Last Updated on December 9, 2025
Donna Andrews is an American mystery writer known for blending humor and crime. In 1999, she published Murder with Peacocks, the first book in her Meg Langslow series.
The stories follow blacksmith Meg Langslow, her partner Michael, and a large extended family in the fictional town of Caerphilly, Virginia.
Andrews takes a light‑hearted approach to murder‑mystery plots: relatives, friends, and even village animals get into odd situations, and Meg ends up solving the crime while juggling her busy life.
Over the years, the series has become a reliable source of comfort reading for cozy‑mystery fans. The books are not only about crimes; they also feature weddings, festivals, town events, and holiday gatherings that allow readers to enjoy Meg’s community.
Andrews releases one or two new titles each year, the most recent of which is For Duck’s Sake, her 37th novel in the series, published in 2025.
Five Golden Wings, which is due out on October 5th, 2025, will be the 38th book, so if you fancy starting a brand new cozy mystery series, here are the Meg Langslow mysteries in order.
1. Murder with Peacocks (1999)
In Murder with Peacocks, Meg is preparing for three weddings in her family when a man is found dead in a shop.
Between sewing bridesmaids’ dresses and soothing relatives, she uncovers a plot involving old grievances and prevents the killer from striking again.
2. Murder with Puffins (2000)
Meg Langslow and her boyfriend visit a remote island off the coast of Maine, hoping for a quiet holiday.
When a wealthy man is found dead during a storm and the islanders are stranded, Meg’s curiosity and common sense help her reveal the culprit.
3. Revenge of the Wrought‑Iron Flamingos (2001)
Caerphilly hosts a living‑history festival where Meg is making iron flamingos to sell.
A reenactor is killed during the event, and Meg sifts through historical disputes and modern jealousies to expose the murderer.
4. Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon (2003)
Meg agrees to watch her brother’s computer game company. A developer collapses on a fake sword, and Meg must question employees, gamers, and even a pet ferret to find out who turned a prank into a deadly act.
5. We’ll Always Have Parrots (2004)
When Michael appears on a popular TV show, Meg travels to a fan convention full of costumed followers and exotic birds.
A loud‑mouthed producer is killed, and Meg sorts through actors, fans, and parrots to find who had a reason to silence him.
6. Owls Well That Ends Well (2005)
Meg Langslow and Michael buy a dilapidated farmhouse and hold a yard sale to clear out junk.
A local antiques dealer ends up dead under a pile of goods, and Meg uncovers secrets hidden in the cluttered barn.
7. No Nest for the Wicket (2006)
During a quirky wicket game played across fields and woods, a body is discovered in a cow pasture.
Meg’s sporting event turns into a crime scene as she pieces together motives among competitors and local property owners.
8. The Penguin Who Knew Too Much (2007)
When builders dig up a skeleton in Meg’s basement, she takes in animals from the local zoo while the police investigate.
A second death follows, and Meg protects penguins and other creatures while pinpointing the killer.
9. Cockatiels at Seven (2008)
Meg agrees to babysit her friend’s toddler, but the mother fails to return.
Meg juggles childcare, a mischievous cockatiel, and a missing‑person case that soon becomes a murder inquiry.
10. Six Geese A‑Slaying (2008)
The town’s Christmas parade is thrown into disarray when Santa is murdered in his sleigh.
Meg rallies volunteers, keeps the festive spirit alive, and unmasks the culprit before they ruin the holiday.
11. Swan for the Money (2009)
Meg’s mother enters a rose‑show competition at a wealthy estate. When one of the competitors is killed, Meg untangles rivalries among gardeners and uses her sharp eye to catch the murderer.
12. Stork Raving Mad (2010)
Heavily pregnant with twins, Meg hosts drama students rehearsing a play at her home.
A visiting dean is killed, and even with contractions starting, Meg sorts through academic grievances to hand the police a suspect.
13. The Real Macaw (2011)
Budget cuts threaten the local zoo, and Meg offers to shelter displaced animals.
A loud complaint from a museum trustee ends in his death, prompting Meg to expose a plot involving art theft and accounting tricks.
14. Some Like It Hawk (2012)
An eccentric collector locks himself in the courthouse basement to protest a wrongful tax bill.
When a lawyer is found dead in the bell tower, Meg clears her friend’s name by revealing the person behind a land scheme.
15. The Hen of the Baskervilles (2013)
The Caerphilly fair’s prize chicken disappears, and the event’s sponsor is found dead in a stall.
Meg Langslow and her family keep the fair running while looking into livestock thefts and secrets among the exhibitors.
16. Duck the Halls (2013)
With Christmas approaching, a prankster targets local churches with farm animals and mischief.
A young woman is killed, and Meg works with the clergy to restore calm and trace the prank to a more serious crime.
17. The Good, the Bad, and the Emus (2014)
Meg helps her grandfather find his long‑lost love, only to discover the woman recently died under suspicious circumstances.
When another person connected to the family is killed, Meg tracks down motives linked to emu farming and inheritance.
18. The Nightingale Before Christmas (2014)
Meg organizes a team of decorators for a holiday show house, but the event is marred when a designer is murdered.
She keeps the project on track while uncovering professional jealousy and blackmail.
19. Lord of the Wings (2015)
The town hosts a Halloween festival complete with costumes and scarecrow competitions.
A body is found in a haunted house, and Meg unearths evidence that the victim’s role in a development scheme provoked someone to act.
20. Die Like an Eagle (2016)
Michael coaches a youth baseball team, and tensions flare between parents and coaches.
When an unpopular league official is murdered during a game, Meg investigates grudges among the players’ families.
21. Gone Gull (2017)
During a craft workshop at her grandmother’s inn, Meg discovers a body in a kiln.
She protects her relatives’ business by tracking down which participant had a history with the deceased artist.
22. How the Finch Stole Christmas! (2017)
Caerphilly’s theatre group prepares a festive production of A Christmas Carol featuring a famous but troublesome actor.
When he dies during rehearsal, Meg must salvage the play and solve the crime amid holiday chaos.
23. Toucan Keep a Secret (2018)
Meg volunteers at her church’s bell tower and discovers a man’s body in a crypt.
She discovers valuable jewels that may have gone missing decades earlier, revealing a link between the old theft and the new crime.
24. Lark! The Herald Angels Sing (2018)
As Christmas approaches, Meg finds an abandoned baby in a cradle at the church and suspects the note left with the child hides a deeper problem.
When a woman connected to the baby is killed, she untangles a web of family secrets.
25. Terns of Endearment (2019)
Meg joins her family on a cruise run by her grandfather, but the trip goes awry when a writer disappears and rumours of a ghost spread.
Stranded at sea with anxious passengers, she calms the crowd and finds a human, not supernatural, explanation for the murder.
26. Owl Be Home for Christmas (2019)
During a holiday ornithology conference at an inn, a guest lecturer is found dead in a snowbank.
Meg sorts through petty rivalries among bird watchers and researchers to find who had reason to strike.
27. The Falcon Always Wings Twice (2020)
Meg’s family hosts a Renaissance fair, complete with falconry demonstrations.
When the owner of the fair’s falcons is murdered, Meg sifts through performers’ feuds and a medieval weapons collection to catch the culprit.
28. The Gift of the Magpie (2020)
Meg helps neighbours repair their homes after a storm through a volunteer project.
A bitter dispute over property lines leads to a death, and she finds that the victim’s generosity hid a more complex past.
29. Murder Most Fowl (2021)
While filming a historical documentary on a nearby battlefield, the crew uncovers bones that may be recent.
When one of the re‑enactors is killed, Meg learns that the conflict between academics and locals has modern consequences.
30. The Twelve Jays of Christmas (2021)
This holiday instalment sees Meg hosting a Christmas bird count when a rare jay goes missing and a man dies.
She coordinates volunteers, rescues birds, and pieces together how a personal quarrel turned deadly.
31. Round Up the Usual Peacocks (2022)
Meg’s brother is about to get married, but his groomsmen’s past misdeeds threaten the wedding.
Meg works through old court cases and new resentments to ensure the ceremony goes ahead without another crime.
32. Dashing Through the Snowbirds (2022)
Meg takes on a group of developers visiting Caerphilly for a corporate retreat.
After one of them collapses during a team‑building exercise, she exposes conflicts over contracts and betrayal among colleagues.
33. Birder, She Wrote (2023)
Meg’s cousin plays matchmaker for her single friends during a bird‑watching event.
When a local man is killed, secrets about his past dealings with birders and land owners come to light.
34. Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! (2023)
In this winter tale, Meg organizes an ice‑sculpture contest. A judge is found dead among the sculptures, and Meg digs into rivalries between artists and disputes over prize money.
35. Between a Flock and a Hard Place (2024)
An entrepreneurial couple opens a relaxation retreat with exotic birds. When one partner dies during a demonstration, Meg uncovers financial misdeeds and protects the rescued birds from further harm.
36. Rockin’ Around the Chickadee (2024)
This entry takes place during a town music festival. Meg juggles holiday plans and a missing‑person case that turns into murder, leading her to expose a plot behind the scenes of the concert.
37. For Duck’s Sake (2025)
Meg is staying in her brother’s home, where some workmen are digging out a duck pond.
All is going well until the bulldozers uncover a skeleton with a bullet hole. Now Meg Langslow has been tasked with trying to identify the victim, made even more difficult by the fact that the previous owner has disappeared and strangers are prowling around the half-finished duck pond!
More Than Mysteries
The Meg Langslow series has become one of the most reliable and entertaining fixtures in the cozy mystery world.
What started as a comic tale of wedding chaos in Murder with Peacocks has grown into a full-blown world with a large cast of returning characters, an ever-changing local backdrop, and plenty of offbeat crimes to solve.
Meg’s no-nonsense approach to problems, be they personal, practical, or criminal, makes her a fun and grounded lead, especially when balanced against the quirky chaos of her family and small-town life in Caerphilly, Virginia.
Part of the charm is how Donna Andrews manages to keep things fresh without straying too far from what makes the series work.
She shifts the settings slightly, brings new characters into the fold, and often ties in real-world events or community dramas that give the books both humour and heart.
Even after dozens of titles, there’s no sense that the stories are simply being repeated. If anything, the world of Meg Langslow keeps expanding in funny and surprising ways.
The latest book, For Duck’s Sake, released on August 5th, 2025, proves there’s still plenty of energy in the series.
And with the 38th title, Five Golden Rings, due out on October 5th, fans have more to look forward to.
Whether you’re new to the series or have followed Meg Langslow from the very beginning, the books offer something comforting, clever, and consistently funny.
It’s rare for a mystery series to feel this light on its feet after so many instalments, but Andrews pulls it off with wit, warmth, and a deep affection for her characters.
