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"New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews returns with another Meg Langslow mystery written "firmly in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie's Christmas books" (Toronto Globe and Mail). The 26th book and the sixth Christmas mystery in the Meg Lansglow series, Owl Be Home for Christmas is yet another wonderfully merry and funny book from New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews. It's a few days before Christmas, and Meg's grandfather is hosting a scientific conference on owls at the Caerphilly Inn. Most of the family are there, helping out in one capacity or another, including Meg's grandmother, Cordelia--invited by Grandfather in rare gesture of peace-making, to share her expertise on rehabilitating large birds, including owls. An unexpectedly severe snow storm traps the conference-goers in the hotel, and one of the visiting ornithologists is murdered. Even if Caerphilly is able to clear the roads in time, Chief Burke doesn't want the various suspects to scatter to half a dozen continents before he identifies the killer, so there's a very real possibility that none of them will make it home for Christmas . . . at least not unless Meg comes to the rescue. Full of intrigue and snow, this Christmas mystery will take readers home to Caerphilly for Christmas"--… (more)
User reviews
Come for the laughs and puns, stay for a good mystery, and perhaps to learn some things!
It's nearing Hanukkah and Christmas and India holidays, plus Japanese and vegetarian interests
Let the sleuthing begin!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St Martin's Press / Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you! !
The usual wacky characters, fun situations, and family fun, plus a beautiful late-book twist. Fans will not be disappointed, and newcomers to the series can dive right in. Recommended.
A historic snowstorm is covering the entire East Coast and trapping all the
The good news is all the suspects are pretty much stuck in one place. The bad news is that figuring out who had the motive, means and opportunity to off the victim is no easy task. But if Meg has anything to say about it she'll have the crime solved and everybody home in time for Christmas.
The snowstorm is a useful tool in limiting the locale to the hotel, much like the shipboard setting in Andrews’ last novel served. There are plenty of Meg's large and useful family around to help out with both running the conference and assisting in the investigation. This book also gives plenty of time to one of my favorite Andrews’ characters, Ekaterina Vorobyaninova. She manages to be both an imposing and charming character. The visiting ornithologists also provide plenty of fodder with their eccentric and infuriating behavior, which shouldn't be that surprising to find at an owl conference.
Andrews does a great job of showing Meg keeping the conference on schedule while also getting to the bottom of a thorny murder. She manages to do it with her typical humor, charm, and tenacity. Reading a Donna Andrews mystery has become a holiday tradition and nobody manages the cozy mystery better. Filled with action, humor and lovable characters, Owl be Home for Christmas is the perfect gift for any mystery lover and a great way to curl up and spend an enjoyable few hours. Highly recommended.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.
The worst of the bunch is Dr. Frogmore who comes from a college in Oregan that finds a way to not accept women or minorities. Its faculty is nearly all-white males and Grandfather can't stand Dr. Frogmore and would have seen if he could have found a way to keep him from the conference if he could have. He and his long-suffering flunky Dr. Czerny.
At the fancy dinner one night, Frogmore complains loudly while the speaker is speaking. Meg is close to doing something about him when suddenly he falls over dead. Everyone is in shock for a few minutes until it sets in. But the only one upset about his death is Dr. Czerny. Who will hire him now? His life is over.
Meg comes up with some suspects for the police. Dr. Green who argued with him and was on the side of the spotted owls. Dr. Lindquist who was on the same side as Dr. Frogmore but Frogmore he believed was taking money from the lumber industry to sabotage the debate and create chaos. Dr. Crane whose career Frogmore torpedoed so she couldn't work at his college. Melissa McKendrick who was kept from going to Frogmore's college by him because she was a woman and African American. Also, the three students who sat at his table because there was nowhere else to sit. And there's also Dr. Czerny for whatever reason he might have.
Luckily Meg's cousin Horace who is a deputy who does the forensics for the sheriff's department got stranded at the hotel and is able to work the case. The sheriff is at the baptist church and will be over by snowmobile the next day to take over. Meanwhile, he is conducting interviews via satellite phone. The suspects look pretty guilty as no one liked Frogmore and they each had extra motives to kill him, but you don't want them to be guilty as you really like them.
This was a fabulous book as only Andrews can deliver. But this book was better than her usual books in that the characters were truly likable and the murder victim was truly despicable. True to form she throws you off the scent in more than one way and leaves you complacent when Boom! the action really starts up. I love Andrews's books and her Christmas books are always a special treat. This one was a real delight to read and I give it five out of five stars.
Quotes
He sighed heavily. For any other scientist at the conference, I might have relented and run the copies. Not for a man I’d overheard agreeing to enthusiastically when, right in the middle of a presentation by one of the female scientists, Dr. Frogmore had said, very audibly, “But what can you expect? Women have no head for statistics.”
-Donna Andrews (Owl Be Home For Christmas p 13-14)
“But he’s nota misogynist—just an all=purpose misanthrope.” “About the only thing, he’s prejudiced against is stupidity.”
-Donna Andrews (Owl Be Home For Christmas p 43)
She enjoyed explaining things to people—especially explaining technical things to men.
-Donna Andrews (Owl Be Home For Christmas p 140)
He looked annoyed, but then he always did. It occurred to me that “resting owl face” would make a nice gender-neutral replacement for “resting bitch face.”
-Donna Andrews (Owl Be Home For Christmas p 213)
Meg's grandfather is
Now that Meg's twin boys are getting older, it's fun to see them taking even more active roles in the story. They're clever much like their parents and are active boys - through and through. If light, humorous and cozy mysteries appeal, then this series may be a perfect choice for you.
Synopsis (from publisher's website):
New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews returns with another Meg Langslow mystery written "firmly in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie's Christmas books" (Toronto Globe and Mail).
The 26th book and the sixth Christmas mystery in the Meg Lansglow series, Owl Be Home for Christmas is yet another wonderfully merry and funny book from New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews.
It's a few days before Christmas, and Meg's grandfather is hosting a scientific conference on owls at the Caerphilly Inn. Most of the family are there, helping out in one capacity or another, including Meg's grandmother, Cordelia--invited by Grandfather in rare gesture of peace-making, to share her expertise on rehabilitating large birds, including owls. An unexpectedly severe snow storm traps the conference-goers in the hotel, and one of the visiting ornithologists is murdered. Even if Caerphilly is able to clear the roads in time, Chief Burke doesn't want the various suspects to scatter to half a dozen continents before he identifies the killer, so there's a very real possibility that none of them will make it home for Christmas . . . at least not unless Meg comes to the rescue.
Full of intrigue and snow, this Christmas mystery will take readers home to Caerphilly for Christmas.