Finally read this for the holidays!
I was a bit skeptical having not read any of the series and worried that I would be lost. There are quite a few characters but the author does a great job of catching the reader up on important details. I never felt like I needed to go back to catch up. So this can be a stand alone if you're reading during the holidays, like me.

One thing that I didn't know was that there were quite a bit of religious connotations in a good part of the beginning. I'm not the type to read religious fiction so I was worried about needing to DNF, however it wound through the holidays and even mentioned the other holidays that a lot of people celebrate around Christmas. Lovely!

I enjoyed the plot once it got going, and it didn't take too long but felt a tad slow. Due to needing to get a feel for all the characters, I didn't mind this. The Grandfather who was trying to save all the finches was hilarious (and maybe reminded me of me in about 30 years! I hope so anyway!)

The author very easily knitted a group of new characters together, even for a new reader, that made me feel a part of the story. I enjoyed this and I especially enjoyed reading it right at the holidays!

How the Finch Stole Christmas
A Meg Langslow Mystery #22
Donna Andrews
Minotaur Books, October 2017
ISBN 978-1-250-11545-4
Hardcover

When Meg Langslow’s actor/professor husband decides to put on a production of “A Christmas Carol”, it becomes a family affair with the twins and Meg actively involved but it’s the actor Michael hired to play Scrooge who becomes the star of his own self-important, drunken show. Meg follows him, hoping to find out who’s supplying alcohol to Malcolm and also accidentally discovers an illegal exotic animal trafficking operation. Naturally, Meg and her animal devotee family have to get involved but finding a dead body wasn’t part of the bargain nor did they expect Malcolm to be pegged as the killer. And is the killing connected to the smuggling outfit or something else entirely? Meanwhile, a rescue group has Gouldian Finches being fostered everywhere and more are coming.

Anybody who hasn’t read a Meg Langslow book needs to run right out and remedy that omission but, please, start with the first one in the series. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on a lot of the humor and the family dynamics. Plus, you won’t get the full effect of Spike 😉

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, December 2018.

Another great read from Ms. Andrews. I always enjoy Meg and her crazy family antics. The mysteries are pretty good too.

The latest in the Meg Langslow series. The usual mayhem ensues, with Meg's extended family playing pivotal roles (this time, her father and grandfather), and Meg spending her usual ridiculous amount of time running back and forth between people and places. Someone needs to buy her an electric car!

Pace is excellent; the mystery takes place over the course of just a few days. The setting is adequately depicted, although I might have enjoyed a little bit more of a description of the town in its holiday finery, and the stage decorations. I sure was cold every time Meg was caught outside in the snow. The mystery wasn't terribly strong; I guessed the murderer and the reason as soon as the character appeared, but the story was so fun and fast to read, and I like Meg and her family so much, that I overlooked that. Formatting and editing good--very few typos identified.

I am so far behind in this series, sigh. But I just couldn't pass this up when the opportunity to review it arose. Fortunately, the story worked even though I was behind. I think it would probably work as a stand alone even if you've read none of the preceding books. Andrews sprinkled in the necessary back info and character info as needed, sparing us an info dump, and making it easy to understand what was going on.


The story was set at Christmas time, and it made effective use of the holiday; it's integral to the story. Andrews also made effective use of the theater. Meg's husband used to be an actor on a TV show. These days he teaches at a university and directs community theater. I always enjoy her stories that feature or make use of his acting. Not only do we get a behind the scenes glimpse but the authenticity is so strong that I feel like I'm there. Oh, and how could I forget the fan girl? The depiction of both hardcore fans and Internet community was spot on and respectfully handled. Andrews understand the power of fans, of fame, and of bonding.


There were several mysteries going and while I had my suspicions about some matters, Andrews surprised me with some twists. The story lines were original, topical, and entertaining. There were a few places where the story dragged, and the first murder takes place after a slow build up. After that, though, the pace picked up. The mysteries at first seemed disparate but slowly came together and I enjoyed that Meg worked with the police, not in secret or against their wishes. She had reasons for being involved, her involvement made sense, and I liked that.



"How the Finch Stole Christmas" was a entertaining mix of holiday spirit, humor, characterization, and mystery. I had a good time catching up with old friends.



Some favorite quotes:


"I don't think he's a homicidal maniac," I said. "Just a common or garden murderer." "Oh, and that is so much better."


But the stable wasn't unattended. Half a dozen cats sat solemnly in a circle around it, creating the eerie impression that a delegation of Easter Island heads had come along to join the adoration of the magi. Although the effect was rather spoiled by the fact that one of the cats was scrabbling at the manger with his paws, attempting to extract baby Jesus.


"I have no wish to defy the United States government," Manoj said. "But I have even less wish to disobey your grandfather." Nice to know he had his priorities straight.

First let me thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy of this book. Meg Langslow is on the hunt for another murderer, while trying to keep together the holiday play. With twists and turns and surprises it's hard to tell which suspect will end up being the killer. I love that there is a lot of events that are unexpected and not predictable like some other cozy mysteries!

<http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=64231>

This is book "22" in the Meg Langslow series and one of several Xmas themed mysteries she has delightfully crafted for the season. Each book is a fun read and a great sleuth. I enjoy the return of the multi layered characters , The homey small town is a delight and has humor interspersed throughout. This next in series is full of holiday themed fun as well as the excellent mystery. I give it 5 stars and highly recommend this series.

Meg Langslow's husband, Michael is directing the annual charity benefit production of A Christmas Carol. Instead of Michael's usual one man show, this time they have hired a big-name actor to star in the production, but Malcolm Haver has been a problem from day one. He's a raging alcoholic, chronically late, and just a complete pain. Both Meg and Michael hope that having Haver in the cast will boost ticket sales, if his out of control drinking doesn't wreck the entire production. Haver's contract prevents him from being fired so Meg and her extended family struggle to keep him sober enough to perform. This means following him around town and hiring a "minder'' to be sure nobody sells or gives him alcohol. Add in the annual Christmas pageant at church, the discovery of an animal smuggling ring, and her grandfather pestering everyone to foster finches seized from the smugglers, and the holiday season is keeping Meg extremely busy. When a dead body is discovered in the snow and their cantankerous star actor is a murder suspect, the holiday season gets even less jolly. Can Meg and her rag tag group of friends and family make sure the Christmas productions go off without a hitch, solve the murder and break the ring of animal smugglers before the holiday season becomes a complete disaster?

This is the first book by Donna Andrews that I've read. It's #22 in the Meg Langslow series, but I was able to jump in and enjoy the story without having read any of the previous books. I could tell that I wasn't up to snuff with some of the background or personalities of the characters from previous stories, but I was still able to very much enjoy this Christmas-y cozy mystery. My favorite character by far is Meg's grandfather. He is a side character and not as developed as some of the other more main players....but his personality is just delightful. His attempts to sneak multitudes of finches into the 12 Days of Christmas display at the theater and his habit of discussing inappropriate topics (like murdered hunters and how to fingerprint dead bodies bloated by laying in water for days) at the dinner table just made him the shining star of this book, in my opinion. There wasn't a single character I didn't like (well, except maybe for the horrific Malcolm Haver), and I liked the nice mix of mystery and humor. The plot moved along at a nice pace, and the mystery definitely had a few unexpected twists and turns. All in all, a very enjoyable cozy mystery!

I liked the fact that this book wasn't in a hurry to get to the murder. There was a nice bit of story before the body popped up. The side mystery of the animal smugglers didn't over-power the murder mystery portion of the plot.....the two intertwined to make a wonderfully complex investigation. The story moves along at a nice pace, and had several surprises! Nicely done!

This is a fun book to read. It's a nice mix of holiday theme, humor, fun characters and mystery. I will definitely be going back to read the earlier books in this series. I think this will be a cozy series that I will enjoy!

For more information on the author and her books, check out her website: http://donnaandrews.com/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from St Martins Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

This is the first book I have read in the Meg Langslow series, and I loved it. So many fun, quirky characters and I love the holiday theme. I will be looking for more books in this series soon!

This entire series by author Donna Andrews is so fun. She knows who to write a great mystery that keeps the reader's attention, and make us laugh while doing so. Just when I think she can't come up with another original story for this series, she puts out a book like HOW THE FINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, and I know I'm going to stay hooked, and looking forward to the next!

How the Finch Stole Christmas: A Meg Langslow Mystery
By Donna Andrews
Minotaur
2017

Review by Cynthia Chow

There’s no better Christmas tradition than visiting Caerphilly, North Carolina for further adventures with the hilariously chaotic Langslow family. Married with twin sons, blacksmith Meg Langslow had hoped that hiring a professional actor would lighten the load for her husband, who was directing the Christmas in Caerphilly festival’s charity benefit production of A Christmas Carol. To everyone’s dismay, Malcolm Haver was embodying his role as Scrooge, making unreasonable demands when he wasn’t falling-down drunk. Despite a possibly illegal edict from the mayor in a futile attempt to enforce sobriety, the former B-movie heartthrob still managed to find a bootlegger willing to sell him under-the-table booze. Accustomed to being the one everyone looks to for solutions, Meg finds that following Haver only leads her to more problems and crime. An exotic animal farm, abundance of animals needing homes, and the need to call protective services are just the beginning of obstacles that Meg will have to overcome in order to ensure another prosperous holiday season. Caerphilly considers itself to be an all-encompassing town – no one could is more New Agey than cousin Rose Noire – so the eccentric visitors planning to celebrate Weaseltide are more than welcome. All they have to do is figure out is whether Weaseltide has anything to do with actual weasels.

This 22nd in the series joyfully delivers more than its share of clever banter and absurd interactions between Meg’s extended family and the Caerphilly residents. Meg and the notebook-that-tells-her-to-breathe ensure that she often emerges as the sole voice of reason in a sea of chaos. Celebrity television host Grandfather continues his often illegal conservationist activities, which at the moment include trying to find foster homes for seized, formerly-smuggled Fouldian finches. While Meg’s father delights in steering his medical knowledge towards forensic investigations, her mother can be counted upon to ruthlessly organize and implement “volunteers” who promise to make it a happy Christmas for humans and animals alike. Murder, intrigue with the Fish and Wildlife service, and a missing actor are all handled by the capable Meg and her loving, if rather tumultuous, family. Serious themes balance out laugh-out-loud moments, and readers will be unable to resist finishing this warm-hearted holiday mystery in one sitting. This is a delightful and endlessly entertaining novel to be read year-round.

This book can be read as a standalone. You do nt need to know the history behind the characters to understand what is going on. This book centers basically on Meg Langslow. You are halfway through the book before a murder occurs.
The story begins when the town hires a named actor to be Scrooge in the The Christmas Carol which is being directed by Michael, Meg’s husband. The town feels this will sell more tickets. The actor has a sever alcohol problem and supports the traits that come along with that issue. Meg and the town conspire to keep the actor alcohol free. Also, there is a Game and Wildlife investigation into exotic animal trading/thefts which Meg’s grandfather is aware of and helping them find temporary homes for these animals. One thing leads to another and at least two individuals wind up dead.
My feels are mixed. I thought the book and characters were well written. There was too much Christmas Carol in this book. I did not need the actual play dialogue as often as it was presented. There was a lot of detailed description in the text of this book.
This is a holiday cozy that is sure to please.
I want to thank Netgalley and Minotaur books for allowing me to read this.

It’s almost Christmas in Caerphilly and Meg Lanslow is busy trying to prepare for the holiday. Her husband, Michael, is directing the annual Christmas play, A Christmas Carol, at his college. Usually, he plays Scrooge but this year, the Board decided to bring in, Malcolm Havers, a professional actor. Unfortunately Havers, who hasn’t had a real role in three decades, has a drinking problem that is wreaking havoc with the schedule and, even worse, the Board signed a contract that makes it impossible to fire him.

Despite every effort to prevent him from acquiring booze, including convincing every store and bar in town to refuse him, he always seems to find it. Finally, in desperation, Meg decides to follow him and ends up discovering a puppy mill and an exotic animal smuggling ring. The next day, the police, accompanied by Meg, her dad and grandfather, go back to rescue the animals as well as the old lady living in the house with what seems like a hundred cats. While trying to catch one of the pups who has managed to escape, Meg stumbles over the dead body of the man she had seen providing Havers with booze.

For some reason, Christmas and cozy mysteries go together for me and How the Finch Stole Christmas by author Donna Andrews fits the bill nicely. It is a fun read with lots of sympathetic characters, an interesting mystery or two, a nice touch of humour and, of course, a whole lot of Christmas spirit. An enjoyable holiday read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Stmartin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

This is one of my favorite series and this one didn't disappoint. I love 'visiting' with Meg and her family. This is an easy read that kept me enthralled from the first few pages.

The continuing characters are likable and each continues to grow. There are twists, turns and a lot of laughs along the way. I can't wait for the next one.

It’s Christmas time in Caerphilly, Virginia, and Meg has a lot on her to-do “list that tells her when to breathe”. Husband Michael is directing a full cast in A Christmas Carol, including a past his prime leading man with more affinity for the bottle than his lines. Trying to keep Malcolm Haver sober is becoming a full time job for Meg. As if that was not enough, throw in a stalker fan, foster finches, a literal zoo of other animals, winter weather, the black market, Meg’s zany family, and a murder or two and you have the perfect combination for a winning twenty-second installment in the Meg Langslow mystery series. HOW THE FINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS is just as good as the earlier books in the series and will please long time fans and first time readers alike.

The chaos is well controlled by Andrews’ adept and smart writing. The eccentric characters add variety to the story, and none of them are unrealistically over-the-top. I miss some of Meg’s extended family this time around, but there are still plenty of others’ antics to keep me chuckling. Despite the heavy dose of humor, the mystery is seriously handled, and I did not figure out whodunit until right before they revealed themselves.

I have been a fan of Meg Langslow since the beginning of the series and recommend HOW THE FINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS to any cozy reader.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars, I really liked it.

Book 22 in the series, but I think Ms. Andrews does an excellent job of making each book a stand alone story.

Every year I look forward to a new Christmas book in this series. Meg and her family never fail to make me laugh, and this one was no different. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this one through NetGalley and I pretty much snuggled down and read it in one sitting. My family is used to me laughing out loud when I read a Meg book, so they left me alone, haha.

I absolutely enjoyed the story this time, though I do wish we'd seen a bit more of Meg's Mom's side of the family again. They always add a bit more kookiness.

I got this book super early, and actually ended up re-reading it again just before the pub date. It was just as much fun the second time through!

Now to be patient and wait for #23....

How the Finch Stole Christmas is the 22nd book in the Meg Lanslow Mysteries series. This is a well written story with many twists and turns to keep you reading. I really enjoyed it.

Meg Langslow is back again. Despite just chasing down errant seagulls just a few months ago (Gone Gull), she's back this Christmas season to celebrate How the Finch Stole Christmas! And to share in the joy of the holiday season, she has brought her whole crazy family to the party, along with special guests. 

For this year's Christmas in Caerphilly Festival, Michael decided to change his one-man A Christmas Carol into a full cast, and the town put up the money to hire a well-known actor for the role of Scrooge. Malcolm Haver was quite dashing in his time (which was more than a couple of years ago), but he got the contract to join the cast, thanks to a friend on the college board. And he is enough of a draw for this production, so director Michael decided to make the best of it. 

Sadly, professional actor Haver did not decide to make the best of it. His performance is being badly affected by the alcohol he's supposed to be staying away from, and Meg is determined to hunt down whoever his supplier is. 

Also on her to-do list in her notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe is to keep her and Michael's two sons moving back and forth to school and rehearsals for both A Christmas Carol and the church pageant, find a minder to separate Malcolm Haver from any kind of liquor, try to keep her father from talking about the corpse of a hunter that was found in a nearby river in public and especially at family dinners, and (of course) to stop her grandfather from forcing finches onto every unsuspecting potential foster bird parent. He currently has more finches than he can keep in his zoo and insists that his friend at the Fish and Wildlife Service are about to rescue even more of the beautiful birds from an animal smuggling operation. Oh, and Reverend Robin has asked her to figure out what "Weaseltide" is, so she'll know if it's okay to celebrate it at the church. 

So basically for Meg, it's just another day in Caerphilly. 

Join Donna Andrews in celebrating this 22nd book in the Meg Langslow series of witty bird mysteries. There is no family as adorable and insane as Meg's, and there is no time like the holidays to jump into the middle of the craziness and make yourself a part of it all. Andrews' writing is smart and compelling, and you'll feel just at home in her 22nd book as you do in her first. Jump in anywhere in the series, but make sure to celebrate this holiday season with Meg, Michael, their sons, her parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends as well as a literal zoo of animals. 

Do I really have to say how much I love this book, and really every book in this series? Meg Langslow is who I want to be when I grow up, and I would read any and every book that Donna Andrews could write about her (or about anyone else). How the Finch Stole Christmas! is a must-read this holiday season, and the perfect reread for Christmases to come!



Galleys for How the Finch Stole Christmas! were provided by St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.

My feelings on this are slightly complicated. Overall, I really enjoyed it. My only issue is that parts of the story had a disconnected feeling to them. Other than that, it was great.