Die like an eagle

Biff Brown, the opinionated, verbally abusive head of the Summerball Youth Baseball League, is giving Meg Langslow headaches on two fronts. First of all, her twin sons are in the league, and Biff runs it like a dictatorship. Second, Biff is the owner of the construction company that is contracted to renovate the Caerphilly, Virginia, town square by Memorial Day, six weeks away, and nothing has been done; Meg, as executive assistant to the mayor, has been leaving Biff daily messages, which he is dodging. When Biff's half-brother, Shep Henson, is found murdered in a Porta-Potty, the consensusis that he was mistaken for Biff, who has no shortage of enemies. Meg, along with help from her relatives, friends, and other baseball parents, works to unseat Biff as head of the league, while investigating him as a possible murderer. As always, the ever efficient Meg and the quirky townspeople of Caerphilly add humor to a long-running, satisfying series that will appeal to fans of Nancy Atherton's family-centered, village-set Aunt Dimity series.--O'Brien, Sue Copyright 2016 Booklist

In Agatha-winner Andrews's charming 20th Meg Langslow mystery (after 2015's Lord of the Wings), tenacious Meg must tangle with the dictatorial Summerball Youth Baseball League president and town contractor, Biff Brown. As special assistant to the mayor of Caerphilly, Va., Meg has had the job of hounding dodgy Biff about his unfulfilled government contracts. He's clearly responsible for the dilapidated baseball field, where one day before a game the umpire, who happens to be Biff's half-brother, is found dead of a gunshot wound inside the ball field's lone portable toilet. Was Biff the culprit? Since plenty of people around the league (and the town, and the county), including family members, have a beef with Biff, Meg suspects that the bullet that hit his look-alike half-brother was really meant for him. As always, Meg turns sleuth and jumps to the rescue when needed. With its well-spun plots and distinctive characters, Andrews's amusing avian-named series shows no signs of growing stale. Agent: Ellen Geiger, Frances Goldin Literary Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.