Book Review: How the Finch Stole Christmas! by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow #22)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun and smiles in this Christmas mystery

Cons: A few niggles with the plot, but nothing major

The Bottom Line:

Problematic Scrooge

Gets Meg involved with puzzle

In fun Christmas book

A Grinch Leaves a Body

Any fan of the Meg Langslow series will tell you that there are certain things you can count on when you pick up one of the mysteries in the series.  There are slightly wacky characters, hilarious antics, and a good mystery.  Throw in Christmas, and you’ve got a sure winner.  That’s definitely the case with How the Finch Stole Christmas!

This isn’t our first holiday visit with Meg and her family, and one thing we’ve learn about in past visits is that Meg’s husband Michael puts on a one-man version of A Christmas Carol every year.  That’s actually changing this year since Michael has decided to direct a production of it.  Meg is on board as the assistant director, which is really just a fancy title for organizer.  Even their twin sons Josh and Jamie are getting into the act with supporting parts in the play.

Since proceeds from the show are going to the community, they’ve gone all out and hired a star for the lead.  Okay, so maybe calling Malcolm Haver a star is a stretch, but he has a loyal following thanks to time spent on a cult TV show 30 years ago.

However, Haver is difficult to work with, mainly because he constantly shows up to rehearsal drunk when he shows up at all.  Every effort is being made to keep him from finding something to drink, but he keeps finding it somehow.  So, when Meg catches him sneaking out one afternoon, she follows him.  Where will he lead her?

Yes, I’m being a little vague with my plot teaser, but any more than that will spoil the way this story unfolds.  Yes, there is a mystery, and Meg finds a dead body.  But you really need to see how everything comes about for yourself.  I will say that I thought the pacing was a little off early on, but it picked up as the book went along.  The ending was a little on the weak side, although it did answer all our questions.

Niggles aside, this book is a delight from start to finish.  I can’t tell you how much I love the cast of characters, so spending more time with them is always wonderful.  While some of the characters border on the eccentric, they are all realistic.  And as we’ve gotten to know more of the regulars over the years, they’ve become more real as well.  That’s true again here.

I can’t leave out the laughs.  This series is known for it’s humor.  Somethings, that’s at a character, and sometimes that’s at a situation.  We get both of those things here, and I found myself laughing several times and grinning most of the way through the book.

And yes, there are finches in this book.  How they come into play is something else I am going to leave for you to discover on your own.

Because you really do need to pick up How the Finch Stole Christmas!  This is a book that will leave you smiling as you get ready to celebrate Christmas with your own family.

Looking for more light mysteries?  Here are the rest of the Meg Langslow Mysteries in order.