- Author : Donna Andrews
- Binding : Mass Market Paperback
- Dewey Decimal Number : 813
- EAN : 9780312939571
- ISBN : 0312939574
- Label : St. Martin's Paperbacks
- List Price : $3.99 (USD)
- Manufacturer : St. Martin's Paperbacks
- Number Of Items : 1
- Number Of Pages : 320
- Package Dimensions : 1.02 inches (Height) x 6.69 inches (Length) x 0.35 pounds (Weight) x 3.94 inches (Width)
- Publication Date : 2006-02-07
- Publisher : St. Martin's Paperbacks
- Release Date : 2006-02-07
- Studio : St. Martin's Paperbacks
Meg Langslow and her boyfriend Michael want to be alone, but fate's conspired to make it all but impossible. Meg takes her aunt Phoebe up on an invitation to spend an Indian summer weekend at Phoebe's supposedly empty cottage on the coast of Maine. Braving a hurricane and a horde of determined birdwatchers, they make the last ferry to Monhegan Island, only to find their plans to be alone dashed by the unexpected appearance of Meg's entire family, including Aunt Phoebe. To make matters worse, a famous and slightly megalomaniacal sculptor, who may have been Meg's mother's lover years ago, has taken up residence on the island. When he's killed in an accident that turns out to be murder, Meg's sweet, slightly dotty father is fingered as the suspect. The elusive puffin, revered by bird lovers and captured in kitsch by an island artist named Rhapsody, is the leitmotif in this charming cozy, the second outing in author Donna Andrews's series. The first book, Murder with Peacocks, won the Agatha Award for the best first traditional mystery. Murder with Puffins is a bit short on drama and suspense, though long on charm. Meg and Michael are appealing, but the minor characters, especially Meg's parents and the colorful island locals, are infinitely more interesting. --Jane Adams
- Amazon.com Review
Winner of the St. Martin's Malice Domestic Award in 1997 for her first work Murder With Peacocks, Donna Andrews brings back her zany characters and disastrous events.In an attempt to get away from her family, Meg and her boyfriend go to a tiny island off the coast of Maine. What could have been a romantic getaway slowly turns into disaster. Once there, they are marooned by a hurricane and that is only the beginning of their problems. Meg and her boyfriend arrive at the house only to discover that Meg's parents and siblings, along with their spouses are all there. When a murder takes place, Meg realizes that she and her boyfriend can no longer sit by a cozy fireplace, but must instead tramp around the muddy island to keep try and clear her father who is the chief suspect.
- Product Description
Customer Reviews:
Customers rated Murder With Puffins (A Meg Langslow Mystery) 4.0 stars out of 5.0 based on 30 reviews:Murder with Puffins
by Luxx Mishley - 2010-01-10
Another charming Meg Langslow mystery. In Murder with Puffins Meg and Michael find their romantic diversion interrupted by a hurricane, the unexpected company of family, an island full of enthusiastic bird watchers, and an inconvenient murder. I really enjoyed Andrew's book for her protagonist - I like Meg for her flaws and realism, and can really relate to the role she plays in terms of family dynamics. My one quibble is that the book is a bit dated; the amazement inspired by and attention focused on digital cameras is a bit much. However, it is ultimately a very small detail, and the book as a whole is very enjoyable.Disappointing!
by Series Reader (Ohio United States) - 2009-08-07
I just got done reading this book. What a disappointment! I had high hopes for this series. The first Meg Langslow book was outstanding & I could not wait to read book 2. This book was way too long & drawn out. Meg came across as a little pushy know it all that dragged poor Michael around by the nose hairs. I will read book 3 just because I already have it. Hopefully that one will be better if not I am done with this series. Don't waste your time reading this one!A Romantic Getaway Goes Awry
by Graceann Macleod (London, UK) - 2009-07-20
All Meg wants is some quiet time with her boyfriend, Michael. Is that so unreasonable a request? It would appear that if you are Meg Langslow, the answer to that is "yes." While not as funny as the first book in the series, Murder with Peacocks, this title has some particularly fun moments. I especially enjoyed the chapter headings which incorporated puffins into classic titles from literature. I didn't guess the ending 100 pages ahead of time, which is always a plus, and Meg's family is continuously strange and enjoyable. Michael is not as strongly or wittily written as he was in Peacocks, but I'm hoping for a return to form in Book No. 3.Meg and Michael slip away for a quiet romantic weekend
by Jeanne Tassotto (Trapped in the Midwest) - 2009-02-21
After the hectic summer of weddings and murder (MURDER WITH PEACOCKS) that drew Meg Langslow and Michael together the two have become quite an item, spending as much time together as they possibly can. Unfortunately their time together seems to be also spent in the company of others, many others, mostly Meg's large and eccentric family. When considering their options for finding some alone time it occurred to Meg that if Aunt Phoebe was in residence and underfoot in the family's Virginia home then her summer cottage on an island off the coast of Maine would be vacant, the one that Aunt Phoebe had often offered to Meg to use at anytime. Meg decided that the upcoming long weekend in September would be a perfect time to take her aunt's invitation. To make certain that none of the family decided to tag along Meg and Michael decided to keep their plans a secret. Their first surprise once they arrived in Maine, rather behind schedule due to some car problems on the way, was that Hurricane Gladys had also picked that weekend to drop in, stranding them on the island until the ferry could resume service. Their second surprise came when they discovered that a large portion of Meg's family had also decided to visit the cottage for one last time until next year, giving the couple even less privacy than they had back home. In true Langslow fashion a mere hurricane wasn't enough excitement, a dead body had to be discovered on the beach, the body of an artist who was thoroughly detested by the locals, and who also just happened to have had a fling with Meg's mother about forty years earlier. Instead of their romantic tryst Meg and Michael find themselves searching for missing relatives and solving crimes in this hilarious sequel to MURDER WITH PEACOCKS. This is the second in the Meg Langslow series of cozy mysteries that center around Meg, her eccentric family and her romance with Michael. As is often the case with cozy mysteries the true attraction here are the backstories and funny scenes rather than the mystery itself. It is pretty much a foregone conclusion that the culprit will not be anyone too close to Meg, nor will any of her family and friends suffer serious harm. The overall story arc of this series is rather pronounced and so for maximum enjoyment it would be best to read these books in order as much as possible.Fast Paced Bird Mystery
by drsra (LA, USA) - 2009-01-10
Book 2 in Donna Andrews Bird Mystery books. Donna Andrews has written a fantastic, fast paced series of mystery books set in West Virginia and all featuring birds of some variety. This is the 2nd book which features Puffins, Seagulls, Terns and yet more Puffins. Meg Landslow is desperate to find some time away from her huge family and spend some quality time with her boyfirend Michael. The perfect getaway? An island off the Maine coast that is only popular in the summer months due to it's harsh weather conditions in the Autumn. On arriving on the last ferry before the hurricane, Meg and Michael feel ill from the harsh weather but are looking forward to curling up in the cottage before a roaring fire when the only sound is the wind howling outside. The fire is roaring, the wind is howling, and Meg's family arived a day earlier. So Meg, Michael, her Mother, Dad, brother Rob, Auntie Phoebe and Mrs Fenniman all squeeze into the cottage to stick out the storm. The rest of the island is filled with birders - here to see Puffins at one of the only points in the entire US which hosts them. The situation looks grim - and then the island's ecentric artist is found dead. Meg and Michael try to enjoy their break whilst putting up with being called "city folk" and investigating the murder. Ms Andrews points the finger at almost every member of Meg's family and she is forced to delve into all aspects of her family's history. A great sequel to Murder with Peacocks which keeps the reader guessing. Fantastic descriptions of the scenery, the birds and the lifestyle of a small island community.
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