ARC Review: Dashing Through the Snowbirds by Donna Andrews

Dashing Through the Snowbirds
Author: Donna Andrews
Series: Meg Langslow Mysteries (Book 32)
Publication: Minotaur Books (October 11, 2022)

Description: Dashing Through the Snowbirds is the next merry installment of Donna Andrews's New York Times bestselling Meg Langslow mystery series.

Christmas in Caerphilly is wonderful! Unless you’re a Canadian whose inconsiderate boss is forcing you to spend the holiday there, far from family and friends, with only a slim chance of a white Christmas. Meg already has her hands full, trying to make the season festive for the dozen programmers who are staying with her and Michael while working on a rush project with her brother’s software company. At least it’s an interesting project, since the Canadian company is doing forensic genealogy and DNA analysis.

When the inconsiderate boss is found murdered, there are too many suspects. Even before their Christmas in exile, his own employees had plenty of motives, and the growing number of people suing the company for faulty DNA analysis and invasion of their genetic privacy include at least one notorious murderer. Can Meg crack the case in time to keep the Yuletide bright?

My Thoughts: Christmas is just a few days away and Meg finds herself hosting a dozen Canadian computer programmers who are working with her brother Rob's company. Most of the visitors are nice people, but the boss Ian Meredith is not. Besides being an unpleasant person, he also has some questionable business practices. His Canadian genealogy website is getting into DNA testing. But he's using the lowest bidder and not maintaining client privacy.

Just as Meg and the other directors are getting ready to terminate the contract with Ian's company, someone bashes him over the head with a hockey stick and kills him. Could one of his dissatisfied clients been angry enough to murder him? What about the murderer whose DNA was matched to the crime scene through a relative's DNA which was wrongly released? There are more possibilities too. Kevin and Casey's true crime podcast has attracted a stalker too.

As Meg tries to entertain her unexpected guests and make room for visiting relatives, a snowstorm is coming which is great for her father's surprise gift of a skating rink but will cause difficulties getting the Canadians home for Christmas. 

This was a fun and busy cozy mystery. Fans of the series won't want to miss this episode. It is the 32nd book in the series, but it is not necessary to have read them all to enjoy this story. 

Favorite Quote:

"He intended to say that we'd wrap the event by singing around the campfire," Caroline said. "I have no idea why autocorrect changed 'campfire' to 'vampire," Or why anyone would suppose he'd be planning to serenade one. Am I really expected to provide a vampire on top of the bowling?"

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.