No Nest for the Wicket (Meg Lanslow Mysteries)

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 272 pages
• Published by: St. Martin's Minotaur August 8, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0312329407
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0312329402
• Book Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Weighs: 13.6 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
An all-too-competitive game of "eXtreme croquet" set in an obstacle-ridden cow and sheep pasture in Caerphilly, Va., leads to murder in Agatha-winner Andrews's goofy seventh Meg Langslow mystery (after 2005's Owls Well That Ends Well). When Meg chases an errant shot into a gully, she discovers the fresh corpse of a lady with her head bashed in. The victim appears to have been done in with a croquet mallet—or was it a sledgehammer? Meg starts with a long list of suspects involved in a local campaign against developers who hope to transform the bucolic pasture area into an outlet mall. When the body is identified as Lindsay Tyler, a gorgeous, manipulative former history professor with a checkered career and erstwhile romantic ties to Meg's fiancé, Michael, the connections and motives multiply, bogging down the action. Still, the author's sense of fun and a lively, charming cast will please most cozy fans. (Aug.)
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Product Description
Croquet is a genteel game, usually played on a summer afternoon on a tranquil green lawn. Extreme Croquet is a whole other story. That’s what Meg Langslow and her new friends (whether she wants to call them friends or not) are playing on the several-acre farm of her new neighbor.  It’s a countryside studded with rocks, steep hills, and placid, seemingly immovable cows.
            Extreme Croquet is the current rage in Caerphilly, where Meg and her fiancé, Michael, have bought a house. While this society game can get quite warm, it hasn’t reached the stage of actual homicide---at least not until Meg knocks her ball down a small cliff and encounters the body of a dead woman.  Her head has been bashed in, illustrating, perhaps, one of the many uses of a croquet mallet. It turns out that Michael knew the lady from years before.  Meg finds herself further drawn in when it’s discovered that the lady was seeking to expose the terrible dealings of a certain local society lady’s ancestors.
            In the meantime, the old house requirements many basic improvements and swarms with an entire family of working men, including countless second cousins, sawing and pounding away.  Meg’s father is the overseer but is easily distracted since he has a tendency to become wrapped up in his current animal charges---this time it’s ducks.       
            One of the beauties of fiction is that you can enjoy reading about someone who has been knocked on the head and killed.  The particular joy that Donna Andrews offers mystery lovers everywhere is the wonderful gift of laughter.  Her novels, filled with crazy relatives, puzzling murders, and the hilarious conquests of Meg, make for a combination found nowhere else. Fine-feathered friends are only one of the treats in this award-winning series from Donna Andrews, an author whose name has become synonymous with lighthearted, knee-slapping fun.
 

Reader Reviews
Meg's family is hosting an eXtreme croquet tournament near Meg's house, and Meg has gotten roped into playing. Not that she hates it, but the sport is a little wild for her tastes. After Meg's ball gets roqueted into a gully, Meg finds a dead body. While the woman had obviously been hit by a croquet mallet, she wasn't playing in the tournament. In fact, Meg and the other contestants have no idea who she is. It's Michael who makes the identification. The victim used to be a professor at the local college and had made quite a few enemies in town. What was she doing back in the area? And who knew about it and wanted to kill her? This series has become a favorite because of the great plots and the laugh out loud moments. Unfortunately, this entry doesn't live up to the last couple. Mainly, it was because the book wasn't as funny as it could have been. Much of the humor has been done before and better in the earlier books. Not that this book isn't enjoyable. I still found myself laughing and smiling, just not as much as previously. Fortunately, the plot is very engaging. There are several twists and plenty of red herrings before the final solution is revealed. I did feel the climax was a bit abrupt, but it was logical. The returning characters are their usual charming selves. It's always a pleasure to spend time with Meg and her family even if murder is the result. The new characters are interesting as well. They could have used a little more development, but I could easily keep everyone straight. While not up to the usual standards for this series, this is still a book well worth reading. It's a fast moving mystery that will keep you entertained from start to finish. Comment | | (Report this)