Meg Lanslow #39
After 27 years, 40 books, and unprecedented number of punny bird titles, the Meg Langslow series remains fresh and entertaining as ever. #40 (Jay to the World) will be released in time for Christmas and #39 (Probable Caws) is available now. In Probable Caws Meg and her family are helping retired heavy metal drummer Ragnar Ragnarsen cope with temporarily housing fifty horses from Hoof and Hearth rescue on his estate.
Why move the horses? Able Abernathy, who owns the farm where Hoof and Hearth is based, has just lost his father who apparently died intestate. That means Able does not technically own the farm and his co-inheritor brother George’s only interest in the farm is selling it for a profit. Did George to try harm the horses so his brother would move them off the farm, making it easier to sell? Is there a missing will that might prevent the sale of the farm? And when there’s a murder at Ragnar’s farm, is it related to the horses, the dispute over the farm, or something else?
While we’ve seen Meg deal with all kinds of critters in the past under hilarious and weird circumstances (dogs, llamas, sheep, geese, etc.), this is the first time we’ve seen her dealing with horses. Unlike her horse-crazy boys, Meg has little equine experience so it’s fun to watch her learning about horse behavior and how to deal with neurotic horses – and the inquisitive crows that inhabit Ragnar’s farm (hence the title). We also get to see her do a little blacksmithing, a hobby she loves but seldom has time for.
As always, the story is populated with Meg’s extended family and friends. Ragnar is one of my favorite characters so I was glad to see the story took place almost entirely on his estate, complete with castle, moat, and Medieval décor. It’s fun to see how spends his fantastic income to make his Gothic dreams come true. Fans who know Ragnar won’t be surprised that he makes an exception to his monochromatic decorating theme (which includes animals!) for the needy horses.
One of the things I love about this series is the humor. As always, Meg’s eccentric extended family provides comedy relief – to point where I laugh out loud, even when reading in public.
Another thing I love is Meg’s geek-level Tolkien knowledge. Bonus points if you can name the source of the Tolkien quote in this book.
My only caveat: if you have not read any books in this series, you might be lost in sea of unfamiliar characters. I suggest starting with the first book, Murder With Peacocks. — Cathy Akers-Jordan