Review of BETWEEN A FLOCK AND A HARD PLACE by Donna Andrews

BETWEEN A FLOCK AND A HARD PLACE (Meg Langslow #35) by Donna Andrews will be released on August 6, 2024 by Minotaur Books.

Caerphilly residents, Mr. and Mrs. Smetkamp, have won the opportunity to have their home remodeled on the reality show Marvelous Mansions. It’s a few days into the remodel project and tensions are running high between Mrs. Smetkamp, her neighbors, the production crew, and various remodelers. The house has also been “renovated” to the point that it is no longer habitable and possibly unfixable. Meg Langslow, in her official capacity as assistant to the mayor, is on site to help keep the peace. Things are made even more complicated when a team of pranksters lure Caerphilly’s flock of feral turkeys to the Smetkamp’s yard. Production is shut down so that the turkeys can be rounded out and relocated to the local zoo. While helping with the turkey round-up, Meg finds Mrs. Smetkamp’s body in the backyard. There are plenty of suspects with valid motive to have stabbed Mrs. Smetkamp to death. Once again, Meg gets caught up in the investigation. In her pursuit to find Mrs. Smetkamp’s murderer, she uncovers several other crimes.

BETWEEN A FLOCK AND A HARD PLACE is a hilarious addition to the Meg Langslow series. The book did get off to a bit of a slow start. The focus was on the feral turkeys and their invasion of the neighborhood. While hilarious, it did take a while to get around to the murder. Mrs. Smetkamp is extremely unlikable, and it’s understandable why someone would want to kill her. The addition of the other crimes was intriguing, and it kept the second half of the book moving.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.