pickWhat do a 30 year old jewelry heist, a murder in a columbarium (crypt) and a toucan have in common? More than you would think, as it turns out!
Also, I learned that toucans cannot not talk (I never thought about this before), and they are incredibly messy eaters that adore fruit.
pickI love that Donna Andrews writes a Christmas book each year in the Meg series! I quite enjoyed this installment. Michael is directing the Christmas Carol production again, except this time the actor playing Scrooge is a minor big-name, who turns out to be temperamental and rarely sober. As usual, Meg is quite busy - trying to keep the star actor in line and then stumbling across an animal smuggling ring - and a murder!
pickMeg is in charge of coordinating a charity show house of designers (including her mother). Though each designer has his/her own assigned rooms, Meg has her hands full juggling all their requests - and complaints - especially with a particularly nasty, selfish designer stirring the pot! When murder hits the show as well, Meg tries to get to the bottom of it.
Still a pick, but not my favorite of the Christmas ones - rather darker.
My book club reads a holiday focused mystery every December. Most but not all have been cozies. This was the one we read in 2018, our first year of existence. #sundayfunday
pickThe Halloween festival has taken over the town & Meg is in charge of the Goblin Patrol, citizen security. Dr. Smoot, the vampire-loving former medical examiner, is back with his home serving as Caerphilly history museum - and haunted house. 😆 Between the vampire LARPers, trouble at Grandfather‘s zoo, and the twins‘ demand that Tinkerbell and Spike have costumes, Meg has her hands full! Then someone starts a rogue scavenger hunt that turns deadly…
pickThe Meg Langslow Christmas mysteries are always a lot of fun. This had less Christmas in it than usual, but I still liked it. Meg ends up participating in a Forged in Fire type show and has to solve first the assault of a competitor and then the murder of a different one. Before I learned more about crows, I might have been skeptical of some of the things they do in this book, but I‘ve read about their intelligence.
pickMeg teaches her skills as a blacksmith at her grandmother‘s new Creative Arts Center on Biscuit Mountain. Bothered by a rash of annoying and destructive vandalism, the family rallies round to save new business venture - an immersive art school - from an unknown saboteur.
Meanwhile, Grandfather is throwing trash down the mountain to try to attract rare gulls. 🙄
#2017 for #192025
pickIt' I believe that this is my 34th Meg Langslow mystery! Cozy mysteries are a decadent "filler" genre for me; sandwiched in between the nonfiction and literary fiction. I've enjoyed watching the characters. Develop, your personalities come out, and the seeing her boys grow up. This book had a particularly interesting topic with the Blades Of Glory reality show competition about blacksmithing weapons. I love it when I can learn(cont in comments)..
pickWho knew little league Summerball could be so contentious - and deadly??
Fortunately, Meg is there to straighten things out! She, along with Chief Burke and Mayor Randall Shiffley keep Caerphilly running smoothly. It‘s a little stressful that Meg takes on so much, but so satisfying that she and her notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe can get so much done! In this case, cleaning up the ball field (literally and figuratively!)
#2016 for #192025
pickMy absolute, hands down favourite cozy series and this book did not let me down. While in keeping with the tradition of zaniness, this was less madcap than most of the others and was such a fun and quick read; I am zipped right through this! The mystery was fun and engaging, plenty of red herrings, oodles of suspects, and it was nice to focus on some other side characters this time around.
