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No Nest for the Wicket

A Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews

No Nest for the Wicket by Donna Andrews

Review: The mystery and mayhem continue in Caerphilly with Donna Andrews's 7th entry in the Meg Langslow series, No Nest for the Wicket. Credit must be given for the clever title, but this latest book from Andrews simply isn't up to par (to mix sports metaphors).

Reading No Nest for the Wicket is like watching a one-act play. Meg sits onstage in front of a backdrop that represents her farm. Scene changes are unnecessary as the entire story is essentially played out from this venue. Various family members, neighbors, friends, and visitors drop in, have a conversation with Meg, and then wander off to do whatever they do. Meg ponders the current situation between chats, coming up with a plan to move forward in the investigative process. All this is well and good, but about two thirds of the way through the play (er … book), the audience asks, What's all the fuss about? A murder? Oh, that's right, someone was found with their head bashed in by a croquet mallet. What was her name? Are you sure? And that's the underlying problem with this book: the reason for its very being ceases to be important, or even interesting.

No Nest for the Wicket is definitely not one of the better Meg Langslow mysteries, but will undoubtedly appeal to readers who have enjoyed previous books in the series. Despite the large cast of eccentric though admittedly interesting characters, the ever-present menagerie of animals, and the novel idea of incorporating eXtreme croquet into the story, in the end this one-act play is all rather monotonous.

Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of No Nest for the Wicket for this review.

Review Copyright © 2006 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

Location(s) referenced in No Nest for the Wicket: Virginia

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No Nest for the Wicket by Donna Andrews

No Nest for the Wicket by A Meg Langslow Mystery

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-32940-2
Publication Date:
List Price: $23.95

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