Rating: 
Summary: A HIGHLY ENJOYABLE NEW VOICE
Review: I am always on the look-out for a new author in the field of cozy mysteries, but I am picky-picky. Donna Andrews pushed all the right buttons. Her sleuth is very amusing without being cutesy. Her plot works well, fresh without reaching for unlikely coincidences. And the humor was marvelously well done. I was also happy that, for once, the romantic interest wasn't a cop as I'm having trouble believing lately that there are enough unmarried, gorgeous detectives in the world for every female sleuth to have one. (I wish it were true, goodness knows!) Anyway, I'll definitely be buying Ms. Andrews' next book, MURDER WITH PUFFINS because I've come to care for the characters.
Rating: 
Summary: nice idea that does not work
Review: This book is based on an interesting premise of combining humor and mystery, but the author is unable to pull it off. There is little mystery, the characters are one-dimensional and unappealing, and the humor falls flat. It is one of the worst mysteries that I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: A new find for Dorothy Cannell fans!
Review: This first effort reminds me of the delight I felt reading Dorothy Cannell's first book, "The Thin Woman," so many years ago. Much the same style of humor, sparkling self-deprecation, and romantic obliviousness combine to make great flighty fun for the lucky reader. Unlike the reviewer below who thought this writer took too long to get going, I would not have minded had she stretched out some of the hilarious interludes at the dressmaker and family meetings. I'm eager for "Murder with Puffins" to come out in 2000!
Rating:
Summary: One of the most delightful mysteries I've read!
Review: How would you like to be maid of honor for three weddings? Your Mom's (to a dishwater dull guy), your best friend's (who wants velvet in July), and your sister-in-law-to-be (who needs a personality makeover). Well, that's that problem confronting Meg, the wonderful ironworker heroine of Ms. Andrew's delightful mystery. All sorts of weird Southern relatives are thrown in the mix. There's the gay subsitute dressmaker, Michael and his nasty dog, Spike. The mystery, starting with the murder of Mrs. Grover, the dishwater dull guy's ex-sister-in-law (family connections are very important in this novel), is clever and satisfying. All in all, one of the best mystery debuts I've read in years! More please!
Rating:
Summary: Really Funny!
Review: Move over, Janet Evanovich and Jennifer Crusie! Here comes another terrific author who writes hilarious mysteries! MURDER WITH PEACOCKS is a great read - very funny and very entertaining! The main character is Meg, a bridesmaid in three weddings this summer. Then a murder occurs. In between writing invitations, booking peacocks and other sundry bridesmaid duties, she attempts to solve the mystery.Add other fun characters, hilarious situations and a dropdeadgorgeous leading man (who I imagined to look like Greg Montgomery from Dharma and Greg), and you will have finished this book in no time! Bravo, newcomer Donna Andrews! Write some more - you're GOOOOOD!!
Rating:
Summary: Delightful cozy
Review: Fans of Jessica Fletcher will enjoy this comedy of manners. If you accept the situation and don't agonize over how our feminist heroine got herself into this fix -- organizing three weddings -- or how light-heartedly everyone takes serial murders, you'll have fun.
Rating: 
Summary: nice idea, but long on execution
Review: Just about any woman can tell amusing if not horror stories about wedding planning, either as a bride or bridesmaid. Since the lead character in this novel is saddled with three weddings, there are plenty of moments that women can identify with and laugh at. However, Andrews drags out the plot too long with one too many visits to the seamstress, one too many examples to show just how eccentric her father is, and one too many almost-but-not quite encounters with the man she desires but doubts she can have. I was ready for the "I Dos" to come much earlier than they did.
Rating:
Summary: A comedy of manners with peacocks(brides)- and a mystery
Review: A delightful heroine, Meg, overworked, has amazing energy to organize three weddings for difficult brides-to-be, one of whom is her mother. In spite of a murder here and there and near-fatal ``accidents," Meg tries to organize everything from fittings for gowns to addressing hundreds of invitations and even ``renting`` peacocks for her brother's wedding. In between her hectuc schedule, she tries to solve the murders as well, all the while hampered by demanding brides-to-be, relatives, an eccentric father and fatuous mother, and a host of zany characters.A fun book to read, as a mystery, and as a comedy and good natured farce on weddings, their rituals, and the entanglements of a small town where almost everyone is related.. Even the animals are fun... Duck, the Dog Spike, and of course, the peacocks. The unraveling of the mystery leaves some questions unanswered, but it's fun getting all the way to the end.
Rating:
Summary: Heroine is a wimp
Review: This book had quite a few funny bits in it, but the heroine struck me as a total complete hopeless dishrag. Why was she doing ALL the work for the weddings? Why did she care if the weddings were perfect if the brides were unwilling to do any work for themselves? If the best friend can't exert herself enough to choose a wedding dress, that would be *her* problem, not the heroine's. Why did the heroine have to address all the wedding invitations for her sister-in-law to-be? She didn't have a broken arm! It struck me that NONE of the brides-to-be did any work and it irked me that heroine took it all upon herself. Other than that, it was a great first effort and if the heroine gets some spine in the next book it could be great.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Funny
Review: I loved this book and was thankful I picked it to read on my vacation day. I was home all alone so I was able to read from cover to cover without any interruption. This wonderful book deserved undivided attention and it wasn't hard to give. From the first page to the last, you were drawn in to the characters. I've chuckled through some books, but I have never laughed out loud as I did with this one. If this was her first book, I can't wait for her next. She has now earned the ranks of being one of the few authors I will buy the hardback of.
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