A Year-Round Christmas Mystery Book 8
Author: Vicki Delany
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9788892421874
Crooked Lane Books
320 Pages
$ 29.99; $ 14.99 Amazon
October 14, 2025
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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 unto 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 don’t really 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 entirely 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.
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Merry Wilkinson lives in Rudolph, New York and owns a gift store that sells Santa-themed items all year round. The town is as Christmasy as it gets, especially this time of year. When Merry is preparing her annual Christmas float, she expects her landlady, Mrs. Mabel D’Angelo, to show up as one of the elves, but she doesn’t. When she learns the reason why — Mrs. D’Angelo, a gossip center, is trying to introduce herself to the new neighbors, but isn’t having any luck. As the days go on, Mabel sees that there is something going on across the street, but can’t put her finger on it. Merry, used to Mabel and her fancies, blows most of it off. But when Mabel disappears and no one can find her, Merry begins to worry.
When she does find Mabel, it’s across the street — and Merry also finds a dead body. It turns out that the dead person had a connection to the town and several of its residents, including Merry’s younger sister, Eve. But does Eve know anything about the murder? As Merry starts to dig deeper, she finds that the dead woman had more than a connection with the town, and her past wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was ugly enough that someone wanted her dead…
I love this series, and most of the characters in it (yes, there are some that get on my nerves, just as in real life they would do so); and I especially love Merry’s father. He seems unflappable, and remains calm in most, if not all, situations. Unfortunately, at least in this book, her boyfriend Alan appears just as an afterthought, he’s in it so little. I hope to see more of him in the next book.
But back to Merry’s sleuthing: she’s right at home doing what she does best, and we get to see her at work while she’s searching for clues. She’s even misled at one time, but eventually figures it out, which is important. This is the busiest time of year, and trying to run her business and find a murderer (not that the police detective isn’t capable herself) is a lot to handle. Yet she does so, and does it well.
I knew the murderer before Merry did, but then again, I read a lot of mysteries, so that’s something. Even so, watching her put the clues together and figure it out herself is worth it, especially watching how her best friend helped her! All in all, this was a great cozy to read, and I enjoyed it immensely. I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended,
I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Vicki Delany’s Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/vicki-delany/
