Snow was falling. And not just a few scattered flakes. The sky was full of the kind of tiny flakes you only see when a snowstorm means serious business.
“Now that’s more like it,” Rob said.
“Yes,” I said. “It looks as if we’ll be having a white Christmas after all.”
Acknowledgments
Thanks once again to everyone at St. Martin’s / Minotaur, including (but not limited to) Joe Brosnan, Lily Cronig, Hector DeJean, Paul Hochman, Andrew Martin, Sarah Melnyk, and especially my editor, Pete Wolverton. And thanks to David Rotstein and the art department for yet another beautiful cover. You’ve all got me spoiled.
More thanks to my agent, Ellen Geiger, and to Matt McGowan, and the staff at the Frances Goldin Literary Agency—they take care of the practical stuff so I can focus on the writing. Many thanks to the friends who brainstorm and critique with me, give me good ideas, or help keep me sane while I’m writing: Stuart, Aidan, and Liam Andrews, Chris Cowan, Ellen Crosby, Kathy Deligianis, Margery Flax, Suzanne Frisbee, John Gilstrap, Barb Goffman, Joni Langevoort, David Niemi, Alan Orloff, Art Taylor, Robin Templeton, and Dina Willner. Thanks for all kinds of moral support and practical help to my blog sisters and brother at the Femmes Fatales: Alexia Gordon, Aimee Hix, Dean James, Toni L.P. Kelner, Catriona McPherson, Kris Neri, Joanna Campbell Slan, Marcia Talley, Elaine Viets, and LynDee Walker. And thanks to all the TeaBuds for two decades of friendship. I’d like to give a special shout-out to all my friends who struggle with clutter, like Harvey—and me. You know who you are! And above all, thanks to all my readers. You’re the ones who make this possible!
ALSO BY DONNA ANDREWS
The Falcon Always Wings Twice
Terns of Endearment
Owl Be Home for Christmas
Lark! The Herald Angels Sing
Toucan Keep a Secret
How the Finch Stole Christmas!
Gone Gull
Die Like An Eagle
The Lord of the Wings
The Nightingale Before Christmas
The Good, the Bad, and the Emus
Duck the Halls
Hen of the Baskervilles
Some Like It Hawk
The Real Macaw
Stork Raving Mad
Swan for the Money
Six Geese A-Slaying
Cockatiels at Seven
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much
No Nest for the Wicket
Owls Well That Ends Well
We’ll Always Have Parrots
Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon
Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos
Murder with Puffins
Murder with Peacocks
About the Author
DONNA ANDREWS has won the Agatha, Anthony, and Barry Awards, an RT Book Reviews Award for best first novel, and four Lefty and two Toby Bromberg Awards for funniest mystery. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Private Investigators and Security Association. Andrews lives in Reston, Virginia.
The Gift of the Magpie is the twenty-eighth book and seventh Christmas mystery in the Meg Langslow series. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Chapter 1
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Acknowledgments
Also by Donna Andrews
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
THE GIFT OF THE MAGPIE. Copyright © 2020 by Donna Andrews. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover art by Maggie Parr
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-76012-8 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-76013-5 (e-book)
eISBN 9781250760135
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First Edition: 2020