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The Hen of the Baskervilles

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A dastardly murder and the kidnapping of a prize chicken threaten to ruin Caerphilly's state fair—fortunately, Meg Langslow is on the case of The Hen of the Baskervilles
The newest mystery in Donna Andrews's gut-bustingly funny, award-winning, New York Times bestselling series is anything but elementary. Meg Langslow is helping Mayor Randall Shiffley organize the Virginia Un-Fair, Caerphilly's entry in the race to replace the old state fair (which has gone bankrupt). Before a line can even form outside the ticket booth, however, a pair of Bantam Russian Orloff chickens are stolen from their coop in the chicken tent. Soon, a rash of vandalism crops up at the fair, showing no heritage farm animal, prize vegetable, or artisanal craft to be safe.
While patrolling the fairgrounds, determined to catch the perp, Meg runs into her friend Molly, who has been building a successful business making goat cheeses. Molly is terrified that she may lose her farm because her idle husband Brett has left her for Genette Sedgewick, a rich hobby winemaker, and is demanding his half of the land. Meg enlists Mother's help to find Molly a divorce lawyer, but later that night, Brett is found murdered and Molly is swiftly accused as his killer.
Meg is convinced that her friend wouldn't so much as harm a fly, but can she find the real killer before it's too late? Will she track down the vandal who has been terrorizing—however creatively—the fair's participants? And will Michael be able to convince her to add members of his new favorite heritage breed to their growing menagerie? Meg's most hilarious caper yet, the curious incident of the hen in the nighttime will have readers rolling on the floor with laughter.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 3, 2013
      At the outset of Andrews’s diverting 15th Meg Langslow mystery (after 2012’s Some Like It Hawk), Meg, the deputy director of a fair in Caerphilly, Va., looks into the disappearance of two rare bantam Russian Orloffs from the fair grounds. Meanwhile, Meg’s friend Molly Riordan’s cheese business may be in trouble because Molly’s husband, Brett, has left her for Genette Sedgewick, a hobbyist winemaker disliked by just about everyone in Caerphilly, and may demand his half of the business. On patrol that night, Meg and fair director Randall Shiffley find Brett with a bullet through his head. Unfortunately, Brett’s head lies over the county line in Clay County. Deputy Plunkett of Clay County manages to contaminate every piece of evidence he touches in the ensuing investigation, with Molly as chief suspect. Fortunately, Meg and friends, with a little help from Jim-Bob, the donkey, succeed in bringing the real culprit to justice, in this enjoyable, if predictable cozy. Agent: Ellen Geiger, Frances Goldin Literary Agency.

    • Library Journal

      July 1, 2013

      Loved for her humor and endearing characters, the award-winning Andrews brings her 15th chuckle-inducing entry (after Some Like It Hawk). This time, things go badly at the fair when a local farmer dies and Meg's friend is accused of the crime.

      Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      June 1, 2013
      Meg Langslow is second in command at the Virginia Un-fair, Caerphilly's answer to the state fair, although its version highlights heritage animals and heirloom crops. On opening day, Meg awakens to learn that two rare chickens were stolen from the chicken tent, and one of the giant pumpkins was smashed, leaving its young grower heartbroken. Next, a valuable quilt disappears from the arts-and-crafts barn. Are these pranks meant to sabotage the fair, or are they decoys to muddy the waters and hide the real crime? While patrolling the fairgrounds to prevent further incidents, Meg and her husband hear shots fired and then find a body. When Meg's friend Molly is arrested for the murder, Meg investigates to clear her and save the fair. Meg's breezy first-person narrative, her quirky extended family members and friends, and information about heritage animals framed by the sights and sound of a state fair make this another enjoyable entry in the series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

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