Series · cozy mystery
Meg Langslow
The Meg Langslow series by Donna Andrews has 38 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Murder with Peacocks (1999). The next book, Probable Caws, is due 4 August 2026.
- Books
- 38 books
- First published
- 1999
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: Murder with Peacocks (1999) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Murder with Peacocks
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Murder with Puffins
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Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos
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Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon
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We'll Always Have Parrots
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Owls Well That Ends Well
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No Nest for the Wicket
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The Penguin Who Knew Too Much
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Cockatiels at Seven
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Six Geese A-Slaying
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Swan for the Money
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Stork Raving Mad
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The Real Macaw
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Some Like It Hawk
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The Hen of the Baskervilles
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Duck the Halls
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The Good, the Bad, and the Emus
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The Nightingale Before Christmas
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Lord of the Wings
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Die Like an Eagle
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Gone Gull
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How the Finch Stole Christmas!
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Toucan Keep a Secret
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Lark! the Herald Angels Sing
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Terns of Endearment
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Owl Be Home for Christmas
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The Falcon Always Wings Twice
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Gift of the Magpie
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Murder Most Fowl
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The Twelve Jays of Christmas
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Round Up the Usual Peacocks
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Dashing Through the Snowbirds
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Birder, She Wrote
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Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow!
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Between a Flock and a Hard Place
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Rockin' Around the Chickadee
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For Duck's Sake
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Five Golden Wings
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About the Meg Langslow series
Meg Langslow is a blacksmith and metal sculptor in the small Virginia town of Caerphilly, saddled with the most theatrically eccentric extended family in cozy fiction: a scene-stealing mother obsessed with weddings and etiquette, a retired-doctor father who treats every case as a real-life mystery novel, and assorted relatives who show up uninvited and never leave. Every book drops a body into some corner of small-town Virginia life — crafts fairs, historical reenactments, faculty politics at the local college, holiday pageants — and lets Meg's dry, exasperated narration and practical problem-solving skills untangle it while she fields her family's chaos in the background.
Donna Andrews built the series on pun-stacked animal-themed titles (Murder with Peacocks, Six Geese A-Slaying, Toucan Keep a Secret) and a starting premise that never gets old: Meg is the only functional adult in a family of glorious oddballs, and the mysteries are as much about managing her relatives as solving the crime. The tone is broad, funny, and fast-paced rather than dark, with running gags (her father's amateur-detective enthusiasm, her grandfather's animal-rescue obsession) that deepen rather than repeat across 38-plus books. It's a reliable pick for readers who want laugh-out-loud cozy mystery with a big, affectionately drawn ensemble cast and a heroine who'd rather be welding.
How to read this series
Publication order, starting with Murder with Peacocks. Each book is a self-contained mystery, so the series is unusually friendly to jumping in anywhere — but starting at book one lets you meet Meg's family in the order Andrews introduces them, which pays off as the ensemble grows. Meg's own life (marriage to Michael, eventually children) develops gradually across the series without demanding strict sequential reading.
The holiday-themed entries (Six Geese A-Slaying, Duck the Halls, and the growing string of Christmas titles) are simply the seasonal books in the main numbered sequence — read them in publication order along with everything else, there's no separate holiday-only track.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Meg Langslow series?
There are 38 published Meg Langslow novels, from Murder with Peacocks (1999) to Five Golden Wings (2025). A 39th book, Probable Caws, is expected 4 August 2026, with a further title, Jay to the World, expected 13 October 2026.
What order should I read the Meg Langslow books in?
Publication order, starting with Murder with Peacocks. Each mystery stands alone, but starting at book one lets you meet Meg's family as Donna Andrews introduces them.
Is the Meg Langslow series finished?
No, it's ongoing. Donna Andrews publishes roughly one to two new Meg Langslow mysteries a year, with Probable Caws and Jay to the World both expected in 2026.
Do I need to read the Meg Langslow books in order?
Not strictly — each mystery is self-contained — but reading in publication order lets Meg's marriage, family, and the town of Caerphilly develop the way Andrews intended.
Are the Christmas-themed Meg Langslow books a separate series?
No. Titles like Six Geese A-Slaying, Duck the Halls, and How the Finch Stole Christmas! are simply the holiday-set entries within the main numbered series, not a spin-off.
Reading order last verified .