Donna Andrews’ New Book: Too Many Turkeys, Too Few Corpses

For many years, I have been an avid fan of the Meg Langslow mysteries, set in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley. The titles, with their clever bird puns, have always been a particular highlight: “The Falcon Always Wings Twice” and “Murder Most Fowl.” The 35th book in the series, “Between a Flock and a Hard Place,” continues this tradition with its witty title, but unfortunately, the book itself falls short of expectations.

At 296 pages, this latest installment feels overly long and a bit preachy. To put this in perspective, consider some classic mysteries: Rex Stout’s “Fer de Lance” is 186 pages, Earl Stanley Gardner’s “The Case of the Bigamous Spouse” is 166 pages, and the iconic “The Maltese Falcon” is only 178 pages. In sharp contrast, there’s no body discovered in Andrews’ book until page 131, leaving readers to wonder what happens before that momentous event occurs.

What indeed? The story begins with some pranksters who lure 212 feral turkeys—not wild turkeys, as the book makes clear—from the woods into a truck. These turkeys are released at night on a street in Caerphilly, Virginia, causing chaos as they proceed to ruin lawns, gardens, and even paving stones in their quest for worms and bugs. These birds are portrayed as aggressive and dangerous, particularly the larger males, or Toms. Residents resort to using garden rakes and unfurled umbrellas to defend themselves against these feathered invaders. The narrative even notes that turkeys are descendants of velociraptors, implying that their violent tendencies are inherent.

The mayor and police are determined to capture the turkeys quickly, but with the peculiar stipulation that no harm must come to the birds. This insistence seems ironic given the millions of turkeys killed in the U.S. every November. Nevertheless, the turkeys in the story are to be treated with care, reflecting a strong emphasis on animal rights. This theme of animal rights is repeatedly emphasized throughout the book, along with mini-lectures on invasive species, topics that have seemingly preoccupied Andrews of late. There’s even a moment that touches on gender and language dynamics: the chief of police contemplates, “How did he recruit them?” to which Meg, the protagonist, corrects him with “He or she.”

Meanwhile, a TV house makeover show called “Marvelous Mansions” is being filmed in the middle of the block. This crew is shown to be inept, and the show itself is possibly fraudulent as the featured house is crumbling. When a body is finally discovered in a backyard shed, the list of suspects grows rapidly, including an enigmatic individual who occupies a rented room filled with a dozen computers and racks up a substantial electric bill. As the investigation unfolds, various neighborhood disputes and marital issues come to light.

The turkeys, despite the havoc they’ve caused, are ultimately gathered up and the males are all given vasectomies. The reader is assured that these turkeys will live out their days comfortably in a zoo, being observed for scientific research. Amidst all this chaos, Meg and the police manage to solve the murder.

“Between a Flock and a Hard Place” by Donna Andrews is published by Minotaur Books, spans 304 pages, and is priced at $28 for the hardcover edition.

Source: The Tuscaloosa News