Cover of Hen of the Baskervilles

Hen of the Baskervilles

Meg Langslow seriesbook 15 of 22Next:Duck the Halls(2013) →

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

Read more

The newest mystery in Donna Andrews's gut-bustingly funny, award-winning, New York Timesbestselling 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.

Audience
adult
Length
medium · 320 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it. Point at it (on a phone, tap it) for less of it instead.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked Hen of the Baskervilles? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked Hen of the Baskervilles. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. Sex, Lies, and Snickerdoodles Shares cozy mystery, mystery, humor
  2. Little Black Book of Murder Shares cozy mystery, mystery, fiction
  3. Mother's Little Helper Shares cozy mystery, mystery, humor
  4. Choke Shares cozy mystery, mystery, humor

“People who read Hen of the Baskervilles tend to reach for these next.”

  1. The Chocolate Book Bandit
  2. Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch
  3. Death on a Platter
  4. Death Makes the Cut

“If you want more of the same (mystery about animals), start with these.”

  1. Citizen Insane
  2. Killer Closet Case
  3. Double Up
  4. Merit Badge Murder

“If it was the cozy mystery that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. Elvis And The Memphis Mambo Murders
  2. Dead in the Water
  3. Elvis and the Tropical Double Trouble
  4. Undertaking Irene: A Jane Delaney Mystery, book 1

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. Solutions and Other Problems
  2. The Profitable Hobby Farm, How to Build a Sustainable Local Foods Business
  3. Bad Boys Get Henpecked!
  4. Chickens to the Rescue