Meg Langslow and her crazy family are at it again. In Gone Gull, the 21st book in this series, Meg is helping out her grandmother Cordelia at the Biscuit Mountain Craft Center, teaching metalworking for the summer. She is joined by her husband Michael, teaching children's theater (including their 8-year-old twins), her father, her mother, and a bevy of other relatives all teaching various arts, crafts, computer and law enforcement classes.
It's the second week of summer classes, and Cordela and Meg are concerned. The first week saw a rash of vandalism--photographs covered in condiments, watercolors destroyed by rain. They were hoping that the vandal had had his fun and moved on, but then several pieces of questionable lingerie show up in one of the studios. These curiosities mean that it's time for Meg to gather the forces to investigate.
Cordelia is worried that her art center rival is behind all this, Calvin Whiffletree of Jazz Hands Art Academy, and that he won't stop until he shuts her down. Meg's grandfather is worried that someone from Smith Enterprises is sending in a mole (or a series of them) to infiltrate and bring Biscuit Mountain down so they can buy the property for a song. Meanwhile, Meg keeps an open mind and checks out all the teachers and students she's not already related to.
But the investigation gets serious when one of the art instructors turns up dead. Is this the work of the vandal too, or does it have something to do with a painting of a seagull he'd done recently? While Meg and her family hunt down the killer, her grandfather is off on a wild gull chase, trying to find the bird in the painting. It's up to that crazy Langslow clan to once again save the day, solve the crime, and make the world safe for the birds and the bird lovers. But as talented as they are, can they accomplish all that in time to save Biscuit Mountain from those who want to destroy it?
Donna Andrews has scored anew with her amazing storytelling and the charming Langslow family. After twenty books, these still feel fresh and make me long to be a part of a crazy family like Meg's. For anyone not familiar with the work of Donna Andrews, this series is a fantastic read for cozy fans and the first name I reach for when I want a funny, charming, well-written murder mystery. Read her books in order, read them in any order, just read them and share them with your friends. There is not a bad one in the bunch. For anyone who is familiar with this series (Hi, Mom!), Gone Gull is as fantastic as the rest of the books in this series and might even rival my personal favorite, The Penguin Who Knew Too Much, as the best of the best. Clever, charming, and a true dream to read.
Galleys for Gone Gull were provided by Minotaur Books through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.