Covers both print and audio
This is one of those series that when I see it's available, I quickly click request to review. I don't even read the blurb, check the length, or even the publication date. Hey, it's worked through the rest of the series so I trust Donna Andrews to deliver another Meg Langslow story that I'll find myself unable to stop myself from reading as soon as possible. In this case, I was lucky enough to have both the ebook and audio book, so I found myself flipping back and forth between the formats. It's always fun to read ahead and then check in with the audio version to see how closely my mind interpreted the voices. As usual, narrator Bernadette Dunne did her usual excellent job. It was extra fun hearing the soft, soothing, well, attempted soothing voices being used on Delaney, whose baby is due just about any time. Cousin Rose Noire takes it seriously when told no disturbing sounds or activities, much to the usually active Delaney's frustration. Of course, when your father-in-law is a doctor, you're pretty much expected to just go along with medical decisions. Good thing she has the Chickadees to distract her attention, even if she does fret whether they have enough suet or not.
That's where the book opens. The mystery that follows centers around a Presumed Innocent Convention set up by grandmother Cordelia although, as usual, the entire family is involved in some way. Dedicated to efforts to assist those falsely imprisoned in any way possible, it's the brainchild of the lawyer of the family, Festus Hollingsworth. It's also being held just before Christmas, giving extra emphasis to everyone's hopes that nothing goes wrong. Of course, those hopes are shattered when an obnoxious detractor is found dead. In Meg and Michael's backyard at that. Chief Burke's hopes for a short suspect list are quickly shattered when it turns out Godfrey Horton, aka Gadfly, seems to have a very lengthy list of people who'd like to see him dead. I wasn't feeling too kindly toward him myself after his encounter with sweet dog Ruth,
Distracted by everyday worries, like making sure her barely teen boys don't get into mischief at the convention, worrying about Michael being on the road to pickup and deliver family members, keeping Delaney calm, or at least entertained, and helping Chief Burke in the investigation, Meg is her usual organized, seemingly never unsure self. Well, most of the time. Ask her about her son crawling through the rafters of a loading zone. Everyone is also pondering what name Delaney and Rob, who are also fretting over buying a home, will give their child-to-be. Trust me, Delaney, you really don't want to name them after the scientific name for chickadees. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Nope, not telling.
Bottom line, there's a great deal more going on. The characters, even the minor ones or new to the series ones, are all fleshed out nicely. You'll feel like you know them all by the time you finish the book which moves along quickly and is hard to put down once you start. Needless to say, I was delighted to see sweet Ruth play an important role in the book, too, as the service dog in training by ex-inmate Ezekiel "Izzy" Blaine. Finally, for true crime fans, I must mention an important caution that Kevin issues during his presentation, that fans need to be careful not to spread false information or, in fact, even true information the police would prefer not be shared. That added an extra dose of reality to the book. Read it. You won't be sorry. My thanks to #MacmillanAudio - #StMartin'sPress - #MinotaurBooks for allowing me an early peek at life in Caerphilly for Meg and her family and friends. I'm hoping some of the new characters stick around, particularly Izzy and Ruth.
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