Rating: 
Summary: Laugh-A-Plenty Kind've Read!
Review: Revenge Of The Wrought-Iron Flamingos by gifted writer Donna Andrews is an entertaining read that supplies the reader with laughs-a-plenty--it is a story about some of the outrageous demands made by a few family members and friends. A humorous story you won't want to miss...
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable comic mystery
Review: Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos takes place at a re-enactment of the battle of Yorktown. The conflict on the field, however, isn't where the real action is. Instead, battles between the craftsmen and the "Anachronism Police", legal wrangles over crafts software, and an unexpected murder make the reenactment look positively tame.Donna Andrews creates eccentric and engaging characters. Those characters are my favorite element of the Meg Langslow series. Meg's father, enthusiastically recreating 18th century medicine complete with leeches, is a hoot. So are her handsome and irresponsible brother, her elegant and surprising mother, and her boyfriend's formidable mother. The wrought-iron flamingos of the title remind me of a real-life wrangle in historic Hanover Courthouse over pink plastic lawn flamingos. I found myself wishing there was some way I could have bought those wrought iron ones for myself. If you enjoy a witty cozy mystery, this one's for you.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable comic mystery
Review: Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos takes place at a re-enactment of the battle of Yorktown. The conflict on the field, however, isn't where the real action is. Instead, battles between the craftsmen and the "Anachronism Police", legal wrangles over crafts software, and an unexpected murder make the reenactment look positively tame. Donna Andrews creates eccentric and engaging characters. Those characters are my favorite element of the Meg Langslow series. Meg's father, enthusiastically recreating 18th century medicine complete with leeches, is a hoot. So are her handsome and irresponsible brother, her elegant and surprising mother, and her boyfriend's formidable mother. The wrought-iron flamingos of the title remind me of a real-life wrangle in historic Hanover Courthouse over pink plastic lawn flamingos. I found myself wishing there was some way I could have bought those wrought iron ones for myself. If you enjoy a witty cozy mystery, this one's for you.
Rating:
Summary: Overwrought Spoof
Review: This silly and sarcastic spoof takes the reader on to the world of craft shows, reenactments, as well as overbearing, over extended families and overwrought relationships. It is a light frothy read to be enjoyed and not taken too seriously. Parts of this story are pure fun, some of it is sarcastic to the extreme, and some of it muddles around in circles. Meg, a single gal ironworker/artist, never really became quite human for me, thought that did not affect my enjoyment of this silly frolic where colonial times meet the computer age. The cover art snagged me, but the dear pink plastic (actually over-wrought iron) birds were very much in the background.
Rating: 
Summary: Good sense of humour
Review: To me this did not live up to the first book in the series, "Murder with Peacocks". The writer seemed to spend so much time elaborating on the settings - a craft fair at a Revolutionary War battle re-enactment - that she had no energy left to develop her characters. I would happily have traded several pages of information about craft sales and battle enactment strategies for some decently developed characters. As it is, there are a couple of bad people, a whole lot of bland but nice people and a pair of oddballs for light relief. Whatever happened to complex characters who don't obviously wear black hats or white hats? Having said that, I'll say that the writer has a pleasant light touch and her sense of humour and practicality shine through. The basic plot is good, but the subplots could have been developed a little further. I liked the juxtaposition of the high-tech computer world with the craft fair and historic background. I also liked the concept of the weaselly cop. We meet a variety of unpleasant cops in the cozy who-dun-it genre but I can't recall a truly weaselly one before. Now if only Meg's handsome heart throb would develop a mind of his own and some backbone to go with it.....
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