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 (Minotaur Books) through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.