a murder and crows for christmas

It’s Christmas again in Caerphilly, but Meg Langslow isn’t at home surrounded by family as usual. Instead, she’s working as a gofer at her friend Ragnar’s farm. Her blacksmithing teacher and mentor Faulk has agreed to be in a blade-making competition, and Meg has agreed to hang around and help things go smoothly, even though she has no interest in competing herself. There are six bladesmiths who will be competing until there in only one left standing. The filming is taking place in a tent at Ragnar’s, so that’s where Meg is spending her time.

But when Faulk is attacked and left with a broken arm and a possible concussion, Meg is asked to step in and compete for him. Meg is reluctant, but when she finds out that Faulk and his partner Tad had also invested money in the production, she feels like she has to help them out. The host is another of Faulk’s former students, Alec, who never found as much success at the forge as Meg had. He had helped put the production together, tapping friends to compete and finding the producers. Alec was also the one who got Faulk and Tad to invest in Blades of Glory.

Now that Meg has decided to compete, her husband Michael and twin boys move out to the farm also (it’s a really big farm). And since one of the competitors was attacked, the police chief sends one of his deputies to take over Meg’s place as gofer and to keep an eye on the other competitors. But even with an undercover deputy, Meg still uncovers sabotage on the set during the first day’s competition. They were tasked with making knives 6-8 inches long, and someone was turning the dials on the forges, either making them too hot or not hot enough to make a strong knife.

Meg takes some inspiration from the crows that have been hanging around the tent and adds a decorative note to the handle of her dagger. And after a long and exhausting first day, she falls into bed and sleeps hard, resting up for more days of competing and for the upcoming holidays, which will offer a break from the blade-making. The snow is holding off so far, but the decorating and baking are going full-tilt in the castle, with Meg’s mother overseeing the abundant Christmas decorations and her cousin Rose Noire helping Ragnar’s cook in the kitchen.

But when one of the competitors is found dead in the cow pasture, Meg knows that there is more going on with Blades of Glory than meets the eye. She can find help for some of the issues, like the production assistant—a relative of one of the producers—who is unhappy with her work and is getting harassed by one of the contestants. She can help Ragnar keep the secret passageway in the library working smoothly. She can help the police chief find clues that will lead to a murderer. But she can’t talk her way out of the moment the killer decides she knows too much and pulls a gun on her. Will she be able to find help in time, or will there be another murder?

Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! is the latest book in Donna Andrews’ popular Meg Langslow mysteries. This Christmas-themed mystery is number 34 in these cozies that center on Meg and her extended family in the small Virginia town of Caerphilly. As Meg’s group of family and friends grow, her resources for solving crime and helping her community grows stronger and smarter, making these novels smart and current and generous.

I have loved these books for years, ever since Meg found penguins in her basement, and they just keep getting better. This one involves a blade-making competition a little like the popular Forged in Fire series (although this production company is sketchy, to say the least), and I could not be happier about that. In fact, I think I may have begged the universe for it several years ago, wishing I could see a female blacksmith as strong as Meg compete. I thought her intelligence and work ethic would take her far, and no matter what happened, she would always be the winner in my book. So this is more than just another wonderful, witty, warm-hearted mystery novel, this is a true gift for fans like me who also love a good knife competition. I don’t even know what to ask for next, except to say more, please more. And to say thank you!

Egalleys for Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! were provided by Minotaur Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.