Meg Lanslow’s husband Michael is directing a local
production of “A Christmas Carol,” with their sons Jamie and Josh playing Tiny
Tim and Young Scrooge. Famous (and over-the-hill) actor Malcolm Haver, known
for a popular television series decades ago, has been brought in to play
Scrooge. Haver has been drinking steadily since he got to town, and Michael is
worried that he won’t be able to perform his role. There is also a subplot
about a rare finch smuggling ring, and Meg’s grandfather, who runs a animal
rehabilitation center, is expecting a Fish and Wildlife agent to stop by. Meg
gets tangled up with the bird smugglers when she is tailing the actor, hoping
to keep him from obtaining alcohol. She stumbles upon a barn with a rare tiger,
a chimpanzee, and dozens of Golden
Retriever puppies.
This is the 22nd book in the series, and the
fourth Christmas themed one. Meg is an interesting character—she is a
blacksmith who does ornamental ironwork. All the books have puns in their
titles, and birds figure prominently. They are good, page-turning reads—this
one had a twist at the end. There is humor, and they are not gory murders, but
more towards the cozy side of the genre. I’ve read maybe a third of her books,
and have not been disappointed. If you start at the beginning of the series,
you will follow along as Meg finds romance, marries, has children, and the
children grow up.
Writing and selling your mystery novel: revised by Hallie Ephron
Some Like it Hawk by Donna Andrews
Pontoon: a novel of Lake Wobegon by Garrison Keillor
How the Finch Stole Christmas by Donna Andrews
The Shooting in the Shop by Simon Brett
The Poisoning in the Pub by Simon Brett
Douglas Adams' Starship Titanic by Terry Jones
Murder Goes Mumming by Alisa Craig
Death Under the Dryer by Simon Brett
Dead Room Farce by Simon Brett
The Torso in the Town by Simon Brett
