What do you think?
Rate this book
Meg Langslow #27
The Falcon Always Wings Twice
A new side-splitting Meg Langslow mystery from award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Terns of Endearment.
When Meg's grandmother Cordelia hosts a Renaissance Faire at her craft center, the whole family is put to work: Meg handles the blacksmithing, Michael and the boys will be performing, and no one misses the opportunity to dress up in full regalia.
More exciting to Grandfather is the pair of rare falcons he discovers breeding at the fairgrounds. Concerned for their well-being amid all the activity, he appoints himself their protector.
When one of the actors performing at the fair is found dead--an actor suspected of mistreating one of the falcons, among other sins--Grandfather is a prime suspect.
Donna Andrews's long-running Meg Langslow series continues to be beloved by its fans, who loyally read every new installment. The Falcon Always Wings Twice is a perfect new addition, full of laughter, adventure, and Andrews's wonderful cast of wacky characters.
When Meg's grandmother Cordelia hosts a Renaissance Faire at her craft center, the whole family is put to work: Meg handles the blacksmithing, Michael and the boys will be performing, and no one misses the opportunity to dress up in full regalia.
More exciting to Grandfather is the pair of rare falcons he discovers breeding at the fairgrounds. Concerned for their well-being amid all the activity, he appoints himself their protector.
When one of the actors performing at the fair is found dead--an actor suspected of mistreating one of the falcons, among other sins--Grandfather is a prime suspect.
Donna Andrews's long-running Meg Langslow series continues to be beloved by its fans, who loyally read every new installment. The Falcon Always Wings Twice is a perfect new addition, full of laughter, adventure, and Andrews's wonderful cast of wacky characters.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 4, 2020
384 people are currently reading
827 people want to read
About the author
Donna Andrews
103 books2,092 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...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
August 4, 2020
I received an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley and the publisher in return for an honest review. The release date for this book is 4 Aug 2020
If you’re a fan of Renaissance festivals you will absolutely love this cozy mystery. This is the first book that I’ve read in the series and I fell in love with it. The characters are unique and refreshing and the story is lively and entertaining. This was an easy and fast read. I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work.
If you’re a fan of Renaissance festivals you will absolutely love this cozy mystery. This is the first book that I’ve read in the series and I fell in love with it. The characters are unique and refreshing and the story is lively and entertaining. This was an easy and fast read. I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work.
August 9, 2024
Meg Langslow is spending the summer at her grandmother’s craft center helping with the Renaissance Faire Cordelia is hosting on weekends as Cordelia’s second in command as well as doing blacksmithing demonstrations. Her husband, Michael, is in charge of the actors in “The Game,” which is the code for the improvised scenes he and the rest are doing during the day about who will inherit a fictional kingdom. They are mostly having fun with it, but Terence, one of the other actors, is making life difficult for everyone. Meg isn’t super surprised when he is found dead one morning, but as she goes about her day, she keeps picking up information related to the murder. Will she solve it?
This entry is the series at the top of its game. The murder may take place a little later than some books, but the time is well spent setting up the suspects and motives. I was hooked before the body dropped and happily followed the investigation after it happened. Everything is wrapped up in a climax that has us on the edge of our seats and makes us laugh. The characters are at their most charming – funny without being annoying. I laughed many times as the pages flew by. All the characters are great, and I found myself tearing up at some of the development we got thanks to some strong sub-plots. Since Meg is a blacksmith (not that we see her doing it much in the series), I’m surprised we haven’t been to a Renaissance Fair with her before, but this entry was well worth the wait.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
This entry is the series at the top of its game. The murder may take place a little later than some books, but the time is well spent setting up the suspects and motives. I was hooked before the body dropped and happily followed the investigation after it happened. Everything is wrapped up in a climax that has us on the edge of our seats and makes us laugh. The characters are at their most charming – funny without being annoying. I laughed many times as the pages flew by. All the characters are great, and I found myself tearing up at some of the development we got thanks to some strong sub-plots. Since Meg is a blacksmith (not that we see her doing it much in the series), I’m surprised we haven’t been to a Renaissance Fair with her before, but this entry was well worth the wait.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
May 19, 2020
A Renaissance Fair, hosted by Meg's grandmother, Cordelia, becomes a murder scene when an obnoxious actor is killed. Meg must find the killer, keep the actors, jousting tourneys (and turkey leg consumption) and Grandfather and his falcons on track!
I enjoyed the way all the family rallied to solve the mystery. The descriptions of the fair were detailed and realistic - from the costumes to the food - and this really enhanced the book. The mystery was fast-paced and kept me reading. It's fun to see how Meg has grown into a successful career woman, sleuth and mom! Who knows where the next mystery will lead us, but I know I'll be there to read all about it!
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed are my own.
I enjoyed the way all the family rallied to solve the mystery. The descriptions of the fair were detailed and realistic - from the costumes to the food - and this really enhanced the book. The mystery was fast-paced and kept me reading. It's fun to see how Meg has grown into a successful career woman, sleuth and mom! Who knows where the next mystery will lead us, but I know I'll be there to read all about it!
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed are my own.
October 22, 2020
Donna Andrews is among the finest cozy mystery writers I have encountered. This 27th book of Andrews' Meg Langslow series was most entertaining and quite amusing. This time, the Langslow family are over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother Cordelia's place they go. You see, Grandmother Cordelia has decided to set up a Renaissance Faire on the grounds of her crafting center, two hours away from the Langslow family farm in Caerphilly. The whole family along with their professional acting friends will be spending their summer at Grandma's Faire. Our protagonist and blacksmith, Meg Langslow, is Cordelia's right arm in the management of the Faire. Meg has her plate quite full. Now if Meg can just remember to breathe.
Meg's husband and college drama professor, Michael, is in charge of the story thread which the Faire staff enact for the tourists throughout the day. For the most part everything runs smoothly. Yet one actor is a thorn in everyone's side. Keeping him under control is Meg's top priority. One more wrong move and he's out of there. When his body is discovered in the woods early one morning, the list of suspects grows rather quickly. Meg's task is to keep the death under wraps and Michael's is to reorganize the actors and their roles as "the show must go on".
The tension mounts steadily, as each suspect is grilled and evidence procured, until the entire story arrives at a satisfying conclusion.
Andrews writes a most engaging story. Her characters are well-developed and their banter - quite fun and amusing. I look forward to each new book in this series and have never been disappointed. The next book, "The Gift of the Magpie" is already out and should be arriving on our doorstep sometime later this week. I cannot wait!
Meg's husband and college drama professor, Michael, is in charge of the story thread which the Faire staff enact for the tourists throughout the day. For the most part everything runs smoothly. Yet one actor is a thorn in everyone's side. Keeping him under control is Meg's top priority. One more wrong move and he's out of there. When his body is discovered in the woods early one morning, the list of suspects grows rather quickly. Meg's task is to keep the death under wraps and Michael's is to reorganize the actors and their roles as "the show must go on".
The tension mounts steadily, as each suspect is grilled and evidence procured, until the entire story arrives at a satisfying conclusion.
Andrews writes a most engaging story. Her characters are well-developed and their banter - quite fun and amusing. I look forward to each new book in this series and have never been disappointed. The next book, "The Gift of the Magpie" is already out and should be arriving on our doorstep sometime later this week. I cannot wait!
July 6, 2025
Fifth time listening to this one and it's still has charming and hilarious as the first two times. I can't seem to get enough of Meg Langslow, even if it means repeat visits.
-----
I was so excited to discover this latest Meg Langslow mystery because I thought the series was complete. I've listened to the first 26 books -- and re-listened to half of them over the past year because I've become addicted to Donna Andrews' personal brand of whacky when it comes to Meg Langslow and her quirky family. Side-splitting and hair-raising all in one. Murder paired with lots of mayhem and such interesting wildlife details. And blacksmithing! Love that the heroine has such an unorthodox profession. Meg really stands out in the midst of all the other book-selling, pie-baking, tea-swilling cozy mystery heroines.
The author delivers another clever (and zany) mystery and I love that Bernadette Dunne continues to be Meg Langslow's voice. Her narration is sublime! An, woohoo -- there's yet another Meg Langslow mystery coming out in September. A Christmas one and those are some of the best in the series. I'm over the moon excited about that!
-----
I was so excited to discover this latest Meg Langslow mystery because I thought the series was complete. I've listened to the first 26 books -- and re-listened to half of them over the past year because I've become addicted to Donna Andrews' personal brand of whacky when it comes to Meg Langslow and her quirky family. Side-splitting and hair-raising all in one. Murder paired with lots of mayhem and such interesting wildlife details. And blacksmithing! Love that the heroine has such an unorthodox profession. Meg really stands out in the midst of all the other book-selling, pie-baking, tea-swilling cozy mystery heroines.
The author delivers another clever (and zany) mystery and I love that Bernadette Dunne continues to be Meg Langslow's voice. Her narration is sublime! An, woohoo -- there's yet another Meg Langslow mystery coming out in September. A Christmas one and those are some of the best in the series. I'm over the moon excited about that!
August 22, 2020
Twenty-seventh (!!) in the Meg Langslow amateur sleuth cozy mystery series and revolving around Meg and her very extended family. This tale takes place in Riverton at a Renaissance Faire.
My Take
Ooh, there's always something fun in the Meg Langslow stories. In this one, the core of the family characters is deeply involved in Cordelia's Renaissance Faire, making it quite different from other Ren Faires. Of course, Cordelia involves the citizens of Riverton while Michael and Meg pull in friends. I dearly love how supportive Meg and Michael are with their friends. It's a trait they've passed on to their sons, as they eagerly volunteer to help at the booth and with Faulk, coming up with some interesting angles on why two young kids are participating. I loved it!
Cordelia's ideas for her Faire are wonderful, very creative. And she's danged lucky to have Meg as a manager, keeping an eye out for anything that might go wrong.
It's fascinating to "watch" Meg balance the various actors' personalities and figure out the best character for them to play. It's helpful that Andrews uses first person protagonist point-of-view from Meg's perspective, so we always know what she's thinking.
Grandfather is a crack-up. He's so obsessed with his environmental and animal issues that he has no clue what a, ahem, "wren fest" is. I'm looking forward to future stories, as it sounds like Andrews is setting up a future romance between Cordelia and Grandfather. That'll be fun to watch, lol.
Naturally, there're birds in this, with Sir Greg explaining feaking and preening and how very unnatural Harry's behavior is. There's a sweet bit at the end when Greg explains the different levels of mastery and how he's limited to caring for only three birds.
Meg's booth provides fascinating background on women blacksmiths in days gone by, on metalcrafting, and on crafting blades. There's also a good bit of drama surrounding Faulk, which plays into Tad's later troubles. I love Tad's green-screen idea, lol. It's fooling his bully of a boss!
The core drama is character-driven action with Terence at the center of it all, being such a jerk to everyone in this slow and easy cozy mystery. An actor who doesn't care about the faire's plotline and is much more interested in stirring up drama, harassing the other actors...and indulging in blackmail.
The Story
Cordelia's Renaissance Faire is a hit. Now if that one actor would stop sabotaging everyone, things would be perfect.
Only Meg didn't mean dead.
The Characters
Meg Langslow is a blacksmith of decorative work with a love for organizing and a penchant for amateur sleuthing. Her husband, Professor Michael Waterston, teaches drama at Caerphilly College. They have twelve-year-old twin sons, Josh and Jamie. Spike, the Small Evil One, is their dog.
Meg's brother, Rob, owns a computer gaming company. He's also into Morris dancing. Kevin is a cyber-savvy cousin who runs the Faire's website. The Hollingsworths are Mom's side of the family.
While Grandfather (he runs the Blake Foundation and films documentaries in his role as a biologist and environmentalist) hadn't married Cordelia, they did have Dad, Dr James Langslow, who is very enthusiastic about medicine and murder. Almost as enthusiastic as Grandfather and Cordelia are in hating each other. "Great" is the twins' nickname for Grandfather. Meg's mother works behind the scenes designing and supervising costume creation.
The Riverton Faire is...
...a Renaissance Faire owned and organized by Cordelia, Meg's paternal grandmother, who had started the Biscuit Mountain Craft Center a few years ago and set up her Victorian house as a B&B. The Faire takes place Friday through Saturday.
The "story" the actors play out was created by Michael, a.k.a. the Duke of Waterston, and takes place in the kingdom of Albion with Cordelia as queen. Meg plays a lowly craftworker, a blacksmith of all things, *laughing*, and gives demonstrations of her craft along with her mentor, Faulkner "Faulk" Cates. Tad Jackson, Faulk's husband, is a brilliant computer programmer. When he takes a work break, Tad becomes Sir Tadjik, the Moorish ambassador. Josh and Jamie are helping out at their mom's blacksmithing booth as assistants, which turns out to be a blessing as events unroll.
Sir Terence is the archvillain and is played by Terence Cox who really is good at improvising Elizabethan dialogue, but he takes too much delight in sabotage. George Sims is playing Sir George of Simsdale, Michael's arch-rival to inherit the kingdom.
Nigel Howe is a friend who has newly found sobriety, and the family is anxious for him. He performs as Sir Nigel whose daughter's hand is vied for by all the noblemen; he works in the sewing studio during the week. Dianne Willowdale plays Lady Dianne, the daughter. Jacquelynn "Jacks" Morris plays Lady Jacquelynn.
Greg, a.k.a. Sir Greg Dorance, the Queen's Own Falconer, is the senior member of the two-person falcon team who answers fairgoers' questions. Vinnie is his partner. Gracie is a peregrine falcon while Harry is a lazy red-tailed hawk. Delilah is a one-winged red-tailed hawk that is Greg's third bird.
Dad plays a Renaissance doctor and mans a first aid station. The vegetarian Rose Noire is a cousin deeply involved in organic herbs and teas and is selling her New Age wares at the festival. Cousin Horace is a Caerphilly deputy, crime scene tech, and EMT who is playing the part of a guard. Grandfather gets slid in as Magister Blake when he insists on playing.
Camp Anachronism is where the actors sleep. Madame Destiny is the fortuneteller. Granny Destiny plays the fortuneteller's mother, adding color to the scene. The Muddy Beggar, a.k.a. Stanislaus W&ecedil;grzynkiewicz, provides color while staying off that knee that needs surgery so badly. The Bonny Blade sells cheap knives, etc. Linnet is a weaver at the Faire. Seamus is a leatherworker.
The Mad Monk is a nutjob fairgoer.
Riverton PD
Mo Heedles is the police chief, and she's deputized Horace for her district. She's assigned Lenny, one of her deputies, to play a guard at the Faire. Ashley is their dispatcher. Carlton is another deputy. Dad has worked with their local ME before. Judge Brown would be more at home in the 1850s or 1950s.
The deaf Mrs Larsen owns Den Lille Hytta (Norwegian for "The Little Cottage"), a B&B in Riverton.
The Arena Stage is...
...a theater in Washington D.C. The pushy Neil O'Malley is a infamous director casting for a new play of Hamlet. Michael can't stand him, having worked under him before. Zachary Glass is a former teen heartthrob who may be playing the lead role.
Faulk's dad disapproved of his choices. The ER in Jessop is to be avoided. Seth Early is one of the Waterstons' neighbors whose sheep continually escape his fields. Dr Clarence Rutledge is the veterinarian Grandfather's organization uses. Ragnar is a rock 'n roll musician who has a house near Caerphilly, and he's one of Meg's best customers. Caroline Willner, one of Grandfather's friends, runs the Willner Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a horizontal gradient of violet fading to lilac in the center. At the very top is a yellow info blurb. The author's name is below it in white with the wings of the jester-crowned falcon overlapping the "An". In one claw, the falcon clasps a "medieval" banner with a purple band at the top, red ribbons flying on either side of the arrow-tipped bar and a checkerboard of green and white squares with golden bells in the white. The bottom of the banner is vertical stripes of white and purple. The series info is in the violet to the right of the falcon's tail. The title is in yellow at the bottom.
I can't figure out the title. I'm guessing it's a description of how a falcon flies?? As in The Falcon Always Wings Twice?
My Take
Ooh, there's always something fun in the Meg Langslow stories. In this one, the core of the family characters is deeply involved in Cordelia's Renaissance Faire, making it quite different from other Ren Faires. Of course, Cordelia involves the citizens of Riverton while Michael and Meg pull in friends. I dearly love how supportive Meg and Michael are with their friends. It's a trait they've passed on to their sons, as they eagerly volunteer to help at the booth and with Faulk, coming up with some interesting angles on why two young kids are participating. I loved it!
Cordelia's ideas for her Faire are wonderful, very creative. And she's danged lucky to have Meg as a manager, keeping an eye out for anything that might go wrong.
It's fascinating to "watch" Meg balance the various actors' personalities and figure out the best character for them to play. It's helpful that Andrews uses first person protagonist point-of-view from Meg's perspective, so we always know what she's thinking.
Grandfather is a crack-up. He's so obsessed with his environmental and animal issues that he has no clue what a, ahem, "wren fest" is. I'm looking forward to future stories, as it sounds like Andrews is setting up a future romance between Cordelia and Grandfather. That'll be fun to watch, lol.
Naturally, there're birds in this, with Sir Greg explaining feaking and preening and how very unnatural Harry's behavior is. There's a sweet bit at the end when Greg explains the different levels of mastery and how he's limited to caring for only three birds.
Meg's booth provides fascinating background on women blacksmiths in days gone by, on metalcrafting, and on crafting blades. There's also a good bit of drama surrounding Faulk, which plays into Tad's later troubles. I love Tad's green-screen idea, lol. It's fooling his bully of a boss!
The core drama is character-driven action with Terence at the center of it all, being such a jerk to everyone in this slow and easy cozy mystery. An actor who doesn't care about the faire's plotline and is much more interested in stirring up drama, harassing the other actors...and indulging in blackmail.
The Story
Cordelia's Renaissance Faire is a hit. Now if that one actor would stop sabotaging everyone, things would be perfect.
Only Meg didn't mean dead.
The Characters
Meg Langslow is a blacksmith of decorative work with a love for organizing and a penchant for amateur sleuthing. Her husband, Professor Michael Waterston, teaches drama at Caerphilly College. They have twelve-year-old twin sons, Josh and Jamie. Spike, the Small Evil One, is their dog.
Meg's brother, Rob, owns a computer gaming company. He's also into Morris dancing. Kevin is a cyber-savvy cousin who runs the Faire's website. The Hollingsworths are Mom's side of the family.
While Grandfather (he runs the Blake Foundation and films documentaries in his role as a biologist and environmentalist) hadn't married Cordelia, they did have Dad, Dr James Langslow, who is very enthusiastic about medicine and murder. Almost as enthusiastic as Grandfather and Cordelia are in hating each other. "Great" is the twins' nickname for Grandfather. Meg's mother works behind the scenes designing and supervising costume creation.
The Riverton Faire is...
...a Renaissance Faire owned and organized by Cordelia, Meg's paternal grandmother, who had started the Biscuit Mountain Craft Center a few years ago and set up her Victorian house as a B&B. The Faire takes place Friday through Saturday.
The "story" the actors play out was created by Michael, a.k.a. the Duke of Waterston, and takes place in the kingdom of Albion with Cordelia as queen. Meg plays a lowly craftworker, a blacksmith of all things, *laughing*, and gives demonstrations of her craft along with her mentor, Faulkner "Faulk" Cates. Tad Jackson, Faulk's husband, is a brilliant computer programmer. When he takes a work break, Tad becomes Sir Tadjik, the Moorish ambassador. Josh and Jamie are helping out at their mom's blacksmithing booth as assistants, which turns out to be a blessing as events unroll.
Sir Terence is the archvillain and is played by Terence Cox who really is good at improvising Elizabethan dialogue, but he takes too much delight in sabotage. George Sims is playing Sir George of Simsdale, Michael's arch-rival to inherit the kingdom.
Nigel Howe is a friend who has newly found sobriety, and the family is anxious for him. He performs as Sir Nigel whose daughter's hand is vied for by all the noblemen; he works in the sewing studio during the week. Dianne Willowdale plays Lady Dianne, the daughter. Jacquelynn "Jacks" Morris plays Lady Jacquelynn.
Greg, a.k.a. Sir Greg Dorance, the Queen's Own Falconer, is the senior member of the two-person falcon team who answers fairgoers' questions. Vinnie is his partner. Gracie is a peregrine falcon while Harry is a lazy red-tailed hawk. Delilah is a one-winged red-tailed hawk that is Greg's third bird.
Dad plays a Renaissance doctor and mans a first aid station. The vegetarian Rose Noire is a cousin deeply involved in organic herbs and teas and is selling her New Age wares at the festival. Cousin Horace is a Caerphilly deputy, crime scene tech, and EMT who is playing the part of a guard. Grandfather gets slid in as Magister Blake when he insists on playing.
Camp Anachronism is where the actors sleep. Madame Destiny is the fortuneteller. Granny Destiny plays the fortuneteller's mother, adding color to the scene. The Muddy Beggar, a.k.a. Stanislaus W&ecedil;grzynkiewicz, provides color while staying off that knee that needs surgery so badly. The Bonny Blade sells cheap knives, etc. Linnet is a weaver at the Faire. Seamus is a leatherworker.
The Mad Monk is a nutjob fairgoer.
Riverton PD
Mo Heedles is the police chief, and she's deputized Horace for her district. She's assigned Lenny, one of her deputies, to play a guard at the Faire. Ashley is their dispatcher. Carlton is another deputy. Dad has worked with their local ME before. Judge Brown would be more at home in the 1850s or 1950s.
The deaf Mrs Larsen owns Den Lille Hytta (Norwegian for "The Little Cottage"), a B&B in Riverton.
The Arena Stage is...
...a theater in Washington D.C. The pushy Neil O'Malley is a infamous director casting for a new play of Hamlet. Michael can't stand him, having worked under him before. Zachary Glass is a former teen heartthrob who may be playing the lead role.
Faulk's dad disapproved of his choices. The ER in Jessop is to be avoided. Seth Early is one of the Waterstons' neighbors whose sheep continually escape his fields. Dr Clarence Rutledge is the veterinarian Grandfather's organization uses. Ragnar is a rock 'n roll musician who has a house near Caerphilly, and he's one of Meg's best customers. Caroline Willner, one of Grandfather's friends, runs the Willner Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a horizontal gradient of violet fading to lilac in the center. At the very top is a yellow info blurb. The author's name is below it in white with the wings of the jester-crowned falcon overlapping the "An". In one claw, the falcon clasps a "medieval" banner with a purple band at the top, red ribbons flying on either side of the arrow-tipped bar and a checkerboard of green and white squares with golden bells in the white. The bottom of the banner is vertical stripes of white and purple. The series info is in the violet to the right of the falcon's tail. The title is in yellow at the bottom.
I can't figure out the title. I'm guessing it's a description of how a falcon flies?? As in The Falcon Always Wings Twice?
September 3, 2020
📚 Hello Book Friends! I just finished reading THE FALCON ALWAYS WINGS TWICE by Donna Andrews. This is the twenty-seven book in the Meg Langslow series. I am new to this series and was hoping that it would be a stand-alone story and that I would not have to read the other twenty-six other books to enjoy it! LOL! Well, I can confirm that I was able to enjoy this cozy mystery without reading all the other books. This is an entertaining story with many fun moments. I did not guess who the murderer was until that person was revealed. I love the middle-age play settings and the characters are all so fascinating. I really enjoyed it!
🙋🏼♀️ Thank you, Minotaur Books for sending me an ARC of this intriguing book. THE FALCON ALWAYS WINGS TWICE by Donna Andrews is available at your favourite bookstore.
#bookstadog #poodles #poodlestagram #poodlesofinstagram #furbabies #dogsofinstagram #bookstagram #dogsandbooks #bookishlife #bookishlove #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookish #bookaholic #reading #readersofinstagram #instaread #ilovebooks #bookishcanadians #canadianbookstagram #bookreviewer #bookcommunity #bibliophile #bookphotography #thefalconalwayswingstwice #donnaandrews #bookreview #monitaurinfluencers #minotaurbooks
January 25, 2021
Audiobook.
I absolutely love this zany series. Admittedly, it feels like the author is slowing down in the idea department, but after 27 books, I think it’s inevitable, to the fans’ loss. The characters aren’t as crazy, the plots are definitely following a formula, and the main character is a one woman show.
However, the stories are still entertaining, just not as much of a LOL kind of fun, the author keeps them clean, which is appreciated, they are a fast read, and picking one up, I know that I won’t regret it.
The narrator’s voice doesn’t quite fit with the character in my imagination, but she does an admirable job giving each person their own voice. She slightly slows down too much or over enunciates at times, but after listening to several of her narrations, it is a quirky bit that I’ve come to associate with how she reads.
I absolutely love this zany series. Admittedly, it feels like the author is slowing down in the idea department, but after 27 books, I think it’s inevitable, to the fans’ loss. The characters aren’t as crazy, the plots are definitely following a formula, and the main character is a one woman show.
However, the stories are still entertaining, just not as much of a LOL kind of fun, the author keeps them clean, which is appreciated, they are a fast read, and picking one up, I know that I won’t regret it.
The narrator’s voice doesn’t quite fit with the character in my imagination, but she does an admirable job giving each person their own voice. She slightly slows down too much or over enunciates at times, but after listening to several of her narrations, it is a quirky bit that I’ve come to associate with how she reads.
January 23, 2021
A completely fabulous and entertaining read, as always.
August 5, 2020
Donna Andrew's Meg books are just what I needed now. Love the Ren fair setting. (My friends will understand.)
November 13, 2020
(Thanks to the publisher for the free digital ARC.) The Falcon Always Wings Twice is a Renaissance Faire lover's dream. The Ren Faire setting was intricately laid out, with all the backstage drama one would expect from a group of actors in historical cosplay. There's a strong cast of characters, each with their own weaknesses and back stories and family ties. It did feel like it took a while to get to the actual 'murder mystery' part, and some of the characters seemed very nonchalant about one of their group getting killed off. But the amateur detectives eventually rooted out the killer, and we get to enjoy the scenery along the way. It's a fun twist on the cozy mystery.
June 29, 2020
Ohhhhhh, this was a very good one y'all.
You would think that after 26 books, they would be getting old or tedious or start using old storylines by the time the 27th arrives [and this folks is why I am not a writer! LOL], but Donna Andrews makes each of these books fresh and fun and I really, really, love Meg and her wackadoodle family [including her mother who typically makes me crazy, but is barely in this one and so it was a nice refreshing change].
This one is set at her Grandmother's [Cordelia] place in the Biscuit Mountains in Northern Virginia. I love Cordelia as a character and it was delightful to revisit her and her home again in this story. Cordelia had decided to set up an Ren Faire and enlists Meg and Michael and their extended family to come for the summer to help. Meg accepts [she also gets to do some blacksmithing in this one and it was fun to watch her return to that as well as watch her teach the boys how to as well] and the whole family troops up to the mountain for the summer. Including Meg's grandfather [MUCH to Cordelia's dismay] who adds so much of the comic relief in this story, without even really trying. I just love him so much. He is a great character and I love how everyone has accepted him, warts and all. It really adds to a well rounded story. The main cast is doing what they call "The Game" and are acting out a play of sorts to engage the guests at the Faire and all is going well until someone gets murdered and then the "game is afoot" so-to-speak, and you are left wondering just who it could be [there are a LOT of potential suspects - the victim was universally disliked] and when the reveal comes it will be an interesting time. And very satisfying.
Another really great book by Donna Andrews - I enjoyed this read so much. It was perfect for the mood I was in and I am so glad I had it on my plate.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press/Minotaur Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You would think that after 26 books, they would be getting old or tedious or start using old storylines by the time the 27th arrives [and this folks is why I am not a writer! LOL], but Donna Andrews makes each of these books fresh and fun and I really, really, love Meg and her wackadoodle family [including her mother who typically makes me crazy, but is barely in this one and so it was a nice refreshing change].
This one is set at her Grandmother's [Cordelia] place in the Biscuit Mountains in Northern Virginia. I love Cordelia as a character and it was delightful to revisit her and her home again in this story. Cordelia had decided to set up an Ren Faire and enlists Meg and Michael and their extended family to come for the summer to help. Meg accepts [she also gets to do some blacksmithing in this one and it was fun to watch her return to that as well as watch her teach the boys how to as well] and the whole family troops up to the mountain for the summer. Including Meg's grandfather [MUCH to Cordelia's dismay] who adds so much of the comic relief in this story, without even really trying. I just love him so much. He is a great character and I love how everyone has accepted him, warts and all. It really adds to a well rounded story. The main cast is doing what they call "The Game" and are acting out a play of sorts to engage the guests at the Faire and all is going well until someone gets murdered and then the "game is afoot" so-to-speak, and you are left wondering just who it could be [there are a LOT of potential suspects - the victim was universally disliked] and when the reveal comes it will be an interesting time. And very satisfying.
Another really great book by Donna Andrews - I enjoyed this read so much. It was perfect for the mood I was in and I am so glad I had it on my plate.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press/Minotaur Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 4, 2020
Here we are with the 27th entry in this wonderful, funny cozy series. Spending time with Meg and her colorful family is the perfect escape in the pandemic times. In this mystery Meg is juggling a lot. Her grandmother, Cordelia, is hosting a large Ren Faire on the grounds of her craft center and Meg is acting as her assistant - Cordelia is acting as the Queen. Besides her duties to help keep things in order with the actors, craftspeople, and a mass of paying visitors (many of them costumed by the resident seamstresses), she is doing blacksmithing demonstrations with her long time friend, Faulk. Her husband, Michael, is on hand as one of the main actors and the twins - now twelve years old, how dod that happen? - are old enough to help with the sales side of Meg's business. It would be fine except for a couple of hitches. One is the unexpected arrival of her grandfather which displeases the Queen so Meg throws a fancy cloak on him and lets him join the Faire. The other hitch is not so easily solved. Terence, one of the actors, is a royal pain in the tush, making enemies of just about everyone he interacts with. That means plenty of suspects when he is found dead in the woods.
Meg knows the drill and sets out, working with the police, to unmask the killer. Along the way her grandfather manages to join the list after an incident with the falcons. Another reason to work her investigating talents. I enjoy the humor in every book - her family is a hoot and they are very close, even Cordelia has her own version of family when it comes to the father of Meg's father. Yes, it's a bit complicated. It's all a very big family and many of them add their own talents to help find the killer in their midst.
It takes more than a few chapters to do in the victim but it is time well spent. Each chapter is to be savored. The mystery unfolds at a leisurely pace and the clues and red herrings abound. Now that I have enjoyed this one I only have to wait until 10/13/2020 for book #28, The Gift of the Magpie.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Meg knows the drill and sets out, working with the police, to unmask the killer. Along the way her grandfather manages to join the list after an incident with the falcons. Another reason to work her investigating talents. I enjoy the humor in every book - her family is a hoot and they are very close, even Cordelia has her own version of family when it comes to the father of Meg's father. Yes, it's a bit complicated. It's all a very big family and many of them add their own talents to help find the killer in their midst.
It takes more than a few chapters to do in the victim but it is time well spent. Each chapter is to be savored. The mystery unfolds at a leisurely pace and the clues and red herrings abound. Now that I have enjoyed this one I only have to wait until 10/13/2020 for book #28, The Gift of the Magpie.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
June 18, 2021
What happened here? I've read all the earlier books in this series, and liked almost all of them. But this one - frankly, it was boring, and I only finished because I couldn't believe it wouldn't get better. It did, at about the final 15% of the book. So what went wrong?
The first problem, I admit, was that I had to listen to this instead of reading it. That makes it harder to skim the slow passages. The narrator is fine, but she speaks really slowly and I ended up speeding up the entire book, which I usually don't do.(If anything, I tend to slow them down a bit so they don't feel rushed.) Still, I often felt impatient, waiting for something to happen. The one murder that takes place is too far into the book. Then, after that, pretty much nothing happens until right at the end. This story needed more plot! If you love Renaissance Fairs and desperately want to be an insider at one, you'll probably love this book. but if you want an intriguing mystery, you're out of luck.
Also, where was the humor? I don't find people being humiliated amusing, or folks losing their jobs or almost having heart attacks. Usually I can count on these books for plenty of smiles, the absurdity of events tickling my funny bone. There was none of that here. It just wasn't funny; it didn't even make me smile. I'll give it two stars because the writing was fine, but man, was I disappointed. :(
The first problem, I admit, was that I had to listen to this instead of reading it. That makes it harder to skim the slow passages. The narrator is fine, but she speaks really slowly and I ended up speeding up the entire book, which I usually don't do.(If anything, I tend to slow them down a bit so they don't feel rushed.) Still, I often felt impatient, waiting for something to happen. The one murder that takes place is too far into the book. Then, after that, pretty much nothing happens until right at the end. This story needed more plot! If you love Renaissance Fairs and desperately want to be an insider at one, you'll probably love this book. but if you want an intriguing mystery, you're out of luck.
Also, where was the humor? I don't find people being humiliated amusing, or folks losing their jobs or almost having heart attacks. Usually I can count on these books for plenty of smiles, the absurdity of events tickling my funny bone. There was none of that here. It just wasn't funny; it didn't even make me smile. I'll give it two stars because the writing was fine, but man, was I disappointed. :(
October 3, 2022
I just adore this series because it always has a good mystery couched in a fun atmosphere with really interesting characters that never fail to entertain. There are always laugh out loud parts to the books, and this one set at a Renaissance Faire is no exception. The whole extended Langslow clan is on hand to help Grandma Cornelia pull off the fair each weekend & their various unique talents combine to get the job done. They run the fair and solve the murder, both with panache. These easy to read cozy mysteries are just a fun escape & so enjoyable to read.
June 26, 2022
This was a wonderful and fun book in the Meg Langslow series. I particularly loved the scenes with Grandfather.
November 26, 2020
What can I say! It’s Meg and her family! This time the setting is a Renfair. There’s jousting and jesting, laughter and murder. It’s mayhem and mystery. Come one, come all and enjoy the show.
August 23, 2021
I wondered what would happen to a book supposed to be set in the summer of 2020. I'm guessing it was written long before the madness that has been the past two years because this book takes place at a Renaissance Fair. And it was definitely a big event. But perhaps like a lot of fiction they are trying to help take our minds off all those events. Best part of this book is grandfather and Cordelia both of whom are front and centre here. The fair takes place at Cordelia's Biscuit Mountain craft centre and everyone is in costume to fit the role. Cordelia as queen, Michael as a Duke vying for the hand of the fair Dianne and Meg working alongside her mentor Faulk is a blacksmith with the twins acting as helpers to her a nephews to Michael. Into this blunders the comic relief of Dr. Blake who misunderstood Ren Fair for Wren fair and shows up with said birds. He then us dressed as an alchemist and proceeds to threaten to turn his enemies into toads, in between bickering with Cordelia of course. This being a cozy mystery there has to be a bad guy and said bad guy is our victim. There were plenty to want Terence gone. Dianne who harassed, Tad the husband of Faulk who he caused to get fired, Cordelia because he ruined the fair, Dr. Blake because he was mean to birds, maybe some other players as well. Into this mess blunders conceited director O'Malley who is casting Hamlet. This was actually quite fun especially the end confronting the killer scene. Grandfather is always great comic fun, the boys are growing up as well and getting more pronounced roles in the series, I'm still baffled that Spike is around despite being a very old dog. There were a few times I wondered if Bernie Sanders wrote this due to the long diatribes on health insurance. It also made me happy to live somewhere that health care is somewhat free (yes I know I pay higher taxes) but other than that it was quite fun to read this.
August 4, 2020
After 26 books, I’m still invested. And book #27 does not disappoint at all. I still love every single member of the family, even Meg’s formidable mother. Even the supporting, non family cast of characters are charming/smarmy. And I learn a lot of things I wouldn’t have otherwise because it’s woven pretty neatly into the story itself. People who lecture do because they care for the subject or are teaching it or it’s Grandfather doing his predator thing. (Side note: I’m with grandfather - predators are my favorite kind of animal, even though I’m fiercely vegetarian. It doesn’t make sense, I know).
I missed Chief Burke in this one and the rest of the Caerphilly folk, but this one is set in Biscuit Mountain with Cordelia, and I like her and Chief Heedles, so it wasn’t much of a problem. I’m even coming to like the twins, who usually don’t have much of a contribution to make, but they’re older now, and are appearing more often and show the morality of a family that likes to help wherever it can, even if it’s sometimes bordering on the pushy. The mystery is okay, the killer turns out to be who I thought it was pretty much for the reason I thought it would be, but I’m here for the shenanigans.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I missed Chief Burke in this one and the rest of the Caerphilly folk, but this one is set in Biscuit Mountain with Cordelia, and I like her and Chief Heedles, so it wasn’t much of a problem. I’m even coming to like the twins, who usually don’t have much of a contribution to make, but they’re older now, and are appearing more often and show the morality of a family that likes to help wherever it can, even if it’s sometimes bordering on the pushy. The mystery is okay, the killer turns out to be who I thought it was pretty much for the reason I thought it would be, but I’m here for the shenanigans.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
September 22, 2020
I read this a couple of months ago when I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review, but it looks like I forgot to do the review. It was no hardship to re-read the book. I am a big fan of this series and unlike some other long running series, this one continues to work for me. The author still comes up with different story lines that manage to work with the characters' situations and personalities.
This one is especially enjoyable with its Renaissance Faire setting and Meg doing some actual blacksmithing (one almost forgets her vocation since it's usually not part of the stories anymore). Her extended family continues to impart some light hearted moments. Grandfather is dressed in a costume that kept having me envision him dressed as Mickey Mouse's sorcerer character from Fantasia. (I've never really thought about this before, but I'm surprised Meg's in laws haven't paid a visit, we know next to nothing about Michael aside from his acting career. Perhaps it was addressed early on and I've forgotten it over the years.)
I think this stands up well enough on it's own, but if you are new to the series, I'd really recommend you read them all. If you've enjoyed any of these books, I'm sure Falcon will not let you down.
This one is especially enjoyable with its Renaissance Faire setting and Meg doing some actual blacksmithing (one almost forgets her vocation since it's usually not part of the stories anymore). Her extended family continues to impart some light hearted moments. Grandfather is dressed in a costume that kept having me envision him dressed as Mickey Mouse's sorcerer character from Fantasia. (I've never really thought about this before, but I'm surprised Meg's in laws haven't paid a visit, we know next to nothing about Michael aside from his acting career. Perhaps it was addressed early on and I've forgotten it over the years.)
I think this stands up well enough on it's own, but if you are new to the series, I'd really recommend you read them all. If you've enjoyed any of these books, I'm sure Falcon will not let you down.
August 4, 2020
“The Falcon Always Wings Twice” is the most recent addition to the always delightful Meg Langslow series. This series is a lot of fun, and this book is no exception. This time the whole gang is staging a Renaissance Faire, with Meg’s formidable grandmother Cordelia as queen. As always there is a lot of banter, confusion, and of course, Meg’s family including her parents and grandparents.
I don’t like spoilers, so I am not going to give any. The plot is relatively straightforward this time, and it moves along borne on Andrews’ sprightly prose. This is the sort of book where you promise yourself “one more chapter,” and then it turns into three or twenty.
This is not tendentious, great literature. Thank goodness for that. “The Falcon Always Wings Twice” is one of life’s real pleasures, as all of Donna Andrews’ previously bird-named books have been. It is escapist fun, and don’t we all need more of that during these parlous times?
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions are my own.
I don’t like spoilers, so I am not going to give any. The plot is relatively straightforward this time, and it moves along borne on Andrews’ sprightly prose. This is the sort of book where you promise yourself “one more chapter,” and then it turns into three or twenty.
This is not tendentious, great literature. Thank goodness for that. “The Falcon Always Wings Twice” is one of life’s real pleasures, as all of Donna Andrews’ previously bird-named books have been. It is escapist fun, and don’t we all need more of that during these parlous times?
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions are my own.
August 23, 2020
In this next book of the series Megs grandmother has brought the family together to help her out with her Renaissance Fair she'll be holding at the craft center. Meg is happy to take part as a blacksmith and even her twin boys will be performing. All is going well with the fair until Meg's grandfather comes across a rare pair of falcons. He's worried about the treatment of the birds especially with all the activity that is happening around them. When a death of a performer happens Meg's grandfather soon becomes the main suspect. You see the dead man is who her grandfather thought was abusing the falcons. Meh doesn't want to get involved with another murder but with her grandfather in the police's sights she knows she must figure out who the real culprit is. Follow along as Meg roams throughout the fair asking questions in search of the killer. Will she be able to put all the clues together and find a murderer or will her grandfather be arrested in the end?
January 9, 2021
Andrews is back in top form in this amusing title. Meg's grandmother has decided to run a Renaissance Faire summer weekends, so naturally the whole family pitches in to help, Meg by doing blacksmithing and acting as grandmother Cordelia's general aide, Michael by hiring and organizing actors, Meg's mother by running the costume shop (designing, of course, not sewing), Meg's Dad by running the first aid tent, and now her grandfather, largely to irritate Cordelia, helping in the falconry display. When an owling expedition finds the murdered body of an unpopular actor, Meg is almost too sleepy to detect as a 24-hour period includes an unwelcome visitor, bad news about a good friend, and being menaced by men with guns on two separate occasions. But in less than a day, the murderer is arrested and there's an upbeat ending.
August 26, 2020
It's always over too soon
I look forward to reading anything from Donna Andrews! So far I've read everything that's been released. I miss the series characters, friends, family, the animals, the Bird in the title and most of all how Meg's notebook that tells her when to breath will be used. You just can't go wrong with this series! But do start with "Murder with Peacocks" and read them in order to get the full impact
I look forward to reading anything from Donna Andrews! So far I've read everything that's been released. I miss the series characters, friends, family, the animals, the Bird in the title and most of all how Meg's notebook that tells her when to breath will be used. You just can't go wrong with this series! But do start with "Murder with Peacocks" and read them in order to get the full impact
January 22, 2022
I love this series and the characters are now as familiar as my own family. Andrews used familiar settings to set her various mysteries and I would move to Virginia in a heartbeat to be adopted by Meg and her family and friends. She brings back other characters and addresses issues of health care albeit in a humorous but pointed manner while trying to solve a murder. I read and re-read her books frequently as they can always cheer me up no matter the circumstances.
February 18, 2021
Meg Langslow and her whacky family are in fine form for this caper, which happens during a Renaissance fair. The murder takes place within the group of actors playing parts in a rolling improvisation complete with period costumes and dialog. I enjoyed that aspect of it a great deal. I also learned a great deal about falcons and falconry, also enjoyable. This was a great entry in the series in my opinion, not the least bit stale or boring in spite of being #27.
February 25, 2021
This takes place in the summer in Virginia. The story is about a Renaissance Fair that the family is putting on and the drama that it brings. There is a murder, and no one liked the victim. The only character that I liked was the grandfather. He was funny and kind. I enjoyed the birds, too. The story felt slow. Maybe I should have started at the beginning of the series.
September 18, 2020
Funniest story in the series.
July 3, 2021
Was ok
October 30, 2021
Another easy read mystery with a storyline that entertains but still keeps the reader guessing until the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews