Croquet is a genteel game, usually played on a summer afternoon on a tranquil green lawn. Extreme Croquet is a whole other story. That's what Meg Langslow and her new friends are playing on the several-acre farm of her new neighbor, a countryside studded with rocks, steep hills, and placid, seemingly immovable cows. While this society game can get quite warm, it hasn't reached the stage of actual homicide at least not until Meg knocks her ball down a small cliff and encounters the body of a dead woman.

Meg is trying to oversee the renovation of the dilapidated farmhouse she and Michael purchased but what she is doing is playing in an eXtreme Croquet tournament on a course that covers several acres of the neighboring farmer’s fields. As usual there is a crowd on her property - numerous members of the Shiffley family working on the renovations, numerous members of Meg’s family organizing picnics and entertainment and, of course, the members of the four teams competing in the tournament. Competition is cutthroat and then as Meg searches for her ball she finds a body.  Once identified it turns out many of the people playing had reasons to murder the woman but murder is not the only thing worrying Meg as it appears the neighbor’s farm is going to be purchased by a developer and turned into a huge outlet mall right next door to her newly purchased home.

The description of the game almost makes me want to play. We are starting to meet many of the local residents of Caerphilly who will feature in future entries in the series. The murderer was not who I pegged as guilty but the motive was well-plotted. This series is highly recommended. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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