Degrees of Affection

Just when I thought this series couldn't get better, the author set a mystery around a reenactment. It's like she can read my mind.

Meg and her fellow artist best friend are extremely busy. The Yorktown Revolutionary War reenactment makes for one crazy weekend as they set up their booth to sell iron work and pottery. However, the craziness is compounded by her boyfriend's mother, Mrs. Waterson, who's decreed no anachronisms be permitted for any worker; including the artists. So in the blistering, suffocating heat everyone is dressed in colonial style clothing and getting fined for any words, etc. out of place.

Meg's expecting a murder anytime now and to be comforting Michael. But when murder arrives, it's not for the infuriating taskmistress but a businessman looking to purchase her brother's Lawyer video game and who's in a legal battle with a quick to anger friend of hers. Once again, Meg has to "fix" things.

The cast of bat-s*** crazy relatives return, especially her dad who I adore.

"I only hoped he and the leeches weren't playing Rogue Elephant, which, according to Rob, involved Dad attaching the longest available leech to his nose and lurching around the room trumpeting like a wounded pachyderm. Rob still swears that Dad did this to entertain him when he was sick with the chickenpox. I prefer to believe that no one from whom I had inherited DNA could be capable of doing such a thing, and have always put the whole experience down to Rob's vivid imagination and...fever of 102 degrees...Still, I decided not to peek into Dad's booth. One likes to keep a few illusions intact."

Ch. 27; p. 394-5 of 551

Though we get to see a more serious side of one of them that we've meet previously. Meg and Michael are also having some difficulties, making them like any other couple. The issue also makes sense considering their personalities.

This time, the named "birds" play an even deeper role and were easily, other then their plot driven moment, one of my favorite aspects. Bright pink, individualistic, iron flamingos to get around an ordnance against the plastic ones - where can I order a few?

Once again, another fun book in the series with quotes that left me breathless with laughter. Below are a couple of quotes I had to remember and hope you enjoy too.

(Monty) "An altercation during which one of the participants received an blow to the face of sufficient force to cause exsanguination."

(Meg) "Oh, for heaven's sake," I said. "He wasn't exsanguinated; he just lost a little blood."

"That's what exsanguinated means," Monty said.

"No, exsanguinated means drained of blood, like what vampires do," I said. "And I seem to recall Benson had enough blood left to walk around for another 6 to 7 hours."

"She's right, you know," Rob said, "Dad paid me a whole quarter for 'exsanguination' when I was eight."

"He means for learning the word," I explained, before Monty could jump to any incriminating conclusion.

Ch. 21; p. 295-6 of 551

"Get my dog off the field of battle, you moron," Mrs. Waterson screeched, so loud that she set off a small shriek of feedback from the bullhorn. She then treated us to a pungent summary of Horace's intellectual status and ancestry - well worded and effective, no doubt, but not something I'd have shouted in public through a bullhorn."

Ch. 34; p. 492 of 551