Meg Lanslow: vol. 22

How the Finch Stole Christmas!

Plot

HOW THE FINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS is book 22 in the humorous and cozy Meg Langslow mystery series. It’s also the fourth set at Christmas time. This year Meg’s husband’s annual Christmas reading of Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL has morphed into a full-fledged play, complete with an alcoholic has-been actor as Scrooge. Malcolm Haver certainly has the temperament to play the unreformed part of the old miser.

We get a cautionary tale in how Haver’s contract reads, which Caerphilly College’s board signed off on without getting any input from Prof. Michael Waterston, Mayor Randall Shiffley, Meg, or the town attorney. The lengths to which everyone has to go to try to keep Haver sober (a battle they’ve been losing so far), are a nightmare. Even Haver’s agent, Vince O’Manion, admits they’re going above and beyond the call of duty.

Still, Haver’s name is getting them some sales from his fans, who are mostly mid-to-late middle-aged women who remember his glory days as Sir Tristan in "Dauntless Crusader," a TV show that aired its last new episode 35 years ago. The college doesn’t want to have to refund any ticket prices if Haver fails to tread the boards. There’s even a rabid fan who excuses all of Haver’s misbehavior, including his rudeness toward herself.

That’s the main plot. The subplots are murder, animal smuggling, an unidentified corpse, and finding out what the heck ‘Weaseltide’ is.

The finch from the title is a Gouldian finch, a species fans might remember from the animal smuggling subplot in book 9, COCKATIELS AT SEVEN. Meg’s grandfather, Dr. J. Montgomery Blake, is expecting to need to host quite a few for a friend from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, so he’s trying to find temporary homes for the ones his zoo already has.

The rest of the smuggled animals Meg stumbles upon while trying to do something else. The rescue effort does not go smoothly, but it wouldn’t be amusing if it had.

Small town nepotism is alive and well in the play. Not only is Michael the director as well as one of the actors, Meg is the assistant director, their twins, Josh and Jamie (now ten years old), are two of the actors, and Mrs. Langslow is handling the costumes.


The Series - Meg Langslow Mystery

01. Murder With Peacocks (January 1999)
02. Murder With Puffins (May 2000)
03. Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos (Oct 2001)
04. Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon (Jan 2003)
05. We'll Always Have Parrots (Feb 2004)
06. Owls Well That Ends Well (Apr 2005)
07. No Nest for the Wicket (Aug 2006)
08. The Penguin Who Knew Too Much (Aug 2007)
09. Cockatiels at Seven (Jul 2008)
10. Six Geese A Slaying (Nov 2008)
11. Swan for the Money (Aug 2009)
12. Stork Raving Mad (Jul 2010)
13. The Real Macaw (Jul 2011)
14. Some Like It Hawk (Jul 2012)
15. The Hen of the Baskervilles (Jul 2013)
16. Duck the Halls (Oct 2013)
17. The Good, the Bad, and the Emus (Jul 2014)
18. The Nightingale Before Christmas (Oct 2014)
19. Lord of the Wings (Aug 2015)
20. Die Like an Eagle (Aug 2016)
21. Gone Gull (Aug 2017)
22. How the Finch Stole Christmas! (Oct 2017)
23. Toucan Keep a Secret (Aug 2018)
24. Lark! the Herald Angels Sing (Oct 2018)
25. Terns of Endearment (Aug 2019)
26. Owl Be Home for Christmas (Oct 2019)
27. The Falcon Always Wings Twice (Aug 2020)
28. The Gift of the Magpie (Oct 2020)
29. Murder Most Fowl (Aug 2021)