a true crime christmas

Meg Langslow is used to a house filled with family and friends at the holidays, but this year, it’s just the immediate family at home. Her sister-in-law Delaney is on bed rest for a high risk pregnancy, and they are trying to keep the drama to a minimum for her and Rob. So instead of interacting with family this year, Delaney is laying in bed watching the chickadees who come to the bird feeder on the farm. She can even turn on a speaker to listen to them. It’s a great distraction for her, which works for Meg, who has her own distraction.

Meg’s grandmother Cordelia has put together a Presumed Innocent Conference, to bring together those who are interested in true crime and want to help those who are jailed but innocent change their fate. And actually, Meg has a lot of family there, as her cousin Festus is an attorney who helps those who are innocent get out of jail, her nephew Kevin is a true crime podcaster and a computer tech who often helps the police with investigations, her doctor father was the local medical examiner and still helps out as needed, her cousin Horace is a well-respected crime scene investigator, and her grandfather has established a DNA lab originally to help with his work at the zoo but increasingly to help with criminal cases. Add in the local sheriff and some exonerees to tell their stories, and the conference has a full slate of speakers.

But true crime fans and friends and family wanting to help someone prove their innocence are not the only ones at the conference. The podcaster known as The Gadfly, Godfrey Norton, is known for stirring the pot by telling lies about potential exonerees and doing what he can to keep them in jail. Cordelia wouldn’t have let him register for the conference at all, had she known his real name. But he got past her and showed up to stir strife during the talks. However, he took things too far, and Cordelia kicked him out of the conference, and the manager of the hotel kicked him out of his room. He reached out to Meg to try to get her to change Cordelia’s mind (as if that were possible), but she wasn’t able to help him.

And then he turned up dead behind Meg’s barn.

The good news is that there were plenty of crime fighters nearby ready to get started to find Norton’s killer, and the conference means that all the suspects are at the Caerphilly Inn. But it will still take all of their collective skill and expertise, as well as Meg’s ability to bring it all together, to solve the case before the baby comes.

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee is book 36 in the popular Meg Langslow series about her big extended family and their ability to catch killers. These books balance the warmth and comfort of friends and family with the darkness of murder, blending humor with crime science and adding in lots of heart and soul.

I am a big fan of Donna Andrews in general and this series in specific. I have read these for many years now, and I love how the series has morphed. At first, it was a pretty typical cozy series, but it has grown through the years into a modern series that includes true crime podcasts, support for The Innocence Project, and ideas for innovating with DNA research. These characters have gone on a journey, as many true crime enthusiasts have, from merely learning about it from documentaries and podcasts to jumping in to do research and help support those who are doing the work of exonerating the innocent. These books are not just cozy stories, they are a reflection of a larger community, and I for one applaud Andrews for working so hard to keep Meg and her family relevant.

I listened to Rockin’ Around the Chickadee on audio, and narrator Bernadette Dunne knocked it out of the park again. I have listened to many of these book on audio, and Dunne is now the voice of Meg in my head. I think she understands Meg’s intelligence and tenacity as well as her dedication to her family, and Dunne brings her to life in these books. I especially love listening to the Christmas mysteries in the car, riding around doing all those holiday errands. If, like me, you have a low tolerance for Christmas music, then you should give it a try.

Egalleys for Rockin’ Around the Chickadee were provided by Minotaur Books and a copy of the audiobook was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks.