It’s Christmastime in Caerphilly and Meg, full of holiday spirit, is helping out with the town's festivities. While directing a nativity pageant and herding the children participating in it, she finds a surprise in the manger: a live baby.

A note from the mother, attached to the baby girl’s clothes, says that it’s time for her father to take care of her—and implicates Meg’s brother, Rob, as the father. And while a DNA test can reveal whether there's any truth to the accusation, Rob's afraid the mere suspicion could derail his plan to propose to the woman he loves. Meg quickly realizes it's up to her to find the baby's real identity.

She soon discovers that the baby—named Lark according to the fateful note—may be connected to something much bigger. Something that eventually puts a growing number of Meg’s friends and family in danger. And before long, Meg realizes she can’t fix things single-handedly. Meanwhile, a war is brewing between Caerphilly and its arch-rival Clay County—and it's not a snowball fight. Can Meg bring everyone together in time for the holidays?

As in her previous Christmas mysteries, Andrews continues to write “firmly in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie’s Christmas books” (Toronto Globe and Mail) with a book that will put cozy lovers everywhere in a holly jolly mood.

It is Christmas in Caerphilly and Meg is directing the children’s pageant at Trinity Episcopal Church when the baby in the manger turns out to be an abandoned infant not the minister’s four-month-old son. A note pinned to the baby indicates Meg’s brother Rob is the child’s father and mom is leaving the child with him. While Rob denies paternity and tries to convince his girlfriend of that fact Meg and Michael become the girl’s foster parents.  As Meg tries to find the baby’s mother, clear Rob, reunite him with his girlfriend while running the pageant she also gets involved in the hunt for a missing fugitive that may be linked to the baby.

Christmas in Caerphilly is always chaotic - for this outing along with the abandoned baby we have a missing informant accused of murder in corrupt Clay County, Meg’s family members held captive along with the group that went to find them and then the women of Caerphilly invoke the Christmas spirit to solve the problem while law enforcement tries to get its act together.  While there is a murder it is off-camera, so-to-speak, and Meg does not find the body. We even know who is ultimately responsible but the fun this time is seeing the crooks get their comeuppance.  I enjoy the whole series but the Christmas entries are always special. Highly recommended. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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