Michael is involved in a Revolutionary War reenactment which his mother is running. Meg is working at the craft show in conjunction with the reenactment. Meg’s parents are also around, with her dad running the medical tent complete with leeches, which are in keeping with the time period. Meg is trying to sell her wares as well as helping her brother sell his computer game to the right investor. Of course, a dead body in her stall is a problem, but one she can deal with. Now, Michael’s mother is a entirely different problem, and one that is not quite as easy to cope with as a dead body. Oh well, at least life is never dull for Meg! Trying to keep all the crafters in compliance with the time period is another problem, for another day, after the murderer is caught. It is an interesting time period, and exciting time for Meg, especially when she finally figures out “whodunnit.” Well written, this third book is an unusual and interesting addition to the series. ( )

Meg is back in Yorktown, Virginia, for a craft fair and reenactment of the battle that ended the Revolutionary War. Michael's mother is in charge of the event and is causing Meg lots of problems as she runs interference between the crafters and her future mother-in-law. Between crafters needing to be in costume and festival guards looking for, and fining, any anachronism they encounter, Meg would be busy enough.

Meg's brother has a meeting with a man who wants to buy his computer game and market it, but other friends know of the man and know that he is a crook who defrauds anyone who tries to do business with him. Meg is also dealing with a distant cousin who writes for tabloids and is looking for a scoop.

When the shady businessman is found dead in the back of Meg's stall with a knife she made in his back, Meg needs to find the killer before her brother or one of her friends are arrested for the crime. The investigator is a new hire at the police department and is overeager to make a good impression on the sheriff.

Just to add to the fun and confusion, one of Meg's mother's friends is running against the sheriff and looking to Meg for campaign ideas. She's already commissioned a dozen wrought-iron flamingoes for her yard and wants to take delivery at the craft fair. Meg is proud of her work but doesn't want to be known as the blacksmith who makes flamingoes.

Meg and Michael are also having some trouble with their courtship. He's trying to convince her to move to the town when he teaches. She's reluctant. They also have trouble coordinating their busy schedules to find time to be together.

This was a fun episode. I look forward to reading more in the series. The narrator did a great job with the various voices and with the pacing of the story. ( )

Gosh, this cozy mystery series is just so eccentric and fun. Meg and Michael have been dating for a bit and now are at odds on how to proceed in their relationship—specifically how to spend more time together when they don’t live particularly close to one another. While they’re solving that issue, they’re participating in a Revolutionary War reenactment/craft fair, where Meg is selling her iron works. Unfortunately, there is some intellectual property thievery going on. Even worse, Meg’s most popular item may be the wrought iron flamingos she made for her mother’s friend and she may forever be tagged as the female iron worker who makes the adorable flamingos. The orders won’t stop coming in. This was adorably quirky, filled with hilarious characters, lots of period dressing, birds galore and a fun murder to solve. I can’t wait for the next book.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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I'm kinda on the fence. Neither of the sequels have been as screwball-comedy-esque as the first. This one had one scene that had potential but, unfortunately, the lead-in was too long. Also there were too many reoccurring small characters from the other books that I just didn't remember. And the new characters were all introduced at once in the beginning and, therefore, hard to separate from each other.

I thought Amanda had some potential(as a new character) but she was glossed over. Nor was I a fan of where Michael and Meg's relationship was at. Personally, in view of the length of the series, it could go much slower.

I know that physical comedy is hard to write but she did such a good job in her first book that I have high hopes.

She does do a decent job at including a diverse number of characters and I found her inclusion of the topic of slavery during her treatment of a revolutionary War reenactment appropriate. No glossing over that here. I will give the series one more try... ( )

A blacksmith tries to impress her boyfriend's mother by organizing a craft fair at a Battle of Yorktown reenactment. What with the constant canon fire, the nosy Anachronism Police and an enthusiastically period medical tent (with Revolutionary War-era surgical tools, including bone saws), Meg's temper was frayed before the murder in her booth.

The time that I took to read this was well-spent: the plot and the pace are Sunday-afternoon-worthy. All the details are over the top (who makes wrought-iron flamingos? With pink finish? Who has one period costume for the day, and another ballgown for the evening?) but not totally inaccurate. ( )