Festive in Death

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.