We'll Always Have Parrots

Meg and Michael are weekending at a convention for the cult TV show in which Michael plays the part of a wizard. Besides dealing with the death of the owner/star/executive producer of the program they have to deal with an influx of parrots and monkeys and one tiger.

No one liked Miss Wyncliffe-Jones who played the lead in the program and the convention is rife with suspects from fellow cast members to other attendees to the cheated author of the comic books the series was based on.

Even though Meg doesn't set out to investigate the crime, she does find herself hearing things that she feels she needs to bring to the attention of the police. And, having been the one to find the body including the scrap of paper clutched in the victim's show more hand, Meg has a head start on the police. She has even more of a head start because she's familiar with the culture of fan conventions.

Having attended a convention or two in my life, I appreciated the picture Andrews paints of what life is like at a con. I liked the way Meg is a little corner of sanity in a crazy situation. This was a fun episode in the series. show less

How many books have you ever read where every single page held something interesting or funny; some piece of language or description, some great line of dialogue? These books do just that. Every single page has one or more gems. Hard to put down and no skimming or skipping right to the end. I love these characters. This book was of particular interest to me because I have attended fan conventions and everything about them was so familiar and brought back many memories.
Reread May 2020..as good as ever.

Meg Langslow knew the fan convention for her actor-boyfriend's hit television series was going to be the ultimate in weird. But she came along because she figured Michael could use an occasional dose of sanity-and because it was an inspired show more place to sell her hand-crafted weapons. And so far, she was dealing pretty well with the costumed fans camped outside, the batch of escaped parrots and monkeys frolicking throughout the hotel...and the minefield of egos lurking behind the show's success.

But soon after Meg goes head-to-head with egomaniacal series star Tamerlaine Wynncliffe-Jones, the "Queen B" turns up brutally murdered. Now, with Michael in the running as prime suspect, Meg will go up against an all-star cast of not-even-innocent parties, hidden identities, and buried motives. And she'll cross swords with a deviously obsessed murderer determined to write her out of this picture for good.

Reread October 2023...as good as ever show less

We’ll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews is a 2006 St. Martin’s Press publication.

This series is so much fun!

Michael has a hit television show- one so popular it has its own fan convention.

Naturally, Meg and Michael must attend and participate in various panels. Meg has taken this opportunity to set up a shop, selling her custom, hand crafted weapons, patterned after the ones featured in the show. However, things get off to a strange start when their hotel is suddenly plagued by parrots and monkeys, while rabid fans gather at the doors.

But it’s the show’s diva star that is causing the biggest stir. Even Meg has a run it with the ‘Queen B’. But, when the star is found murdered, the number of suspects, all with viable show more motives, is overwhelming.

With the best of intentions, Meg decides to do a little amateur sleuthing on her own.

I’ve never attended a science fiction/fantasy convention, but it sounds like fun. I was able to live vicariously though, as this story captures the atmosphere of the event and the fan loyalty. However, I showed up to solve a murder and this one was a bit thorny.

Although Meg is a riot, as usual, this is a complex mystery, full of hidden resentments, and secret identities. The motive could involve parties who knew the victim for thirty years or so, which means Meg must do a little digging into the past. I got completely caught up in the all the drama and never guessed who the culprit was.

This series is light, and easy to read, but the story never lacks depth. The characters are quirky and fun and have begun to feel like old friends.

Overall, this is another outstanding installment in this delightful cozy mystery series! show less

Meg Langslow is back in another crazy installment of one of my favorite cozy mystery series. In this book, she and boyfriend Michael are attending a con where he has a minor role in a TV show, and lots of fans. Unfortunately, the animals the show got for the con have escaped and taken over the hotel, including lots of parrots and even a tiger! Some interesting behind the scenes stuff about writing on a TV show, cons, and of course the usual mayhem that follows Meg.

When Michael is required to attend a convention for his cult-classic television show Meg tags along to offer support and peddle a few swords. But much to everyone's (not-quite) dismay, the "star" of the show ends up dead in her hotel room with an army of suspects running around.

One of the things I like most about Andrews is her ability to balance character development with plot. She introduces fairly well-rounded characters in each book, but doesn't lose herself in fleshing them out more than necessary. Readers are given just what they need to follow a sometimes-complicated network of interactions, and Andrews has a large pool from which to pick her murderers.

This was another great book by Donna Andrews, though perhaps not quite my favorite in the series.

Meg attends a fan convention "con" with her boyfriend Michael, part time actor and college Drama professor, for the cult TV show he's on. While at the hotel, someone kills Tamalaine Wynncliffe-Jones, the show's leading lady and executive producer, or the QB as the rest of the cast likes to call her (short for Queen Bi7c4, or as she likes to think Queen Bee). Of course, everyone is a suspect, and since Meg was the one to find the body, she uses her amateur sleuthing skills to dig up information and try to piece together the puzzle of who dunnit, since she feels the cops are continually looking in the wrong direction.

As usual, there's a show more chuckle per chapter at least as Andrews seamlessly blends humor in with her mysteries, and you're left guessing on the killer's identity right up until the end. Though each book in this series can stand alone, reading the previous books gives you greater insight into each character. Highly recommended! show less

Very funny. I guessed the murderer pretty early on, but the trip to get there was lots of fun. The reader was very good.