The Penguin Who Knew Too Much (Meg Langslow Mysteries) | 
 enlarge | Author: Donna Andrews
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy New: $3.45
You Save: $3.54 (51%)
New (24) Used (9) from $3.00
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 17888
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0312997922
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780312997922
ASIN: 0312997922
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New Book! Delivered direct from our US warehouse in 3-6 days (Expedited) or 10-14 days (Standard). Expedited shipping recommended for speedy delivery. Over 1 million satisfied customers.
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Meg Langslow never thought that moving into a new home with her fiancee would be easy. But a Virginia basement full of arctic penguins? And a dead body? That’s just bad manners…from Meg and Michael’s perspective, at least. As for Meg’s father, he took in the penguins as a favor to the bankrupt Caerphilly Zoo, where they’re set to return just as soon as the zoo’s fundraising efforts pay off. Problem is that the zoo-keeper himself has gone missing—and only the animals know the truth about his whereabouts. Now it’s up to Meg to find out more about her DOA houseguest…before the ice melts on this very cold case.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Back on track! August 17, 2008
After the disappointingly weak offering in "No Nest for the Wicket", Donna Andrews returns to form with "The Penguin Who Knew Too Much". In fact, this time around the penguins in the story actually have something to do with the mystery and don't feel at all like they were just thrown in to support the clever title.
In "The Penguin Who Knew Too Much", once again Meg Lanslow's family is gathering for a party, this time to celebrate Meg and fiance Michael's newly remodeled home. Meg's father, in typical fashion, volunteers to foster some homeless zoo penguins... at Meg and Michael's house. The combination of Lanslows and the ever-increasing number of zoo animals dumped at Meg and Michael's results in many laughs. Not so funny is the corpse found in the basement.
I enjoyed "The Penguin Who Knew Too Much", I wouldn't call it the author's best offering, but I liked it a lot more than "No Nest for The Wicket." The plot had some substance above just "chase from clue to clue under your nose" and Meg's character is back and dealing with her zany family and neighbors with humor and aplomb.
 Read the first 30 pages... June 7, 2008
0 out of 7 found this review helpful
Read the first 30 pages and tossed the book. I found the writing style annoying.
 Laughs and Murder April 8, 2008
By now, iron sculptor Meg Langslow should know that every time her family gathers together there will be chaos, ambulance visits, and probably a dead body or two. After surviving a civil war reenactment, an Extreme Wicket competition, and a family yard sale, Meg and her fiance, aspiring actor/professor Michael, are being given a welcoming move-in party by their family and friends. So when her forensically-obsessed physician father announces that he's discovered a body in their basement's penguin pool Meg's not certain which part of the statement disturbs her the most. It seems that the bank has foreclosed on the Caerphilly Zoo, and her father has volunteered to temporarily house the penguins; along with a few other orphaned animals. Although this explains the Noah's Ark atmosphere, it doesn't answer the question of what the body's doing buried in Meg's basement. While she's trying to farm out the animals and keep the anti-zoo protestors off her property, a world-famous zoologist drops by with his own hidden agenda. When suspicion falls on the young construction worker of the shifty Shiffley cousins, Meg decides to protect the one member of that family with potential to escape a life of crime.
As always, Andrews surrounds Meg with a gaggle of eccentrics who bring hilarity to murder. Even though there's definitely a lot going on, Andrews succeeds in tying everything together in the end.. Meg's superhumanly patient fiance Michael steadfastly remains a ballast of sanity in the midst of her family's bizzarro world. That Andrews maintains the reader's focus with her numerous characters and plotlines is a tribute to her talent and skill. This is a series that continues to entertain with its reliably comic and likeable characters.
Helplessly fu;nny November 12, 2007
All of Ms. Andrews books are written with a great deal of hilarity. This one is the funniest I have read and will continue to reread it from time to time. Her characters are well written and after reading all of her books, I feel that I know them as well as I know my own family. Keep up the good work, Donna!
Such a fun read October 31, 2007
This Meg Langslow mystery has Meg and Michael ready to move into their remodeled home. They'll be marrying in a few days, unbeknownst to their mothers who would make it too big an affair. Meg's family is helping with the move and his is flying in from out of town. This all makes it more inconvenient when her father comes to tell her about his find in her basement. Seems while digging a pond for the penguins, he stumbled across a dead body. Since Dad loves a mystery, Meg isn't sure if she should call the police immediately-but hold the phone, did he say penguins?
It turns out Dad has promised a local mini zookeeper to help with the penguins until the zoo is more solvent. The dead man turns out to be said zookeeper. Meg has to help solve this crime or her honeymoon may end up being a cruise on Noah's Ark. Animals may be the least of her worries when she has to coax a claustrophobic medical examiner, who also has a fear of vampires, to the basement, and deal with family members of the previous property owner who show up with shovels. They plan to find their long missing great-uncle, even if they have to dig up the entire farm.
Meg and Michael were planning some excitement for their families, but it didn't include dead bodies and this strange cast of characters. A solid mystery with a cast of zany characters makes it an entertaining read for everyone. The author has won several awards for her work: an Agatha, an Anthony, and a Romantic Times for her first books in the mystery and romance genres. Reading The Penguin Who Knew Too Much will illustrate why I will be finding her previous works to enjoy.
Armchair Interviews says: This book, the eighth installment in a series, is too fun not to share.
|
|
|
