Festive in Death

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Actually 3.5 stars. I didn't enjoy this as much as Concealed in Death, but I wasn't bored either. There is nothing new here, but it's always fun to see Eve Dallas dealing with social events as only she can, with a mixture of horror, cynicism and reluctant acceptance. The spirited interaction between Eve, a party designer and florist is worth the price of the book alone. And there are lots of opportunities to revisit favorite secondary characters, including almost all of the other members of the homicide team, Nadine, Louise, and Charles. Plus Trina shows a bit of hidden depth, and Eve and Summerset have to make nice for Christmas. I've long since stopped buying this series, but I still want to be at the top of the library reserve list when they are released.

It's harder to be invested in finding a killer when you really just can't stand the victim. Which is quite the point of this case. Eve will stand for the dead, no matter how much of an asshole he is. And the suspects are sympathetic, except one who doesn't really seem to get what they deserve.

For me, this time, I was more absorbed in the personal life part of the story than the case. I found myself wishing she'd just wrap it all up so we could move on to the Christmas party and all the festivities afterward. I wanted to read about her hanging out with Peabody and McNab just chit chatting and having some dinner.

These characters have become so familiar to me that I don't even really need a story. I can just read about what they're doing. But in my opinion the case seemed to unnecessarily drag on and I was ready for it to wrap up. She consults with far too many friends who are ‘experts' in their fields. Even Mira, this time, felt kind of unnecessary to me because the victim seemed to apparent. But it is what it is.