'Tis the season for sleuthing in Donna Andrews' cheery new addition to the New York Times bestselling Meg Langslow series.

Meg has been roped into participating in a blacksmithing competition, a kind of Forged in Fire wannabe organized by a blacksmith friend. Meg originally turned down his invitation to participate, but when Faulk, her blacksmithing mentor, breaks his wrist the night before filming begins, Meg agrees to step in as his replacement to keep the project from failing. She's not thrilled that the filming will take place during December--Christmas is already a crazy time for her. At least she doesn't have to abandon Michael and their twin sons during the filming, since that's taking place on Ragnarsholm, the picturesque estate that her friend Ragnar, the retired heavy metal drummer, is turning into a Goth castle.

So Meg joins the cast - -to the dismay of the woman who were looking forward to being the only woman blacksmith on the show, not to mention several old-school blacksmiths who think women have no place in the profession anyway. And if the show's producers were hoping for drama, they're in luck--the blacksmithing world is a small one, and some of the contestants arrived already laden with grudges and feuds. It's a high-stakes, cutthroat competition between people who wield large hammers and make swords and have forges full of fire at their disposal. What could possibly go wrong?

It is Christmas time in Caerphilly but instead of the usual family holiday chaos, Meg finds herself involved in a blacksmithing reality TV show, Blades of Glory, that was organized by a blacksmith friend, Alec.  The show is filming at the local mansion turning Goth castle owned by family friend and retired heavy metal drummer, Ragnor.  One of the contestants, Faulk, is the blacksmith who trained both Meg and Alec. When Faulk is injured and unable to compete, Meg reluctantly takes his place after learning that Faulk and his husband have invested in the show with funds they can’t afford to lose.  The first challenge’s filming is marred by one contestant’s cheating and being disqualified. But if that wasn’t drama enough he turns up dead.  There are plenty of suspects since the dead man was not popular and the castle is filled not only with the show’s crew but various other daily guests, including a large part of Meg’s family, as well as the permanent artist residents Ragnor attracts.

I love the Meg Langslow mysteries.  Well-plotted, quick enjoyable reads with characters that have become old friends over the course of thirty-four books. This time I didn’t really see the murderer coming and was as surprised as Meg was.

The Christmas stories often bring out the most amusing circumstances in a family that attracts chaos and this one is no exception.  I have started to reread the earlier books in the series just because, well, just because Meg and her friends and family are such fun. Highly recommended. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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