Audiobook Review: Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Murder with Peacocks
Author: Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series: Meg Langslow Mysteries (Book 1)
Publication: Minotaur Books; First edition (June 2, 2010); Dreamscape Media (December 26, 2010)
Length: 321 p.; 11 hours and 48 minutes

Description: Meg Langslow's summer is not going swimmingly. In her small Virginia hometown, she's the maid of honor at the nuptials of three loved ones - each of whom has dumped the planning in her hands. One bride is set on including a Native American herbal purification ceremony while another wants live peacocks on the lawn. Only help from the town's drop-dead gorgeous hunk keeps Meg afloat in a sea of relatives and outrageous neighbors.

But when an offensive newcomer, who hints at skeletons in the guests' closets, is found dead under suspicious circumstances, level-headed Meg's to-do list extends from flower arrangements and bridal registries to catching a killer - before the next event is her own funeral.

My Thoughts: The first book in the Meg Langslow series introduces her, her quirky relatives, and her future husband.

Meg is back home in Virginia where she is spending the summer getting ready to be a bridesmaid in three separate weddings. First is the wedding of her best friend who is a flake who can't decide between including Native American rituals despite not being Native American or going with a costume epic with a Renaissance theme. Oh, and with the wedding just weeks away, she has yet to pick out her own wedding gown or her bridesmaid's gowns.

The second wedding is her younger brother Rob's to a woman no one in Meg's family likes and who just might be a murderer. The third wedding is her mother's. She's recently divorced Meg's father and taken up with a man named Jake who is a widower. 

All three brides-to-be have dumped all the wedding planning on Meg's shoulders. Between finding peacocks to add ambience and convincing various brides that their ideas are impossible, Meg is also trying to solve a murder. Jake's former sister-in-law is found murdered at the bottom of a cliff. There are numerous suspects since she managed to offend just about everyone in her brief few days in town. 

Meg is assisted in her investigation by her father, a retired doctor whose passion is mysteries, and the new man in town, Michael, who is running his mother's bridal shop for the summer. Despite the rumor that Michael is Gay, he keeps turning up in Meg's orbit which is disturbing to her because she finds him very attractive. 

The story is filled with over-the-top characters not limited to a small dog that hates everyone and assorted peacocks. Meg is the voice of sanity and reason amid the chaos with Michael as her able assistant. 

This was a great beginning to a long-running series which can be read in any order with enjoyment. I know; I've read numbers 7, 29, and 31 and have 32 on my Review stack. Bernadette Dunne did a great job with all the voices and with the humor. Meg's acceptance and love for all the quirky characters showed in Dunne's narration.

I bought this one at Chirp. You can buy your copy here.