Probable Caws - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Probable Caws (Meg Langslow #39) by Donna Andrews

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source: Publisher

Description: Meg has finally found time to get some blacksmithing done when a call from her dad interrupts her—can she come out to Ragnar’s right away to help with the horses? Their friend Ragnar Ragnarsen, who is gradually turning the enormous house on his nearby estate into an authentic moated castle, has agreed to shelter nearly fifty horses for Hoof and Hearth, an equine rescue organization that has lost access to the farm where the horses have been living. The owner of the farm recently died without leaving a will, and while his older son Abel would be happy to let the horses stay, younger brother George wants to sell to a developer . . . and is suspected of sending a thug to harm the horses as part of his efforts to evict Hoof and Hearth.

That night, while Meg and her family are camping at one of Ragnar’s barns, to keep an eye on the horses, they discover that the thug has been murdered. Unfortunately George is alibied . . . but his horse-loving brother Abel is not. Neither are the hot-tempered founder of Hoof and Hearth or the passionately protective ex-jockey who serves as its stablemaster. Meg juggles helping keep the horses safe and doing what she can to help the chief solve the thug’s murder . . . all the while hoping that the killer won’t turn out to be one of the dedicated horse rescuers she has come to like and respect.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book: I really enjoy this series so of course I had to pick up this newest book.

My Impression: I really enjoy this series.  It's chaotic and a little convoluted and just tons of fun.  I especially enjoyed all the animals in this one.  I did miss the herd of dogs that live at Meg's house but this book more than made up for it with horses and crows and one particularly memorable scene involving the swans.  Meg's description of the swans and their attitude leaves little doubt that Andrews has some personal experience with the birds.  

This series has a large cast of characters but this book seemed to only include a subset of them.  Meg's mother and grandmother are absent pretty much completely and her father and grandfather only have very small roles.  That made the addition of the horse people and Ragnar's two staff members feel a little less overwhelming.  The mystery was interesting with a solid reveal but the star of this mystery (as is frequently the case with this series) is the animals.  I loved the crows and the different horses and any scenes involving swans never fails to make me laugh.  

This is a fun mystery in a fun series.  The mystery is a standalone and this book can be read on its own though it may take a few chapters to get the cast figured out.  I have found the series gets stronger as it goes along.  While I enjoy the early books in the series the later books are my favorite.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  I already have the next book in the series and am looking forward to continuing to catch up with the middle books.

Would I Recommend this Book? Yes!  The length of the series can be a bit intimidating, but you don't have to read all of them and they are a lot of fun.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *