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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Book Review: Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany
Rating: 3.5 stars
First off, let's talk about the cover of this book. It's absolutely adorable and captures the festive spirit perfectly, which is a crucial aspect for a holiday cozy mystery like this one. Now, onto my review.
Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas is the sixth installment in a charming cozy mystery series set in Rudolph, New York, America's Christmas Town. The story revolves around Merry Wilkinson, the owner of Mrs. Claus's Treasures, a gift and décor shop in town. As the local amateur dramatic society prepares for a special production of A Christmas Carol, tensions rise among the cast and crew, threatening the show.
The plot takes an exciting turn when a member of the group is found dead shortly after visiting Merry's shop. This incident raises suspicions of cutthroat competition within the society. With everyone involved in the production becoming potential suspects, including Merry's mother Aline and her shop assistant Jackie O'Reilly, who was desperate for a starring role, the fate of Christmas and Merry herself hang in the balance.
Delany skillfully crafts a well-written and paced mystery that can easily be enjoyed as a standalone novel. The festive atmosphere is beautifully captured, making it an ideal read for the holiday season. The plot is engaging and keeps readers guessing until the very end.
However, one aspect of the book that didn't resonate with me was the characterization. While the story itself was enjoyable, I found some of the characters to be less likable. Both Jackie and Merry came across as rude and harsh, which made it difficult to fully connect with them. Nevertheless, not every character can be loved by every reader, and this didn't detract significantly from my overall enjoyment of the book.
In conclusion, Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany is a well-crafted and suitably festive cozy mystery. It successfully stands on its own within the series and offers an engaging plot with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing. If you're looking for a holiday-themed mystery that will get you into the Christmas spirit, this book is worth picking up.
⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
Rating: 3.5 stars
First off, let's talk about the cover of this book. It's absolutely adorable and captures the festive spirit perfectly, which is a crucial aspect for a holiday cozy mystery like this one. Now, onto my review.
Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas is the sixth installment in a charming cozy mystery series set in Rudolph, New York, America's Christmas Town. The story revolves around Merry Wilkinson, the owner of Mrs. Claus's Treasures, a gift and décor shop in town. As the local amateur dramatic society prepares for a special production of A Christmas Carol, tensions rise among the cast and crew, threatening the show.
The plot takes an exciting turn when a member of the group is found dead shortly after visiting Merry's shop. This incident raises suspicions of cutthroat competition within the society. With everyone involved in the production becoming potential suspects, including Merry's mother Aline and her shop assistant Jackie O'Reilly, who was desperate for a starring role, the fate of Christmas and Merry herself hang in the balance.
Delany skillfully crafts a well-written and paced mystery that can easily be enjoyed as a standalone novel. The festive atmosphere is beautifully captured, making it an ideal read for the holiday season. The plot is engaging and keeps readers guessing until the very end.
However, one aspect of the book that didn't resonate with me was the characterization. While the story itself was enjoyable, I found some of the characters to be less likable. Both Jackie and Merry came across as rude and harsh, which made it difficult to fully connect with them. Nevertheless, not every character can be loved by every reader, and this didn't detract significantly from my overall enjoyment of the book.
In conclusion, Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany is a well-crafted and suitably festive cozy mystery. It successfully stands on its own within the series and offers an engaging plot with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing. If you're looking for a holiday-themed mystery that will get you into the Christmas spirit, this book is worth picking up.
⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany is a wonderfully written mystery that kept me guessing.
Will Merry figure out who killed Paula and why?
Merry Wilkinson
Our sleuth is Merry Wilkinson. She owns Mrs. Claus' Treasures in Rudolph, New York. This is Merry's busy time of year, with Christmas coming up fast. She is busy as can be at her shop, and one of her employees is in the local performance of A Christmas Carol, which means Merry is covering at the shop for her. This doesn't mean that Merry is all work; she is making time for her boyfriend, best friend, and family.
I like Merry. She tries to be honest with everyone. In this installment, she tries not to get involved in the murder investigation. However, she can't shut her mind off, which I can totally understand and find admirable. Matterhorn, her Saint Bernard, is also adorable, and the way that Merry takes care of him is lovely. Mattie steals the show every once in a while.
The Mystery
Rudolph's amateur theater group is putting on A Christmas Carol - the musical version. Merry's mother, the famous retired opera singer Aline Steiner, is part of this year's performance. Because of this, Merry is more involved than in previous years. Anyway, she gets acquainted with the cast and crew during rehearsals. One of the cast members is killed in Merry's shop while she is in the back room. But it has been busy, and there were many people around until there wasn't. Paula wasn't well-liked by many people. Okay, the only one who liked her was her son, not that she deserved to die.
I actually thought a different person, who was upsetting more people, would be the victim. And I completely fell for a red herring that the sleuth dismissed, but I was sure would pop back up. I didn't see the actual culprit in there at all. Well played, Ms. Delany.
Four Stars
My rating for Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany is four stars. I highly recommend this book and the series to all. It is a fantastic mystery set in the time before Christmas.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany.
Until the next time,
~Jen
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Christmas is taken very seriously in Rudolph, New York. It has been named America’s Christmas Town, and the month of December is when tourism is at its peak—knowing that, the local theater group decides to put on a musical version of A Christmas Carol. But tensions are rampant throughout the cast, with rivalries threatening the production. Things get even more perilous when the actress playing Mrs. Crachit is murdered in Merry’s shop. With a short time until the musical debuts and needing to get her shop reopened, Merry must find out who the killer is and why. Can Merry do it? Or will the musical and Christmas be ruined?
Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas is the sixth book in The Year-Round Christmas Mystery series. While it is book six, you can read this as a stand-alone. But I suggest reading the first five books before picking this one up. I wish I did because I needed clarification about different characters. On the plus side, the author does not refer to the previous books, which was enjoyable. I was just left to muddle out the characters.
I loved the premise of this book. A town where Christmas is celebrated year-round is adorable. Plus, I loved the name Rudolph. The author also explored what it was like to live in a small town in Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas. The gossip and information grapevine was terrific and mostly on point. I also liked that Merry was friendly with most other people in town (except for the grumpy bookstore lady).
The main storyline of Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas centers around Merry, the murder of Paula Monahan (Mrs. Crachit), and Merry’s amateur investigation into the murder. It took a while for the murder storyline to get going. The author did an extensive job of laying down Paula’s backstory (and how unlikable she was). While the storyline was well-written and well-fleshed, the author could have trimmed down some aspects, like the journey to the neighboring town or Merry finding out that Ian was cheating on his wife. Neither had any bearing on the storyline (except to distract from who the killer was). But I do wonder if they will be part of the next book.
I liked Merry, and I could see myself being friends with her. She was grounded and an average person. Her reaction to her mother’s theatrics was funny (did I say that out loud was said a lot). She truly cared about the townspeople, even if some of them (Jackie) drove her up the wall. I also liked the way that she looked into Paula’s murder. She didn’t do it as a super sleuth but as an average person trying to figure it out. I loved seeing her thought process and the moment she realized who it was.
The secondary characters made the book. They were each fleshed out and had distinct personalities and quirks. They made the book so much more interesting to read. I also suspect that Noel (Merry’s father) is Santa.
The storyline of the musical did make me laugh. It was a realistic look at what happens when a group of passionate people get together. It also showcases how egos can ruin a show and how people must take constructive criticism. Aline, Merry’s mother, was the only one who stayed out of the pettiness, and that was because she was a famous opera singer. She dealt with that type of stuff for years. I loved that she put the verbal smackdown on the group towards the end. Someone should have done it sooner.
The mystery angle was terrific. I wasn’t a fan of it getting off to a slow start, but the author showcased all the suspects and the motives. I had a plethora of people to pick a suspect from. But I couldn’t. The author did an excellent job of throwing out red herrings. I was blindsided by who the killer was. It was the last person I would have even suspected. And that person’s motive was ridiculous.
The end of Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas was great. The author wrapped up the murder storyline in a spectacular way. I also liked how the murderer confessed (twice). It was like that person could have cared less about being in jail.
I would recommend Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas to anyone over 16. There is mild language, violence, and no sexual situations.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Vicki Delany for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Dollycas’s Thoughts
We are back in Rudolph, New York just in time for the Christmas holidays. Could there be a better place than America’s Christmas Town to celebrate in December? Merry Wilkinson’s Mrs. Claus’s Treasures is fully stocked for our shopping pleasure and Victoria’s Bake Shoppe always has something yummy to eat. The Rudolph Community Theater is almost ready for its performances of a musical version of A Christmas Carol. Merry’s mother, Aline is in the play and also helping the vocalists get ready for their big debut. Jackie O’Reilly, Merry’s shop assistant is in the chorus but is hoping for a bigger role. Merry’s dad is involved too, helping build and maintain the sets. Sadly, the rehearsals are not going well with tensions on the rise when some cast changes are proposed.
Then a member of the cast is murdered in Merry’s shop. The entire cast finds themselves on the list of suspects including Aline and Jackie. Christmas may not be merry and bright this year unless the killer is caught quickly and Merry is determined to do just that.
First, I have to say that I am so happy that Crooked Lane saw the promise of this series and has brought it back for us to enjoy. The Wilkerson family is so much fun and their stories were definitely not complete. The author has also written the story so new readers will be able to jump in with this book too.
Merry owns Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a home decor and gift store. Her father Noel is the former mayor of Rudolph and performs all Santa Claus duties needed all year long. Mom, Aline is a retired opera diva who now gives vocal lessons. Merry’s boyfriend Alan Anderson, creates wonderful things with wood whether it be toys or furniture. His trains are a hot item at Merry’s Shop. He also plays elf/toymaker to Noel’s Santa at events all over town. All of Ms. Delany’s characters are well developed and feel so genuine. When I start reading it is truly like visiting old friends. I really enjoy Noel as he interacts with others. Merry has said she knows her dad isn’t really Santa Claus but some things that happen really make her wonder. Me too!
We meet several new characters in the members of the community theater. Some have been with the group for years and others are brand new. One of the new members brings money to the group and has new ideas which aren’t always needed. The interactions of the group were very interesting although at times pretty tense. The author did a wonderful job of making each of these characters unique. Like Paula Monahan and her son Eddie. Paula was cast to play Mrs. Cratchit and Eddie as an unusual Tiny Tim. Sadly, Paula was the killer’s victim.
The mystery of Paula’s murder has a lot of moving pieces with a plethora of suspects. With the murder taking place in Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, Merry is involved no matter what Detective Diane Simmonds has to say about it. Merry is a smart amateur sleuth but sometimes her BFF leads her a little bit astray. They are sure fun to follow. I do like that when they do find something relevant or something that may be relevant to the case, Merry shares that with the good detective. That does not mean Merry doesn’t find herself in a pickle when all the clues fall into place. Ms. Delany does fill the story with several twists and turns which set up an exciting showdown that ended in an absolutely perfect way.
Have Yourself A Deadly Little Christmas
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Vicki Delany’s Year-Round Christmas Mystery series is back in the sixth installment, and it’s certainly beginning to look like Christmas. Merry Wilkinson just wants to prepare her shop, Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, for the hopefully mass of shoppers while supporting the town’s amateur theater performers in their production of A Christmas Carol. Unfortunately, her mother is in the cast, and Merry learns all about the tensions and rivalries that threaten to quit.
Everything seems to have imploded when one of the group is discovered dead in Merry’s shop. Now Merry is determined to find out who and why in order to save her mother, her shop assistant Jackie, as well as herself from being suspects.
I was so excited to return to Rudolph and all the characters. While this is the sixth book in the series, you could start here without being lost or confused or even be given spoilers of the previous novels. The atmosphere is always welcoming and so quaint. The characters are well liked and many are adorable, especially Matterhorn the Saint Bernard.
Sometimes I do feel annoyed with the personality of Merry. For example, she allows a little too much leeway with her shop assistant Jackie. Merry’s character is such a sweetheart, but I sometimes wonder if that is going too far. Another example is how she lets her best friend Vicky push her towards suspicions when Merry feels it's not relevant or accurate. It feels more like Vicky is the detective and Merry is the sidekick. It might be interesting to have one of the series from Vicky’s POV.
Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.
I was so excited to get to revisit Merry and her group of friends in the town of Rudolph. The regular cast of characters was back, including Merry’s nosy landlord and curmudgeonly neighboring shop owner. This time, the town is putting on a performance of The Christmas Carol, but a member of the theater group is murdered in Merry’s shop.
I enjoyed the latest installment in the Year Round Christmas Mystery series, and I’m so glad it was revived. This time, pretty much everyone, including Merry’s mom and shop employee Jackie are suspects. This has all the hallmarks of a wonderful Christmas themed cozy mystery. It’s a little bit cheesy, but I think all good cozy mysteries are.
Thank you to Vicki Delany, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is due to be published September 19, 2023.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Christmas is once again approaching in Rudolf and the members of the local drama group are producing a musical version of A Christmas Carol for locals and tourists alike to enjoy. Merry's mum has decided to join them this year but the group experiences building tension as members disagree with one another over creative differences and how big their roles are. Unfortunately for Merry, her Christmas shop is once again the site of a murder when she finds one of the performers dead, and she can't stop herself from investigating in order to clear her shop assistants name and find the murderer.
I really love this series, there is nothing cosier than a cosy mystery with a Christmas theme and this series is the embodiment of the genre as the perfect mix of murder mystery and cosy vibes. The relationships between the characters are all great, and I love how close Merry is with her parents and seeing their interactions. You can read this as a standalone, but to better understand the relationships and the characters' pasts I would recommend starting with book one to enjoy all six festive mysteries.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for letting me read this ARC 💕
I really love this series, there is nothing cosier than a cosy mystery with a Christmas theme and this series is the embodiment of the genre as the perfect mix of murder mystery and cosy vibes. The relationships between the characters are all great, and I love how close Merry is with her parents and seeing their interactions. You can read this as a standalone, but to better understand the relationships and the characters' pasts I would recommend starting with book one to enjoy all six festive mysteries.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for letting me read this ARC 💕