Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Every year Yorktown, Virginia, relives its role in the Revolutionary War by celebrating the anniversary of the British surrender in 1781. This year, plans include a reenactment of the original battle and a colonial crafts fair. Meg Langslow has returned to her hometown for the festivities - and to sell her wrought-iron works of art. Except, of course, for the pink-painted flamingos she reluctantly made for her mother's best friend: She's hoping to deliver them secretly, so she won't get a reputation as "the blacksmith who makes those cute wrought-iron flamingos."" "She has also taken on another responsibility: making sure none of her fellow crafters ruin the historical authenticity of the fair with forbidden modern devices, like wristwatches, calculators, or cell phones. She's only doing it to keep peace with the mother of the man she loves. And Michael himself will don the white-and-gold uniform of a French officer for the reenactment. What actor could resist a role like that?" "Meg's also trying to keep her father from scaring too many tourists with his impersonation of an eighteenth-century physician and preventing a snooping reporter from publishing any stories about local scandals - not to mention saving her naive brother, Rob, from the clutches of a con man who might steal the computer game he has invented. It's a tough job, especially when the swindler is found dead in Meg's booth." Now Meg must add another item to her already lengthy to-do list: "Don't forget to solve the murder!"
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
What a lighthearted gem of a juggling act! In Anthony and Agatha award-winner Andrews's third bird adventure (Murder with Peacocks; Murder with Puffins), ornamental blacksmith Meg, who's been commissioned to make a dozen life-size day-glow flamingos (three of which grace the alluring dust jacket), devoted sidekick Michael as well as their close, extended families take part in a lovingly depicted re-creation of the October 1781 siege of Yorktown, complete with cannons, costumes and a crafts fair. Enter the villain, Roger Benson, a businessman who has promised to market a game designed by Meg's brother. Everyone, including Meg, has some quarrel with Benson, who eventually comes to bloody blows with one of the other blacksmiths. Later that night, Meg discovers Benson's body in the storage area of her shop, an ornate dagger, her masterpiece, prominently displayed in his back. The sheriff, his deputy and any number of Meg's friends and relatives are suspects, but her dad is determined to present himself as the killer. Meanwhile, Michael's imperious mother, who's found with Meg's cash box after it goes missing at the time of the murder, strives to prevent anachronisms (eyeglasses, cameras, etc.) from spoiling the battle reenactment. With her trademark witty dialogue and fine sense of the ridiculous, Andrews keeps all her balls in the air with skill and verve. Agents, Ellen Geiger and Anna Abreu at Curtis Brown. Regional author tour. (Oct. 15) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
It's "period crafts and costumes only" at the Yorktown Colonial crafts fair, which Meg Langslow, ironmonger and series sleuth (Murder with Puffins), attends with boyfriend Michael. Michael's mom rules the event with an iron hand, but trouble arrives with the sleazy software developer who wants to preview a package authored by Meg's brother. Harsh words and fights ensue. The resultant murder comes as no surprise, and there are plenty of suspects. A fearless protagonist, remarkable supporting characters, lively action, and a keen wit put this at the top of the list. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Wrought-iron lawn ornaments are not something blacksmith Meg Langslow (Murder with Puffins, 2000, etc.) ordinarily wastes her talent on, but when feisty Mrs. Fenniman commissions a set of pink metal flamingos to replace the plastic birds banned by her neighborhood association's Visual Enhancement and Aesthetics Committee, Meg obliges, since the disgruntled homeowner is one of Meg's innumerable cousins. Unfortunately, Meg delivers the gaudy birds the weekend of Yorktown's Revolutionary War reenactment, when crafters are limited by order of Mrs. Waterston (who in her saner moments is the mother of Meg's boyfriend Michael) to clothing, tools, and merchandise of the 18th century. Struggling to stay "in period" in order to avoid fines levied by Mrs. Waterston's Anachronism Police, Meg hides the flamingos, along with the Lawyers in Hell computer game her brother Rob hopes to sell to software developer Roger Benson, and the CD-ROM given her by Tad Jackson, a software engineer who hoped to market his CraftWorks program until Benson's firm pirated its design. Instead, she proudly displays a dagger with an intricate falcon-patterned handle she made under the tutelage of master blacksmith William Faulkner Cates. Though Faulk approves of her craftsmanship, Meg's pride is short-lived, since the evening after its unveiling, she finds her dagger plunged to its elegantly weighted hilt into Benson's back. Andrews's humor is considerably dimmed by her resolute focus on the question of whether Meg will become related by marriage to virtually the only person on the scene she's not already related to by blood.
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