Part of Meg Langslow, book 16
First published 2013
Meg Langslow's Christmas preparations take a chaotic turn when someone plants skunks in the New Life Baptist Church choir loft just days before their annual concert. The stench forces the show to move to Trinity Episcopal, where elderly vestryman Mr. Otis voices strong objections about the budget. Things get stranger when Meg helps her grandfather transport the skunks to the zoo and discovers his boa constrictor has vanished. The missing snake makes a dramatic appearance during the relocated concert, slithering out from the holiday decorations. Meg suspects organized pranksters are behind the mayhem, but the situation turns deadly when fire erupts at Trinity and Mr. Otis is found dead. Now Meg must determine whether the vengeful Pruitt family or the mysterious Evil Lender is responsible while juggling her endless Christmas tasks. Between shopping, wrapping, cooking, and caroling for Michael and the twins, she races to solve the case before the holidays are completely ruined.
Genres: christmas, mystery, contemporary, cozy-mystery
Vibes: cozy, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family
Setting: New Life Baptist Church, Trinity Episcopal, Zoo
Period: Christmas
310 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books