Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas (Year-Round Christmas Mystery #6)

by Vicki Delany

Overview

It’s beginning to look a lot like murder in the sixth installment of this charming cozy mystery series, perfect for fans of Donna Andrews and Jacqueline Frost.

It’s the beginning of December in Rudolph, New York, America's Christmas Town, and business is brisk at Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a gift and décor shop owned by Merry Wilkinson. The local amateur dramatic society is intensely preparing a special musical production of A Christmas Carol. But it’s not a happy set, as rivalries between cast and crew threaten the production.

Tensions come to a head when a member of the group is found dead shortly after a shopping excursion to Mrs. Claus's Treasures. Was someone looking to cut out the competition? Everyone in the cast and crew is a potential suspect, including Aline, Merry’s mother, and Merry's shop assistant Jackie O'Reilly, who was desperate for a starring role.

It could be curtains for Christmas—and for Merry—unless the killer can be ferreted out of the wings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781639104635
Publisher:	CROOKED LANE BOOKS
Publication date:	09/19/2023
Series:	Year-Round Christmas Mystery Series , #6
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	143,228
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Vicki Delany is a bestselling author of more than thirty novels/novellas in several of mystery's subgenres. Born in Manitoba and raised in Ontario, she is the former president of the Crime Writers of Canada, a member of Capital Crime Writers, and a member of Sisters in Crime.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas:
“[A] mystery with an amusing touch of theatrics and plenty of Christmas spirit.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A stellar and fun read from cover to cover.”
—Midwest Book Review

“Delany can always be relied upon for well-plotted mysteries filled with clever dialogue and entertaining characters.”
—Kings River Life

“Another solid, small town mystery . . . A fun read, and will get you into the Christmas spirit a little early.”
—Red Carpet Crash

“Cozy queen Vicki Delany decks the halls with a witty and irresistible holiday mystery that offers amusing amateur theatrical antics and more twists than a candy cane. A hot cocoa toast to the return of the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series!”
—Ellen Byron, USA Today bestselling author of the Cajun Country Mysteries

“Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas, the latest in Vicki Delany’s Year-Round Christmas series, is sure to bring good cheer to even the Scroogiest of readers. You’ll be humming holiday tunes and watching for the ghosts of Christmases past and future as you turn the pages, reaching for hot chocolate or a gingerbread cookie no matter what the weather, as Merry and her friends save the holiday.”
—Leslie Budewitz, three-time Agatha Award-winning author of the Spice Shop Mysteries

“Vicki Delany's bulging Christmas stocking of a mystery is bursting with small-town charm, a cast of quirky characters, a heroic dog and a surprise treat of an ending tucked in the toe!”
—Leslie Meier, author of the Lucy Stone Mystery Series

Praise for Year-Round Christmas Mystery series:
“Merry Wilkinson is feisty and fun.” 
—Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author, on Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen

“Plenty of suspects, likable characters, and lots of possible motives add up to a cheery holiday cozy.”
—Kirkus Reviews, on Dying in a Winter Wonderland

“A fun Yuletide-themed cozy with an appealing amateur sleuth.”
—Library Journal, on Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen

“Witty writing, an unexpected solution, and truly likable characters ensure that the appeal of this holiday-themed series will last long past the Yule season.”
—Kings River Life Magazine, on Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen

“Delightful . . . Full of holiday glitter and charm right out of a Currier and Ives painting. I enjoyed every word of it.”
—Open Book Society, on Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen

“[A] promising new series.”
—Fresh Fiction,  on Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen

From the Publisher

2023-07-26
The denizens of the Lake Ontario town of Rudolph, New York, must cope with a murder that threatens the excellent living they make promoting Christmas all year round.

Now that it’s actually the Christmas season, the Rudolph Community Theater Players are hard at work getting ready to present a musical version of A Christmas Carol. Their last play bombed, costing them money, but luckily newcomer Catherine Renshaw is underwriting the new production. Unfortunately, her demands for creative input put her at odds with director Desmond Kerslake and other cast members, whose amateur status doesn’t prevent them from having their own ideas. One performer is no amateur: famous retired opera singer Aline Steiner, whose daughter, Merry Wilkinson, owns the gift store Mrs. Claus’s Treasures and has a history as a sleuth. Merry’s skills are called into play when Paula Monahan, a troublesome member of the cast, is strangled in her store, and Merry's shop assistant, Jackie O’Reilly, another enthusiastic thespian, is a suspect. It’s true that Jackie was Paula’s understudy, but a better part hardly seems a compelling motive for murder, especially when almost everyone in the cast and crew is angling for changes, and the nastiness is ratcheting up. With her diva mother deeply involved and the reputation of the town, where her dad is the year-round Santa, at stake, Merry ignores warnings and taps into the local gossip network in an attempt to pick out a killer from a bunch of wannabe stars.

A modest mystery with an amusing touch of theatrics and plenty of Christmas spirit.

Kirkus Reviews