Cockatiels at Seven (Meg Langslow Series #9) » (Reprint)

Donna Andrews’s first mystery, Murder with Peacocks, won the Agatha, Anthony, and Barry Awards, a Romantic Times award for best first novel, and a Lefty for funniest mystery. She spends her free time gardening at her home in Reston, Virginia. Visit her Web site at www.donnaandrews.com.

BABYSITTING IS FOR THE BIRDS

When her old friend Karen drops by with her two-year-old son, Meg Langslow reluctantly agrees to mind him for a few hours. The next morning, when Karen is still MIA, Meg retraces her friend’s footsteps and starts to suspect that her disappearance is linked to at least one serious crime. Has Karen been killed or kidnapped? Is she on the run? What’s the story with her ex-husband Jasper? The police don’t seem to care…So now it’s up to Meg to crack the case—no small task when you consider she’s also dealing with a house full of reptilian guests courtesy of Dad and Grandpa, thinking about starting a family of her own with new husband Michael, and chasing after a two-year-old who doesn’t understand that the bad guys might be after him next.

“If you long for more ‘fun’ mysteries, à la Janet Evanovich, you’ll love Donna Andrews’s Meg Langslow series.”—The Charlotte Observer

Publishers Weekly

Snakes alive! Newlywed amateur sleuth Meg Langslow finds a creepy crawler at every turn in Andrews's charming ninth mystery (after 2007's The Penguin Who Knew Too Much) as Dad and Grandpa stock her Caerphilly, Va., farm with what they promise to be temporary reptilian guests. These, however, become a minor distraction after long-lost friend Karen drops off her lively toddler, Timmy, for Meg to babysit. When the mom fails to return for Timmy, Meg investigates. Is Karen in hiding or in danger or both? Meg learns that Jasper, Karen's sleazy ex, had been a computer programmer for the same college where Karen works and Meg's new hubby, Michael, teaches. Armed with this info, Meg starts digging and uncovers far more than she bargained for, including Jasper's corpse. Suspense, laughter and a whole passel of good clean fun make this another strong installment in this popular cozy series. 6-city author tour. (July)

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