Hijinks and a murder ensues when the Caerphilly government buildings are seized by lenders after the former mayor absconded with the town's funds. Only Phineas Throckmorton, town clerk, has remained in the courthouse. He's barricaded himself in the basement with all the town records.

Unknown to the lenders, the town is secretly supporting Throckmorton and bringing in supplies via a tunnel under the bandstand. When one of the "evil lender's" employees is murdered right outside the barricade, the police with Meg's help need to prove he is innocent before they are forced to remove him from his fortress.

Since the trapdoor to the tunnel makes a horrendous noise, Meg is coordinating local entertainment - the louder the better - on the bandstand so that people can get to Throckmorton.

This episode takes place around the fourth of July and is filled with patriotic music and fireworks. But it is up to Meg to figure out why the evil lender is so intent on getting Throckmorton out of the basement before the courthouse goes up with a bang.

This was another fun, funny, and fast-paced adventure in the Meg Langslow series. Fans won't want to miss it. ( )

Some like it Hawk by Donna Andrews is a 2012 St. Martin’s Minotaur publication.

Caerphilly is in a serious financial bind and is staving off ‘the evil lender’ as long as possible. With all the town buildings shut down, the town clerk has taken up residence in the basement of the courthouse.

A secret basement tunnel is helping the town bring in supplies they ordinarily wouldn’t be able to receive. Unfortunately, when a murder takes place, the evil lender very well may get the upper hand, which would cost Meg and her family all they hold dear. To keep the lenders at bay Meg must work doubly hard to solve the murder, all while juggling twins and participating in the Caerphilly’s Day Festival.

Well, I am right at the halfway mark in this series! Yay! I love pulling out a Meg Langslow mystery when the mood strikes and catching up with all the shenanigans in Caerphilly.

The funny thing about reading a series in order is that sometimes the next book in line has a holiday setting that is a long way off from the one celebrated in the current calendar month. This book was set around the fourth of July, and to be honest, it was kind of fun- instead of Christmas in July- it was Independence Day in December. Ha!

While this installment has Meg run down to a frazzle, as usual, the book was perhaps a little too busy, this time around. There were some odd omissions- like Timmy- for example. He was never mentioned, and while I realize that with such an array of characters in the series, they can’t all be in every single installment, but it seems strange that Timmy’s absence wasn’t explained. Was he away at camp or staying with a friend or what? - Because he certainly isn’t old enough to take care of himself and as far as I could tell he was not given one ounce of adult supervision in this book- and it kind of bugged me.

The story wasn’t flat by any means, but the characterizations were a little off, somehow, and the humor wasn’t as prevalent as usual, either. I did like the plot, though, Meg was almost hitting superhero status with twins, family, (sans Timmy), solving a murder, and saving the entire town of Caerphilly! I got tired just reading about it!!

Overall, this was another one of those installments that was certainly enjoyable- but not up to the usual standards of the series. Long running series like these do tend to fall short on occasion, but there’s always the next installment too look forward to- so on to the next…

3 stars ( )

Meh. Too confusing and unbelievable. Really? I mean, really???

Also Andrews, as delightful as her tone is, might benefit by re-adopting a secondary plot line. She used to but seems to have let that drop. As blah as Elizabeth Peters' Peabody series got(by book 20 or so), at least she had that skill.

I know that it seems harsh but I also know that Andrews can do better. She HAS done much better. So I don't think it's odd for me to have better expectations. ( )

To me it is like reading a horror novel or fantasy or sci fi. I am a stranger in a strange land. I do not know these people. I am a voyeur. There is nothing about their lives that appeals to me but it is fascinating to watch and learn how the other half lives. I adore Meg but she is exhausting just to read about, being part of her circle....egads.

To me it is like reading a horror novel or fantasy or sci fi. I am a stranger in a strange land. I do not know these people. I am a voyeur. There is nothing about their lives that appeals to me but it is fascinating to watch and learn how the other half lives. I adore Meg but she is exhausting just to read about, being part of her circle....egads.

Reread May 2020 and it is as good this time as all the other times. Loved that the vulture went to Hamish's hamburger stand because of bloody clothes not rancid burgers, means Some Like It Hawk get hired by grandfather. Another book jam packed with things going on and large cast of characters and ...again..makes me tired just to think of Meg's life.
Meg helps run Caerphilly's summer arts and crafts festival while trying to smoke out a murderer—turn up the heat, because Some Like it Hawk!
The hilariously funny Donna Andrews delivers another winner in the award-winning New York Times bestselling series that has captured human and avian hearts alike. Meg Langslow is plying her blacksmith's trade at “Caerphilly Days,” a festival inspired by her town’s sudden notoriety as "The Town That Mortgaged Its Jail." The lender has foreclosed on all Caerphilly's public buildings, and all employees have evacuated —except one. Phineas Throckmorton, the town clerk, has been barricaded in the courthouse basement for over a year.
Mr. Throckmorton's long siege has only been possible because of a pre-Civil War tunnel leading from the courthouse basement to a crawl space beneath the bandstand. The real reason for Caerphilly Days is to conceal the existence of the tunnel: the tourist crowds camouflage supply deliveries, and the ghastly screeching of the tunnel's rusty trap door is drowned out by as many noisy activities as the locals can arrange. But the lender seems increasingly determined to evict Mr. Throckmorton—and may succeed after one of its executives is found shot, apparently from inside the basement. Meg and her fellow townspeople suspect that someone hopes to end the siege by framing Mr. Throckmorton. Unless the real killer can be found quickly, the town will have to reveal the secret of the tunnel—and the fact that they've been aiding and abetting the basement’s inhabitant. Meg soon deduces that the killer isn't just trying to end the siege but to conceal information that would help the town reclaim its buildings--if the townspeople can find it before the lender destroys it in a gut-busting caper that will have giggles and guffaws coming as fast as a four-alarm fire.

Reread October 2023..slowly. No mention of what happened to Timmy...Rod got the huge dog...Timmy to Germany with his mom???? ( )

situational-humor, verbal-humor, family-dynamics, friendship, cozy-mystery

The town of Caerphilly has been tossed out of its municipal buildings by The Evil Lender since the felonious former mayor did not make payment on loans which used the buildings as collateral and then absconded with the money. Almost all of the relevant offices and materials were relocated when the problem came to light over a year ago, but one citizen has camped out in an area of the basement which appears inaccessible and is guarding all of the documents stored there. There actually is a tunnel to the hidden area and it is kind of an open secret to the townsfolk who have been supplying foodstuffs and other necessities. But of course there are complications and a murder, so then the fun and the sleuthing begin in earnest! Loved it! ( )