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Meg Langslow #11
Swan for the Money
The brilliantly funny and talented Donna Andrews delivers another winner in the acclaimed avian-themed mystery series readers have come to love.
Meg Langslow’s eccentric parents have a new hobby: growing roses and entering them in highly competitive shows. Dad’s gardening skill and Mother’s gift for selecting and arranging the blossoms should make them an unbeatable team---and Meg is relieved they’ve taken up such a safe, gentle hobby. She even volunteers to help when the Caerphilly Garden Club sponsors its first annual rose show. But after a few hours of dealing with her parents� competitors, Meg is worried. Rose growers are so eccentric that they make Meg’s family seem almost normal, and so competitive that they will do nearly anything to take home the show’s grand prize---making them prime suspects when Meg discovers that someone is attempting to kill the wealthy woman on whose estate the competition is being held. Of course, the intended victim had other enemies---her treatment of her farm animals had aroused the interest of several animal welfare activists, including Meg’s zoologist grandfather. Meg tries to leave the detecting to the local police and focus on protecting her parents� chances to win the coveted Black Swan trophy, but she soon finds herself compelled to solve the crime before any more rose growers die.
±õ³Ù’s Swan for the Money, two for the show, three to get ready... now go, Meg, go!
Meg Langslow’s eccentric parents have a new hobby: growing roses and entering them in highly competitive shows. Dad’s gardening skill and Mother’s gift for selecting and arranging the blossoms should make them an unbeatable team---and Meg is relieved they’ve taken up such a safe, gentle hobby. She even volunteers to help when the Caerphilly Garden Club sponsors its first annual rose show. But after a few hours of dealing with her parents� competitors, Meg is worried. Rose growers are so eccentric that they make Meg’s family seem almost normal, and so competitive that they will do nearly anything to take home the show’s grand prize---making them prime suspects when Meg discovers that someone is attempting to kill the wealthy woman on whose estate the competition is being held. Of course, the intended victim had other enemies---her treatment of her farm animals had aroused the interest of several animal welfare activists, including Meg’s zoologist grandfather. Meg tries to leave the detecting to the local police and focus on protecting her parents� chances to win the coveted Black Swan trophy, but she soon finds herself compelled to solve the crime before any more rose growers die.
±õ³Ù’s Swan for the Money, two for the show, three to get ready... now go, Meg, go!
306 pages, Hardcover
First published July 21, 2009
69 people are currently reading
795 people want to read
About the author
Donna Andrews
117Ìýbooks2,021ÌýfollowersDonna Andrews was born in Yorktown, Virginia, the setting of Murder with Peacocks and Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos, and now lives and works in Reston, Virginia. When not writing fiction, Andrews is a self-confessed nerd, rarely found away from her computer, unless she's messing in the garden
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 284 reviews
May 8, 2021
Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews is a 2009 Minotaur Books publication.
I’m slowly reading my way through the Meg Langslow series. Up to this point, these books have been a real blast. This entry, unfortunately, fell flat. The plot was all over the place, the red herrings were way too obvious, which made it quite easy to guess whodunit. Meg’s usual witty inner monologue was stale, and I honestly don’t think I ever cracked a smile while reading this one.
That said, every long running series I’ve ever read has had a few stinkers here and there, so I’m sure the next installment will be back on track.
Don’t let my disappointment in this one installment deter you from trying this series. Normally, the whodunit is well done, and Meg keeps me in stitches. This one missed the mark for me- but the series is truly wonderful- one all cozy fans would love.
2 stars
I’m slowly reading my way through the Meg Langslow series. Up to this point, these books have been a real blast. This entry, unfortunately, fell flat. The plot was all over the place, the red herrings were way too obvious, which made it quite easy to guess whodunit. Meg’s usual witty inner monologue was stale, and I honestly don’t think I ever cracked a smile while reading this one.
That said, every long running series I’ve ever read has had a few stinkers here and there, so I’m sure the next installment will be back on track.
Don’t let my disappointment in this one installment deter you from trying this series. Normally, the whodunit is well done, and Meg keeps me in stitches. This one missed the mark for me- but the series is truly wonderful- one all cozy fans would love.
2 stars
October 25, 2011
Rating: 3.5* of five
I love this most recent entry in the Meg Langslow mystery series, set in fictional Caerphilly County, Virginia, and featuring the indefatigable Meg and her motley crew of relatives and neighbors in crime-solving antics reminiscent of the glory days of Harold Lloyd.
What fun, of course, and as expected, the action doesn't stop for a minute around Meg. But this time, her case is set amid the bizarre and highly competitive world of rose-show trophy hounding. How completely weird, I thought as I looked at the book...rose shows? Who cares?
Well, I still don't care about rose shows, but I'll never look at a rose the same way again. I had no idea (admittedly, even less interest) that there were literally hundreds of categories a rose could fit into for showing purposes, and the virulence of the passions of rose-growers came as a surprise as well.
Meg's mysterious task this time is determining who, among the hundred or so people exhibiting and competing in this bloom-binge murdered a sweet, kindly old lady who just happened to bear a strong resemblance to the world's nastiest battle-ax, whose huge color-themed estate is the site of the show. Her usual good temper is sorely tried at every turn by the battle-ax, a complete nutball whose fetish is making everything in her world black or white. She has black swans. Black and white Belted Gloucester cattle. Black fainting goats, including a very aggressive one named Algie whose passion for butting humans is completely understandable...wouldn't YOU need to take a swing at a creature who meddled with your DNA to make sure you fainted dead away at danger, making you a perfect victim for predators?
But since she's been drafted to run this beano (one guess by whom...oh good, all who said "her mama" win!), she's coping. That is, barely coping since husband Michael is in New York attending a former student's play (a musical about Millard Fillmore and the Compromise of 1850, with a catchy little ditty about the Wilmot Proviso...Wikipedia has the whole story, never fear) in its death throes. Every time Meg tries to talk to Michael, asking him to bring back a pregnancy test, she's interrupted...so she asks him to bring back 1) bagels, lox, and cream cheese 2) cheesecake 3) real New York pastrami and rye sandwiches...you get the picture.
So add that to the list of problems Meg has, trying to figure out how to ascertain if she's pregnant in a place crawling with people who know her, her mama, her grandparents and cousins and aunties and all, each and every one, glad to gossip their lungs out.
Well, the murder is solved, the wicked are punished, the unappealing are redeemed (somewhat) and the pregnancy test arrives via the hopeful Michael, who interpreted all the food requests as wicked-bad cravings and arrived at the main question: A new little Waterston-Langslow?
Stay tuned. I certainly plan to.
I love this most recent entry in the Meg Langslow mystery series, set in fictional Caerphilly County, Virginia, and featuring the indefatigable Meg and her motley crew of relatives and neighbors in crime-solving antics reminiscent of the glory days of Harold Lloyd.
What fun, of course, and as expected, the action doesn't stop for a minute around Meg. But this time, her case is set amid the bizarre and highly competitive world of rose-show trophy hounding. How completely weird, I thought as I looked at the book...rose shows? Who cares?
Well, I still don't care about rose shows, but I'll never look at a rose the same way again. I had no idea (admittedly, even less interest) that there were literally hundreds of categories a rose could fit into for showing purposes, and the virulence of the passions of rose-growers came as a surprise as well.
Meg's mysterious task this time is determining who, among the hundred or so people exhibiting and competing in this bloom-binge murdered a sweet, kindly old lady who just happened to bear a strong resemblance to the world's nastiest battle-ax, whose huge color-themed estate is the site of the show. Her usual good temper is sorely tried at every turn by the battle-ax, a complete nutball whose fetish is making everything in her world black or white. She has black swans. Black and white Belted Gloucester cattle. Black fainting goats, including a very aggressive one named Algie whose passion for butting humans is completely understandable...wouldn't YOU need to take a swing at a creature who meddled with your DNA to make sure you fainted dead away at danger, making you a perfect victim for predators?
But since she's been drafted to run this beano (one guess by whom...oh good, all who said "her mama" win!), she's coping. That is, barely coping since husband Michael is in New York attending a former student's play (a musical about Millard Fillmore and the Compromise of 1850, with a catchy little ditty about the Wilmot Proviso...Wikipedia has the whole story, never fear) in its death throes. Every time Meg tries to talk to Michael, asking him to bring back a pregnancy test, she's interrupted...so she asks him to bring back 1) bagels, lox, and cream cheese 2) cheesecake 3) real New York pastrami and rye sandwiches...you get the picture.
So add that to the list of problems Meg has, trying to figure out how to ascertain if she's pregnant in a place crawling with people who know her, her mama, her grandparents and cousins and aunties and all, each and every one, glad to gossip their lungs out.
Well, the murder is solved, the wicked are punished, the unappealing are redeemed (somewhat) and the pregnancy test arrives via the hopeful Michael, who interpreted all the food requests as wicked-bad cravings and arrived at the main question: A new little Waterston-Langslow?
Stay tuned. I certainly plan to.
March 31, 2025
Another fun entry in the series. It's always interesting to see what animals are going to pop up and I enjoyed the swans and goats. The rose show was interesting even though I know nothing about rose shows. I was very happy with who the culprit turned out to be. Looking forward to the next crazy adventure.
July 25, 2021
Another solid entry in the cozy series that depends on unique settings and crazy characters for it's charm. The setting here is a competitive rose show held on the grounds of a controlling woman who insists everything - even her livestock- stick to her black and white color scheme. Meg, of course, is organizing the show. It is nice to see her at least recognizing that she should learn to say no more often, but if she gets too good at it the author will lack reasons for her to be involved in everything that happens in this mythical rural Virginia town. So we must suspend our disbelief to enjoy this book.
I wouldn't start here, as this volume isn't particularly clever or witty, but it fits nicely into the series and helps move along some relationships in Meg's family, too. At this point the murder becomes almost incidental to the unfolding story line.
I wouldn't start here, as this volume isn't particularly clever or witty, but it fits nicely into the series and helps move along some relationships in Meg's family, too. At this point the murder becomes almost incidental to the unfolding story line.
August 24, 2023
Maybe one of my favorite of the Meg Langslow books. It moved along and kept my interest!
January 6, 2020
Meg Langslow is the organizer of the rose show. She’s been immersed in rose lore and horticulture with her parents for months. It seemed natural to call upon her organizational skills for the first rose show in town. In her organizer role, Meg is given more freedom than usual to walk about Mrs. Winkleson’s estate. After getting lost, Meg stumbles across Mrs. Winkleson’s rose garden which, until now, had never been seen by outsiders. The garden sporting black roses is surrounded by 12-foot chain-link fences with razor wires! She sees a prone figure in a black cape which she fears is Mrs. Winkleson. Thankfully Meg’s doctor father is on site and rushes to her aid. Meg has found her missing secataurs.
Meg is given a tour of the grounds along with her grandfather, Dr. Blake, famous zoologist, where they learn just how far Mrs. Winkleson takes her passion for black and white. There is a breed of cows with white bands around the midsections of their otherwise black coats. Territorial black swans are holding Meg’s car hostage. Goats so sensitive that they faint at the slightest stimuli had everyone giggling. Viewing all the animals is a concern for Dr. Blake since the local vet wants to be sure that the animals are not being mistreated. Plus the deputies continue to search for Mrs. Winkleson’s kidnapped white dog.
In any case, the party does go on. Amid champagne and crab hors d’oeuvres being served, another poisoning occurs. Again Dr. Langslow is on the scene to assist. Chief Burke, also at the party, finally has the opportunity to follow a crime from the beginning. However, there are hundreds of guests and staff to interview before clean up for the night can begin. This gives Meg extra time to think about possibly being pregnant. The rose show must still go on the next day as well.
Donna Andrews has a way with making each comical event believable. It takes talent to pull all the events together and keep the plot hilariously plausible. There’s never a dull moment in a Donna Andrews novel. Something is always going awry. Yet Meg Langslow and family save the day.
Meg is given a tour of the grounds along with her grandfather, Dr. Blake, famous zoologist, where they learn just how far Mrs. Winkleson takes her passion for black and white. There is a breed of cows with white bands around the midsections of their otherwise black coats. Territorial black swans are holding Meg’s car hostage. Goats so sensitive that they faint at the slightest stimuli had everyone giggling. Viewing all the animals is a concern for Dr. Blake since the local vet wants to be sure that the animals are not being mistreated. Plus the deputies continue to search for Mrs. Winkleson’s kidnapped white dog.
In any case, the party does go on. Amid champagne and crab hors d’oeuvres being served, another poisoning occurs. Again Dr. Langslow is on the scene to assist. Chief Burke, also at the party, finally has the opportunity to follow a crime from the beginning. However, there are hundreds of guests and staff to interview before clean up for the night can begin. This gives Meg extra time to think about possibly being pregnant. The rose show must still go on the next day as well.
Donna Andrews has a way with making each comical event believable. It takes talent to pull all the events together and keep the plot hilariously plausible. There’s never a dull moment in a Donna Andrews novel. Something is always going awry. Yet Meg Langslow and family save the day.
January 14, 2020
One of my favorite ones so far!
April 6, 2018
Swan for the Money Meg has been drafted by her mother and the ladies of the garden society to organize a Rose Show. It is the Friday before the show and she has to go and get the barns set up on the property of an eccentric woman, known as Wrinkleston as she is called behind her back. She likes the colors of black, white and gray and only those colors are allowed on her property. Anyone on her property has to be shorter than her or stand below her and they have to wear the approved colors. In fact, she tries to sabotage the Show by calling all the competitors and telling them only Black and White roses are being shown, no other colors are allowed!Ìý
Ìý
On the Friday that she is setting up, Meg finds a woman stabbed in a field with goats. The weapon is the garden shears she made for her mother. Many things happen during the investigation of the woman's death, including a dognapping, a poisoning and what appears to be a cattle rustling.Ìý
Ìý
Again this book is part of a series and can be read out of order or in order as the reader is able to do so. I also borrowed this book in two formats, Kindle and Audio, so that I could listen while I drove to Kentucky and back again. The stories are just fun and there are some things that you can learn along the way, including another word for garden shears (I forget how to spell it).Ìý
Ìý
On the Friday that she is setting up, Meg finds a woman stabbed in a field with goats. The weapon is the garden shears she made for her mother. Many things happen during the investigation of the woman's death, including a dognapping, a poisoning and what appears to be a cattle rustling.Ìý
Ìý
Again this book is part of a series and can be read out of order or in order as the reader is able to do so. I also borrowed this book in two formats, Kindle and Audio, so that I could listen while I drove to Kentucky and back again. The stories are just fun and there are some things that you can learn along the way, including another word for garden shears (I forget how to spell it).Ìý
October 30, 2018
Meg is up to her eyes in alligators or is it animals again in this 11th addition to the series. Meg has been asked to organize a rose competition and show in her town of Caerphilly. This mystery takes place over the course of the couple days before and including the actual competition.
Competition is fierce, but would someone stoop to murder to win the competition for best rose among their friends and neighbors? You bet they would.
The competition is held at Mrs. Winkleman's farm - a woman that is obsessed with black and white - all of her farm is black and white including her animals. Any animal that doesn't match her ideal of perfection from her swans, goats, cows and horses is immediately sold off.
Her treatment of her staff and her competition is no better. She is a woman you will love to dislike. Plenty of suspects would like her to be gone - permanently including her estranged nephews so when a victim of foul play is found in the pasture - no one is surprised...but just a minute - I guess they are...
Competition is fierce, but would someone stoop to murder to win the competition for best rose among their friends and neighbors? You bet they would.
The competition is held at Mrs. Winkleman's farm - a woman that is obsessed with black and white - all of her farm is black and white including her animals. Any animal that doesn't match her ideal of perfection from her swans, goats, cows and horses is immediately sold off.
Her treatment of her staff and her competition is no better. She is a woman you will love to dislike. Plenty of suspects would like her to be gone - permanently including her estranged nephews so when a victim of foul play is found in the pasture - no one is surprised...but just a minute - I guess they are...
October 16, 2015
I like this series and this book is a good entry. That being said, there are some times when I am reading the series that I feel like the characters are just going on their merry ways and the murder in their vicinity doesn't really affect them. However, in any murder mystery there is often an element of having to suspend your disbelief to make the story work, and I have no problem with that. Other than that personal observation, this book is good and the plot works. I am eager to read the next one to see what Meg is up to.
September 17, 2022
Once again Meg gets roped into organizing. The Rose Show is being held on the estate of a very unpleasant rich woman, but the atmosphere is leavened by the antics of the rose-grower contestants and a herd of fainting goats. The mistress of the estate is even more unpleasant than her decorative, aggressive swan. In the end, none of them are a match for Meg.
Read 4 times, listened 5 times
Read 4 times, listened 5 times
March 18, 2025
Fourth 'read' -- love this series so much it has become an annual event to read each book every year.
----
Second time listening to this Meg Langslow mystery and I enjoyed it even more than the first time round. Her zany clan mystery mayhem always keep me laughing. And there are so many funny animal scenes in this one. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of Meg and company.
----
Second time listening to this Meg Langslow mystery and I enjoyed it even more than the first time round. Her zany clan mystery mayhem always keep me laughing. And there are so many funny animal scenes in this one. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of Meg and company.
September 5, 2016
It took me a little longer to get into this one than with other entries in the series, but once the momentum got going it kept me turning pages right to the end. Love the swans!
May 29, 2019
Super cute. Love all the animals involved.. Fun mysteries
December 13, 2019
Old Wrinkles truly is a despicable lady.
September 5, 2024
Eleventh in the Meg Langslow amateur sleuth cozy mystery series and revolving around a nosy woman blacksmith in Virginia. The focus is on the competition in the rose show..
My Take
Lol, Michael has a lovely excuse to get out of the chaos of the rose show, and it’s Meg’s opportunity to avoid local gossip. Maybe, lol.
±õ³Ù’s easy to tell, right off, how involved Meg is with her family when she starts spouting off about growing roses â€� and Meg gets it when Michael laughs. Of course, it’s probably safer than what Dad and Grandfather are getting up to!
±õ³Ù’s all due to Andrews using first person protagonist point-of-view from Meg’s perspective so everything we know happens within her hearing and presence.
For new imports, Meg and Michael have the full support of the county, as you can tell when Dad has armed Shiffleys on his roof, *more laughter*. It is a great series with all that care and support from Meg’s family and their friends. You can’t help but love them.
I gotta say, I love color, and Mrs Winkleson’s passion for everything to be black and white does not excite me. I mean, black and white cows, black swans, matching fainting goats (their behavior is a crack-up) and horses . . .? Then her requirement that her party guests wear black and white? I’m surprised the food isn’t black and white. Her behavior and choices about which animals to keep are appalling. She gets even more autocratic as the story goes on. Everything and everyone must march in step. The gall of the woman!
I do appreciate the family passion about animal welfare, and Grandfather and Caroline do not disappoint, lol. Mrs Winkleson does, however. Oy.
There’s quite a bit about roses and the growing thereof. It did make me want to at least attend the show *grin*.
I gotta say the Hollingsworth family’s categorization technique for how to label aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., does make sense � and makes it a lot easier to keep track.
±õ³Ù’s a pip of a story with excessive pride steering everything. There’s plenty of action and mayhem â€� who knew a rose competition could be so deadly!
And Meg wonders why she’s in such demand for events . . . Duh.
The Story
±õ³Ù’s the Caerphilly Garden Club’s first rose show, and it’s being held at Mrs Winkleson’s fabulous farm. Naturally, Meg has been drafted to ensure it all goes well.
A good thing for a number of entrants when murder, mayhem, kidnapping, and a poisoning ensues.
Too bad that Meg does too well on this competition.
The Characters
The married Meg Langslow, a blacksmith, has no end of curiosity. Dr Michael Waterston teaches drama at Caerphilly College. Spike is their eight-and-a-half pound Small Evil One, who technically belongs to Michael’s mother. Ernest and Thor are their llamas
Mother, a self-confirmed human magpie, and Dad, Dr Langslow, have a farm in Caerphilly that they use as a sumner cottage. Rose Noire, a.k.a. Rosemary Keenan, is all about the environment and herbal everything. Rob Langslow is Meg’s brother and the founder and president of a Caerphilly-based gaming company, Mutant Wizards. Both Rose Noir and Rob live with Meg and Michael. The Hollingsworths are Mother’s side of the family. Cousin Horace Hollingsworth is with CSI for Yorktown PD. Great-aunt Matilda is no more � so it isn’t her. Other aunts, still living, include Patience, Beatrice, and Calliope.
Dr Montgomery Blake is Meg’s grandfather and Dad’s long lost father, an eminent zoologist and environmental activist who owns the Caerphilly Zoo. Caroline Willner owns the Willner Wildlife Sanctuary and is the only person who can call Dr Blake on his, um, stuff. Dr Clarence Rutledge is the local and zoo veterinarian. The recently found Cordelia is Dad’s mother.
Caerphilly, Virginia, is . . .
. . . where Meg and Michael’s farm is located along with Michael’s workplace. Seth Early is their neighbor and a sheep farmer. Henry Burke is the chief of police for Caerphilly. His deputies include Sergeant Epp Shiffley and Sammy Wendell. Debbie Anne is the police dispatcher. Dr Smoot is the acting medical examiner and a nutjob.
The chief’s wife, Minerva, is a gem and part of the New Life Baptist Choir. She grows miniature roses. Randall Shiffley is a friend and seems to be the head of the Shiffley clan. The Pruitts used to own most of Caerphilly County.
The unpopular (weird) and eccentric Philomena Winkleson, a.k.a. Old Wrinkles, is hosting the first annual rose show at Raven Hill, her palatial farm. Mimi is her missing pet Maltese. Her nephews by marriage � Theobald and Reginald � are banned from her farm. Adam Darby is the farm manager. �Marston�, a.k.a. Vladislav Konstantinovich Rozhdestvensky, is her butler. Her goats include the sneaky Algie, the paper-eating Elton, and Marguerite Johnson.
Other rose growers include Sandy Sechrest, Molly Weston, and Louise who turned out to be clueless about hybridizing.
Matilda and Adelaide are two black roses Dad is cultivating. Other roses that may be competing include Margaret Merril, Meidilands, Frau Karl Druschki, and Black Magic.
Millard! The Musical! is an off-off-off-Broadway show by one of Michael’s students. The Warrenton police are re-opening a case on a death.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a full-length grass green background that suddenly gradates into a white center that serves as a base for a black swan, on a flower stump with two red roses, who is being screeched at by a huge white swan. At the top is an info blurb in white with the author's name immediately below it in a gradated white to orange with a black shadow. Immediately below the graphic is an epigraph in red. Immediately below that is the title with the first word a gradation of white to red, the next two words in white, and the last in a gradation of white to yellow. All of them are outlined in black. At the bottom is a testimonial in white.
The title is all about Swan for the Money, two for the show, three to get ready . . . now go, Meg, go!.
My Take
Lol, Michael has a lovely excuse to get out of the chaos of the rose show, and it’s Meg’s opportunity to avoid local gossip. Maybe, lol.
±õ³Ù’s easy to tell, right off, how involved Meg is with her family when she starts spouting off about growing roses â€� and Meg gets it when Michael laughs. Of course, it’s probably safer than what Dad and Grandfather are getting up to!
±õ³Ù’s all due to Andrews using first person protagonist point-of-view from Meg’s perspective so everything we know happens within her hearing and presence.
For new imports, Meg and Michael have the full support of the county, as you can tell when Dad has armed Shiffleys on his roof, *more laughter*. It is a great series with all that care and support from Meg’s family and their friends. You can’t help but love them.
I gotta say, I love color, and Mrs Winkleson’s passion for everything to be black and white does not excite me. I mean, black and white cows, black swans, matching fainting goats (their behavior is a crack-up) and horses . . .? Then her requirement that her party guests wear black and white? I’m surprised the food isn’t black and white. Her behavior and choices about which animals to keep are appalling. She gets even more autocratic as the story goes on. Everything and everyone must march in step. The gall of the woman!
I do appreciate the family passion about animal welfare, and Grandfather and Caroline do not disappoint, lol. Mrs Winkleson does, however. Oy.
There’s quite a bit about roses and the growing thereof. It did make me want to at least attend the show *grin*.
I gotta say the Hollingsworth family’s categorization technique for how to label aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., does make sense � and makes it a lot easier to keep track.
±õ³Ù’s a pip of a story with excessive pride steering everything. There’s plenty of action and mayhem â€� who knew a rose competition could be so deadly!
And Meg wonders why she’s in such demand for events . . . Duh.
The Story
±õ³Ù’s the Caerphilly Garden Club’s first rose show, and it’s being held at Mrs Winkleson’s fabulous farm. Naturally, Meg has been drafted to ensure it all goes well.
A good thing for a number of entrants when murder, mayhem, kidnapping, and a poisoning ensues.
Too bad that Meg does too well on this competition.
The Characters
The married Meg Langslow, a blacksmith, has no end of curiosity. Dr Michael Waterston teaches drama at Caerphilly College. Spike is their eight-and-a-half pound Small Evil One, who technically belongs to Michael’s mother. Ernest and Thor are their llamas
Mother, a self-confirmed human magpie, and Dad, Dr Langslow, have a farm in Caerphilly that they use as a sumner cottage. Rose Noire, a.k.a. Rosemary Keenan, is all about the environment and herbal everything. Rob Langslow is Meg’s brother and the founder and president of a Caerphilly-based gaming company, Mutant Wizards. Both Rose Noir and Rob live with Meg and Michael. The Hollingsworths are Mother’s side of the family. Cousin Horace Hollingsworth is with CSI for Yorktown PD. Great-aunt Matilda is no more � so it isn’t her. Other aunts, still living, include Patience, Beatrice, and Calliope.
Dr Montgomery Blake is Meg’s grandfather and Dad’s long lost father, an eminent zoologist and environmental activist who owns the Caerphilly Zoo. Caroline Willner owns the Willner Wildlife Sanctuary and is the only person who can call Dr Blake on his, um, stuff. Dr Clarence Rutledge is the local and zoo veterinarian. The recently found Cordelia is Dad’s mother.
Caerphilly, Virginia, is . . .
. . . where Meg and Michael’s farm is located along with Michael’s workplace. Seth Early is their neighbor and a sheep farmer. Henry Burke is the chief of police for Caerphilly. His deputies include Sergeant Epp Shiffley and Sammy Wendell. Debbie Anne is the police dispatcher. Dr Smoot is the acting medical examiner and a nutjob.
The chief’s wife, Minerva, is a gem and part of the New Life Baptist Choir. She grows miniature roses. Randall Shiffley is a friend and seems to be the head of the Shiffley clan. The Pruitts used to own most of Caerphilly County.
The unpopular (weird) and eccentric Philomena Winkleson, a.k.a. Old Wrinkles, is hosting the first annual rose show at Raven Hill, her palatial farm. Mimi is her missing pet Maltese. Her nephews by marriage � Theobald and Reginald � are banned from her farm. Adam Darby is the farm manager. �Marston�, a.k.a. Vladislav Konstantinovich Rozhdestvensky, is her butler. Her goats include the sneaky Algie, the paper-eating Elton, and Marguerite Johnson.
Other rose growers include Sandy Sechrest, Molly Weston, and Louise who turned out to be clueless about hybridizing.
Matilda and Adelaide are two black roses Dad is cultivating. Other roses that may be competing include Margaret Merril, Meidilands, Frau Karl Druschki, and Black Magic.
Millard! The Musical! is an off-off-off-Broadway show by one of Michael’s students. The Warrenton police are re-opening a case on a death.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a full-length grass green background that suddenly gradates into a white center that serves as a base for a black swan, on a flower stump with two red roses, who is being screeched at by a huge white swan. At the top is an info blurb in white with the author's name immediately below it in a gradated white to orange with a black shadow. Immediately below the graphic is an epigraph in red. Immediately below that is the title with the first word a gradation of white to red, the next two words in white, and the last in a gradation of white to yellow. All of them are outlined in black. At the bottom is a testimonial in white.
The title is all about Swan for the Money, two for the show, three to get ready . . . now go, Meg, go!.
June 6, 2017
I’ve been waiting for the chance to review a couple of specific books in this series mostly because of the necessity of rereading them, and
Swans
is one of them. I must have read this book a dozen times; it’s just so picturesque a setting and activity, and one ideal for the image of Mother as a true Southern lady.
Meg’s Dad and Mother are getting into rose growing and have entered the annual Caerphilly Garden Club's rose show. There’s a bit of bad blood between competitors as Dad’s found someone’s stolen his masterpiece, a nearly true black Black Magic rose. The Black Magic (the strain, not Dad’s specific rose) plays a big part in the book because the woman in charge of this year’s competition is obsessed with keeping a monochromatic color scheme, to the point of calling the competitors behind the backs of the club leaders to announce that the Show would be restricted to only black or white roses that year. Several people fall for it before her trick is discovered and either have no roses in showing condition or only have white roses ready. To keep her at least marginally appeased, a special trophy for black roses had been created: a giant, glass, black swan statuette. Which brings us back to the Black Magic rose.
There is no such thing, at least as of the writing of this novel, as a true black rose. The Black Magic strain can be bred the closest, but even at its blackest it’s actually a dark red, and the award goes home with whoever gets the closest to true black. Before the theft, this could easily have been Dad, who’s been putting all his energy in roses ever since Mother first got into the swing of rose showing. But the theft of his rose isn’t the only trouble the growers have been experiencing, or even the only theft.
The calamities all have an obvious suspect. Mrs. Winkleson, she of the monochromatic mania, is determined to take home the Black Swan trophy, but she frankly has plenty of other things to be hated for without poor sportsmanship being thrown in. Her black-and-white obsession is reflected in her hobby farm animals, and her nitpicky and mean-spirited behavior toward them puts her square in the crosshairs of Dr. Blake and his counterpart Caroline Willner. They’ve been receiving reports of her harassing her fainting goats and selling the ones that don’t drop fast enough, and selling her Belted Galloways when they’re born with a band that’s not exactly centered (a Belted Galloway is a black beef cow with a large white ‘belt� around its torso). This doesn’t physically harm the goats and the cows are left alone otherwise, but no one seems to know where all her livestock is going and the local vet is concerned, as Mrs. Winkleson doesn’t care what happens to them as long as they’re out of her sight. Not that she much cared for them either way, as they, her other farm animals, and her lapdog are clearly only kept around for decoration.
So it’s not a huge surprise when she turns out to be the victim of this murder mystery, but it does give you a turn when Mrs. Winkleson herself shows up at the crime scene to complain about the commotion.
Thank the heavens above for Caroline Willner! After Swans her purpose seems to be to show up anytime Dr. Blake (Monty) is around to act as his common sense. He'll get up on his high horse, his ego puffing up so much he starts to take flight, and you can be guaranteed Caroline will be beside him in a moment go grab his pant leg before he floats away and pull him back down to earth. She's also replacing Dad on Dr. Blake's excursions now, since it was causing he and Meg such stress in the last book, though he still joins in when he can as animal welfare will always be a beloved subject.
"[...] Frankly , I've been a bit worried about how much time and energy Dad has been spending on Dr. Blake's projects."
"Worthwhile projects, all of them."
"Yes, but I'm getting tired of having to bail them out of jails all over the East Coast when their protests tick off local law enforcement," I said. "Not to mention how dangerous some of their schemes can be. Did you hear Dr. Blake's plan for infiltrating a dogfighting ring?"
"Considering how familiar his face is from all the Animal Planet shows and National Geographic specials, I doubt if even he could pull that off."
"And even he realizes it. That's why he wants Dad to do the actual infiltrating, while he stands by with a camera crew."
(Donna Andrews, Swan for the Money, p.14)
The rose show was an incredibly lovely event for a book, and the Winkleson property made for an interesting setting. The spirit of competition runs strong and gives us plenty of suspects and distractions, and Donna Andrews manages to make you feel a part of the action.
The verdict? A great book with a lively story, engaging plot, and an interesting and picturesque setting/event. The introduction of Caroline who, as paired with Dr. Blake, both takes him off my least favorite character list (sorry Dr. Smoot, it's just you now) and puts her squarely among my favorites. Swans is one of my favorite books of the series and the second most-read in my collection.
I went over Cockatiels (no.9) last Friday, but the previous book was actually (no.10). The Winkleson property makes another appearance in book 19, .
Meg’s Dad and Mother are getting into rose growing and have entered the annual Caerphilly Garden Club's rose show. There’s a bit of bad blood between competitors as Dad’s found someone’s stolen his masterpiece, a nearly true black Black Magic rose. The Black Magic (the strain, not Dad’s specific rose) plays a big part in the book because the woman in charge of this year’s competition is obsessed with keeping a monochromatic color scheme, to the point of calling the competitors behind the backs of the club leaders to announce that the Show would be restricted to only black or white roses that year. Several people fall for it before her trick is discovered and either have no roses in showing condition or only have white roses ready. To keep her at least marginally appeased, a special trophy for black roses had been created: a giant, glass, black swan statuette. Which brings us back to the Black Magic rose.
There is no such thing, at least as of the writing of this novel, as a true black rose. The Black Magic strain can be bred the closest, but even at its blackest it’s actually a dark red, and the award goes home with whoever gets the closest to true black. Before the theft, this could easily have been Dad, who’s been putting all his energy in roses ever since Mother first got into the swing of rose showing. But the theft of his rose isn’t the only trouble the growers have been experiencing, or even the only theft.
The calamities all have an obvious suspect. Mrs. Winkleson, she of the monochromatic mania, is determined to take home the Black Swan trophy, but she frankly has plenty of other things to be hated for without poor sportsmanship being thrown in. Her black-and-white obsession is reflected in her hobby farm animals, and her nitpicky and mean-spirited behavior toward them puts her square in the crosshairs of Dr. Blake and his counterpart Caroline Willner. They’ve been receiving reports of her harassing her fainting goats and selling the ones that don’t drop fast enough, and selling her Belted Galloways when they’re born with a band that’s not exactly centered (a Belted Galloway is a black beef cow with a large white ‘belt� around its torso). This doesn’t physically harm the goats and the cows are left alone otherwise, but no one seems to know where all her livestock is going and the local vet is concerned, as Mrs. Winkleson doesn’t care what happens to them as long as they’re out of her sight. Not that she much cared for them either way, as they, her other farm animals, and her lapdog are clearly only kept around for decoration.
So it’s not a huge surprise when she turns out to be the victim of this murder mystery, but it does give you a turn when Mrs. Winkleson herself shows up at the crime scene to complain about the commotion.
Thank the heavens above for Caroline Willner! After Swans her purpose seems to be to show up anytime Dr. Blake (Monty) is around to act as his common sense. He'll get up on his high horse, his ego puffing up so much he starts to take flight, and you can be guaranteed Caroline will be beside him in a moment go grab his pant leg before he floats away and pull him back down to earth. She's also replacing Dad on Dr. Blake's excursions now, since it was causing he and Meg such stress in the last book, though he still joins in when he can as animal welfare will always be a beloved subject.
"[...] Frankly , I've been a bit worried about how much time and energy Dad has been spending on Dr. Blake's projects."
"Worthwhile projects, all of them."
"Yes, but I'm getting tired of having to bail them out of jails all over the East Coast when their protests tick off local law enforcement," I said. "Not to mention how dangerous some of their schemes can be. Did you hear Dr. Blake's plan for infiltrating a dogfighting ring?"
"Considering how familiar his face is from all the Animal Planet shows and National Geographic specials, I doubt if even he could pull that off."
"And even he realizes it. That's why he wants Dad to do the actual infiltrating, while he stands by with a camera crew."
(Donna Andrews, Swan for the Money, p.14)
The rose show was an incredibly lovely event for a book, and the Winkleson property made for an interesting setting. The spirit of competition runs strong and gives us plenty of suspects and distractions, and Donna Andrews manages to make you feel a part of the action.
The verdict? A great book with a lively story, engaging plot, and an interesting and picturesque setting/event. The introduction of Caroline who, as paired with Dr. Blake, both takes him off my least favorite character list (sorry Dr. Smoot, it's just you now) and puts her squarely among my favorites. Swans is one of my favorite books of the series and the second most-read in my collection.
I went over Cockatiels (no.9) last Friday, but the previous book was actually (no.10). The Winkleson property makes another appearance in book 19, .
February 18, 2018
Although there are enjoyable moments in this cozy mystery I have to say that overall it is too wacky for my taste - a coroner who dresses in a "dracula" style cape, a hostess who demands that all of her guests dress to match the black and white (mostly black) decor of her house and a herd of fainting goats! In the interests of fairness I must reveal that I looked up fainting goats and they actually do exist although they fall over when stressed instead of actually fainting!
So if you like a mystery studded with this kind of weirdness, read this book.
So if you like a mystery studded with this kind of weirdness, read this book.
March 18, 2020
I love these people more with every book!
December 18, 2020
4.5 stars.
A very good cozy.
A very good cozy.
August 18, 2024
Cute, though nothing really special, cozy mystery.
November 25, 2024
A fun little mystery, with some interesting characters.
February 3, 2021
3.5. I enjoyed the setting and the quirky person who only exists to be hated was clever(as were the goats). And Meg is generally at her best when Michael is not around. I wasn't a fan of the lack of quirky family members, though. They are, in my opinion, some of reasons the first few were good.
February 19, 2018
Another fun Meg adventure. This time she's helping out by organizing the Rose show. The event is taking place at the estate of one of the contestants, Mrs Philomena Winkleson. Winkleson is universally loathed as she is rude, mean, and devious. Not to mention she is totally wackadoo. She insists that everything be in black or white, to the point where even her livestock must be black and white (not to mention her roses). Her horses can only go out at night because she's afraid the sun will turn their coats red.
We find out at the beginning that Winkleson's dog had been stolen. And Meg's parents are frantically trying to find out who let deer into their property as their prize roses appeared to have been devoured by the deer. Meg spends the next two days at Winkleson's estate preparing for the show, looking into the missing dog, and of course stumbles across a murder. At first she thought it was Winkleson but instead it was a woman who looked (and dressed) like her. She was found stabbed in the back with shears Meg had made for her mother (and were stolen). Then later on that night at the coctail party, Winkleson was poisoned with cyanide.
By the end of the book, we learn that Winkleson killed Mrs Sechrest because Sechrest found out Winkleson stole Meg's families rose bush (Matilda) and threatened to tell people. Sechrest had been helping Winkleson with her roses but this was too far for Sechrest. Then Winkleson poisoned herself to make people think she was still a target.
While all this is going on, Meg is trying to find a way to ask Michael to buy a pregnancy test while he's out of town (she didn't want another rumor in town) but instead she kept getting interrupted so she'd ask for food. Then there were fainting goats, attacking black swans, cow thieves, and other crazy antics. Actually, compared to other books, the people antics were pretty mild. Still another fun Meg read and it seems that in the next book Meg and Michael will for sure be having a baby on the way.
We find out at the beginning that Winkleson's dog had been stolen. And Meg's parents are frantically trying to find out who let deer into their property as their prize roses appeared to have been devoured by the deer. Meg spends the next two days at Winkleson's estate preparing for the show, looking into the missing dog, and of course stumbles across a murder. At first she thought it was Winkleson but instead it was a woman who looked (and dressed) like her. She was found stabbed in the back with shears Meg had made for her mother (and were stolen). Then later on that night at the coctail party, Winkleson was poisoned with cyanide.
By the end of the book, we learn that Winkleson killed Mrs Sechrest because Sechrest found out Winkleson stole Meg's families rose bush (Matilda) and threatened to tell people. Sechrest had been helping Winkleson with her roses but this was too far for Sechrest. Then Winkleson poisoned herself to make people think she was still a target.
While all this is going on, Meg is trying to find a way to ask Michael to buy a pregnancy test while he's out of town (she didn't want another rumor in town) but instead she kept getting interrupted so she'd ask for food. Then there were fainting goats, attacking black swans, cow thieves, and other crazy antics. Actually, compared to other books, the people antics were pretty mild. Still another fun Meg read and it seems that in the next book Meg and Michael will for sure be having a baby on the way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2018
Swan for the money
Meg’s parents have essentially moved into their country house near Meg and Michael’s place in Caerphilly County, VA, and their current obsession is roses. They’re obsessed to the point at which they convinced Meg to organize a huge rose show for local growers, even though Meg knows little about roses. She learns quickly that it’s extremely competitive, and that growers are not above a little sabotage. The most difficult part of the job, though, is dealing with Mrs. Winkelman, who owns a large farm where the show will be held. The eccentric and unpleasant woman maintains a strict color scheme at her farm and enormous manor house—no colors other than black, white, and gray. Even her livestock follows the color scheme, with bad-tempered black swans, black and white fainting goats, and white banded black Galloway cattle. ±õ³Ù’s really no surprise to anyone that someone is trying to murder the irascible, rude, wealthy woman; they’re just sorry that whoever it was got the wrong person. Hopefully they’ll try again?
Another winner in the series! This series is so wonderfully ridiculous, with fainting goats and territorial swans and Meg trying and trying to ask Michael—who’s on a trip to NYC—to pick up a pregnancy test for her but she keeps getting interrupted and asking him to bring back NYC-specific food. There is tons of detail about the rose competition world—I didn’t know any of that—which shows how much effort the writer went to in researching this. She’s excellent at world building, character, and just writing delightful romps in which you never worry if Meg will really get hurt because you know she won’t. Even with all the murders, I wish I could live in Caerphilly!
Meg’s parents have essentially moved into their country house near Meg and Michael’s place in Caerphilly County, VA, and their current obsession is roses. They’re obsessed to the point at which they convinced Meg to organize a huge rose show for local growers, even though Meg knows little about roses. She learns quickly that it’s extremely competitive, and that growers are not above a little sabotage. The most difficult part of the job, though, is dealing with Mrs. Winkelman, who owns a large farm where the show will be held. The eccentric and unpleasant woman maintains a strict color scheme at her farm and enormous manor house—no colors other than black, white, and gray. Even her livestock follows the color scheme, with bad-tempered black swans, black and white fainting goats, and white banded black Galloway cattle. ±õ³Ù’s really no surprise to anyone that someone is trying to murder the irascible, rude, wealthy woman; they’re just sorry that whoever it was got the wrong person. Hopefully they’ll try again?
Another winner in the series! This series is so wonderfully ridiculous, with fainting goats and territorial swans and Meg trying and trying to ask Michael—who’s on a trip to NYC—to pick up a pregnancy test for her but she keeps getting interrupted and asking him to bring back NYC-specific food. There is tons of detail about the rose competition world—I didn’t know any of that—which shows how much effort the writer went to in researching this. She’s excellent at world building, character, and just writing delightful romps in which you never worry if Meg will really get hurt because you know she won’t. Even with all the murders, I wish I could live in Caerphilly!
September 24, 2017
Meg is organizing the rose show for the local garden club and it is being held at the farm of a rather obnoxious, cantankerous woman. The woman wants everything to be black and white including her animals..She is very rude and sabatoges everything. Meg is trying to be nice but it is hard. Her grandfather and his friend are snooping around as there are accusations of animal abuse. Meg's parents are involved with the rose show and are entering some roses in the competition but they have had some problems in their rose garden and suspect foul play.
After Meg finds a woman who has been murdered she tries not to get involved in the case but can't help it. Her husband is away in NYC and she ends up helping out the police and her parents.
A fun mystery with lots of discussion about animal breeding and roses.
After Meg finds a woman who has been murdered she tries not to get involved in the case but can't help it. Her husband is away in NYC and she ends up helping out the police and her parents.
A fun mystery with lots of discussion about animal breeding and roses.
February 12, 2018
Meg Langslow has been dragooned by her parents into organizing the rose show for the Caerphilly Garden Club in Donna Andrews's Swan for the Money. The show is scheduled to take place at the estate of Mrs. Philomena Winkleson, an eccentric and extremely harsh resident who detests all colors, insisting on keeping everything in black and white. One entrant even shows anger upon learning that the competition will allow colored roses because Mrs. Winkleson told her that only black and white roses would be allowed in the show. The owner of the estate told the woman this despite the fact that every other member of the committee voted against such a requirement.
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at
December 22, 2019
Meg Lanslow gets roped into organizing a rose competition. The show is held at an eccentric and unpleasant woman's house and murder ensues. There were plenty of unusual breeds of farm animals including fainting goats and belted cows, along with some evil black swans. This is the first book I've read in the series, so there were characters I didn't know (I read this for a challenge.) I did like Meg's grandfather and his woman and the goats were hilarious. But it got really annoying when Meg kept talking about her missing pair of secateurs - no one knew what the word meant, so she kept having to describe to everyone they were pruning clippers. If no one knows what the word means, why use it?
January 16, 2025
I've been trying a variety of different books this week, hoping to find the one that breaks me out of my reading slump. I can now confirm that Andrews' Meg Langslow mysteries aren't going to do it. Alas.
While some of the other books in the series have been genuinely fun, I was less than impressed with Swan for the Money. The plot felt absurdly far-fetched, and Meg was lacking her charm and vivacity--eleven books in, and perhaps she's getting tired. That's a lot of absurd murders to solve while wrangling an extended family that would give even the most patient person a migraine.
Update, 1/16/25:
I don't remember reading Swan for the Money before, but apparently I did, and was less than impressed. I enjoyed it this go around, even if it isn't the strongest of the series.
While some of the other books in the series have been genuinely fun, I was less than impressed with Swan for the Money. The plot felt absurdly far-fetched, and Meg was lacking her charm and vivacity--eleven books in, and perhaps she's getting tired. That's a lot of absurd murders to solve while wrangling an extended family that would give even the most patient person a migraine.
Update, 1/16/25:
I don't remember reading Swan for the Money before, but apparently I did, and was less than impressed. I enjoyed it this go around, even if it isn't the strongest of the series.
December 28, 2019
Meg, after being recruited to organize the Rose Show, is in the final days of preparation. Mrs. Winkleson has provided a location for a cocktail party and the Rose Show at her estate. Mrs. Winkleson is an eccentric wanting everything in the colors black and white, including her animals. A surprising ending when the cases are solved makes us love this author.
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