320 pages Publisher Crooked Lane Books Publication date
October 14, 2025
ABOUT THE BOOK
’Tis the season for mischief and murder in the eighth Year-Round Christmas mystery from national bestselling author Vicki Delany.
It’s Christmastime in Rudolph, New York, which means it’s time for the December Santa Claus parade. This year, shop owner Merry Wilkinson has decided to decorate her float as Santa’s elves’ workshop and invites her landlady, Mabel D’Angelo, to help supervise the excited children playing the elves. But when Mrs. D’Angelo doesn’t show up, Merry begins to worry.
Worry quickly turns into frustration when Mrs. D’Angelo reveals she was delayed by new neighbors moving in. As the center for all things gossip, Mrs. D’Angelo is determined to introduce the new arrivals to the neighborhood. As the days pass, Mrs. D’Angelo notices strange things about the newcomers, but Merry, busier than an elf in Santa’s workshop, has little time for matters that really don’t concern her. But things turn from jolly to downright concerning when Mrs. D’Angelo disappears and Merry is forced to admit that something might be terribly wrong.
With family and friends counting on her during this stressful holiday season, it is up to Merry to make sure this Christmas doesn’t end up wrapped in blood red.
MY THOUGHTS
Rudolph, New York is all about Christmas and goes all out for it. Shops are fully decorated in anticipation of the shopping season.
Every town has their busybody though and when amateur sleuth and shop owner Merry invites her landlady to help with some supervision and she’s not there she knows something is up.
Merry is busier than ever with her workshop duties but busybody landlady, Mrs. D’Angelo who also has appointed herself the welcome committee notices the new neighbor has some strange going On’s in her home. When Mrs. D’Angelo disappears and then things get even worse Merry knows it’s time to investigate.
Cute holiday cozy mystery and the perfect time to read it with all the snow we have out there from the storm.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the books I have by this author.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.
About the author
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than fifty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Year Round Christmas books for Crooked Lane, the Tea by the Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series for Crooked Lane Books, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates) for Crooked Lane.
Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards.
Vicki is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
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