Meg Langslow was actually looking forward to renovating the old Victorian mansion she and her boyfriend Michael bought. But she wasn't thrilled by the lifetime of junk accumulated by the house's eccentric previous owner, Edwina Sprocket. The easiest solution: hold the end-all and be-all of gigantic yard sales. But when the event attracts the late Miss Sprocket's money-hungry heirs, the over-enthusiastic supporters of some endangered barn owls, and customers willing to go to any lengths to uncover a hidden treasure, Meg suspects things have gotten a little out of hand…

Then an antiques dealer is found stuffed in a trunk with his head bashed in--and the yard sale turns into a day's-long media circus. Even worse, the suspect arrested for the crime is the person Michael needs to secure academic tenure. Now, Meg is juggling an ever-growing list of suspects. And she's going to have to outthink and outwit one clever murderer who lives by "everything must go…

Having bought the rundown farm house that appeared in the murder in Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon “as is” , Meg finds herself running a huge two-acre yard sale to clear out all the junk the previous owner left behind when she died as well as assorted family members who are selling their own junk. Cousin Rose Noire is refusing to sell Meg the bath products she wants, Cousin Ginnie is selling all the assorted lingerie her husband has bought her over the years making him worry their romance is over, Cousin Horace’s girlfriend (soon to be an ex) sold his beloved gorilla suit and refuses to say to whom, the late owner’s cousin is getting in everyone’s way trying to make sure the family gets their share of the sale profits and Meg’s dad is guarding nesting owls in the barn. As if that was not chaotic enough considering the chaos involved whenever Meg’s family gathers she also finds herself dealing with her mother’s plans to renovate and decorate the old farm house and Michael’s stall on the tenure track at the college where he teaches drama so the last thing she needs is a murdered body in the barn and Michael’s best bet for tenure as the prime suspect.

Another well-crafted, fun mystery. We are getting to know members of Meg’s family better as well as the locale, Caerphilly, where many of the later entries are set.  Meg’s family is just enough off-beat to be amusing without devolving into unbelievable  caricatures and Meg’s actions leading her to the murderer seem entirely normal. This is a delightful series and I am so glad I decided to start at the beginning once again. Highly recommended. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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