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Merry Wrath Mysteries #24
Memories Are Murder
From USA Today bestselling author Leslie Langtry comes a hilarious mystery that will leave you laughing 'til you cry...
It’s been years since ex-CIA agent Merry Wrath was undercover with Carlos the Armadillo in Colombia. So why is Teo the Tapir suddenly in Who’s There, Iowa looking for her? Merry and Teo were not on the best terms back then, especially after he attempted to blow her up. Is he in town to get revenge, or is he telling the truth about wanting to retire and let bygones be bygones?
It's a question that becomes much more important when a mutual colleague is murdered in Merry’s garage. Suddenly Merry wonders if Teo did it to frame her. As usual, this isn’t a great time for a dead body, since Merry is having trouble teaching her troop to use drones responsibly, her twin taxidermist sisters-in-law are trying to keep Merry from spilling their big secret, there are rumbles of a sexist schism in the teenage Cult of NicoDerm and there’s an issue involving fifty-one hamsters that needs to be resolved—like now!
Can Merry keep it together long enough to discover the truth about Teo? Or are some memories too deadly to hold onto?
What critics are saying about Leslie Langtry's
"I laughed so hard I cried on multiple occasions! Girl Scouts, the CIA, and the Yakuza... what could possibly go wrong?"
~ Fresh Fiction
"Darkly funny and wildly over the top, this mystery answers the burning question, 'Do assassin skills and Girl Scout merit badges mix…?'"
~ RT BOOKreviews
"Mixing a deadly sense of humor and plenty of sexy sizzle, Leslie Langtry creates a brilliantly original, laughter-rich mix of contemporary romance and suspense."
~ Chicago Tribune
"Langtry gets the fun started from page one."
~ Publisher's Weekly
It’s been years since ex-CIA agent Merry Wrath was undercover with Carlos the Armadillo in Colombia. So why is Teo the Tapir suddenly in Who’s There, Iowa looking for her? Merry and Teo were not on the best terms back then, especially after he attempted to blow her up. Is he in town to get revenge, or is he telling the truth about wanting to retire and let bygones be bygones?
It's a question that becomes much more important when a mutual colleague is murdered in Merry’s garage. Suddenly Merry wonders if Teo did it to frame her. As usual, this isn’t a great time for a dead body, since Merry is having trouble teaching her troop to use drones responsibly, her twin taxidermist sisters-in-law are trying to keep Merry from spilling their big secret, there are rumbles of a sexist schism in the teenage Cult of NicoDerm and there’s an issue involving fifty-one hamsters that needs to be resolved—like now!
Can Merry keep it together long enough to discover the truth about Teo? Or are some memories too deadly to hold onto?
What critics are saying about Leslie Langtry's
"I laughed so hard I cried on multiple occasions! Girl Scouts, the CIA, and the Yakuza... what could possibly go wrong?"
~ Fresh Fiction
"Darkly funny and wildly over the top, this mystery answers the burning question, 'Do assassin skills and Girl Scout merit badges mix…?'"
~ RT BOOKreviews
"Mixing a deadly sense of humor and plenty of sexy sizzle, Leslie Langtry creates a brilliantly original, laughter-rich mix of contemporary romance and suspense."
~ Chicago Tribune
"Langtry gets the fun started from page one."
~ Publisher's Weekly
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
223 pages, Paperback
Published October 5, 2022
About the author
Leslie Langtry
100 books739 followersLeslie Langtry is a USA Today Bestselling Author of the Merry Wrath Mysteries and the Bombay Family of Assassins Greatest Hits series. She lives in the Midwest with her family and is an active Girl Scout volunteer. Her dream is to someday invent calorie free cake.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 17, 2022
Memories are Murder Earns 5/5 “Pretty in Pink” Drones…Engaging, Clever Gem!
The troop has long since forgone “Girly” Scout activities preferring now town politics, weeding out crime and hypocrisy, and honing spy-related skills. Betty is the most adept, and troublesome, proven by the most recent complaints about her drone invading neighbor’s privacy. So, addressing the proper and legal use of drones is on the agenda. Betty seems well past the fun and now is arming her drone, but an urgent call from Riley, ex-CIA handler and now PI, is a welcomed interruption. The news, though, is worrisome. Merry learns a former nemisis and member of Carlos the Armadillo’s defunct cartel in Columbia, Teo the Tapir, is actively seeking “Finn,” Merry’s former name, and by the time she gets home, it isn’t Teo she finds. Another of Armadillo’s cartel henchmen/women Henrietta the Hernia is dead in her garage. The past just can’t stay in the past!
Leslie Langtry’s Merry Wrath Mystery is always fun: quip-ish wit, quirky characters, bizarre predicaments, and Betty. This twenty-fourth book is just as fresh and entertaining with one terrorist dead and another looking to turn over a new leaf. This, of course, is very suspicious, scary even, but it does allow Merry to ponder her CIA past, but her “spydy” senses still tingle away when something isn’t right. The CIA is little help with victim details, and even though being a target is not an unfamiliar predicament for Merry, the who, what, and why are elusive questions to answer…until the surprise ending!
Langtry’s writing style is very engaging with its loving relationships and solid friendships, but humorous with its quirky family dynamics, snarky retorts, hamsters, and Betty. Yes, some elements need a suspension of disbelief with a “not a CIA assassin” assassin as a role model, Betty as a Homeland Security risk, a taxidermist in-law’s animosity, an eleven-year-old dynamo mayor, and more, but for me, those elements are some of the best parts. I always wonder “What will Betty do next?” every time a new book comes out. There’s always a nod to contemporary issues like insights into social media and politics thru the eyes of twelve-year-olds. The incongruities (good vs bad, facts vs secrets, Betty vs everyone) is what makes this series a cozy favorite!
Disclosure: I received an ARC from Gemma Halliday Publishing. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.
The troop has long since forgone “Girly” Scout activities preferring now town politics, weeding out crime and hypocrisy, and honing spy-related skills. Betty is the most adept, and troublesome, proven by the most recent complaints about her drone invading neighbor’s privacy. So, addressing the proper and legal use of drones is on the agenda. Betty seems well past the fun and now is arming her drone, but an urgent call from Riley, ex-CIA handler and now PI, is a welcomed interruption. The news, though, is worrisome. Merry learns a former nemisis and member of Carlos the Armadillo’s defunct cartel in Columbia, Teo the Tapir, is actively seeking “Finn,” Merry’s former name, and by the time she gets home, it isn’t Teo she finds. Another of Armadillo’s cartel henchmen/women Henrietta the Hernia is dead in her garage. The past just can’t stay in the past!
Leslie Langtry’s Merry Wrath Mystery is always fun: quip-ish wit, quirky characters, bizarre predicaments, and Betty. This twenty-fourth book is just as fresh and entertaining with one terrorist dead and another looking to turn over a new leaf. This, of course, is very suspicious, scary even, but it does allow Merry to ponder her CIA past, but her “spydy” senses still tingle away when something isn’t right. The CIA is little help with victim details, and even though being a target is not an unfamiliar predicament for Merry, the who, what, and why are elusive questions to answer…until the surprise ending!
Langtry’s writing style is very engaging with its loving relationships and solid friendships, but humorous with its quirky family dynamics, snarky retorts, hamsters, and Betty. Yes, some elements need a suspension of disbelief with a “not a CIA assassin” assassin as a role model, Betty as a Homeland Security risk, a taxidermist in-law’s animosity, an eleven-year-old dynamo mayor, and more, but for me, those elements are some of the best parts. I always wonder “What will Betty do next?” every time a new book comes out. There’s always a nod to contemporary issues like insights into social media and politics thru the eyes of twelve-year-olds. The incongruities (good vs bad, facts vs secrets, Betty vs everyone) is what makes this series a cozy favorite!
Disclosure: I received an ARC from Gemma Halliday Publishing. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.
October 18, 2022
Life is never smooth sailing for Merry. Is Teo the Tapir friend or foe? Can she continue to keep a big secret from her husband, Rex? Plus how does she tell Rex he is wrong about a certain misconception he has about her. As always, Merry finds herself in a lot of tricky situations complete with drama and laughs.
October 17, 2022
I received a copy from the publisher.
In the latest adventure, another of Merry's CIA day enemies shows up in town. Teo the Tapir claims he's changed and he wants to retire. Between Teo, a dead body that may have been placed in her garage, a 5 year old love child with a liking for knives, cult issues and girl scout troop hijinks, it's just a typical week for Merry in Who's There, Iowa. Full of fun characters and a great mystery.
In the latest adventure, another of Merry's CIA day enemies shows up in town. Teo the Tapir claims he's changed and he wants to retire. Between Teo, a dead body that may have been placed in her garage, a 5 year old love child with a liking for knives, cult issues and girl scout troop hijinks, it's just a typical week for Merry in Who's There, Iowa. Full of fun characters and a great mystery.
January 14, 2023
I still basically like these, but they are...not improving. These are like parodies of the earlier books, back when Merry seemed competent and the girl scout troop was not just... ridiculous.
October 11, 2022
There is so much fun in this book in the Merry Wrath mystery series! It always makes my day when I can be entertained by a new book from Ms. Langtry. Memories are Murder will keep you laughing as characters from Merry's CIA past appear in town, bodies pile up, things explode and the girl scouts want to help. Can Merry stay one step ahead of the murderer? I am always amazed by how Ms. Langtry manages to arranges a perfectly logic solution to all the mayhem.
October 1, 2022
Just like all other books in the Merry Wrath series, loved it! I have been known, while reading them, to laugh, giggle, and say, what the … no, really?!? … and similar expressions! Ms. Langtry has a wonderful imagination, is very witty and clever, and has an extreme talent in creating the most interesting, memorable and outrageous characters. Each book is unique in it's special way and this is one of the best so far with a big focus on the people in her previous spy career, one of which turns up in Who's There looking for her! A would-be future friend or foe? Merry has no idea but is determined to figure it out. Oh, and of course there is a dead body...an explosion...and, well, as always her troop of very clever girl scouts in the mix.
October 7, 2022
One word….. AWESOME
“Friends” from Merry’s past show up and not all of them are alive. A lot of laughs, twists and turns for Merry & her friends from beginning to end. Another well written fantastic story in this series.
“Friends” from Merry’s past show up and not all of them are alive. A lot of laughs, twists and turns for Merry & her friends from beginning to end. Another well written fantastic story in this series.
September 19, 2022
I think I could be BFFs with Leslie Langtry! She has the most bizarre sense of humor! You never know what is going to happen next in her books. It’s amazing how she makes murder and espionage so funny. With an Agatha Christie style, she can turn a murder investigation on its head. This book has so many storylines and they all blend beautifully. Her descriptions of the characters make you feel like you know them. If you like quirky mysteries that never end the way you think they will, then you may want to read this series. Start with the first book. There’s a lot of backstory that helps you to get to know Merry and her hometown!
October 17, 2022
Another incredible adventure in the Merry Wrath series that was so much fun to read, you can't put it down once you start! We are treated to a murder, enemies from the past, drug problems, feuding teenagers, her girl scout troupe who are into so many things that Merry has to always stay on top of them. Now it's drones! They want to know how to arm them! Can she keep them in check when Ava is the mayor and approves whatever they want? Add to all those crazy things, Merry's sisters-in law are pregnant by their crazy Chechen husbands who only want to be Merry's protectors as long as they can stop fighting each other. And what about Hilly, the CIA over the top agent who Merry has to watch since her Scout troupe are enamored of her. When two old nasty people she worked with when she was undercover come to Who's There, Iowa and one of them ends up dead in her garage, she has a lot to deal with. With so many threads and so much laugh out loud humor while Merry and her retired CIA handler, Riley try to figure out who killed Henrietta and left her in Merry's garage and is her other old enemy, Teo out to get her? And who and what does Grigori have to do with the drug trade in the small town? There were times I had to go back and read something again because I laughed so hard, I lost my place! This is a killer series that keeps you engaged turning pages without a stop. If you like functionally dysfunctional characters with murders and mystery, this book and series is for you! I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
September 6, 2022
When Teo the Tapir and Henrietta the Hernia both turn up in Who's There on the same day, Riley and Merry think that's probably not a coincidence. And when Henrietta the Hernia is discovered dead in the Ferguson garage, Merry's convinced she's next on Teo's list. You know, it's not the first time killers from her past have showed up in town, but Merry has never had one looking for friendship before. And Teo claims that's why he's decided to settle down in Who's There, Iowa. Merry can't believe it until a murder or 5 or 6 get cleared up. And the deeper she digs, the stranger things seem.
Once again readers are treated to Merry's convoluted past life in the CIA, details of undercover missions, her husband's odd family, the Cult of NicoDerm, Kevin Dooly, and of course her girl scout troop. So many chuckles and full out laughs as the odd-balls keep coming. Truly a book that makes you forget your troubles and get happy. So much is packed into the pages! This series gets better and better. I loved it!
Once again readers are treated to Merry's convoluted past life in the CIA, details of undercover missions, her husband's odd family, the Cult of NicoDerm, Kevin Dooly, and of course her girl scout troop. So many chuckles and full out laughs as the odd-balls keep coming. Truly a book that makes you forget your troubles and get happy. So much is packed into the pages! This series gets better and better. I loved it!
October 19, 2022
Another fun, witty mystery is the series! This time it’s Carlos the Armadillo and Teo the Tapir who have found their way to Who’s There, Iowa. A mutual colleague is found dead in Merry’s garage. Although Merry and Teo are on good terms, she still wonders if he could be the killer and trying to frame her. Meanwhile, Merry is teaching the troop how to properly use drones and the girls take it upon themselves to make a pink embellished drone. There’s also the matter of Kevin leaving merry to take care of his 51 hamsters, the twins are making Merry crazy to keep their secret and a bit of sexism in the Cult of NicoDerm. So, things are just about normal in Who’s There!
October 20, 2022
Merry investigates when she's not supposed to (like most times) when a body is found in her garage. An acquaintance turns up in town looking for Merry, a meeting that was bizarre but funny. This story had a lot of funny moments, actually. There were secrets, ridiculous names, hamsters, the girls, cult drama, bounty hunter antics - so many things happening, but was still easy to keep track.
Betty is still (and will forever be) my favourite. She is awesome, but also kind of scary. Hilly is a close second. They're both intriguing but also exasperating.
This was another fun addition to the series!
Betty is still (and will forever be) my favourite. She is awesome, but also kind of scary. Hilly is a close second. They're both intriguing but also exasperating.
This was another fun addition to the series!
August 31, 2023
Merry Wraith has awesome memories
Merry and her cast of characters are so much fun. They are so fun. No one is normal. Merry has a heart of gold and surrounds herself with a lot of people who are incredibly different. These stories are best read in order to understand the storyline. They are funny and always entertaining. I look forward to the next episode and they always have fun twists.
Merry and her cast of characters are so much fun. They are so fun. No one is normal. Merry has a heart of gold and surrounds herself with a lot of people who are incredibly different. These stories are best read in order to understand the storyline. They are funny and always entertaining. I look forward to the next episode and they always have fun twists.
October 28, 2022
This is one crazy, twisted story!!! How does a woman go from being a spy to being a Girl Scout leader? Of course those girls are next generation kick butt spies. She surrounds herself with even weirder friends, if that’s possible. The basic murder storyline is very interesting the rest is just icing on the cake!!
December 29, 2024
The part where Kevin’s standing in the doorway holding a twinkie in one hand and the glass door to the vending machine in the other, and says “machine’s broken again”…. I laughed and laughed and laughed until tears were running down my face. How does Langtry keep coming up with these characters and dialogue???
November 30, 2022
can a Colombian drug runner live in the same town with Merry?
There are more than one way to catch a bomber and murderer. But does Merry have the help needed to get the job done. The answers to the above question and more are answered in this story.
There are more than one way to catch a bomber and murderer. But does Merry have the help needed to get the job done. The answers to the above question and more are answered in this story.
August 28, 2023
Love Merry Wrath series!
I do love it when her stories add her girl scouts, although this particular book didn't have too much of a story line for them. Nor did it have Rex involved very much. Still I love her stories.
I do love it when her stories add her girl scouts, although this particular book didn't have too much of a story line for them. Nor did it have Rex involved very much. Still I love her stories.
October 18, 2022
Fantastic, spectacular, these words come close to describing how wonderfully exciting this book is. Merry Wrath should be voted "character of the year". Excellent book start to finish.
October 21, 2022
Who did it in Who's There
Loved it! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a complicated plot, too many suspects, and lots of laughs.
Loved it! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a complicated plot, too many suspects, and lots of laughs.
October 21, 2022
Another great book
I love this series! All the characters are great and love that she adds new ones.Betty is one of the best characters.!!
I love this series! All the characters are great and love that she adds new ones.Betty is one of the best characters.!!
October 22, 2022
Laugh out loud
Despite the fact that this book is a murder mystery, the circumstances in which Merry functions is hysterical. I often laugh out loud reading this series.
Despite the fact that this book is a murder mystery, the circumstances in which Merry functions is hysterical. I often laugh out loud reading this series.
October 25, 2022
Best one yet!!!
I absolutely love this series!!! If you haven’t read these books you are missing out!! I can’t wait to find out what Betty and the group are up to next
I absolutely love this series!!! If you haven’t read these books you are missing out!! I can’t wait to find out what Betty and the group are up to next
October 26, 2022
This was so good. It was so fun seeing how everything played out.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
November 9, 2022
Great book
As always the girls and Merry keep you on your toes. It's fun and you can't put it down. Keep up the good work looking forward to the next book.
As always the girls and Merry keep you on your toes. It's fun and you can't put it down. Keep up the good work looking forward to the next book.
January 22, 2023
Another good one in this series. Lots of action. All the girl scouts in action!
June 20, 2023
Entertaining as always!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews