Book Review: Dying in a Winter Wonderland

Christmas has arrived in Rudolph, New York, and Merry Wilkinson is looking forward to a much needed rest. But before that can happen, Luanne Ireland walks through her door. Luanne had asked Merry to help make decorations for her wedding, but has suddenly moved the wedding months earlier and is now demanding that everyone follow her lead, regardless of the cost.

But that cost is much higher than anyone anticipated. When Luanne's fiancé is found murdered at their proposed wedding venue, Merry resolves to restore peace and calm to the community of Rudolph. But the closer she gets to the killer, the more personal the case becomes, and Merry begins to worry that a death knell could ring in the New Year. [summary via Amazon]

It's almost Christmas and I'm back with the Year-Round Christmas Mysteries for another dose of Christmas Spirit!

This year my Christmas spirit has ran away from me a little. With my father about to start radiation treatment, I'm finding myself not quite enthusiastic about the upcoming holiday season. While I can't say that Dying in a Winter Wonderland cured all my ills, it certainly did make me forget about my father's health for a little while and magically transplant me back to Rudolph. To a little town where Merry Wilkinson knows how to find trouble and solve a crime!

This time Merry is getting ready for the holidays. It should be a peaceful time to spend with her family and boyfriend, Alan. However Luanne Ireland has sped back into her life, and is demanding she help her with her wedding! A wedding that is due to take place in seven weeks! However, before much planning can be done Luanne's fiancé is found dead... and Merry's brother, Chris, is accused of the crime!

What a tantalizing mystery! Early on I guessed who the killer was, but it didn't take any enjoyment away from the story at all!! Vicki Delany writes well plotted mysteries, and I enjoyed watching Merry pick up all the clues and clear her brother's name!

I absolutely love Rudolph and I wish I could visit there. It sounds simply magical in the winter, especially leading right up to Christmas, and Merry's father being the local Santa Claus! I enjoyed visiting with not just the Wilkinson's, but all of their friends as well! I love the little threads that link the characters in previous books, and watching how their lives unfold. You could easily read this as a standalone, but after a taste of Rudolph you're going to want to read them all!

Dying in a Winter Wonderland was simply magical, and I absolutely can't wait for the next book!

Book Review: There's A Murder Afoot by Vicki Delany

The 6th of January is Sherlock Holmes's birthday, and lucky for Gemma Doyle, January is also the slowest time of the year at both the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, and Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room. It's a good time for Gemma and her friends to travel to England for a Holmes Convention. For Gemma, the trip provides an opportunity to visit her parents, Jayne Wilson is excited about seeing all the sites London has to offer, and Ryan Ashburton just wants to spend some time with Gemma. But the trip is immediately derailed when Gemma's father Henry recognizes his brother-in-law Randolph Denhaugh, who disappeared more than thirty years ago on the night he stole a valuable painting from his own parents.

Henry, a retired detective with Scotland Yard, has been keeping tabs on the man's career as a forger of Old Masters and he warns Randy to stay away from his family. It's up to Gemma, with the help of her friends, to plunge into the "lowest and vilest alleys" of London to save her father from prison.[summary via Amazon]

I'm a big fan of Vicki Delany's other mysteries, the Year-Round Mysteries and the Lighthouse Library Mysteries (as Eva Gates). I recently decided to plunge right into the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series with the latest book, There's a Murder Afoot. 

There's a Murder Afoot fits all my favourite things in a cozy mystery: books within books - definitely, a interesting mystery that's difficult for me to solve - oh yes, and tea - of course, we are in England aren't we?  

I'm not a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. When it comes to vintage mysteries I much prefer Agatha Christie over anyone else, but I'd have to be living in a cave not know about Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock has made it big in pop culture, especially with recent movie and tv adaptions, and I love that this has helped spread the word about mysteries even more. There's a Murder Afoot takes the theme of Sherlock Holmes and creates such a strong mystery around it, that you almost forget that this wasn't written by Arthur Conan Doyle!

Gemma is back in England attending a Sherlock Holmes convention, and catching up with her family. She gets thrown right into a mystery when her long-estranged Uncle Randolph is found dead, and her father is pinned for the crime!! Gemma puts on her detecting hat, and sets about trying to unravel the mystery of not just Randolph's death, but his life as well!

I was simply charmed by the mystery and the characters. I've yet again dove straight into a series with the latest book, and I didn't feel lost at all!! I got swept up in the mystery, and enjoyed learning more about the world of art, as Uncle Randolph was an artist - of sorts! 

Gemma has some really interesting family and friends! I hope this isn't the last of her sister, Pippa, that we see. Let's just say Pippa has a very interesting life - especially her work, and I'm really hoping she pops up again!!  

As There's a Murder Afoot is set in England, and away from the bookshop, we don't see a lot of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. However I was given just enough of a taste of Gemma's life back in America - and especially her Uncle Arthur - that I can't wait to dig into the earlier books and find out all there is to know about the bookshop.

I highly recommend There's a Murder Afoot for fans of literary cozy mysteries. Vicki Delany is a master in the genre of cozy mysteries, and once you read one of her books you're going to want to read them all!! Alike to me you can jump right in with any book, and be positively charmed (as I was), but I guarantee that you will be wanting to read all the other books as well!!

Book Review: Silent Night, Deadly Night

It's the week before Thanksgiving, and Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus's Treasures, is preparing for a weekend reunion of her mother's college friends. But when the group of women comes into Merry's shop, Merry is met with frosty attitudes and cold hearts.

The women argue amongst themselves constantly, and the bickering only intensifies after one of the friends is poisoned. With her father's role as Santa in danger due to his proximity to the crime, Merry will need to use all of her investigative gifts to wrap this mystery up and save Santa and her favorite holiday.[summary via Amazon]

In the fourth instalment in the Year-Round Christmas Mysteries, it's almost Thanksgiving in Rudolph and the holiday spirit is in the air. While Merry is busy at Mrs. Claus's Treasures, her mom is getting ready for a reunion with her college friends. However, the perfect weekend together doesn't go as planned, especially when the friends start constantly arguing and bickering. When one of the college friends turns up dead, at Merry's parents' house, Merry is determined to solve the mystery, and bring the holiday spirit back into their lives.

The Year-Round Christmas Mysteries are one of my favourite cozy mystery series. The atmosphere of the holiday season shines in Rudolph, even with the sinister crime lurking around the corner (because this is a cozy mystery!), and I always look forward to the next book in the series. 

Silent Night, Deadly Night is a compelling read, and is as good, if not better, than the previous instalments. This is one series that just keeps getting better and better. 

While I love the murder mystery, it is always the side stories that keep me coming back to the cozy mystery genre. These secondary stories are at their best in Silent Night, Deadly Night. There is a lot going on in Rudolph, and Merry is just the right person to set everything right and save Thanksgiving!

Vicki Delany had me stumped with the mystery, and I wasn't able to solve it before Merry. This made the denouement even more enjoyable for me, as I watched everything unravel.

If you haven't picked up the Year-Round Christmas Mysteries yet, you really should. They deliver a top-notch mystery with the perfect cozy town atmosphere. 

Book Review: Hark the Herald Angels Slay by Vicki Delany

The town of Rudolph, New York, has the Christmas spirit all year long—but when homicide heats up a summer holiday, it’s up to shop owner Merry Wilkinson to wrap up the case. 

In Rudolph, Christmas in July heralds Santa’s arrival by boat to begin his summer vacation at the lake, and Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, is looking forward to a busy weekend. But she’s caught off guard when her ex-fiancé, Max Folger, unexpectedly arrives with a team from a lifestyle magazine wanting to do a feature on the July festivities. 

It’s clear that Max’s visit has less to do with business and more to do with winning back Merry’s heart. Merry has too much on her plate to deal with an old flame, but when Max is found strangled to death in Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, she must find out who wanted him dead—and stop a killer from ruining the summer holiday cheer.[summary via Amazon]

Yesterday, in Saskatchewan, it was a dreary, overcast day and I needed to beat the cold, Spring blues. The answer? A Year-Round Christmas Mystery. I was in need of Christmas coziness and Vicki Delany delivered.

For those that haven't taken a trip to Rudolph, NY. As the name suggests it's a picturesque little town, where Christmas shines 365 days a year. In Rudolph you can stay at the Yuletide Inn, and do your Christmas shopping at Mrs Claus' Treasures, where you will meet Merry Wilkinson. 

In the third book in this series, Rudolph is celebrating their second biggest holiday - Christmas in July, and Merry is ready to take in the celebrations. That is, until her ex-fiance turns up to cause trouble. Trouble comes in the form of his dead body in her shop!

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, and I had forgotten how much I really liked this series. Hark the Herald Angels Slay quickly brought me back to that supreme cozy feeling of falling between the pages of a really good book. Vicki Delany delivers a brilliant pace that makes the reader feel as cozy and content as a really good cup of cocoa on Christmas Eve. The pages flew by as I got caught up in the mystery, and trying to solve it, alongside Merry.

If the mystery itself isn't enough to entice, then pick up the series for Mattie "Matterhorn", the most adorable Saint Bernard to grace the pages. I absolutely can't wait for another adventure with Merry, Mattie and everyone in Rudolph, NY.

Book Review: We Wish You a Murderous Christmas by Vicki Delany

It’s Christmastime three hundred sixty-five days a year in Rudolph, New York, and as Christmas Day approaches, shop owner Merry Wilkinson is enjoying a rare evening off at the Yuletide Inn when she runs into owners Grace and Jack Olsen. With Jack's health failing, Merry is relieved to hear that his son Gord will be taking over the day-to-day running of the Inn. 

But then Gord reveals that his new plans have no room for Christmas at the Inn, and Merry and the other shopkeepers start to fret about the effect a bland franchise hotel could have on their livelihoods.

When Gord is found stabbed to death, there’s an entire town of potential suspects—and it’s up to Merry to find whoever brought homicide home for the holidays...[summary via Goodreads]

Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen, the first book in the Year Round Christmas Mysteries, was one of my favourite books of 2016. It was full of Christmas cheer and the mystery was superb. I was looking forward to reading the second offering in this series, and I was thrilled to discover, the second mystery, We Wish You a Murderous Christmas,  was even better than the first.

Since I took my first step, between the pages, into Rudolph, I've been smitten with this town and it's year round Christmas cheer. I love seeing how they embrace the holiday year-round, and what the town folk are up to. In this second mystery, it seems that the Yuletide Inn might be sold to a big hotel chain, and that's not very merry at all! When the owner's son is killed, Merry and her family and friends, have their hands full trying to find the killer.

I like Merry. She is thoughtful and deliberate about her detecting. While she does run headlong into situations, you know she has a reason to do so. It doesn't hurt that she has an adorable pooch on her side. I'm a sucker for four-legged friends in mysteries, and Merry's Saint Bernard pup, Matterhorn, certainly will steal readers hearts! He's right along side her ready to nose out a sleuth!!

The mystery itself was a tangled web, and I enjoyed watching it unravel. Vicki Delany had me on the edge of my seat, until the very last page!

I simply can't get enough of Rudolph and it's residents. I read We Wish You a Murderous Christmas over the 2016 Christmas holidays, and it was the perfect seasonal read. Having said that, I think readers will delight in reading this series anytime of the year.  I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Book Review: Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany

In Rudolph, New York, it’s Christmastime all year long. But this December, while the snow-lined streets seem merry and bright, a murder is about to ruin everyone’s holiday cheer…

As the owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, Merry Wilkinson knows how to decorate homes for the holidays. That’s why she thinks her float in the semi-annual Santa Claus parade is a shoe-in for best in show. But when the tractor pulling Merry’s float is sabotaged, she has to face facts: there’s a Scrooge in Christmas Town.

Merry isn’t ready to point fingers, especially with a journalist in town writing a puff piece about Rudolph’s Christmas spirit. But when she stumbles upon the reporter’s body on a late night dog walk—and police suspect he was poisoned by a gingerbread cookie crafted by her best friend, Vicky—Merry will have to put down the jingle bells and figure out who’s really been grinching about town, before Vicky ends up on Santa’s naughty list…[summary via Amazon]

Welcome to Christmas in Rudolph, New York! It's exactly what you would imagine a Christmas in the North Pole to be. The streets are alive with Christmas spirit, with Santa strolling down the street, gingerbread baking at the bakery and friendly people everywhere. Well that is what Christmas in Rudolph is supposed to be like, but this year there is a little murder on the menu as well!

I love Christmastime. I live in Canada, and the snow is falling, the stores are festively decorated, and it's the perfect time to cozy up with a warm cup of tea and a good book (a cozy mystery, of course!). With my love of the holiday season, it's no great surprise that I love to read Christmas-themed books during the holidays. With Vicki Delany's release of her Year-Round Christmas Mysteries, it's the perfect time of the year to catch up on this great new series.

Vicki Delany sets the perfect scene of the idyllic small town, where their business is centred around Christmas. The streets are packed with tourists, and it seems like it's going to be another perfect holiday season. That is until a murderer strikes, and panic amongst the residents starts to set in. For the residents of Rudolph, Christmas is everything, and Merry and her friends must try to solve this mystery, before they have no customers at all.

From the start to the end, I cherished Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen. It is the perfect Christmastime cozy mystery, with just the right balance between mystery and holiday spirit. I liked the sleuth, Merry, a lot. Her family is big on Christmas spirit, with her dad, Noel, playing Santa every year. Of course with a name like Merry, she loves it too!! Together with her friend, Vicky, they set about to solve the mystery - even travelling to one town over to see if they are involved in the murder somehow.

There is so much to love in the town of Rudolph, including Merry's Saint Bernard pup, Matterhorn, and I'm already eager to take another trip there to see what kind of mischief Merry, her family and friends will be up to next.

If you are looking for a great mystery, filled with holiday spirit, this season, pick up Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen. You won't be disappointed!

Purchase Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen from Amazon.