Audiobook Review: The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews

The Penguin Who Knew Too Much
Author: Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series: Meg Langslow Mysteries (Book 8)
Publication: Dreamscape Media (February 22, 2017)
Length: 7 hours and 15 minutes

Description: Hold on to your hats, everybody! Donna Andrews is taking us on another ride into the wonderful world of Meg Langslow, a world filled with laughter as well as the knotty problems Meg always seems to encounter and---somehow---solve.

Okay, maybe there are people in Antarctica with penguins in their basements, but in Virginia? Only Meg's dad could manage that one. A body down there---well, that's somewhat more likely.

It turns out that explaining the penguins' presence is easy---Meg's dad volunteered to take care of the birds until the future of the bankrupt local zoo could be determined. But identifying the body in the basement proves a harder task---could it be, as Meg fears, that of the vanished zoo owner?

In the small southern town of Caerphilly, rumors fly quickly, and all the other well-meaning citizens who have agreed to take in zoo animals are now worried that they might be stuck with their guests indefinitely. So when Meg's dad generously offers to help out anyone who can no longer care for their four-legged charges, a parade of wild creatures begins to make Meg and Michael's newly renovated house look more like Noah's ark.

Meg and Michael have been planning to elope in order to avoid the elaborate wedding their mothers have begun to organize---a plan that's threatened by both the murder investigation and the carnival of animals. The only way to set things right, Meg decides, is to identify both their uninvited visitor and the killer who put him in their basement.

The award-winning Donna Andrews has demonstrated her immense talent by creating and nurturing a series that continues to delight and surprise with each new book.

My Thoughts: The eighth book in the Meg Langslow mystery series was a fun romp. Meg and Michael are getting ready to move into their newly renovated home and hold a housewarming party (from which they intend to elope). However, when the local zoo has some problems and Meg's Dad agrees to take in some penguins (and tells other volunteers that he'll take in any animals that prove too difficult), Meg finds herself living in a modern version of Noah's Ark. 

First there are penguins, then llamas, hyenas, and countless other species show up. Knowing her father, this isn't too unexpected. But when the body of the zookeeper is found in a half-dug trench in her cellar, Meg has a mystery to solve and little time to solve it if they want to get to their honeymoon on time. 

Adding to the confusion are the Shifley's who begin digging up Meg's yard looking for their long-lost great-uncle when they realize the body isn't him and a visiting world-famous zoologist whose reason for being in Caerphilly seems really suspicious to Meg makes Meg's investigation even more complicated. 

This was a fun story with lots of humorous moments and some dangerous ones too. I'll admit that the villain seemed particularly inept but dangerous none the less. 

Bernadette Dunne made all the various characters come to life with her narration.

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