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.
Read 2023 November...love reading Christmas themed books this close to Christmas. #32 ( )

Dashing Through the Snowbirds finds Meg's house packed to the brim with visiting Canadians as well as the normal gaggle of relatives just in time for Christmas. The Canadians are in town working with Rob's software company on their forensic genealogy and DNA technology. Their exasperating and unloved boss looks like he's going to make them all spend Christmas away from home. When the boss turns up murdered, there is no shortage of suspects!

Christmas in Caerphilly is a magical place, in spite of the frequent murders. Meg's mother's passion for decorating, the passel of relatives, the mountains of food, and the organized activities really take you to a magical world.

Watching Meg navigate this all while following clues to track down a murderer is the perfect literary getaway. Her determination to make it a Merry Christmas for friends, relatives, and visitors alike epitomizes the holiday spirit.

This is another clever mystery that lets you enjoy solving the crime as much as soaking up the atmosphere. This is the perfect book to enjoy over a holiday or anytime you just want to escape the world and spend a few hours with a smile on your face.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. ( )

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 and her family are hosting a group of Canadians whose unpopular boss is making them work away from home during Christmas. The group is doing forensic genealogy and DNA analysis and have a contract with Meg’s family’s business. Unfortunately, the inconsiderate boss is removed from the company when he is killed on Meg’s father’s ice skating rink. There were several people who are suspects in the murder, and Meg seems to be attracting all of them to her home. The story contains some interesting information about DNA and genetics. It’s very well written, with complex characters in an intriguing plot. For regular readers of the series, being with Meg and her family at Christmas is like visiting old friends. Though the book would work as a stand-alone, knowing the characters backstories would increase the enjoyment of this tale. ( )

family, family-dynamics, felons, female-sleuth, forensics, friendship, DNA, snow-season, holiday-madness, Canadians, law-enforcement, lawyers, cozy-mystery, Virginia, situational-humor, verbal-humor, murder, murder-investigation, portable-hockey-rink, home-ice-groomer, small-town, suspense, danger, dogs*****

Welcome back to an addictive, funny cozy mystery series that is always a fun read even if you've never read any of the earlier ones. Once again, it's Christmas time in Virginia and there's a visiting nutcase with his several Canadian computer wizards in the house. There are also several angry people wanting to get to him because of his business malfeasance. A teen geek family member and his friend have started up a podcast series of cold cases in Virginia when someone takes exception to something and begins stalking one of the guys. The Waterston household is also bursting at the seams with visiting relatives! There is less focus on the core Waterston household, but the extended family is crucial (especially Meg's dad and his marvelous Christmas gift!). Laugh your way through the suspects and red herrings!
This cannot be an unbiased review because I reread some of them (the print copies walk away so now I have them in audio) and wait with bated breath for each new one.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you! 7/22/2022
Oct 2022. Finally got the audio interpreted by Bernadette Dunne! ( )