Meg Langslow is busy organizing the first ever rose show the local garden club is doing. The show is being held on the estate of an eccentric older woman. Everything, including the animals on the estate, is either black or white and only the perfect specimens are kept.

There's dognapping when the owner's famous Maltese goes missing. There's the mystery of what is happening to the less than perfect cows and goats. There is the chicanery around trying to produce a black rose. There are very territorial swans. And there is a murder and an attempted murder.

All Meg wants to do is bring off the show without a hitch - and somehow ask Michael, who is traveling to New York to see a production of Millard Fillmore the Musical produced by one of his former students, to buy her a pregnancy test. But she finds herself involved in all aspects of the investigation despite her determination to let the police handle things.

This was another engaging episode of a long-running series of cozy mysteries. I really like the way Meg takes her parents' eccentricities in stride. ( )

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. ( )

I needed the comic relief after the last books I read, but this one didn't seem up to Andrews' usual standards. ( )

Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews is a 2009 Minotaur Books publication.

I’m slowly reading my way through the Meg Langslow series and so far, these books have been a real blast. This entry, unfortunately, fell a little 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 ( )

from the wild book box & will return to it this round. Meg finds herself in charge of a rose show, held on eccentric Mrs Winkelson's farm. What could go wrong? Her father has a deer eaten entry, possible rose-napping, a corpse during the setup, a poisoning during the party...fainting goats, color matched house, grounds and animals (all in white, grey or black)..it's enough to make your head spin. Written in and executed in a folksy style, reminding me of Murder She Wrote. ( )