From USA Today bestselling author Leslie Langtry comes a former CIA agent turned Girl Scout troop leader and a laugh-out-loud mystery! Merry Wrath’s summer plans didn’t originally include an unexpected visit from her old friend, Hilly-a quirky CIA assassin who’s been forced by HR to take her first vacation in¿forever. The fact that Hilly chose a small town in Iowa for vacation doesn’t bother … Merry or her scout troop (especially since Hilly’s teaching them how to kill a man with one punch), but her former handler, Riley, believes something sinister is afoot.After all Lana, Merry’s arch-nemesis, is sighted all over town, and when a Chinese operative ends up murdered in her backyard, Merry starts to wonder if Riley is right and Hilly is secretly on the job. It doesn’t help that a group of cosplaying teenage druids have targeted Merry for a misguided ritual sacrifice, or that Medea Jones, cub reporter, constantly harasses Merry, seeing the former spy as her Pulitzer Prize winning vehicle out of Who’s There, Iowa.Merry wonders if her strange friend really is on vacation, or if she’s after another target? Is it Lana? Was it the Chinese operative? Or is it Merry Wrath?
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Make Believe Murder earns 5/5 Cosplaying Teens…Totally Engaging Fun!
Leslie Langtry has penned another entertaining “spy-not-spy” romp with a writing style filled with vivid description, lively dialogue, and the kind a “snark” that makes this a favorite series. The mystery is incredibly engaging and complex with loads of who’s who and misdirection and an “I didn’t see that coming” end where the bad guys are thwarted. Right off readers are thrown in the deep end with, for Merry, an oddly familiar predicament of being trapped, secured to a chair, a hood over her head, but it turns just annoying to discover it’s not her past but some teens engaged in cosplay. Even odder is the surprise arrival of an assassin-not-an-assassin and vacation-challenged former colleague who just wants to hang out. Merry is reminded by her former handler, now private detective, that her friend is always on the job and doesn’t do vacations turning the situation from odd to suspicious. A possible motive for her friend’s interest in “hanging out” is revealed when credible evidence is found to validate Merry’s feelings that her nemesis Svetlana “Lana” Babikova is really in town…then, of course, the dead body in the backyard and another for good measure confirms all is not what it seems.
Take that! In a first-person narrative, I was totally engaged in how Merry’s past exploits with the CIA are deftly intertwined to punctuate her skill, illustrate motivations, and explain how trouble just can’t leave her alone. Adding a delightful, quirky twist is her legendary Girl Scout back-up who revel in the suspense, hone their own skills, and often suggest outlandish ideas. Ok, I don’t see parents really allowing their daughters to be trained as super spies at such a young age, even if Merry tries to limit the sharing of her assassin friend’s how-tos, but it is the most fun..so, suspend your disbelief and enjoy! Other intriguing stories include Merry and her husband Rex, who’s tried to keep Merry from getting involved with very limited success, her friend county examiner Soo Jin and her new boyfriend State Trooper Ruiz, along with teen druids, a missing special corn crop, a nosy journalist, and a vulture and two cats! Wow! What a marvelous book!
Merry Wrath seems to be a magnet for dead bodies! In Make Believe Murder, a dead body turns up in Merry’s back yard, right at the time an old friend and colleague from the CIA pays a surprise visit. But who is the victim and who murdered her? Was it Lana, the Russian agent who is still on the run and stalking Merry, or is it Hilly, the old friend and colleague who is a known assassin for the CIA (although the CIA does not have assassins…) and claims to be on vacation? Merry is also the victim of several kidnappings, mostly harmless by some local teenagers just having fun, but also by a very dangerous person out for revenge. Add in her very clever Girl Scout troop, who seems to be getting even smarter (and dangerous) in each book, along with a few pretty clever twists throughout, a vulture who is always a good listener, and a cat (who looks like Hitler) that always seems to know the inside scoop, and you have a sequel that is very hard to put down. Leslie Langtry is so witty in her writing, and she always has me laughing throughout her books. I always have a favorite quote from each book (although it has hard to pinpoint just one because there are so many clever lines). The one I chose for Make Believe Murder, “I slept for ten hours. Which was unusual for me. Normally after a kidnapping and torture, I merely needed a nap. Maybe I was just getting old.”
What do teenage druids, a stuffed mouse mobile, girl scout troop, bird goddess, Chinese spy and Whovians of Who’s There, Iowa have in common? They are all part of former CIA agent Merry Wrath’s crazy life. This is another fun, laugh-out-loud story from Leslie Langtry. Merry Wrath Mysteries is my favorite crazy fun series.
This is an excellent installment in the Merry Wrath mystery series. This may be #12, but the fun has not diminished at all. The crazy antics continue when a dead body is found in Merry’s backyard. Plenty of suspects are running around Who’s There Iowa including a former CIA colleague who claims to be on vacation, a teenage reporter after a story about Merry Wrath, and more Lana sightings. Old favorites are back in action, the girl scout troop never fails to entertain. Rex, Riley, and Soo Jin have their theories and each contributes to the story. Make Believe Murder would work great as a stand alone, but for those of us addicted to all things Merry Wrath this is a must read. It is hugely entertaining, laugh out loud funny, and will keep you guessing until the end.
I was provided with an ARC from the publisher for my honest review.
Make Believe Murder is another great adventure with Merry Wrath and her girl scouts. This book gives a bit more background with another assassin from Merry’s past. I really enjoyed Hilly! Betty and her crew continue to show great promise as future spies. They have a huge role in this book. I laugh so much while reading this series. This is just another, enjoyable book in the zany life of Merry Wrath.
Love this series! Merry and her friends are a hoot. I laugh throughout the entire book. My girl scout troop was never this exciting or fun.
Absolutely NUTSO! Not at all sure how much more crazy this book could have gotten.
I so love anything by Leslie Langtry! She always has a great mystery . All of the Merry Wrath mysteries are so darn laugh out loud funny but the story behind the mystery is always amazing! I can never figure out the murderer! But this series is my all time favorite! Don’t miss this series, you’ll love it! I’m already waiting for the next book!