A very cute, very light holiday mystery that starts with a series of silly pranks where a person or persons unknown are filling various places of worship with animals – skunks, snakes, ducks, etc – that eventually turns dark, and then someone is dead and it’s not a joke to anyone. Our protagonist isn’t a professional detective or sleuth for hire. As far as I can tell, she’s just an unashamedly nosy mom. But then, this is book #16 in the Meg Langslow series and there is probably a whole lot more to this character and her history than I was able to grasp in this one short book. Certainly there is a whole history to her extended family dynamics, which come into play throughout the story and bring us a really adorable holiday scene at the conclusion. This does work okay as a standalone, but I suspect the pleasure in it would be enhanced for readers who are already familiar with the series.

Many thanks to Themis-Athena and Murder by Death – I can’t remember which of you recommended this one to me, but you were right, this was a fun antidote to the string of unfinishable holiday-themed books that I kept trying to use to put myself in a holiday mood.

Audiobook, purchased via Audible, with a very good performance by Bernadette Dunn, although I think she does a much better job on all the Shirley Jackson books – maybe she needs that darker material to really sink her teeth into.

I’d have liked to use this for The 16 Tasks of the Festive Season, but I already have books lined up for all the book tasks and I already have a Christmas book for the Holiday Book Joker.

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I love every single one of Donna Andrews’ Meg Langslow mystery series books because in addition to having a great mystery to figure out, they always have something absolutely WACKY going on that is so laugh out loud funny, you just can’t help but wonder how she comes up with this stuff. In DUCK THE HALLS, I’m going into it thinking we’re going to get Christmas and ducks, but we start off with skunks who have been dropped off in a church. Like a whole cage of skunks. And then it’s chapters and chapters of information about skunks and skunk removal and you’d think that would be too much information about skunks, but it’s just so darn funny (and actually quite interesting) and I just love these books. And then we learn a snake has gone missing, and I’m in stitches just waiting to see what will happen with the ducks from the title. Meg and Michael have twin boys, who are trying to find their mother an appropriate non-hamster Christmas present while Meg tries to help organize the church performances and prevent further church vandalism. Meg has her usual relatives about being somewhat helpful and extremely funny. I struggled a little with how to rate this one. I was enjoying this so much… but there was an element of the plot that was introduced that was harmful towards people with invisible illness, chronic illness, and disability. And then it came up again. And again. Ultimately, I enjoyed most of the book. But I wished this one element had been left out. ( )

The end surprised me a bit... but I was horribly exhausted after Meg's gigantic to-do list was completed and that kinda killed my enjoyment. The holidays have never been my favorite time of year, for that reason. I know. Entirely my problem. ( )

Probably my favorite of her Christmas books. The cast of characters continues to grow, and their antics are delightful. ( )

Nothing like reading a Christmas themed novel during a heatwave.

Reread May 2020 - not quite a heatwave but t-shirt weather all day and thunderstorm all evening. I watch A Christmas Carol every Christmas...a ritual..with Alastair Sim. This past Christmas I watched every production of it I could find..Muppets et al. After reading this book I have decided that this year I will READ THE BOOK.

Nothing like reading a Christmas themed novel during a heatwave.

Reread October 2023-getting an early start on Christmas...I do love DA's versions of Christmas.
A new side-splitting Meg Langslow mystery from award–winning, New York Times bestselling author of Six Geese A Slaying, just in time for the holidays

The brilliantly funny and talented Donna Andrews delivers another winner in the acclaimed avian-themed series that mystery readers have come to love. A few nights before Christmas, Meg is awakened when Michael is summoned to the New Life Baptist Church, where someone has rigged a cage full of skunks in the choir loft. The lengthy process of de-skunking the church requires its annual pre-Christmas concert to relocate to Trinity Episcopal, where Mother insists the show must go on, despite the budget-related protests of Mr. Otis, an elderly vestryman. Meanwhile, when Meg helps her grandfather take the skunks to the zoo, they discover that his boa has been stolen—only to turn up later during the concert slithering out from the ribbon-bedecked evergreens.

It’s clear that some serious holiday pranksters are on the loose, and Meg is determined to find them. But before she can, a fire breaks out at Trinity, and Mr. Otis is discovered dead. Could this be a bit of nasty revenge from the now deposed Pruitt family? Or harassment from the Evil Lender? As Meg searches for answers she also races to finish all of her Christmas shopping, wrapping, cooking, caroling, and decorating in time to make the season jolly for Michael and the twins.

Guaranteed to put the "ho ho hos" into the holidays of cozy lovers everywhere, Duck the Halls is a gut-bustingly funny mystery, the latest from the award-winning Donna Andrews. ( )