Owls Well That Ends Well

Meg and her boyfriend Michael have purchased a huge old mansion and are preparing to host a huge yard sale and remodel. Meg has been immersed in organizing all of the items left in the house by the eccentric former owner, Edwina Sprocket. She is determined to get rid of all the junk and clutter. But the Sprockets made a deal to get 10 percent of the proceeds of the sale and have sent Barrymore Sprocket to supervise. And, naturally, Meg's family has gotten involved bringing its own sort of chaos to the proceedings.

When shady antiques and rare books dealer Gordon McCoy - referred to most often as Gordon You Thief - is found in an antique trunk after being bashed on the head with an owl bookend, Meg needs to solve the murder so that the show more sale can go on. Unfortunately, Giles, one of Michael's only friends on his tenure committee, is the prime suspect.

There are many other suspects from the "Hummel Lady" to McCoy's ex-partner and his estranged wife. Then there is the professor who has been trying to bargain with him for some papers belonging to the semi-famous poet who has been the professor's focus for his career. Gordon was not a beloved figure in the town.

As Meg investigates and really tries to keep the police in the loop, she discovers many interesting things. But the murder can't be her whole focus. She is also dealing with her mother who is determined to help Meg and Michael decorate their new home and whose taste is diametrically different than Meg's taste. Think chintz and Louis XIV versus Meg's longing for the simplicity of a Japanese home or a Shaker home.

This was another great episode in the long-running humorous cozy mystery series. I really like Bernadette Dunne's narration. show less

This book, (which is not the first in its series), was my first introductions to Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow series, which I absolutely adore. Meg, a skilled blacksmith, comes from a well-meaning, educated and somewhat dysfunctional family where all members meddle in Meg's affairs. She has fallen for a local college professor. They just purchased an aged and dilapidated farmhouse from an old woman's estate which is still filled with the prior owner's belongings. They embark on holding a yard sale to move out some of the clutter but not without the estate's beneficiaries looking for their cut of the action. The organized chaos ensues and then an antique dealer (looking for bargains) winds up dead.
This was such a humorous book that I show more had to read it aloud to our Thursday night knitting circle. It also prompted me to read all the books in the series (but in chronological order). I devour each new addition to the series as it's made available. If you're looking for a book which is humorous and yet suspenseful, this series could be for you. show less

I really like that in this one, Meg is shown facets of her personality that she doesn't necessarily like - so she has a chance to grow in future books. Meanwhile, Michael is still dreamy, yet still doesn't have enough personality for me. Yes, this is the sixth in the series, and this is their first "fight" - how long have they been living together, and in that tiny little "cave" as they called it? I feel like I know more about Meg's Mom and Dad- their personalities and quirks than Meg's mate- and he's around her alot.

Before Meg and Michael can move their belongings into the mansion they just bought, they have to clear out decades of acquired stuff the previous owner had. The heirs had no interest in cleaning out the house, but agreed to let the new owners take care of it, if the heirs were given a percentage of the profits that the ever-growing yard sale generated. Well, the yard sale also generated a dead body, found stuffed in a trunk. Meg wants to get this investigation over and done with, so the sale can go on, but when a colleague of Michael’s is the prime suspect, she wants to clear him. Meg’s sleuthing abilities are sorely tested in this mystery romp, and I doubt she will ever want to hold another yard sale! It’s a fun tale, but like show more the title says, Owls Well etc. Well written and filled with somewhat quirky characters, it’s quite entertaining. Better than a yard sale, for sure! show less

Donna Andrews' Owls Well That Ends Well is a pratfall of a novel. That's not to say that it isn't entertaining - on the contrary, it's very amusing - but the antics of Meg Langslow's suspect pool reached new heights. As part of the buyer's agreement for their new house, Michael and Meg organize a large yard sale to unburden themselves of the previous owner's goods, while generating a small profit for the deceased's family. On the day the 30-family yard sale opens up a local scalawag/antiques dealer is murdered in Meg's barn, and everything goes downhill from there. As a police investigation goes underway on one side, a carnival springs up on Meg and Michael's front lawn, with suspects darting to and fro. In the end it all adds to the show more charm and chuckles, and the Meg Langslow books continue to be an endearing series. show less

Meg Langslow and boyfriend Michael are preparing to move into the huge old house they’ve bought that is badly in need of remodeling. But first they need to sell the wall-to-wall junk that the former owner collected over a lifetime. A crazy yard sale with all the batty yard sale locals is just the ticket! When someone is murdered, Meg has to figure out who the actual killer is, or else Michael’s chances of tenure may in jeopardy. And of course, there are owls. As always, the characterizations and quirky humor steal the show in this fun addition to the series.

Each book seems connected to something in my life. This one was about a yard sale. In Canada we call it a garage sale and every weekend in the summer we used to go garage sailing. Also, Meg and her 'notebook-that-tells-me-when-to-breathe'. The paragraph that seemed to speak to my life was this one: "Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I take out the notebook and make sure I've written down everything I have to do or remember. No matter how dauntingly long the list is, I know I'll feel better once I have each task pinned down in ink and captured between the notebook's covers." That is my life and there is such satisfaction each time I place a check mark and date beside something on that To do List to mark it finished. It doesn't matter that at show more the same time I add five more new items. It reduces life's anxiety substantially and she expressed that feeling so well in one paragraph...I copied it to the front of my own personal Notebook That Tells Me When To Breathe. On to the next.
Read again in 2020..right at the time I had to euthanize Ashley (April 30) and it worked to keep my mind settled.
Each book seems connected to something in my life. This one was about a yard sale. In Canada we call it a garage sale and every weekend in the summer we used to go garage sailing. Also, Meg and her 'notebook-that-tells-me-when-to-breathe'. The paragraph that seemed to speak to my life was this one: "Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I take out the notebook and make sure I've written down everything I have to do or remember. No matter how dauntingly long the list is, I know I'll feel better once I have each task pinned down in ink and captured between the notebook's covers."

That is my life and there is such satisfaction each time I place a check mark and date beside something on that To do List to mark it finished. It doesn't matter that at the same time I add five more new items. It reduces life's anxiety substantially and she expressed that feeling so well in one paragraph...I copied it to the front of my own personal Notebook That Tells Me When To Breathe.

On to the next.

RIP Charades Ashanti - Ashley born May 1, 2004 euthanized April 30, 2020. This series of books is a godsend to someone dealing with grief. Takes you away from the pain and relaxes and makes you smile.

Meg Langslow was actually looking forward to renovating the old Victorian mansion she and her boyfriend Michael bought. But she wasn't thrilled by the lifetime of junk accumulated by the house's eccentric previous owner, Edwina Sprocket. The easiest solution: hold the end-all and be-all of gigantic yard sales. But when the event attracts the late Miss Sprocket's money-hungry heirs, the over-enthusiastic supporters of some endangered barn owls, and customers willing to go to any lengths to uncover a hidden treasure, Meg suspects things have gotten a little out of hand…
Then an antiques dealer is found stuffed in a trunk with his head bashed in--and the yard sale turns into a day's-long media circus. Even worse, the suspect arrested for the crime is the person Michael needs to secure academic tenure. Now, Meg is juggling an ever-growing list of suspects. And she's going to have to outthink and outwit one clever murderer who lives by "everything must go…"

Reread October 2023-and again it is funny, comforting and enjoyable read. show less