BIRDER, SHE WROTE (Meg Langslow #33) by Donna Andrews will be released on August 1, 2023 by Minotaur Books.
While helping search for an old cemetery in the woods, Meg Langslow stumbles upon the freshly dead body of "Wally the Weird." Walter is one of the many NIMBYs (Not In My BackYard) people to settle in Caerphilly County, and he, along with his neighbors, are driving Meg crazy with his constant complaining about everything. The top suspect appears to be Edgar, a local farmer who Walter and the NIMBYs have been recently quarrelling with over his bee hives. When Edgar is cleared of suspicion, Meg gets caught up in finding Walter's killer. There is no shortage of people who might have been motivated to murder Walter. Meg is also on the trail of the "exterminator" who wiped out Edgar's bee hives as well as the person responsible for blackmailing several NIMBYs. There is also a reporter following around Meg's grandmother who seems to have questionable motives for conducting an interview, and Meg is determined to figure out her true purpose.
I have read all the books in the Meg Langslow series, and BIRDER, SHE WROTE is a solid addition to the series. Yes, I had the killer figured out from the beginning. But that did not stop me from enjoying the story. There were plenty of suspects and various motives to keep it interesting. I did miss some of the main characters who were not as prominent in this novel as they were in some other books. Overall, BIRDER, SHE WROTE is an enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.