The latest offering in this ongoing series features a nasty villainous character who certainly gets what he had coming to him! Meg's clan of relatives gathers for the Christmas holidays, along with an assortment of Canadian tech experts who are working with Mutant Wizards to put together a website for a DNA analysis and genealogy company, Problems arise when the DNA company seems to be involved in some shady dealings involving clients. When the company's acting CEO Ian Meredith meets an unfortunate end, the project remains on hold. However, it seems that Ian had quite a few enemies, and they all seem to be showing up at Meg's house looking for Ian!

Readers of mysteries will enjoy the puzzle presented by the many possible suspects and motives. While this is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. Those familiar with the series will find some familiar characters and usual zany line up of Meg's family and relatives. Although the story takes a bit of time for the set up and introducing the characters, the action picks up and races to the ending with a twist. The inclusion of birds and animals forms a key component of the books in this series, and the author does a good job of "aging" the characters as the series progresses.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Meg Langslow has a merry mess on her hands, although it wouldn’t be Christmas in the fictional town of Caerphilly, Virginia if all was well. Meg’s brother Rob, the creator/owner of the software company Mutant Wizards, is “doing a rush project” for AcerGen, a Canadian firm that specializes in “forensic genealogy and DNA analysis.” There is no room at the town’s inns and B&Bs, so Ian Meredith (AcerGen’s president) and a dozen of his programmers are bunking with Meg, her husband Michael, and their sons. Ian has dragged his entire crew to Virginia, and they’re missing the delights of a snowy Canadian holiday with their friends and family, as snow in Caerphilly is by no means guaranteed. Admittedly, Meg’s house is massive, but providing beds, meals, and entertainment is a lot.

Meg doesn’t care for Ian, as she makes clear to her grandmother Cordelia.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see a tall and slightly pudgy figure slouching into the room.



“Speak of the devil,” I muttered.

Ian is not prepossessing: “… the morning Ian, unshaven and unshowered, didn’t exactly look like someone you wanted to be in the same room with, much less touch.” At ten thirty in the morning, he inconsiderately complains that no one is cooking. Meg tells him that breakfast shuts down at nine am. Cordelia is unimpressed as well, particularly after Ian ransacks four bagged lunches and abruptly leaves the kitchen whilst dragging a chair and leaving a nasty scratch on the wood floor.

“Are they all that rude?” she asked.



“No, the rest of them are just as nice as you’d expect. Polite, considerate—not as cheerful as I’d like, but then you have to make allowances for the fact that they’re all homesick, overworked, and mortally embarrassed at everything Ian does.”

Meg’s Christmas squad is phenomenal. Her entire extended family pitches in to clean, entertain, organize outings, and decorate. As for the food, under the phenomenal talents of Rose Noire, meals are a cornucopia of deliciousness. Meg’s mother does it up in style, with no worries about whether it’s excessive. Meg’s role (other than being a blacksmith, wife/mother, avid volunteer and organizer—need one go on?) is simply to keep the cooks supplied with ingredients. Beyond keeping their guests fed and housed, Meg and her helpers worry about their mental well-being. What is it that they miss most about Canada? Can that be re-created in Virginia? Would serving up poutine make them feel less homesick?

Ian Meredith, the head of AcerGen, is the worst type of leader—bombastic, inconsiderate, and incompetent—but it’s not only his employees who despise him. Do they despise him enough to kill him? In the middle of the night, Ian is found “sprawled on the ice”—an ice rink Meg’s dad constructed as a Christmas surprise.

His legs were splayed, and the bright orange skates on his feet would have made the only spot of color if not for the small pool of blood still slowly spreading out from his head.

Unfortunately, Ian doesn’t make it. Grief is pro forma at best. AcerGen is being sued by unhappy customers: could one of them be his murderer? Meg’s starring role seems to be Solver of Mysteries in Chief—once again, her sleuthing skills are put to the test.

Dashing Through the Snowbirds, the 32nd Meg Langslow mystery, gives her loyal readers what they crave. Perhaps in real life folks are downsizing and simplifying holiday traditions but in Donna Andrew’s world, there are no limits on festive frivolity. Celebrations are super-charged in Caerphilly. The village decorations alone are almost indescribable.

As I opined when I reviewed The Gift of the Magpie, “There’s a soupçon of fantasy too.”

There are fabulous meals at the drop of a hat, mostly of the smorgasbord everyone-bring-something variety. The Christmas decorations are practically at a professional level. But perhaps that’s just what we need, a heartwarming vision of a magical Christmas rather than a focus on the mayhem of the holidays.

The appeal of the crime-riddled community of Caerphilly, as summarized in Murder Most Fowl (N.B., there’s an avian metaphor behind each of the most than thirty titles) is universal: “What makes Meg Langslow’s world so enticing is her brilliant and ever-expanding team of experts and hands-on helpers. It’s almost fantastical, reading about a madcap world that frequently teeters on the edge of mayhem…” At its core is a community that really cares about the happiness of its inhabitants. Meg Langslow solves mysteries without breaking a sweat and Donna Andrews consistently surprises the reader with the cleverness of her plots. DNA testing, particularly as it’s employed by law enforcement, has been much in the news. It’s a mixed blessing, to say the least. Andrews is talented at examining societal issues that are of the moment and incorporating ethical conundrums into her plots.

Dashing Through the Snowbirds is another keeper; an entrée into a magical world of mirth and kindness leavened with more than a dash of murder.

This was the first book I've read in the Meg Langslow series - that didn't affect my enjoyment at all, but I would like to see more of these characters - and looks like there are 31 other books to choose from!

In this book, Meg and her family are hosting a company from Canada that basically showed up on their doorstep to do some work with a local technology group. There are great food descriptions, and I enjoyed the various characters - especially Meg's family members. The mystery was fine, but like with most cozy mysteries, it's really the people and setting that are the main part.

A delightful holiday romp. The storyline was fun and holiday themed. The characters are fully formed with good back stories. I loved the plot and throughly enjoyed the winter aspect. I thought this book was a good representation of the series and highly recommend it.

This book is one in the Meg Langslow mystery series. A group of Canadian programmers from a genealogy/DNA website are in Caerphilly working with the local Mutant Wizards web designers. Their abrasive boss, Ian is killed and so the mystery begins. The DNA and software design aspects were interesting and fresh. This was my first time reading a book in the series and I found the large cast of characters a bit overwhelming. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous volumes.

I have no idea how Donna Andrews continues to keep these fresh and entertaining, but she does!! I’ve read them all and am always anxiously awaiting the next one. What’s been most impressive is how she’s moved the recurring characters forward and developed them while continuing to weave entertaining cozy mysteries with this motley crew. This Christmas installment was no exception and it was a perfect read to get you into the holiday spirit, no matter which month you read it!

It's Christmastime in Caerphilly! It is busier than usual for Meg as she is hosting a dozen Canadian computer programmers who are working on a project with her brother's company. When the boss of the Canadian company is found murdered there is no shortage of suspects as he wasn't well-liked by anyone. But the motive may be more than just a disgruntled employee working through the holidays. Can Meg solve the murder and save Christmas for everyone?

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

I have to admit I picked this book because of the cover. I thought it would be a wild caper with its cute cover. I didn't realize Dashing Through the Snowbirds was book 32 in Donna Andrews's Meg Langslow series. I haven't read any books in this series but I often pick up cozy mystery series in the middle so I was still looking forward to reading it.

It is a cute story and the characters are easy to like. I think fans of the series will really enjoy this installment. As a new reader though I was a little confused and it took a while to figure out who everyone was. At one point I even wondered if it was a paranormal cozy because Mutant Wizards is the name of Meg's brother's company (I didn't realize it was the company's name at first).

Once I got into the story though I did enjoy it and I will probably look for more books in this series when I'm needing a new cozy mystery to read.

If you enjoy fun Christmas stories but don't really care for rom-coms then Christmas cozies are the way to go. Grab yourself a hot cocoa, a couple of sugar cookies, and this book for a relaxing winter day of reading.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/11/dashing-through-snowbirds-by-donna.html

Meg and Michael have a bunch of Canadians under foot and one of them is killed on Dad's brand new Christmas Surprise! I will be adding this book to my (ever growing) list of favorite Meg Langslow stories. I really enjoyed having the entire family there for Christmas, plus a few new ones (I'd love my own personal chef!) and the all around cozy winter vibes. Plenty of humor as Donna Andrew always includes.

It's Christmas time in Caerphilly and time to visit with Meg and her family. This time Meg is hosting several programmers sent from Canada to work on a project with her brother. Her mom has decorated the house and her dad has a surprise in the pasture.

I enjoyed this book but I didn't have as many 'laugh-out-loud' moments while reading it. The mystery was interesting and brought to light the issue of DNA testing and invasion of privacy. Even though this wasn't my favorite of the series, I can't wait to read the next one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of Dashing Through the Snowbirds by Donna Andrews in exchange for an honest review. It published October 11, 2022.

Donna Andrews brings it again for another fun Meg Langslow mystery! I love the banter and relationship between the large family, and the townspeople. I found the mystery to be interesting and not super predictable. This was a fun one to read, and festive, but you could totally get away with reading it any time during the year!

Reading the latest Meg Langslow Christmas mystery has become a bit of a holiday tradition for me. I love Meg's family and friends and their amazing get togethers as well as the crimes that Meg inevitably gets involved in and always solves just in time to celebrate the holidays. Dashing through the Snowbirds does not disappoint if you are a fan of Meg Langslow. The books can be read in any order, but I think it's best to start at Murder with Peacocks, the first in the series. Once you get an idea of who the main characters are and how they all fit together, it's easier to skip around in the series. I hope this Merry Christmas from Meg and company will be under your tree this year.

Donna Andrews puts Meg Langslow during the Christmas season in the middle of coping with bothersome Canadian business guests and others with possible nefarious motives. Dashing the the Snowbirds at a frenetic pace, fatal accidents on their skating rink and feral cats. As usual the plotline is zany and the characters engaging or appalling. The animals are the best actors. Enjoy.

The Langslow home is filled to overflowing with family who have come for Christmas and IT workers from Canada whose company is working on a joint project with Meg Langslow’s brother Rob’s company. Keeping everyone feed and amused outside of their work hours is not too hard other than the Canadian’s odious boss who is unpleasant, entitled and demanding and, oh yes, ends up dead putting a crimp in everyone’s holiday.
The Meg Lanslow mysteries are always entertaining. Meg’s family is large, multi-talented and eccentric and the kind of family many of us really wish we had. The action is believable and Meg’s menagerie of pets is enviable. The books are always quick reads and always enjoyable, I never tire of Meg and her adventures and I look forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended

Meg Langslowe has a house full of family and Canadians who are working with her brother’s company Mutant Wizards. When the easily disliked boss of the Canadians is murdered, it’s up to Meg to sort through all of the possible suspects and help solve the mystery before Christmas. The book is a fun read, though the author does seem to forget about technology and what a person of Meg’s age would know and use regularly like Bluetooth and hand free devices in cars. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

It's been many years since I've read any books from this series - like 20, as I think I read the first two. Now that I've read #32, I think I need to go back and read the entire backlist!

This is a fun Christmas themed cozy with the Langlow family, and a group of Canadians who have found themselves stuck in Virginia because of their tyrant boss. After he's found murdered, there are several mysteries that need to be solved. The characters are wonderful and the mysteries aren't obvious - highly recommended.

It has been lovely to read two Meg Langslow books back-to-back; that totally filled my good book cup up to the top.

Meg and Michael always have a houseful for Christmas [amongst other times of the year], but this year there are even more guests as a company that Mutant Wizards is now working with is being forced to stay at work over Christmas by their not-so-nice boss and unfortunately, there is [quite literally] no room at the Inn; Meg and Michael then are kind enough to open their house to these strangers and well, chaos ensues. And when a body is found in the new ice rink that Meg's dad has installed for Christmas, it is all hands on deck to try and get it solved before Christmas is totally ruined.

Filled with the typical chaos found in these books [in the BEST way possible] and all the people I have grown to love [and all the puppies and cats and the rest of the menagerie], this was a very good, fun read and would be perfect for a light Christmas-time read. ♥

I also had an audiobook ARC for this book and while I am grateful for it, I will not be doing that again. I totally forgot that I am not a fan of this narrator and with this series anyway, I'd rather read read them than listen.

Thank you to NetGalley, Donna Andrews, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for both the book ARC and the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dashing Through the Snowbirds: A Meg Langslow Mystery
By Donna Andrews
Minotaur Books
October 2022

Review by Cynthia Chow

Christmas in Caerphilly, Virginia is never a quiet time of the year for Meg Langslow and her adorable but chaotic family. It’s going to be even busier now that she and her husband are hosting employees from the online genetic tracing company AcerGen, who have hired Meg’s brother’s Mutant Wizards gamers to jazz up their website. The visiting Canadians are stressed out and under a ticking clock to meet the deadlines set up by their president Ian Meredith, who completely lacks any holiday cheer and is making himself a Grinch of Caerphilly. His inability to obey house rules and bullying tactics on the new skating rink Meg’s father built have him booted out of the house and into the Clay County Motor Lodge, or as the locals know it, the Roach Motel. Before Meg can deliver the good news and kick Ian out though, she finds him dead, ironically on the same ice rink that got him exiled. With the Canadians trapped in town until police can figure out who whacked Ian with a hockey stick, Meg and her family will be tasked with keeping them cheery and occupied, while also tracking down a murderer.

The tasks build up on Meg’s notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe, so she enlists her extended family members into investigating Ian and his questionable business practices. Along with shady genetic policies Meg discovers that AcerGen was facing a civil lawsuit as well as being responsible for the overturning of a murder conviction. CatLady517 stalking local crime investigating podcasters has Meg keeping their police operator busy with suspicious reports even as Meg attempts to keep the Canadians from spiraling despite the news that they may be stranded in for Christmas. Meg’s celebrity zoologist grandfather for once is not warring with her grandmother, and instead he is busy implementing a number of nonconsensual trackers on people. Pomeranian puppies, the Yorkie known as the Small Evil One, and the rest of Meg’s many family relatives all do their best to deliver a Happy Holiday season while preventing a killer from destroying their Christmas spirit.

In this 32nd(!) installment of the Meg Langslow mystery series, a Christmas setting ensures that the usual family chaos will be overloaded with additional holiday planning and celebrations. Meg’s collection of family members includes both blood-related and adopted-by-continual-proximity, which may confound AcerGen’s employees but are also an abundant source of information and protective backup. Meg’s husband is reliable as ever, keeping their twins busy while also attempting to follow her Mother’s many demands. Humor is always at the forefront of this deftly plotted and fast-moving novel, with enough quirky holiday festivities to please those looking for an escapist Christmas read. Filled with witty dialogue and wry observations, this continues to be a very funny and cleverly written mystery series.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars, I loved it.

Book 32 in the series.

I'm not a big Christmas fan, but I always look forward to the Meg Langslow holiday books each year. This year was no different. They're always a fun, somewhat crazy tale, filled with Meg's over the top family, along with Caerphilly favorites. This one once again made me laugh out loud multiple times.

I switched between the audio version and the ebook version depending on what I was doing, and I love the audio narrator. It made a fun distraction while walking on my treadmill in the evenings.

I will absolutely continue to read whatever this author puts out.

This is my first book I've read in the Meg series! At first I struggled a bit to get into the story because all the characters are new to me. The serious action starts around 20% of the way into my Kindle copy. I really enjoyed the murder mystery and the activity surrounding the people involved which creates the possibility of more than one suspect.
I like Meg's character and the way she pieces things together. Her methods for seeking information are at times comical. Her family members are quite the crew. The Christmas gathering along with the festivities add fun to the story too.
I want to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of the book. I am sure the series followers will love this story and a newbie like me certainly can enjoy it enough to want to look for more of the books.

This was a fun read! The bird watching theme will make this book a treat for birders! The multi generational family members who together solve a light mystery are all written with a warm, realistic tone. This is the first book, I’ve read by Donna Andrews and it has inspired me to look for more titles from her which I am going to do this very minute! Highly recommend!