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Meg Langslow #20
Die Like an Eagle
Meg is Team Mom and Michael is coach of their twin sons' youth baseball team, the Caerphilly Eagles. Meg tangles with Biff Brown, the petty, vindictive league head. On opening day, Biff's lookalike brother is found dead in the porta-potty at the ball field. So many people think Biff's scum that it would be easy to blame him, but he has an alibi--and Meg suspects he may actually have been the intended victim.
With Die Like an Eagle, readers can look forward to another zany Meg Langslow mystery--this one filled with the spirit of America's pastime and Donna's eagle eye.
Like Meg Langslow, the blacksmith heroine of her series, Donna Andrews was born and raised in Yorktown, Virginia. She introduced Meg to readers in her Malice Domestic Contest-winning first mystery, Murder with Peacocks, and readers are still laughing. This novel swept up the Agatha, Anthony, Barry, and a Romantic Times award for best first novel, and a Lefty for funniest mystery.
With Die Like an Eagle, readers can look forward to another zany Meg Langslow mystery--this one filled with the spirit of America's pastime and Donna's eagle eye.
Like Meg Langslow, the blacksmith heroine of her series, Donna Andrews was born and raised in Yorktown, Virginia. She introduced Meg to readers in her Malice Domestic Contest-winning first mystery, Murder with Peacocks, and readers are still laughing. This novel swept up the Agatha, Anthony, Barry, and a Romantic Times award for best first novel, and a Lefty for funniest mystery.
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First published August 2, 2016
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About the author
Donna Andrews
103 books2,111 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 362 reviews
November 30, 2021
In this 20th book in the 'Meg Langslow' series, the blacksmith/amateur detective investigates a murder related to her kids' baseball league. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Meg Langslow - blacksmith, wife, mother, amateur sleuth, and assistant to the mayor of Caerphilly - is the team mom for her twin sons' baseball team, the Eagles. The President of the Caerphilly Summerball League is local builder Biff Brown, a dictatorial bully who makes up and enforces his own rules.
In addition, Biff's company is contracted to maintain the baseball field, but he does almost nothing. Thus the field is all weeds and potholes with bleachers and dugouts that are falling apart and one small smelly porta-potty. And wouldn't you know it, on Summerball League opening day the cramped porta-potty contains the body of a dead man.
First identified as Biff Brown, the body turns out to be his lookalike brother Shep. Is Biff the intended victim or is it really Shep - an umpire notorious for making calls that favor Biff's teams?
Another attempt on Biff's life seems to answer the question. Police Chief Burke investigates the crimes with a little unofficial help from Meg.
As it happens Biff has been hired to remodel Caerphilly town square and - as aide to the mayor - Meg has to track his progress.....which is zero. Biff has also been ignoring Meg's phone calls and texts for weeks. So the amateur detective decides to visit Biff's estranged wife and previous clients, to find out more about him.
Meg soon gets an earful: Biff's jobs are shoddy or incomplete; he has a bad temper; he extorts money from clients for the baseball league; and so on.
Besides the mystery there's plenty going on in the story: kids are practicing and playing baseball and there's a picnic for the Caerphilly Eagles and their families (the 'Biff alert' during the party is funny);
The Summerball League has an important meeting; Shep's drunken ex-wife totters over to the police station and fires a gun; and more.
Like other books in the series, Meg's extended family is on hand to help out as needed. Meg's mom is very resourceful, able to conjure up a party for 100 people (with an enormous amount of food) in an hour and to produce volunteers for the Summerball League's snack stand at a moment's notice.
This is an enjoyable light mystery that would appeal to readers who like cozies, especially Meg Langslow fans.
You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/
August 12, 2016
I read the first book in this series a while back, and since I remembered enjoying it quite a bit I figured I couldn't go too far wrong skipping ahead in the series (to the twentieth book! Wow) for Die Like an Eagle. I was right – it was a lot of fun.
I did have some quibbles – starting with a comment by heroine Meg that "Until lately, the only Biff I knew was a character in Death of a Salesman" – but … but … Have you never seen Back to the Future? Ever?
The plot involves our detecting heroine and her husband and their twin sons' involvement in – no, not Little League: Summerball. Which is being run, or run into the ground, by aforementioned Biff, who skews everything in such a way to give him the most power and, wherever possible, the most money. Because of this, the field and grounds are in terrible shape, including the fact that there is a grand total of one (Biff-owned) porta-potty serving the kids and their families at any given game. And no one wants to use it, because it makes the image in your head when I write "porta-potty" look pretty rosy by comparison. That becomes a huge part of the plot, the Battle of the Bathroom(s), especially when a body is found there.
All the way through the book I was muttering there has to be a law. Well, I don't know if it's law or simply Federal guidelines, and if the latter how binding they are, but I found a website called americanrestroom.org (my browsing history gets more and more interesting), on which I found the following:
For Special Events for which there are no permanent toilet facilities, PSUs should be provided as follows.
1 For a typical distribution of men, women and children, there must be 1 toilet for every 300 people.
2 For an Event attended primarily by women and children there should be 1 toilet for every 200 people.
3 For an even distribution of men and women at an event where alcoholic beverages are served, there should be 1 toilet for every 240 people.
Heck, FEMA has a chart.
There also has to be a law regarding handicap accessibility; I know for retail or office space there certainly is.
The other main quibble I had was that a woman totters, drunk as a lord, into the police station, makes a scene, and is stopped outside as she's about to drive away – and pulls a gun on the two officers who approach her. But five minutes later – or, you know, about a day – she's out. "Wasn’t she in jail?" "Once she sobered up we let her out on bail". I'm … sorry, you did what now? She was about to drive while under the influence and then pulled a gun – a loaded gun – on police officers, and waved it around, thereby endangering anyone else within a 360 degree radius … and you let her go? Ever?
I don't know. I enjoyed it; I enjoyed the hijinks of the good guys trying to get around Biff and his machinations; I really enjoyed the Summerball official who swooped in for a visit. Sure, there were plenty of things that strained suspension of disbelief (really? You can actually accommodate that many people at the last minute? And then again a day or two later?), but it was okay here. I was kind of exhausted by the end – how these people got so much done in so few days is baffling to me, and I needed a nap just reading about it. Overall it was a fun book, and one of these days I will definitely fill in the 18-book gap between this one and the first.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
I did have some quibbles – starting with a comment by heroine Meg that "Until lately, the only Biff I knew was a character in Death of a Salesman" – but … but … Have you never seen Back to the Future? Ever?
The plot involves our detecting heroine and her husband and their twin sons' involvement in – no, not Little League: Summerball. Which is being run, or run into the ground, by aforementioned Biff, who skews everything in such a way to give him the most power and, wherever possible, the most money. Because of this, the field and grounds are in terrible shape, including the fact that there is a grand total of one (Biff-owned) porta-potty serving the kids and their families at any given game. And no one wants to use it, because it makes the image in your head when I write "porta-potty" look pretty rosy by comparison. That becomes a huge part of the plot, the Battle of the Bathroom(s), especially when a body is found there.
All the way through the book I was muttering there has to be a law. Well, I don't know if it's law or simply Federal guidelines, and if the latter how binding they are, but I found a website called americanrestroom.org (my browsing history gets more and more interesting), on which I found the following:
For Special Events for which there are no permanent toilet facilities, PSUs should be provided as follows.
1 For a typical distribution of men, women and children, there must be 1 toilet for every 300 people.
2 For an Event attended primarily by women and children there should be 1 toilet for every 200 people.
3 For an even distribution of men and women at an event where alcoholic beverages are served, there should be 1 toilet for every 240 people.
Heck, FEMA has a chart.
There also has to be a law regarding handicap accessibility; I know for retail or office space there certainly is.
The other main quibble I had was that a woman totters, drunk as a lord, into the police station, makes a scene, and is stopped outside as she's about to drive away – and pulls a gun on the two officers who approach her. But five minutes later – or, you know, about a day – she's out. "Wasn’t she in jail?" "Once she sobered up we let her out on bail". I'm … sorry, you did what now? She was about to drive while under the influence and then pulled a gun – a loaded gun – on police officers, and waved it around, thereby endangering anyone else within a 360 degree radius … and you let her go? Ever?
I don't know. I enjoyed it; I enjoyed the hijinks of the good guys trying to get around Biff and his machinations; I really enjoyed the Summerball official who swooped in for a visit. Sure, there were plenty of things that strained suspension of disbelief (really? You can actually accommodate that many people at the last minute? And then again a day or two later?), but it was okay here. I was kind of exhausted by the end – how these people got so much done in so few days is baffling to me, and I needed a nap just reading about it. Overall it was a fun book, and one of these days I will definitely fill in the 18-book gap between this one and the first.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
August 30, 2016
Meg’s twins have joined the local youth baseball league, and Meg is quickly learning what a tyrant Biff Brown, the head of the league, can be. While most of the parents hate him, he hasn’t damped the enthusiasm any, and most of the town turns out for opening day. However, there is a major delay when Meg finds a dead body in the field’s only porta potty.
The politics of local baseball seemed to be more of the focus than the mystery this time, although Meg still spends plenty of time investigating. I’m not complaining, however, since there were so many great scenes and so much conflict I couldn’t put the book down. We get some nice twists before the logical conclusion as well. It’s always wonderful to spend time with these characters, and one I’d been wanting to see showed up again here, which I loved. This may be book 20, but the series is still going strong.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
The politics of local baseball seemed to be more of the focus than the mystery this time, although Meg still spends plenty of time investigating. I’m not complaining, however, since there were so many great scenes and so much conflict I couldn’t put the book down. We get some nice twists before the logical conclusion as well. It’s always wonderful to spend time with these characters, and one I’d been wanting to see showed up again here, which I loved. This may be book 20, but the series is still going strong.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
August 2, 2016
This was another great Meg Lanslow book. This one revolved around baseball. I am still scratching my head about how they can get a picnic for 100 people together in about an hour, but hey, it's fiction and apparently there were already 50 people coming, so what's another 50. HA!
Speaking of baseball, yes the twins are signed up to play summer league. Little does Meg and Michael know its a tight click and a lot of the rules aren't in the rule book. Not when you have a new self-proclaimed dictator heading up the league. Meg goes to bat having memorized the rule book and naturally, she and the dictator do not get along.
However, murder does come along in the form of a victim who just happens to bear close resemblance to the dictator. Yep, it's his brother. Was he the intended target? Or was the dictator?
This was a fun, entertaining, cozy little mystery that I just zipped right on through. While there wasn't a real eagle in the book, per se, there was a team called the Eagles. Definitely worth taking a gander at.
Thanks St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
Speaking of baseball, yes the twins are signed up to play summer league. Little does Meg and Michael know its a tight click and a lot of the rules aren't in the rule book. Not when you have a new self-proclaimed dictator heading up the league. Meg goes to bat having memorized the rule book and naturally, she and the dictator do not get along.
However, murder does come along in the form of a victim who just happens to bear close resemblance to the dictator. Yep, it's his brother. Was he the intended target? Or was the dictator?
This was a fun, entertaining, cozy little mystery that I just zipped right on through. While there wasn't a real eagle in the book, per se, there was a team called the Eagles. Definitely worth taking a gander at.
Thanks St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
July 25, 2016
Die Like an Eagle was a fun cozy mystery complete with a protagonist who apparently can’t help but find dead bodies wherever she looks. This twentieth installment in the Meg Langslow mystery series has all the twists and secrets you’d hope for in a good cozy, as well as entertaining characters and that small-town feel that’s always important. As with most cozies, I do wonder how such a small town could have so many murders, but I guess with a series set over many years, it’s a little less crazy.
I haven’t read the earlier books in the series, and that didn’t take away from my enjoyment at all. I’m sure it would be interesting to see how Meg got where she did, but there were no obvious plot lines being continued from previous books, so I’d definitely say that this can be read as a standalone, even if you haven’t read any of the other books.
It was fun and summery to involve baseball, and I enjoyed the seasonal theme. I don’t know much about baseball and I know even less about youth leagues, but it wasn’t a big enough part of the book to matter. It was nice to read something with a summer theme without it just being beaches and barbecues.
The characters are quirky and interesting, and I love that Meg is a blacksmith. She didn’t do a ton of smithing here, but it’s a cool profession for a female character. I also liked that some of the other women were great athletes. I really love seeing women being portrayed as strong, well-rounded characters without super traditional roles, and this book was very good at that.
The mystery, which is definitely just as important, was really very good. There were several potential suspects and I was surprised at who the killer turned out to be in the end. It seemed like so many people could have done it, and I really liked that the author kept me guessing throughout.
This book had everything I look for in a cozy: memorable characters, a great mystery full of secrets, and a seasonal theme that helped anchor the story. I really enjoyed reading it and gave it four stars.
*ARC from NetGalley
I haven’t read the earlier books in the series, and that didn’t take away from my enjoyment at all. I’m sure it would be interesting to see how Meg got where she did, but there were no obvious plot lines being continued from previous books, so I’d definitely say that this can be read as a standalone, even if you haven’t read any of the other books.
It was fun and summery to involve baseball, and I enjoyed the seasonal theme. I don’t know much about baseball and I know even less about youth leagues, but it wasn’t a big enough part of the book to matter. It was nice to read something with a summer theme without it just being beaches and barbecues.
The characters are quirky and interesting, and I love that Meg is a blacksmith. She didn’t do a ton of smithing here, but it’s a cool profession for a female character. I also liked that some of the other women were great athletes. I really love seeing women being portrayed as strong, well-rounded characters without super traditional roles, and this book was very good at that.
The mystery, which is definitely just as important, was really very good. There were several potential suspects and I was surprised at who the killer turned out to be in the end. It seemed like so many people could have done it, and I really liked that the author kept me guessing throughout.
This book had everything I look for in a cozy: memorable characters, a great mystery full of secrets, and a seasonal theme that helped anchor the story. I really enjoyed reading it and gave it four stars.
*ARC from NetGalley
October 27, 2016
This might very well be the end of the Meg Langslow series for me. The majority of the recent releases have been dull to begin with, and this one was even more so. I though I was picking up a murder mystery, when instead it was basically an entire book about youth baseball. Zzzzz. And this installment had a noticeable lack of appearances by the colorful cast of minor characters, like Rob and Rose-Noire, who typically provide some humor and interest.
But it was the horrific editing and lackluster writing that ruined what otherwise might have been a 3-star read. A couple examples: a character is called Billy in one paragraph, Bobby in the next. One line refers to Biff when it should've said Shep. I was ready to scream if I read one more sentence containing the phrase "sea of..." people, multi-colored jerseys, etc. It's like the book didn't even receive the glance of a copy editor.
I didn't have particularly high expectations for this novel since the series has been going downhill for a while (which is what inevitably happens by book 20) but I didn't intend to be half-skimming the whole thing and cringing at excessive typos. I've read every book in this series (which started out so brightly!) but it's quite possible "Die Like an Eagle" will be my last Donna Andrews book.
But it was the horrific editing and lackluster writing that ruined what otherwise might have been a 3-star read. A couple examples: a character is called Billy in one paragraph, Bobby in the next. One line refers to Biff when it should've said Shep. I was ready to scream if I read one more sentence containing the phrase "sea of..." people, multi-colored jerseys, etc. It's like the book didn't even receive the glance of a copy editor.
I didn't have particularly high expectations for this novel since the series has been going downhill for a while (which is what inevitably happens by book 20) but I didn't intend to be half-skimming the whole thing and cringing at excessive typos. I've read every book in this series (which started out so brightly!) but it's quite possible "Die Like an Eagle" will be my last Donna Andrews book.
July 5, 2016
I love Meg Lanslow and was happy to see book 20 coming out. She is now working for the town and is trying to get Biff Brown's construction company to get busy getting the town square in shape but he's a difficult man to find. He's muscled his way into running the Summer League Baseball in town and he has enemies galore. When his brother is found murdered everyone thinks it should have been Biff. Meg is sleuthing on two fronts as new baseball president and the town's assistant to the mayor.
Love the added family and townsfolk but just a slight disappointment that she isn't doing much blacksmith work anymore. I enjoy visiting the town of Caerphilly and would love to see it in real life.
Love the added family and townsfolk but just a slight disappointment that she isn't doing much blacksmith work anymore. I enjoy visiting the town of Caerphilly and would love to see it in real life.
September 7, 2016
It's hard to believe that this is #20 in the series. I've been a fan since the beginning and this book doesn't disappoint. The youth sport league politics are spot on. Josh, Jamie, and Michael are very present in this book, as the twins are playing baseball, Michael is a coach and Meg is the team mom. I envy Meg's formidable organizing skills. The murderer was a surprise as was the motive, but believable in context. The fun of these books lies in the characters and their interactions. The series is always worth reading.
September 28, 2018
Love this series. So many great characters. Just saw a “review” that said “you can read this as a stand alone “. Why?? This is 20th book in series! So much has happened with great humor and imagination and fun family craziness. Why recommend to readers to miss all that?
August 21, 2024
Twentieth in the Meg Langslow cozy, humorous mystery series revolving around an artisan blacksmith and her very extended family in Yorktown, er, Caerphilly, Virginia.
My Take
Andrews certainly had me laughing right off, as Mason is just not ready ready, ROFL. Parents will empathize with this one, as Meg battles a dictatorial Little League coach and bemoans the lack of participation by the parents. Until Meg learns why no one is helping out. Man, it will drive you mad that the parents accept stupid dictates! I did appreciate the back history on Summerball's first season *snicker* More laughter ensues with that first Biff alert during the picnic/practice at Meg and Michael's.
Biff's torture begins with that "picnic" and continues on to the silent GPS trackers to Meg badgering him for a response to her multiple phone calls. He deserves every second of it for being such a cretin. He is, at least, consistent as he is totally incompetent across the board. If the guy ever spent half the time doing things right as opposed to being creatively awful, he wouldn't have all these problems.
As the "crimes" keep piling up and the "rescues" keep diving in, you'll be reading faster and faster to get to the very unexpected denouement.
I am so grateful that mentions of the notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe is getting a bit of a rest.
Poor Mr. Witherington is wondering what kind of asylum he's wandered into, a wonder that decreases the longer he's around. Okay, okay, so a different kind of wonder sets in. And it's Witherington who points out one of the "coaches" (whom Biff rejected), as being a famous and "one of the finest … players ever to come out of the UCLA baseball program". Witherington cracked me up at that meeting as well. Wait'll you read that one! I'm hoping most of the teams get new names.
Ah, if only Meg weren't so efficient… Must get it from Mother, *more laughing* It is a good thing that Meg and company are so used to huge groups of people being around, as she pumps up the confidence for parents and team with picnics and practice and more. They're a sneaky bunch. More of that sneakiness showed when Meg and company had to retrieve that tracking device without anyone knowing, lol.
Oh, yeah, Biff's time is up, ROFLMAO.
The Story
The family-oriented Meg is Team Mom and Michael is coach of their twin sons' youth baseball team, the Caerphilly Eagles.
But Meg tangles with Biff Brown, the petty, vindictive league head on baseball issues and city contracts, even after opening day when Biff's lookalike brother is found dead in the port-a-potty at the ball field.
So many people think Biff's scum that it would be easy to blame him, but he has an alibi — and Meg suspects he may actually have been the intended victim.
The Characters
Meg Langslow, a blacksmith, is Team Mom with her notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe while her husband, Professor Michael Waterston, teaches drama at the local college. They have twin boys, Josh and Jamie, who play for the Caerphilly Eagles. The all-organic Cousin Rose Noire and Meg's brother, Rob, live with the Langslow-Waterstons. Groucho and Harpo are the pet llamas. Spike, a.k.a., the Small Evil One, is the dog.
The Family Hollingworth
Mother can do anything from round up volunteers for the Snack Shack to organize a picnic for 100 in an hour. Dad, Dr. Langslow, is fascinated by everything and is the county medical examiner. Cousin Priscilla is quite shy. Cousin Festus Hollingsworth is a very good defense attorney. Eric is one of Meg's teenaged nephews.
Cordelia Lee Mason (Delia Lee was her maiden name) is the great-grandmother the family recently discovered, who had been Grandfather's lover all those decades ago. Caroline Willner owns the Willner Wildlife Refuge and is Grandfather's frequent ally in animal welfare missions. She may not technically be family, but she's still family. Thor works for her as a chauffeur and general factotum in the summer.
Caerphilly Zoo is…
…owned by Grandfather — Montgomery Blake, a famous zoologist and environmentalist. Manoj is potentially the headkeeper for the aviary. Alex is a business student.
The Summerball Youth Baseball League was…
…formed by disgruntled parents and plays at Percy Pruitt Park. Lemuel Shiffley, Randall's uncle, used to run it. James Witherington is vice president with Summerball National. Other teams include the Flatworms, Wombats, River Rats, Stoats, Sandgnats, Muckdogs, Grasshoppers, Yankees, Nats, Pirates, and Red Sox. Kermit and Fletcher Entwhistle play on one of the teams; Willard Entwhistle is their dad for whom Brown did some work.
The Caerphilly Eagles are…
…one of the Summerball teams. Mason is a friend of the twins, Chase, Zack Thornton, Manny Espinoza, Henry Wong, Adam Burke (he got traded to the Eagles), Tommy Davis, Takahashi, Sami Patel, and Ben Nzeogwu are on the team with Josh and Jamie.
Chuck Davis is the head coach who would much prefer that his nuclear physicist wife who's now teaching at Caerphilly College, Dr. Tory, do the coaching since she is much more experienced. More parents include Evan Thornton; Luis Espinoza; Vince and Janet Wong own the Caerphilly Inn; Police Chief (and Deputy Sheriff) Henry and Minerva Burke are Adam's grandparents (they have custody of their other grandchildren too: Frank Robinson Burke, Jr. and Calvin Ripken Burke; Minerva is also the director for the New Life Baptist Church's gospel choir); and, Mrs. Patel is Sami's grandmother and Anisha is his mother.
Biff Brown is head of the Summerball and Little League organizations as well as the coach for the Caerphilly Stoats and the Caerphilly Yankees. He also owns Brown Construction Company which has the contract to redo the town square. Gina Brown, er, I mean, Crocker, is divorcing the jerk. Shep Henson is Biff's unhappy half-brother who works as an umpire for the games. The tacky, gun-happy Callie Peebles is the former Mrs. Henson.
The City of Caerphilly is…
…in Virginia with Randall Shiffley the mayor and the county executive. He's a great friend of Meg's and her boss, now that she's his executive assistant after events in Lord of the Wings , 19. Phineas T. Throckmorton is the town clerk. Dr. Smoot, the former coroner, has a thing for bacon and anchovies…and playing vampire. Padgett Shiffley is a county health inspector. Ms. Ellie is the librarian.
Debbie Ann is the police dispatcher. Cousin Horace Hollingworth is the official crime scene tech. Deputies include Vern Shiffley, Aida Butler (Kayla is her daughter helping at the front desk), and Sammy Wendell.
Shiffley Construction Company is…
…owned by the mayor, but his nephew Cephus is in charge while Randall is in office. More Shiffley relatives include Osgood, Merle with his pig truck, and Ideen Shiffley, the nosiest woman in town who runs a B&B where Ms. Nondescript is staying.
Edna Johnson is job-hunting and has a son who used to play ball. Reverend Robyn runs the Caerphilly Women's Shelter. The Pruitts used to run the town until events in Some Like It Hawk , 14, push them under. Adolph Pruitt has recently gotten out of jail. Evie Pruitt helps with the league "extortion racket". Samuel Yoder had a farm.
Clay County
Sheriff Wicker is the law, so don't bother calling. The Clay Pigeon is an unsavory bar located next to the Clayville Rifle Range.
The cover is a really deep blue with an angry looking eagle in a raffia nest, hatching baseballs. Runaway baseballs. I got a kick out of the baby eaglet pulling the stitching out of the balls…wonder if it's a metaphor for Biff's machinations? The title at the bottom is quite patriotic with its white script outlined in red. The author's name is at the top in a 3-d white…and slightly askew.
The title is, well, yeah, Die Like an Eagle when the eagle, Alexander Hamilton, doesn't show up. Escoffier, a vulture buzzard, shows up instead.
My Take
Andrews certainly had me laughing right off, as Mason is just not ready ready, ROFL. Parents will empathize with this one, as Meg battles a dictatorial Little League coach and bemoans the lack of participation by the parents. Until Meg learns why no one is helping out. Man, it will drive you mad that the parents accept stupid dictates! I did appreciate the back history on Summerball's first season *snicker* More laughter ensues with that first Biff alert during the picnic/practice at Meg and Michael's.
Biff's torture begins with that "picnic" and continues on to the silent GPS trackers to Meg badgering him for a response to her multiple phone calls. He deserves every second of it for being such a cretin. He is, at least, consistent as he is totally incompetent across the board. If the guy ever spent half the time doing things right as opposed to being creatively awful, he wouldn't have all these problems.
As the "crimes" keep piling up and the "rescues" keep diving in, you'll be reading faster and faster to get to the very unexpected denouement.
I am so grateful that mentions of the notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe is getting a bit of a rest.
Poor Mr. Witherington is wondering what kind of asylum he's wandered into, a wonder that decreases the longer he's around. Okay, okay, so a different kind of wonder sets in. And it's Witherington who points out one of the "coaches" (whom Biff rejected), as being a famous and "one of the finest … players ever to come out of the UCLA baseball program". Witherington cracked me up at that meeting as well. Wait'll you read that one! I'm hoping most of the teams get new names.
Ah, if only Meg weren't so efficient… Must get it from Mother, *more laughing* It is a good thing that Meg and company are so used to huge groups of people being around, as she pumps up the confidence for parents and team with picnics and practice and more. They're a sneaky bunch. More of that sneakiness showed when Meg and company had to retrieve that tracking device without anyone knowing, lol.
Meg for President!!It's a small-town vibe that's big, really big, on family. And I adore seeing how people step up to help.
Oh, yeah, Biff's time is up, ROFLMAO.
The Story
The family-oriented Meg is Team Mom and Michael is coach of their twin sons' youth baseball team, the Caerphilly Eagles.
But Meg tangles with Biff Brown, the petty, vindictive league head on baseball issues and city contracts, even after opening day when Biff's lookalike brother is found dead in the port-a-potty at the ball field.
So many people think Biff's scum that it would be easy to blame him, but he has an alibi — and Meg suspects he may actually have been the intended victim.
The Characters
Meg Langslow, a blacksmith, is Team Mom with her notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe while her husband, Professor Michael Waterston, teaches drama at the local college. They have twin boys, Josh and Jamie, who play for the Caerphilly Eagles. The all-organic Cousin Rose Noire and Meg's brother, Rob, live with the Langslow-Waterstons. Groucho and Harpo are the pet llamas. Spike, a.k.a., the Small Evil One, is the dog.
The Family Hollingworth
Mother can do anything from round up volunteers for the Snack Shack to organize a picnic for 100 in an hour. Dad, Dr. Langslow, is fascinated by everything and is the county medical examiner. Cousin Priscilla is quite shy. Cousin Festus Hollingsworth is a very good defense attorney. Eric is one of Meg's teenaged nephews.
Cordelia Lee Mason (Delia Lee was her maiden name) is the great-grandmother the family recently discovered, who had been Grandfather's lover all those decades ago. Caroline Willner owns the Willner Wildlife Refuge and is Grandfather's frequent ally in animal welfare missions. She may not technically be family, but she's still family. Thor works for her as a chauffeur and general factotum in the summer.
Caerphilly Zoo is…
…owned by Grandfather — Montgomery Blake, a famous zoologist and environmentalist. Manoj is potentially the headkeeper for the aviary. Alex is a business student.
The Summerball Youth Baseball League was…
…formed by disgruntled parents and plays at Percy Pruitt Park. Lemuel Shiffley, Randall's uncle, used to run it. James Witherington is vice president with Summerball National. Other teams include the Flatworms, Wombats, River Rats, Stoats, Sandgnats, Muckdogs, Grasshoppers, Yankees, Nats, Pirates, and Red Sox. Kermit and Fletcher Entwhistle play on one of the teams; Willard Entwhistle is their dad for whom Brown did some work.
The Caerphilly Eagles are…
…one of the Summerball teams. Mason is a friend of the twins, Chase, Zack Thornton, Manny Espinoza, Henry Wong, Adam Burke (he got traded to the Eagles), Tommy Davis, Takahashi, Sami Patel, and Ben Nzeogwu are on the team with Josh and Jamie.
Chuck Davis is the head coach who would much prefer that his nuclear physicist wife who's now teaching at Caerphilly College, Dr. Tory, do the coaching since she is much more experienced. More parents include Evan Thornton; Luis Espinoza; Vince and Janet Wong own the Caerphilly Inn; Police Chief (and Deputy Sheriff) Henry and Minerva Burke are Adam's grandparents (they have custody of their other grandchildren too: Frank Robinson Burke, Jr. and Calvin Ripken Burke; Minerva is also the director for the New Life Baptist Church's gospel choir); and, Mrs. Patel is Sami's grandmother and Anisha is his mother.
Biff Brown is head of the Summerball and Little League organizations as well as the coach for the Caerphilly Stoats and the Caerphilly Yankees. He also owns Brown Construction Company which has the contract to redo the town square. Gina Brown, er, I mean, Crocker, is divorcing the jerk. Shep Henson is Biff's unhappy half-brother who works as an umpire for the games. The tacky, gun-happy Callie Peebles is the former Mrs. Henson.
The City of Caerphilly is…
…in Virginia with Randall Shiffley the mayor and the county executive. He's a great friend of Meg's and her boss, now that she's his executive assistant after events in Lord of the Wings , 19. Phineas T. Throckmorton is the town clerk. Dr. Smoot, the former coroner, has a thing for bacon and anchovies…and playing vampire. Padgett Shiffley is a county health inspector. Ms. Ellie is the librarian.
Debbie Ann is the police dispatcher. Cousin Horace Hollingworth is the official crime scene tech. Deputies include Vern Shiffley, Aida Butler (Kayla is her daughter helping at the front desk), and Sammy Wendell.
Shiffley Construction Company is…
…owned by the mayor, but his nephew Cephus is in charge while Randall is in office. More Shiffley relatives include Osgood, Merle with his pig truck, and Ideen Shiffley, the nosiest woman in town who runs a B&B where Ms. Nondescript is staying.
Edna Johnson is job-hunting and has a son who used to play ball. Reverend Robyn runs the Caerphilly Women's Shelter. The Pruitts used to run the town until events in Some Like It Hawk , 14, push them under. Adolph Pruitt has recently gotten out of jail. Evie Pruitt helps with the league "extortion racket". Samuel Yoder had a farm.
Clay County
Sheriff Wicker is the law, so don't bother calling. The Clay Pigeon is an unsavory bar located next to the Clayville Rifle Range.
"Join NAFOB — Not a Friend of Bill's — with the rest of Meg's readers."The Cover and Title
The cover is a really deep blue with an angry looking eagle in a raffia nest, hatching baseballs. Runaway baseballs. I got a kick out of the baby eaglet pulling the stitching out of the balls…wonder if it's a metaphor for Biff's machinations? The title at the bottom is quite patriotic with its white script outlined in red. The author's name is at the top in a 3-d white…and slightly askew.
The title is, well, yeah, Die Like an Eagle when the eagle, Alexander Hamilton, doesn't show up. Escoffier, a vulture buzzard, shows up instead.
July 18, 2021
I really enjoy this series. But...they are getting to be a fast read as opposed to one that makes me take more time to figure out what's going on. Understand that the whole series is fast-paced, from the moment the book is opened, the frantic happenings never cease. A bit tiring in one sense. But, I do love the characters.
July 2021 - Even with all the oddballs that appear in the books, Meg is her usual, on top of everything, self. And her husband, Michael, should be nominated for sainthood as he seems to always take care of the boys. And Meg's mother's family...wow, they should put their efforts to eradicating poverty...they'd had it done in a day or two.
July 2021 - Even with all the oddballs that appear in the books, Meg is her usual, on top of everything, self. And her husband, Michael, should be nominated for sainthood as he seems to always take care of the boys. And Meg's mother's family...wow, they should put their efforts to eradicating poverty...they'd had it done in a day or two.
March 17, 2022
The boys are big enough for little league now, but little league is run by a crooked fellow who makes up rules as he goes along so the boys are place in Summer League who it turns out is run by the same person. The fields aren’t maintained, the snack shack is filthy Ian in poor repair and there is only one port a potty for players and spectators. When the league rulers brother is found dead in the lone port a potty, the suspicion is that the killer got the wrong guy. Then the league President shows up for a visit and things get interesting. A good convoluted plot!
August 29, 2016
Another fun entry in this series. I did rather like this one, even if I'm a totally non-American, non-baseball fan. I understood it enough to get the drift when I needed to, and the story wasn't really about baseball at all. It was, as always, about people. This is a series I get from the library these days, but I get myself in the reserve queue as soon as the book goes up on the library website. It's always fun.
November 17, 2021
Meg Langslow doesn't disappoint you! She gets mixed up with murders and then puts the pieces together. A good light read that is entertaining!
February 20, 2018
#20 in the Series This book is part of the Meg Langslow series. I enjoy these books because they are fun and she uses some great words that are great for vocabulary building.
Meg's twins, Josh and Jamie, are playing ball for the first year in the Summer League. The league was started by parents frustrated by the manager of the Little League. He is a tyrant that has alienated many of the parents to the point that they are afraid to gather and talk with each other. When Meg and her husband, Michael, have the team and their families over to their house the night before the first game, they learn just how tyrannical he is and are plotting how to get rid of Biff so that their children's enjoyment of the game is not destroyed. It seems Biff has started things that may help the parents get rid of him. He has invited a member of the Summer Ball League to come for the opening day and just as the first game is about to start, Meg finds Biff's brother dead in a porta-potty that Biff's company supplies to the field.
Meg helps her boss and friend, Randall, in trying to get Biff to live up to his commitments and the Sheriff find out what really happened. As she was trying to get Biff to follow the contract, she learns about his corrupt practices with his business and with the League. She comes up with suggestions that will allow her to get the work finished on the town square and at the ball field. The Summer League Official is shocked to learn the truth about Biff and his bad behaviors. In fact, when Biff attacks Meg's son Jamie, she punches him the nose and all the parents stand up and say that they will testify to his attacking the child and her defending her child. The official also says he is no longer allowed to be the President and calls for a meeting to elect a new President and VP and Accountant.
As Biff's world unravels, more things start to come to light, including the truth of the murder.
I really enjoy this story and my daughter who doesn't like mysteries, enjoys listening to the story and hearing the silly things that happen in the story.
Meg's twins, Josh and Jamie, are playing ball for the first year in the Summer League. The league was started by parents frustrated by the manager of the Little League. He is a tyrant that has alienated many of the parents to the point that they are afraid to gather and talk with each other. When Meg and her husband, Michael, have the team and their families over to their house the night before the first game, they learn just how tyrannical he is and are plotting how to get rid of Biff so that their children's enjoyment of the game is not destroyed. It seems Biff has started things that may help the parents get rid of him. He has invited a member of the Summer Ball League to come for the opening day and just as the first game is about to start, Meg finds Biff's brother dead in a porta-potty that Biff's company supplies to the field.
Meg helps her boss and friend, Randall, in trying to get Biff to live up to his commitments and the Sheriff find out what really happened. As she was trying to get Biff to follow the contract, she learns about his corrupt practices with his business and with the League. She comes up with suggestions that will allow her to get the work finished on the town square and at the ball field. The Summer League Official is shocked to learn the truth about Biff and his bad behaviors. In fact, when Biff attacks Meg's son Jamie, she punches him the nose and all the parents stand up and say that they will testify to his attacking the child and her defending her child. The official also says he is no longer allowed to be the President and calls for a meeting to elect a new President and VP and Accountant.
As Biff's world unravels, more things start to come to light, including the truth of the murder.
I really enjoy this story and my daughter who doesn't like mysteries, enjoys listening to the story and hearing the silly things that happen in the story.
August 19, 2016
This is a long running series, but the first time I read anything by this author. Not having read the previous books in the series did not take away from the story at all. This was a fun cozy mystery filled with quirky characters and BASEBALL!! My all time favorite sport, even at the Little League level. There were a few discrepancies that weren't that big of a deal, or took away from the story...after all it's light reading, not a masterpiece vying for the Pulitzer.
Ms Andrews did a fine job of capturing the politics that go into any youth sports league (while making it humorous in the process), the different characters involved were the exact same as those I've run into over the years with my children and now grandchildren playing sports. I thoroughly enjoyed Meg and how she was everywhere at once, taking care of the plethora of issues always coming at her...basically with the help of her mom and husband.
Now that I've been introduced to this author, I look forward to catching up with the earlier books in the series.
This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley for my honest review.
Ms Andrews did a fine job of capturing the politics that go into any youth sports league (while making it humorous in the process), the different characters involved were the exact same as those I've run into over the years with my children and now grandchildren playing sports. I thoroughly enjoyed Meg and how she was everywhere at once, taking care of the plethora of issues always coming at her...basically with the help of her mom and husband.
Now that I've been introduced to this author, I look forward to catching up with the earlier books in the series.
This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley for my honest review.
June 2, 2021
Love this series. It's always fun to head to Caerphilly & hang out with Meg & Michael. Although the slapstick aura of the series has been tamped down from the early volumes, there is still plenty of amusing incidents & funny asides my Meg. This one centers on baseball. The twins are playing, Michael is their assistant coach & Meg is the team Mom. But her role there crosses over with her job as assistant to the mayor when she finds that the league president is the same contractor she's been trying to contact for weeks to get info on his job to fix the park. When she discovers his look-alike brother dead at the ball park, she gets drawn into the investigation that has all fingers pointing to the league president. But there are others with motives. So Meg, with the help of her family members with special expertise, try to figure out the murderer & how to keep baseball on track. This was a fun summer read!
January 10, 2018
When isn't Meg Langslow a joy to reconnect with? Never. I know when I begin one of these episodes in Meg's life that I'm going to laugh, enjoy a good mystery, and see life from a different perspective.
As was in the case of Meg and the world of Baseball. Meg's twin sons are in little league. Their worlds now evolve around the lure of bats, balls, and games. The only problem is that the President of the league is a major league headache. He appears to be corrupt. This is why, we the reader, are surprised when his half-brother meets foul play.
Meg is off to save the game, if not just the innings. We learn a bit more about Women in Baseball and so does the Corporate Sponsor of the league.
This was a good novel and I look forward to Meg's next adventures.
As was in the case of Meg and the world of Baseball. Meg's twin sons are in little league. Their worlds now evolve around the lure of bats, balls, and games. The only problem is that the President of the league is a major league headache. He appears to be corrupt. This is why, we the reader, are surprised when his half-brother meets foul play.
Meg is off to save the game, if not just the innings. We learn a bit more about Women in Baseball and so does the Corporate Sponsor of the league.
This was a good novel and I look forward to Meg's next adventures.
February 11, 2019
I missed this series! I know there are a couple books between this one and the last one I read that I've missed, I just need to figure out where I left off. But when I saw this one at the library I just had to grab it.
Meg is like the grown-up verison of Harriet-the-Spy, and like I was with Harriet, I want to be Meg. I really just want to live in Caerphilly...maybe I'm a long lost cousin twice removed.
This was another fun addition to the series. I love baseball, so I really loved the shout-out to my favorite team, the Orioles, and favorite player, Cal Ripken.
I just love these books and get such a kick out of all the characters.
Meg is like the grown-up verison of Harriet-the-Spy, and like I was with Harriet, I want to be Meg. I really just want to live in Caerphilly...maybe I'm a long lost cousin twice removed.
This was another fun addition to the series. I love baseball, so I really loved the shout-out to my favorite team, the Orioles, and favorite player, Cal Ripken.
I just love these books and get such a kick out of all the characters.
Read
August 28, 2016Andrews is managing to keep the series interesting after 20 books, that is quite an accomplishment.
The book summary really says it all. We get another visit to Caerphilly and the zany relatives of Meg Langslow. I'm glad the kids are aging, the family staying likeable without becoming annoying, and Meg doesn't make the same stupid mistakes that some amateur sleuths do. It takes quite a bit of talent for an author to keep a series going this long at this level of truly good story telling.
The book summary really says it all. We get another visit to Caerphilly and the zany relatives of Meg Langslow. I'm glad the kids are aging, the family staying likeable without becoming annoying, and Meg doesn't make the same stupid mistakes that some amateur sleuths do. It takes quite a bit of talent for an author to keep a series going this long at this level of truly good story telling.
October 29, 2019
It is a very long time since I read a book in this series--and this is certainly not the most recent. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this cozy mystery with lots of friends, family, and small town life. Not all the blacksmithing I remember from early on, but she does get to use her tools. Entertaining.
August 29, 2017
Return of Meg the Lady Blacksmith - her iron work is once again part of the plot.
Organization is now her job, as well as a major part of the plot.
The baseball coach everyone loves to hate - is hateful at his day-job, too. Then he doesn't die - what went wrong?
Organization is now her job, as well as a major part of the plot.
The baseball coach everyone loves to hate - is hateful at his day-job, too. Then he doesn't die - what went wrong?
April 20, 2024
I enjoy this series. The characters are delightful,especially Meg’s family. In this book I especially liked the way a bully was handled, not by revenge or threats, but by calm reasoning and letting the bully hang himself by his own actions. It was quite satisfying.
May 21, 2017
I learned a little bit more than I wanted to about little league but an engaging mystery nonetheless.
October 5, 2017
The twins are playing Summerball, so the setting is small-town boys' baseball. Typical Meg story, and despite the title there are no dead eagles.
February 3, 2018
Really 4.5 stars.
Excellent. The only drawback was some cozy stereotypes were fulfilled.
Excellent. The only drawback was some cozy stereotypes were fulfilled.
Read
June 7, 2018Interesting how different personalities interact in a small town.
January 20, 2019
Easy but an engrossing read!
July 8, 2019
It's no secret that I love all the Meg Langslow books, but this one was particularly fun to read. A+
April 29, 2020
Even though this mystery had a baseball theme (which I hate) it wasn't overwhelming or get in the way of the mystery. The more I read these stories the more I want to live in this town!
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