Swan for the Money

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I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10117535 ( )

I loved the first few books in this series and was disappointed in this one. Perhaps my expectations were too high. It lacked the laugh out loud wit of the earlier entries, so was merely light and fluffy without the kick. ( )

Funny as always. Meg is in charge of the local rose show when someone is murdered. Hijinks ensue. ( )

Meg Langslow’s parents have a new retirement hobby: raising and showing roses. They rope Meg into chairing the Caerphilly Garden Club’s Rose Show, which is to be held on the grounds of Philomena Winkleson’s farm. She is a horrible woman, nasty to her family, her employees and even her animals. Her life and everything around her has a black and white theme – she gets rid of anything that would add color to her world. It’s no surprise that she is trying to breed a black rose so she can win the prize she herself is offering at the show. She’s in competition with Meg’s father, who has created a new variety of his own.

Meg’s nonagenarian grandfather, Dr. Montgomery Blake, and his lady friend Caroline Willner, who is in her 80s, suspect Ms. Winkleson of animal abuse and are happy to have the opportunity to inspect the grounds. Animals are abundant, and include horses, fainting goats and aggressive black swans. Then a body of a rose grower is found among the fainting goats. What else could happen to further complicate things for Meg? As usual, Donna Andrews has a few more things up her sleeve!

I’ve read several of Donna Andrews’s bird-themed mysteries -- some were over-the-top silly and, occasionally, hard for me to get into. (The author cannot be faulted, however, for her use of the English language and her plots – as farfetched as they sometimes can be.) Swan for the Money seemed tamer, cozier, less manic – and much more fun for me to read. Swan for the Money was also a bit more believable then its predecessors. The plot moved along nicely and the book had a tidy, manageable cast of characters. One particular development in Meg’s personal life, should make some interesting reading over the next few books.

By Diana. First published in Mystery News, August-September 2009 issue. ( )