her case. And when Merry is forced to take on a roommate in the voluptuous form of a turned KGB agent/bimbo, things become trickier than wet work in Waukegan or cookie sales in the spring. Nothing in the CIA or Girl Scouts' training manuals has prepared her for what comes next…
When CIA agent Merry Wrath is "accidentally" outted, she's forced her into early retirement, changes her appearance, and moves where no one will ever find her—Iowa. Instead of black bag drops in Bangkok, she now spends her time leading a young Girl Scout troop. But Merry's new simple life turns not-so-simple when an enemy agent shows up dead at scout camp. Suddenly Merry is forced to deal with her former life in order to preserve her future one.
It doesn't help matters that the CIA sends in her former, sexy handler to investigate…or that the hot new neighbor across the street turns out to be the local detective in charge of her case. And when Merry is forced to take on a roommate in the voluptuous form of a turned KGB agent/bimbo, things become trickier than wet work in Waukegan or cookie sales in the spring. Nothing in the CIA or Girl Scouts' training manuals has prepared her for what comes next…
197 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2014
980 people are currently reading
2094 people want to read
About the author
Leslie Langtry
97 books722 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 - 30 of 297 reviews
March 11, 2024
Audible recommended this book because I enjoyed the Miss Fortune Series by Jana DeLeon. That series is cute and funny even if far fetched. This series has a similar premise but without the cute or funny and is even further from reality.
Merry Wrath used to be an undercover field agent or "spy" as she keeps calling herself. This might lead us to believe that she is an intelligent and capable grown woman, but... sadly no, she is written as a vapid, boy crazy, imbecile. Every time a man walks into the room we have to listen to her internally swooning and imagining they are seconds away from kissing her or from proposing... WTF is she 13? has she never seen a man before in all her worldly travels?? Even the Russian ex-government agent is written as a bimbo. Except for referencing randomly to all her previous missions or repeatedly telling people "I was a GREAT agent", there are no signs that this woman has any physical or mental capacity to do anything more complex than chew gum and day dream about the "hottie" walking by.
Aside from inept characters, this ex-undercover agent was outed and forced to retire as many very dangerous criminals or "baddies" - yes our heroin intelligently refers to them as if she were 5 and talking about the joker or lex luthor - are now after her, so her deep cover disguise includes dying her hair and moving back to the small town she grew up in. Clearly no-one will recognize her as she hangs out with her childhood best friend down the street from her childhood home. No woman would ever dye her hair as she would be instantly unrecognizable.
The book is terrible. Reading it is guaranteed to drop your IQ by at least 20 points.
Merry Wrath used to be an undercover field agent or "spy" as she keeps calling herself. This might lead us to believe that she is an intelligent and capable grown woman, but... sadly no, she is written as a vapid, boy crazy, imbecile. Every time a man walks into the room we have to listen to her internally swooning and imagining they are seconds away from kissing her or from proposing... WTF is she 13? has she never seen a man before in all her worldly travels?? Even the Russian ex-government agent is written as a bimbo. Except for referencing randomly to all her previous missions or repeatedly telling people "I was a GREAT agent", there are no signs that this woman has any physical or mental capacity to do anything more complex than chew gum and day dream about the "hottie" walking by.
Aside from inept characters, this ex-undercover agent was outed and forced to retire as many very dangerous criminals or "baddies" - yes our heroin intelligently refers to them as if she were 5 and talking about the joker or lex luthor - are now after her, so her deep cover disguise includes dying her hair and moving back to the small town she grew up in. Clearly no-one will recognize her as she hangs out with her childhood best friend down the street from her childhood home. No woman would ever dye her hair as she would be instantly unrecognizable.
The book is terrible. Reading it is guaranteed to drop your IQ by at least 20 points.
August 8, 2016
Merry Wrath was a CIA agent, and a good one. Then she was "accidentally" outed in a bit of Washington political hardball, and forced into early retirement. "Merry Wrath" is her new name, derived from a middle name and her mother's maiden name. Her hair is now blonde, and her eyes, thanks to contact lenses, blue.
And of course her Deep Cover Dead Secret new home is the small town in Iowa where she grew up. Did I mention that her father is a US Senator from Iowa?
So the completely unaddressed mystery here is why no one except her best friend from childhood, Kelly, recognizes her.
Despite that annoying weakness, this is a funny and fast-paced story, with Merry the unexpected target of a plot that has dead bodies of international terrorists turning up near her: an Al Qaeda agent at the camp where her Girl Scout troop meets, a South American drug dealer thrown in front of her car as she drives home, and a Japanese Yakuza boss found dead in her kitchen. Her sexy former handler, Riley, turns up, and he has a house guest for her--Svetlana, a blonde bimbo former KGB agent, who needs a place to lie low. (Obviously, a great plan, there.) And right at the time that Merry is dealing with bodies turning up everywhere, a very sexy police detective, Rex, moves in across the street from her. We are apparently supposed to accept this as a genuine coincidence.
It's fun, it moves, and while Merry makes some mistakes from rustiness and not really wanting to be in that mindframe anymore, none of the humor is of the "look how the girl agent screws up" variety. Both Merry and Svetlana are genuinely deadly when they want to be. There is one huge "this is never explained" incident that makes no sense, but talking about it would be a spoiler. The "two sexy alpha males" is clearly a set-up for the kind of ongoing "which one should she choose" thing that has, for me, worn out its welcome in other mystery series.
Still, this is light, and fun, and fast-paced. Recommended for a light read if you're willing to let the inconsistencies slide.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Audible in exchange for an honest review.
And of course her Deep Cover Dead Secret new home is the small town in Iowa where she grew up. Did I mention that her father is a US Senator from Iowa?
So the completely unaddressed mystery here is why no one except her best friend from childhood, Kelly, recognizes her.
Despite that annoying weakness, this is a funny and fast-paced story, with Merry the unexpected target of a plot that has dead bodies of international terrorists turning up near her: an Al Qaeda agent at the camp where her Girl Scout troop meets, a South American drug dealer thrown in front of her car as she drives home, and a Japanese Yakuza boss found dead in her kitchen. Her sexy former handler, Riley, turns up, and he has a house guest for her--Svetlana, a blonde bimbo former KGB agent, who needs a place to lie low. (Obviously, a great plan, there.) And right at the time that Merry is dealing with bodies turning up everywhere, a very sexy police detective, Rex, moves in across the street from her. We are apparently supposed to accept this as a genuine coincidence.
It's fun, it moves, and while Merry makes some mistakes from rustiness and not really wanting to be in that mindframe anymore, none of the humor is of the "look how the girl agent screws up" variety. Both Merry and Svetlana are genuinely deadly when they want to be. There is one huge "this is never explained" incident that makes no sense, but talking about it would be a spoiler. The "two sexy alpha males" is clearly a set-up for the kind of ongoing "which one should she choose" thing that has, for me, worn out its welcome in other mystery series.
Still, this is light, and fun, and fast-paced. Recommended for a light read if you're willing to let the inconsistencies slide.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Audible in exchange for an honest review.
September 26, 2017
Great story, fun, would prefer leaving out the f-word..... I realize much worse is said by many, but just didn't seem necessary here. Would add a star if wasn't used.
Read
March 12, 2015Definitely not a bad book: it was fast paced and the lead wasn't the 'cute and funny' kind who is a danger to herself, and that makes me want to claw my eyes out.
The bit that let it down and made me stop reading is the numerous coincidences between the background of Merry and that of Fortune in Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune series - it made me feel as though I'd read parts of the book before. Also the two Alpha male character's are clearly there for ongoing who-shall-I-choose 'fun'. We've all read this tired cliche in countless other books, and I'm not interested in reading it again.
The author has shown that she has talent, so I don't see why she felt the need to heavily borrow from another series.
The bit that let it down and made me stop reading is the numerous coincidences between the background of Merry and that of Fortune in Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune series - it made me feel as though I'd read parts of the book before. Also the two Alpha male character's are clearly there for ongoing who-shall-I-choose 'fun'. We've all read this tired cliche in countless other books, and I'm not interested in reading it again.
The author has shown that she has talent, so I don't see why she felt the need to heavily borrow from another series.
March 15, 2020
I reserved this from my library, and was so excited when I got the notification it was available. I was sure I’d love it as much as the Miss Fortune books, but truthfully, although Merry/Finn was a fun character, and her BFF Kelly was a great sidekick, the addition of Riley, Rex, Lana, and the numerous hitmen that drop back into Merry’s life was just tedious. Riley is a jerk. I didn’t care that he was surfer dude cute or laid back. He was a manipulative jerk. Rex is the new neighbour who is tall, dark and handsome, plus a detective. Gee, wonder if they’ll be a love triangle situation in the offing?... yes, I’m being sarcastic with that remark. Did you think the author would do anything but? Then there was Lana. Lana was a trial, y’all. Her sex kitten routine just grated on my nerves. Her whole schtick was the seducer for information, so she can manipulate with the best of them. Very cliche and annoying.
Yet after all this moaning about the characters, I did enjoy chunks of this book. I liked how Merry hasn’t decorated her house after a year of living there, and has Dora sheets. Her Scout troop is adorable, and very resilient considering what happens. Then there is the angle that something is going on at the CIA that concerns her. That could be interesting.
Anyway, although not as good as I’d hoped for, I am going to pick up at least the next book to see if it gets better as Merry and Kelly as a great duo, and I did like Rex.
3 stars ⭐️
Yet after all this moaning about the characters, I did enjoy chunks of this book. I liked how Merry hasn’t decorated her house after a year of living there, and has Dora sheets. Her Scout troop is adorable, and very resilient considering what happens. Then there is the angle that something is going on at the CIA that concerns her. That could be interesting.
Anyway, although not as good as I’d hoped for, I am going to pick up at least the next book to see if it gets better as Merry and Kelly as a great duo, and I did like Rex.
3 stars ⭐️
December 17, 2016
I wanted to try another series by this author since I read her book from the Aloha Lagoon series, which I adored. Since this series was available on audio, it was a win-win for me. I enjoyed the main character. It was interesting to read about her former life as a CIA agent in Washington, DC, and how she is now relegated to help a girl scout troop in Iowa (not by her own choice). Quite a change!
While working with a girl scout troop with her BFF, Merry encounters villains from her CIA days, all dead in her path. Why these villains are suddenly showing up dead in small town Iowa baffles her.
There were so many LOL moments in this book. It kept me totally amused. However, I am not a big fan of spy thrillers, covert or special ops, or international assassins. That is probably why I did not like this mystery as much as I would prefer. Someone who enjoys that genre would get a kick out of this book.
What I really enjoyed is that Merry Wrath is a totally normal person who has the same doubts and romantic interests as any other female sleuth. It was fun to read about Merry as she fights her attraction to her former boss Riley and the hunky new neighbor Rex who also happens to be a detective working on the case. I wouldn't exactly categorize this as a cozy mystery as there was quite a bit foul language. It seemed to be a combination of cozy mystery, humorous mystery, spy mystery, and romantic mystery all wrapped into one.
Despite all the CIA/spy/espionage in this book, I am looking forward to reading the next book since I enjoy the main character and the humor. The narrator was decent although a bit slow in her narration. I switched over from my MP3 player to the Audible app so that I could speed up the narration to a more normal pace.
I gave the mystery 3.5 stars.
I gave the narration 4 stars.
While working with a girl scout troop with her BFF, Merry encounters villains from her CIA days, all dead in her path. Why these villains are suddenly showing up dead in small town Iowa baffles her.
There were so many LOL moments in this book. It kept me totally amused. However, I am not a big fan of spy thrillers, covert or special ops, or international assassins. That is probably why I did not like this mystery as much as I would prefer. Someone who enjoys that genre would get a kick out of this book.
What I really enjoyed is that Merry Wrath is a totally normal person who has the same doubts and romantic interests as any other female sleuth. It was fun to read about Merry as she fights her attraction to her former boss Riley and the hunky new neighbor Rex who also happens to be a detective working on the case. I wouldn't exactly categorize this as a cozy mystery as there was quite a bit foul language. It seemed to be a combination of cozy mystery, humorous mystery, spy mystery, and romantic mystery all wrapped into one.
Despite all the CIA/spy/espionage in this book, I am looking forward to reading the next book since I enjoy the main character and the humor. The narrator was decent although a bit slow in her narration. I switched over from my MP3 player to the Audible app so that I could speed up the narration to a more normal pace.
I gave the mystery 3.5 stars.
I gave the narration 4 stars.
August 23, 2021
Merry Wrath Mysteries: 1
Main character with the unlikely name, Fionnaghula Merrygold Wrath Czrygy is an outed CIA agent forcibly retired and living in rural Iowa as girl scout leader, Merry Wrath. She becomes a person of interest to her old handler after discovering a dead terrorist in the middle of her troop's obstacle course. The next day, she manages to run over a Columbian drug lord. Obviously, someone is out to get her by chucking criminals at her, some already dead. I think the author came on too strong with the character introduction. There's a lot of references to Merry's past missions, emphasizing how widely traveled and experienced she was - it verges on overcompensation when it continues well past the setup for the story. Despite her experience and accomplishments, Merry's as arrogant as an adolescent and desperately eager for a roll in the sheets - she becomes immaturely irrational and bi-polar if there's an eligible man anywhere in the vicinity, losing what brain cells she has. I'm willing to suspend disbelief for an otherwise well-crafted story, but it got to the point where this felt more like the author was too lazy to go through the trouble of writing something believable and took too many shortcuts. Contradictions, non-sensical scenes, and plot holes are everywhere. It doesn't help that the main character is a hormone-driven ninny. Not interested in continuing this series.
Main character with the unlikely name, Fionnaghula Merrygold Wrath Czrygy is an outed CIA agent forcibly retired and living in rural Iowa as girl scout leader, Merry Wrath. She becomes a person of interest to her old handler after discovering a dead terrorist in the middle of her troop's obstacle course. The next day, she manages to run over a Columbian drug lord. Obviously, someone is out to get her by chucking criminals at her, some already dead. I think the author came on too strong with the character introduction. There's a lot of references to Merry's past missions, emphasizing how widely traveled and experienced she was - it verges on overcompensation when it continues well past the setup for the story. Despite her experience and accomplishments, Merry's as arrogant as an adolescent and desperately eager for a roll in the sheets - she becomes immaturely irrational and bi-polar if there's an eligible man anywhere in the vicinity, losing what brain cells she has. I'm willing to suspend disbelief for an otherwise well-crafted story, but it got to the point where this felt more like the author was too lazy to go through the trouble of writing something believable and took too many shortcuts. Contradictions, non-sensical scenes, and plot holes are everywhere. It doesn't help that the main character is a hormone-driven ninny. Not interested in continuing this series.
January 12, 2018
I thought this was a good read, fun and light. There were a couple inconsistencies that bothered me. Like that she was living in her hometown but no one recognized her. Also the police man that was stationed outside her house that she went to high school with...those kinda bugged me. Otherwise it was fun to read. I look forward to the next one.
April 8, 2021
One of the new Cozy Mystery Village reads. I am a lifetime Girl Scout, so when I saw that there was a link to Girl Scouts, I wanted to check out this new author. I fell in love with Merry and her coleader Kelly. Nice twists and turns great ending. Looking forward to see how Merry's love life goes as additional murders arrive to keep her busy. Thanks for the good laughs.
May 8, 2022
I was looking for something as clever and fun as Jana Deleon's Fortune Redding series. This is not it! No friends, no pets, no weirdo chaaracters except the main one. Yuck!
July 13, 2021
DNF @48% - Gah all that is bad in representing women and a plot so unbelievable you could drive a combine harvester through it and not touch the sides!
Where to begin, firstly Merit is a wholly unlikable character who is incredibly shallow, obsessed with how she stacks up against other women, someone who makes snap judgements based on looks alone, incredibly changeable and flighty, one dimensional and insecure - i.e. the absolute opposite of what you would expect an ex CIA operative to be. She seems to lack any of the skills you would expect a CIA operative to have as well. The fact she can't tie knots, is quite frankly the worst of her lack of skills that you would expect to be mandatory training for operative work. The other characters in the book, are pretty one dimensional and poorly written also.
However, it's not just the characters that are poorly shaped, the dialogue is clunky and unnatural and the plot is so unbelievable. As if she wouldn't be under intense scrutiny by all the alphabet agencies after the first terrorist dead body is found by her. But no, they add a further two dead bodies of bad guys from widely different backgrounds and then throw in an ex KGB operative for Merit to babysit, who seems to act like a neglected child. Also how did the CIA not get involved in creating a cover for her after she was outed, why did it fall to her to do it and how did she do such a lacklustre job? Really this is just a calamity of bad research, poor characterisation, badly written dialogue, terribly outdated cliches and stereotypes, and a beyond belief plot.
I'm sorry, but after nearly 4 hours of listening to this drivel I could take no more and had to DNF. If you are looking for a madcap fun cozy mystery romp there are so many better examples out there. For instance the Miss Fortune Mysteries by Jana Deleon which I've just devoured the whole series of and was how this woefully bad pretender ended up in my recommendations.
Where to begin, firstly Merit is a wholly unlikable character who is incredibly shallow, obsessed with how she stacks up against other women, someone who makes snap judgements based on looks alone, incredibly changeable and flighty, one dimensional and insecure - i.e. the absolute opposite of what you would expect an ex CIA operative to be. She seems to lack any of the skills you would expect a CIA operative to have as well. The fact she can't tie knots, is quite frankly the worst of her lack of skills that you would expect to be mandatory training for operative work. The other characters in the book, are pretty one dimensional and poorly written also.
However, it's not just the characters that are poorly shaped, the dialogue is clunky and unnatural and the plot is so unbelievable. As if she wouldn't be under intense scrutiny by all the alphabet agencies after the first terrorist dead body is found by her. But no, they add a further two dead bodies of bad guys from widely different backgrounds and then throw in an ex KGB operative for Merit to babysit, who seems to act like a neglected child. Also how did the CIA not get involved in creating a cover for her after she was outed, why did it fall to her to do it and how did she do such a lacklustre job? Really this is just a calamity of bad research, poor characterisation, badly written dialogue, terribly outdated cliches and stereotypes, and a beyond belief plot.
I'm sorry, but after nearly 4 hours of listening to this drivel I could take no more and had to DNF. If you are looking for a madcap fun cozy mystery romp there are so many better examples out there. For instance the Miss Fortune Mysteries by Jana Deleon which I've just devoured the whole series of and was how this woefully bad pretender ended up in my recommendations.
October 25, 2017
I have to admit I'm not really sure about the rating and even less about the book. Some parts were amusing and fun but also exasperating or plain over-the-top-unrealistic in a way it started to bother me again and not funny anymore. I didn't like Merry (the main character) very much, I loved Kelly and liked Rex. I'm still not sure about Riley and Lana is in a category of it's own - as confusing as the book itself to me.
I liked some of the plot ideas and development as well as the many red herrings (one of the expressions you find pretty often in this book ;-)) but didn't care very much for most of the humor - I only hope it has to do with the culture differences and other readers will see is different. I'm still not sure if I like the style. All in I was thinking there was everything possible between a strong 2* rating and a very week 4* rating - depending on which area I looked closer at.
I'm still not sure I'll continue the series.
I liked some of the plot ideas and development as well as the many red herrings (one of the expressions you find pretty often in this book ;-)) but didn't care very much for most of the humor - I only hope it has to do with the culture differences and other readers will see is different. I'm still not sure if I like the style. All in I was thinking there was everything possible between a strong 2* rating and a very week 4* rating - depending on which area I looked closer at.
I'm still not sure I'll continue the series.
July 21, 2020
Merit Badge Murder begins when ex-CIA agent finds a dead body. The problem is she knows who it is, and she's been in hiding for over a year, so they shouldn't know where she is. But, Merry's past is coming back to bite her in the butt. She must try to figure out the plot before it is too late.
This book was an interesting mystery. But I didn't like how Merry acts dumb at times. I mean, she was in the CIA, you would think that means she would be smart. Then I really hated how they reacted to Lana. That just didn't make sense to me, or fit very well at all. Other than that I liked it, and I would like to read more.
This book was an interesting mystery. But I didn't like how Merry acts dumb at times. I mean, she was in the CIA, you would think that means she would be smart. Then I really hated how they reacted to Lana. That just didn't make sense to me, or fit very well at all. Other than that I liked it, and I would like to read more.
November 15, 2017
Great start to series. Have the next two lined up and ready.
June 9, 2017
Merry Wrath, a former CIA agent whose cover has been “accidentally” blown is trying to stay under the radar in Iowa in Merit Badge Murder by Leslie Langtry. But on a camping trip with the girl scout troop she leads, Merry comes across the body of the number four Al Qaeda operative, Ahmad Maloof. What is he doing in Iowa? But things get worse when Merry runs over Carlos the Armadillo, the top drug lord in Colombia, who dashes in front of her car with no opportunity for Merry to halt. Thus, her former CIA partner, Riley, comes to town to manage things. Then, Svetlana, a blond knockout Russian FSB agent whom Merry has turned and who has just had to flee Russia, shows up at Merry’s door, announcing that she is Merry’s new roommate. Riley pushes Merry to accept “Lana” into her home to hide and protect her, which Merry grudgingly accepts. But soon news cameras from every network news station show up in front of Merry’s door, including Wolf Blitzer from CNN, creating more problems. But worse issues arise when Lana finds Midori Ito, the sadistic and torture-loving head of a Japanese gang syndicate, dead in Merry’s kitchen. Why are the top terrorists in the world converging in Iowa?
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December 24, 2021
Entertaining Read
Merit Badge Murder, book one in the Merry Wrath Mysteries series was a fun and entertaining read. Merry Wrath, a former CIA operative, outed by the Agency, was living under cover in her small Iowa hometown. After her "retirement" the CIA gave her a very healthy severance package so she wasn't working; she was volunteering as a Girl Scout troop leader. When three known enemies of the United States die near Merry, one in her kitchen, her former CIA handler arrives on the scene. Hold onto your seat, as Merry tries to figure out what is happening.
Merit Badge Murder is a fast-paced, at times laugh out loud funny book with a good mystery and intriguing characters.
Merit Badge Murder, book one in the Merry Wrath Mysteries series was a fun and entertaining read. Merry Wrath, a former CIA operative, outed by the Agency, was living under cover in her small Iowa hometown. After her "retirement" the CIA gave her a very healthy severance package so she wasn't working; she was volunteering as a Girl Scout troop leader. When three known enemies of the United States die near Merry, one in her kitchen, her former CIA handler arrives on the scene. Hold onto your seat, as Merry tries to figure out what is happening.
Merit Badge Murder is a fast-paced, at times laugh out loud funny book with a good mystery and intriguing characters.
November 6, 2021
Merit Badge Murder by Leslie Langtry is the first book in the Merry Wrath Mysteries series. Outed CIA agent Merry Wrath has retired and helps with leading the local Girl Scouts when high level enemy agents start turning up dead around her. A fun, light mystery. Merry keeps telling us she was a great agent but she comes across rather silly, constantly fantasizing about her ex boss and the local detective. I also would have expected her to be smarter and more capable than she was. Entertaining but rather silly.
June 9, 2024
I've reached the age that I appreciate retired heroes, especially spies, showing their skills and getting results...That's why I'm a fan of the Richard Osman, "Thursday Murder Club" series and I loved Tess Gerritson's "The Spy Coast"...While Merry Wrath isn't an oldster, she was accidently revealed and retired Valerie Plame-like from the CIA, so it counts in my book...Merry moves back to her hometown in Eastern Iowa. and instead of black bag jobs around the World, she now spends her time as a Girl Scout leader...That is, until bodies of some serious terrorists and criminals start showing up on her doorstep...Laugh out loud funny cozy mystery!!!
May 13, 2024
Ex CIA agent turned Girl Scout troop leader in Iowa was the hook that had me reading this cozy mystery even though I’m not particularly a fan of the genre. This was pretty funny but I was actually more interested in which of two potential love interests would win out than I was in the mystery. I won’t be reading the rest of the series but glad I had the opportunity to check this one out based on the recommendation of another author.
September 25, 2017
Wowza!
I loved this book from the first paragraph! Fast-paced, wonderful characters, and more laugh out loud moments than I could count. Merry is a stitch and worth getting to know!
I loved this book from the first paragraph! Fast-paced, wonderful characters, and more laugh out loud moments than I could count. Merry is a stitch and worth getting to know!
April 12, 2018
Super fun! I was very surprised that such a funny, silly book could be so clever! I really enjoyed it.
August 16, 2021
3.5 stars. I'm not a fan of spy novels but this was funny enough and had such a terrific MC that it got me over spy stuff. I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series.
January 18, 2024
Great story
If you want a great story with adventures . This is the book for you . I would get this book.
If you want a great story with adventures . This is the book for you . I would get this book.
March 2, 2025
As a Girl Scout leader, Merry Wrath finds herself in a tricky position when she discovers a dead body arranged in the climbing apparatus at the camp she and her troop are attending. After whisking the girls away to safety, she's alone in her car when a man runs into the middle of the street, leaving her no time to swerve - another dead body. As a former spy, Merry's senses are tingling, but it's about to get worse when her ex-handler insists she take in her Russian counterpart. And then there's the dead body in her kitchen - what's a girl to do?
Written in a humorous tone, the story runs from mildly funny to outright silly. I didn't get to know the Merry character since I was busy gnashing my teeth at the absurdity of it all. Sadly, I had the outcome pegged early in the adventure so the conclusion wasn't surprising. You have to be able to appreciate a certain type of comedy to enjoy this book - think Pratchett or Adams.
Written in a humorous tone, the story runs from mildly funny to outright silly. I didn't get to know the Merry character since I was busy gnashing my teeth at the absurdity of it all. Sadly, I had the outcome pegged early in the adventure so the conclusion wasn't surprising. You have to be able to appreciate a certain type of comedy to enjoy this book - think Pratchett or Adams.
August 8, 2019
This was a good little mystery that kept me distracted while we were moving my oldest daughter to Houston. I really enjoyed that I didn't know who the "bad guy" was until the reveal.
November 18, 2025
This was a lot of fun and I can't believe it's taken me so long to start this series. I really liked Merry and I hope to learn more about her CIA days in future books. This story was a lot of fun and I enjoyed seeing it unfold.
June 23, 2016
Do you think being a spy for the CIA is fun? Think of all the dangers you have to go through: other spies shooting at you, stabbing you, and doing whatever they can to kill you. Does that sound like fun? Well, Merry Wrath loved being a spy. She loved the action, the danger, and especially her CIA handler, Riley, although she would never admit that she’s attracted the blond, surfer-like Adonis, but she is.
Unfortunately, Merry was outed as a CIA spy and is no longer part of the agency. Instead of running around different countries chasing after bad guys she’s living in Iowa and she spends her time as a girl scout leader to 14 little girls. He co-leader, Kelly, is also her best friend since childhood. Merry loves being around Kelly again and she loves all the little scouts, kind off. She’s getting used to their screaming and calling her Mrs. Wrath instead of Ms. Wrath like she’s always asking them to do. But being a scout leader is something to do.
But suddenly foreign agents are turning up dead all around Merry. One of them was murdered where the girl scouts were having an outing; another was pushed in front of Merry’s car and she ran him over killing him; and a third agent somehow turned up dead in her house. Then, out of nowhere, her ex handler surfer-hunk Riley shows up with another ex foreign agent, blond bombshell Svetlana, saying that she has to live with Merry because there are agents coming after her. Why does scout leader, Merry, have to take care of the agent? The two women have met during Merry's spy days and they do not get along.
What is going on? Merry isn’t with the CIA anymore, why is Riley back in the picture, although Merry doesn’t really mind that, and why are all these foreign agents turning up in her life? Something is very wrong here and Merry’s getting very suspicious. It’s a good thing friend Kelly makes the best tater tot casserole in the world. Food always helps while trying to figure things out.
"Merit Badge Murder" by Leslie Langtry is the first in the Merry Wrath cozy series and it’s a really good book. The relationship between Merry and her friend Kelly is perfect. Both love being with with the little girl scouts and it’s obvious the girls love being with their leaders too.
The spy business is still calling out to Merry and she misses all the excitement although the girl scouts give her a little too much excitement at times. But all the dead foreign agents are starting to her along with Riley being around, and the CIA also back in her life. And living with Svetlana is no joy.
Leslie Langtry and her Merry Wrath books are my newest favorite cozy series. I’m now on the hunt to find the the next two and to read the other series Ms. Langtry writes.
Try this adorable series and see for yourself how much fun spy work can be.
Unfortunately, Merry was outed as a CIA spy and is no longer part of the agency. Instead of running around different countries chasing after bad guys she’s living in Iowa and she spends her time as a girl scout leader to 14 little girls. He co-leader, Kelly, is also her best friend since childhood. Merry loves being around Kelly again and she loves all the little scouts, kind off. She’s getting used to their screaming and calling her Mrs. Wrath instead of Ms. Wrath like she’s always asking them to do. But being a scout leader is something to do.
But suddenly foreign agents are turning up dead all around Merry. One of them was murdered where the girl scouts were having an outing; another was pushed in front of Merry’s car and she ran him over killing him; and a third agent somehow turned up dead in her house. Then, out of nowhere, her ex handler surfer-hunk Riley shows up with another ex foreign agent, blond bombshell Svetlana, saying that she has to live with Merry because there are agents coming after her. Why does scout leader, Merry, have to take care of the agent? The two women have met during Merry's spy days and they do not get along.
What is going on? Merry isn’t with the CIA anymore, why is Riley back in the picture, although Merry doesn’t really mind that, and why are all these foreign agents turning up in her life? Something is very wrong here and Merry’s getting very suspicious. It’s a good thing friend Kelly makes the best tater tot casserole in the world. Food always helps while trying to figure things out.
"Merit Badge Murder" by Leslie Langtry is the first in the Merry Wrath cozy series and it’s a really good book. The relationship between Merry and her friend Kelly is perfect. Both love being with with the little girl scouts and it’s obvious the girls love being with their leaders too.
The spy business is still calling out to Merry and she misses all the excitement although the girl scouts give her a little too much excitement at times. But all the dead foreign agents are starting to her along with Riley being around, and the CIA also back in her life. And living with Svetlana is no joy.
Leslie Langtry and her Merry Wrath books are my newest favorite cozy series. I’m now on the hunt to find the the next two and to read the other series Ms. Langtry writes.
Try this adorable series and see for yourself how much fun spy work can be.
September 10, 2021
I read this book as it came up as an “if you like, try…” I am a big fan of Jana DeLeon’s Sinful series (and her Shaye Archer series) and this was in the try if you like list.
For an ex spy, and supposedly a good one, Merry was far too scatty, easily distracted and emotionally immature. Her constant musings about both Rex and Riley felt far too overdone and got a tad boring. This was a shame as this had the possibility of being a good book. As it was this bought it down to mediocre. The book wasn’t ever going to be at the same standard as the sinful series but I had high hopes before I read it that this might give me a stop gap to keep me going between those books. As it is I’m not sure if I’ll bother getting any more books in this series or from this author.
Some may really enjoy this book it is, despite the body count, a pretty cosy read. The writing is fairly good and far above many books I’ve read. If it hadn’t been for the fact I found it hard to believe that Merry had been a spy I would have given it a much higher star rating.
For an ex spy, and supposedly a good one, Merry was far too scatty, easily distracted and emotionally immature. Her constant musings about both Rex and Riley felt far too overdone and got a tad boring. This was a shame as this had the possibility of being a good book. As it was this bought it down to mediocre. The book wasn’t ever going to be at the same standard as the sinful series but I had high hopes before I read it that this might give me a stop gap to keep me going between those books. As it is I’m not sure if I’ll bother getting any more books in this series or from this author.
Some may really enjoy this book it is, despite the body count, a pretty cosy read. The writing is fairly good and far above many books I’ve read. If it hadn’t been for the fact I found it hard to believe that Merry had been a spy I would have given it a much higher star rating.
December 28, 2014
Leslie Langtry elevates comedic hyperbole to a new art form in "Merit Badge Murder." After being outed as a covert operative, Merry Wrath is forced into hiding...and into domestic life. She is so ill prepared for normal things that she over thinks everything: What kind of furniture do normal people have? How do normal people greet each other? Is this what it feels like to having a friend? When the impossibly diverse dead bodies start piling up, it looks like Merry's cover will be blown, if she isn't killed first. Yet her mind keeps racing towards what life will be like if she dates the sexy detective across the street. Without the pressure and detail orientation of a covert op, her brain seizes the most inappropriate thoughts at the most inopportune times. She is, all at once, awkward, exuberant, and naive. Juxtaposed against her precise and dangerous CIA background, we are left with a funny, yet complex, action-packed mystery.
May 14, 2015
Laugh out loud hilarity wrapped around a solid plot. In Merit Badge Murder, Lelsey Langtry had created a fast paced delight with believable central characters that you will want to get to know.
Retired (not by choice) CIA agent Merry Wrath has no basis for living a “normal” life; she has no clue how to fit into the suburban life even in the town where she spent her childhood. But when spies start dying all around her she is ready for action. Well kind of. She does still have her secret agent brain and skills, just not the tools she is used to or back up from headquarters. Fortunately when the CIA decides to investigate her, they send her old (actually young and hot) handler. Unfortunately he brings even more trouble with him.
Retired (not by choice) CIA agent Merry Wrath has no basis for living a “normal” life; she has no clue how to fit into the suburban life even in the town where she spent her childhood. But when spies start dying all around her she is ready for action. Well kind of. She does still have her secret agent brain and skills, just not the tools she is used to or back up from headquarters. Fortunately when the CIA decides to investigate her, they send her old (actually young and hot) handler. Unfortunately he brings even more trouble with him.
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