Cockatiels at Seven

by Donna Andrews

Book Overview

When her old friend Karen drops by with her two-year-old son, Meg Langslow reluctantly agrees to mind him for a few hours. The next morning, when Karen is still MIA, Meg retraces her friend's footsteps and starts to suspect that her disappearance is linked to at least one serious crime. Has Karen been killed or kidnapped? Is she on the run? What's the story with her ex-husband Jasper? The police don't seem to care So now it's up to Meg to crack the...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312377169
• ISBN13: 9780312377168
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.1" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Birds of Paradise

Very rare that a series holds up so well. all the characters in this series continue to grow. Also we didn't have to wait for upteen books before Meg married. And while some of the charagcters are a littl over the top (this is fiction after all), the interactions are so true. Ms Andrews, please keep writing, I will keep buying and reading and enjoying!

Meg hears the patter of little feet

Newly wed Meg Langslow is looking forward to getting lots of work done in her finally completed ironworking studio today. They are at long last moved into to their Victorian farmhouse, she has convinced her father to remove at least most of the overflow from the local zoo, sent her husband Michael off to a day of faculty meetings and was recovered from the events leading up to her elopement two months ago. Nothing could stop her from filling the empty shelves of her studio with newly forged stock to take to the rapidly approaching craft fair. Well nothing other than an aggravating parade of drop in visits first from her eccentric family and then from a old friend, Karen who had her two year old son Timmy in tow with a plea that Meg babysit for a bit. When hour after hour passes with no word from Karen Meg grows concerned, and discovers just how challenging a job a toddler can be. Once again though Meg finds herself on the trail of a mystery tracking down the missing mother and uncovering a dead body and a swindle or two in the process. This is less comic than the previous eight volumes of this series. There are fewer visits from Meg's zany relatives and more emphasis on the mystery aspect of the story. As with the earlier books in the series the birds mentioned in the title make an appearance in the story but in this one the appearance seems forced rather than an integral part of the story. Fans of the series will enjoy reading about Meg and Michael settling into married life, those new to the series would be better to begin with MURDER WITH PEACOCKS and then reading the series in order.

The Search for Karen

Meg is in blacksmith mode that Monday morning, wanting to build up inventory for an upcoming show. All that stops when her friend Karen stops by. Meg hasn't seen Karen for a couple years, so she is a bit surprised when Karen asks her to watch her toddler, Timmy, for a couple hours. As much as she wants to, Meg can't ignore Karen's obvious desperation, so she says yes. When Karen hasn't reappeared by that evening, Meg is beyond panicked. And watching a Timmy hasn't helped her nerves. So Meg begins to hunt for the missing Karen. She's just begun when she finds the police searching Karen's apartment. Suddenly, it's looking like Karen might be on the run. Is she a criminal? Why did she leave Timmy with Meg? And can Meg find her and the truth? This is another rollicking mystery. The emphasis is a little more on the mystery here, but I appreciated that. It started strong and held my interest until the end, which was a surprise to me. Members of Meg's family do appear, but they take a back seat in this book. Frankly, their usual antics were getting a little too predictable, so I appreciated the focus of the humor being on Timmy. I found him cute and funny and laughed quite a few times. Now that isn't to say that Meg's family doesn't get into the act. They provide a few laughs along the way as well. I thought this entry was stronger than the last couple. I enjoyed every page. It should entertain Meg's many fans.

Another Fine Mystery

Newly married to college professor/actor Michael and finally moved into their dream fixer-upper home, Meg Langslow was hoping for some peace and time to build up her iron sculpting business. She should have known better. Karen Walker, a friend she hasn't seen in years and who is a staffer at the local college's financial administration office, stops by and begs Meg to baby-sit Karen's toddler Timmy for a few hours. When hours turns into days Meg frantically attempts to track down Karen and discovers that her disappearance may be linked to financial discrepancies at the college. As always, complications arise from Meg's eccentric family members, namely a brother who has surreptitiously moved into her home and a newly discovered egocentric television naturalist grandfather. Andrews keeps the ninth Meg Langslow mystery fresh by introducing the added element/hindrance of a toddler, yet she avoids the pitfalls common when bringing kids into the mix. Namely; 1) the child is saccharinely sweet, 2) a precocious thirty-five year- old in a child's body, or 3) manipulating the reader by placing the child in jeopardy. Instead, Timmy is an uncontrollable, unpredictable responsibility for Meg; in other words, a two year-old boy. This has the plot complication of forcing Meg to question her deafness to a biological clock while acknowledging Michael's stellar parenting skills. So even as Meg tracks down Karen, her coworkers, and the reason behind her disappearance, Meg must also cope with the pressure and expectations of motherhood. The wacky and ironic humor that is Andrew's trademark is more subtle than the previous entries in this series, as Meg's loving but exasperating relatives only make brief appearances. The actual mystery is less important to the novel than exploits of Meg and her family, but Andrews always succeeds in creating entertaining, funny, and very original novels.

zany amusing amateur sleuth

Recently married to Michael, Meg Langslow makes her Dad and Grandpa swear her baby sitting of their reptiles is short and temporary as she fears she will soon be bailing them and Dr. Blake out of some jail. Reluctantly she agrees to host the reptilians on her Caerphilly, Virginia farm though her guests give her the creeps. At the same time her friend Karen leaves her toddler Timmy with Meg to baby-sit the child; a bit concerned as the boa dad left eats squirrels while Meg compares mentally little Timmy to the rodent. However, Karen fails to return to pick up her two years old infant. Not sure if Karen is in trouble or deserted Timmy, Meg, having solved cases before like THE PENGUIN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, investigates. She soon learns that Karen's sleazy former husband Jasper was a computer programmer at the same college where Karen works and Michael teaches. As Meg digs deeper, she uncovers Jasper's corpse and much more. This is a zany amusing amateur sleuth as Meg's family, the snakes, and Tom the terrible two bring much humor to the heroine's frantic inquiry. What happened to Karen and why provides the suspense. Readers will appreciate the latest Langslow tale as snakes on the farm is a fun lighthearted frolic. Harriet Klausner