The Gift of the Magpie by Donna Andrews

It's Christmas in Caerphilly again and that means that Meg Langslow is up to her neck in Christmas-related tasks plus a little mystery in Donna Andrews's new book, The Gift of the Magpie. This year Meg is busy with the Helping Hands for the Holidays project where neighbors help each other with projects they either can't or can't afford to do themselves.

Meg's latest task is helping Harvey the hoarder whose house needs to be decluttered in order for necessary home repairs to be done before the building inspector condemns it. Making the task harder is Harvey's nosy neighbors and a handful of disagreeable cousins who appear to have their eyes on Harvey's things. A murder right in the middle of the project complicates her efforts and sets her on the trail of figuring out who might want Harvey dead.

Meg has the assistance as always of her extraordinarily talented and helpful family and the many friends and denizens of Caerphilly. Meg and her recruited volunteers must juggle helping the police sort through endless boxes of records that might give a clue to the motive for the murder, assist with the many remaining helping hands projects, prepare for the Christmas festivities, and negotiate between her grandfather and her cousin Rose Noire over the fate of some escaped magpies. All of this as well as making sure a murderer faces justice.

Donna Andrews has an unparalleled ability to juggle an enormous cast of characters without making the story seem overpopulated or underdeveloped. She also manages to squeeze in tidbits about the banking crisis during the great depression as well as the care and habits of magpies.

The Gift of the Magpie is the perfect tonic for 2020. Caerphilly is a Norman Rockwell painting come to life. The warmth of the characters seeps out of the pages and into your home. This story is perfect to disappear into and forget about the real world for a few hours. It's impossible to read this book without a smile on your face from beginning to end. This book is a perfect gift to give either to someone else or to yourself.