Can you imagine a town being named after Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Yes, and it is in New York. And it is Christmastime and everyone is in a holiday mood. Merry has a store with so many choices of Christmas gifts for all. She is renting an apartment on the upper level of Mrs. D"Angelo's home. Yes, there is a dog in the story, Merry has a large dog. Mrs. D'Angelo is a very friendly lady, but is a noisy neighbor.

Across the street there is a house and someone new has moved in. Wanting to know who has moved into the house, she makes a neighborly visit. But not everyone wants to answer their door to a stranger. With a curious personality she just keeps trying. Another neighbor just left her neighborly gift on the doorstep. But Mrs. D'Angelo must see who these people are. Then one day it seems that Merry has not seen her landlord in a long time. So being so concerned she went across to see if her landlady had gotten curious. While at the door Merry hears a cry for help. So with the help of a friend she just had to get inside.

Lo and behold she found Mrs. D'Angelo tied up and locked in a pantry. But no one else was around. So now the mystery starts, who are these people who are renting the house and why are they holding Mrs. D'Angelo captive. This is Christmastime after all and why?

Thank you Vicki, Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley for the opportunity in reading before publishing. Not only a mystery, but a way to get into the Christmas Spirit a might early.

O, Deadly Night is a great addition to the cosy mystery series. Its pleasant style makes for an addictive read. The festive atmosphere was palpable. Great read!

This is book 8 in the Year-Round Christmas series. It's almost Christmas in Rudolph, New York and the town's annual Santa parade is ready to roll. Merry's float will be Santa's workshop and is using neighborhood children to man the float. Her landlady, Mrs. D'Angelo is in charge of the children but she is very late to get the kids organized for the parade. She was delayed by new neighbors moving in. The next day she disappears. Friends help Merry solve the problem before Christmas is ruined.

O, Deadly Night by Vicki Delaney grabs you with the adorable cover and sweeps you along in a Christmas mystery that keeps you guessing to the end.
All of the characters readers have come to love are here, and the tale being set in the Christmas town during the holidays provides a look at what retail workers go through during the holidays. The mystery is complex, with plenty of suspects to choose from as the town celebrates Christmas.
The book is well written and fast paced, and the perfect one to read to escape the hectic pace of the upcoming holidays.
Thanks for the ARC of #ODeadlyNight to #NetGalley.

Vicki Delany delivers a delightful blend of holiday charm and suspense. Set in the picturesque town of Rudolph, New York, the story follows shop owner Merry Wilkinson as she prepares for the annual Santa Claus parade. However, the festive spirit takes a dark turn when her landlady, Mabel D’Angelo, goes missing after investigating new neighbors across the street. Merry, along with her friend Vicky, discovers Mabel tied up in a pantry and a dead body in the basement, leading them into a tangled web of secrets and intrigue.

Delany's writing is engaging, capturing the cozy atmosphere of the holiday season while weaving a compelling mystery. The characters are well-developed, and the small-town setting adds depth to the narrative. The plot is filled with twists and red herrings, keeping readers on their toes until the satisfying conclusion. Fans of cozy mysteries will appreciate the blend of festive cheer and suspense that Delany masterfully crafts in this installment.

This 8th installment is another outstanding mystery in the Year Round Christmas cozy mystery series. Once again, Vicki Delany has outdone herself.

An absolutely top notch group of characters led by shop owner, Merry Wilkinson, who, along with her friends and family, get involved in solving a murder (and a kidnapping) across the street from her home. An interesting plot as well.

For me, the highlight of this series is all the Christmastime activity in Rudolph, NY, which is a type of Christmastown. I love Christmas mysteries at any time and this series is among the best.

Highly recommended!!

I am thrilled once again to have gotten my hands on the latest Vicki Delany novel — O Deadly Night, the eighth installment in her Year Round Christmas series. This installment was especially memorable because of some extra drama inserted into the narrative.

As usual for Rudolph, NY, Christmas is right around the corner and the annual Christmas parade is underway, but neighborhood busybody Mabel D’Angelo is missing from the festivities. Enter my immediate concern that Mrs. D’Angelo was the murder victim, but thank goodness she only missed the parade because she was spying on the new neighbors across the street. That tracks, but over the coming days Mabel grows more and more concerned about the new neighbors flying under her radar. Then again she is prone to hysterics over small things, she could be overreacting as is her wont. Then Mrs. D’Angelo disappears… maybe she wasn’t being so hysterical after all!

I’ll stop my summary there because that’s when things really take a turn for the dramatic. All of Delany’s usual suspects were there — beautiful Christmas scenery, general laa scene in Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, and a murder Merry to solve along with her favorite local cops. The novel had a great subplot with neighboring town, Muddle Harbor. They have no tourism and the town is on the brink of economic collapse, so they ask Merry’s father for advice and before you know it Muddle Harbor has a cutthroat mayoral campaign on its hands. I have always enjoyed the depressing rustbelt nature of Muddle Harbor and I’m hoping the next book continues with this plot line.

I will wrap things up (ha) by saying this was honestly my favorite book in the series thus far. Everything was fleshed out nicely, the secondary plot was intriguing, and I even guessed whodunnit before the end. The only thing I felt could have been fleshed out more was the plot line with the NYC investigator, however in no way did that detract from the plot and enjoyment of the novel.

Check it out, it releases October 14, 2024.

Fun cozy holiday mystery that comes complete with recipes. This is the second book I have read in the series and have now added the rest of them to my favorites list so I can catch up. The characters are funny, the atmosphere is festive and the mystery was good. Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher's for the advanced copy, opinons are my own.

Love a little mystery with your Christmas - then you'll love this one! Another good one from Vicki Delany!

O, Deadly Night, the 8th installment of the Year Round Christmas series was the perfect break from my typical summertime reading! It was a wonderful escape to Christmastime in Rudolf with Merry Wilkinson and friends. Full of quirky characters and small town Christmas charm, it’s festive, fun, and just dangerous enough to keep you turning the pages late into the night. Fans of Vicky Delany and her cozy mysteries will not be disappointed.

Thanks for Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Vicki Delaney is one of my favorite contemporary cosy mystery authors. Her main characters are relatable and real, people you'd want to be friends with in real life. They have jobs they have to do--they can't just go off detecting. They had quirky relatives or friends. I worried that this Christmas-themed series would be too cutesy for me and for it to last, but I'm delighted to say that after reading three of them, Ms. Delaney is doing a great job of keeping an unusual premise going realistically. In this soon-to be-published book, Merry is juggling getting her shop's holiday float ready for the Rudolph town parade and gearing up for the December retail extravaganza when she makes the majority of her sales, so when her landlady, the quirky Mrs. D'Angelo, starts pestering her about mysterious goings on at the house across the street, Merry is too overwhelmed to pay much attention. Until Mrs. D'Angelo disappears. I loved this premise--Merry reacts as any one of us would to the situation, with a little guilt and determination. We find out a little bit more about how Merry's father, the Mayor, helped revitalize a dying town by turning it into a Christmas destination that celebrates all year. Because we see more of Mrs. D'Angelo in this entry, we see less of Allen, Marry's boyfriend, but he and the other regular secondary characters appear, add drama (the store scene brought to mind retail incidents from my own past as a store clerk; yes, they do happen!), add spice, and generally make this an enjoyable series. O Deadly Night will be published in October 2025, and will be a great diversion for mystery lovers who need a little escape from the holiday craziness.

O, Deadly Night is the eighth book in A Year-Round Christmas Mystery series by Vicki Delany. Merry realizes her neighbor, Mrs. D’Angelo is missing. She feels guilty as she didn’t have time to really listen to her concerns about a new neighbor across the street.

Merry and her BFF Vicky find Mrs. D’Angelo tied in a closet in the house across the street and a dead body in the basement. Vicky must remind Merry Not to be TSTL (2 stupid 2 live) trying to resolve this murder. Let the police do their job.

It does get resolved and we learn more about past town residents. Great story especially during the heat dome over the USA. Thinking of Christmas helped me stay cool.

Netgalley allowed me the opportunity to read this ARC and these are my opinions.

O Deadly Night is the eighth book in Vicki Delany’s Year-Round Christmas Mystery series. it’s Christmas in Rudolph, New York, and once again, a murder dampens the holiday spirit.

Unlike previous books, Merry’s landlord, Mabel, takes center stage in the investigation. Instead of simply passing along tidbits from her gossip network, she becomes directly involved, adding a fresh twist to the familiar formula.

This cozy mystery is the perfect read for the holiday season. It is fun, festive, and delightfully charming. If you enjoy holiday-themed cozies, The Year-Round Christmas Mysteries are sure to bring cheer (and a few chills) to your reading list.

In the next book in the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series, O DEADLY NIGHT by Vicki Delany, Merry Wilkinson (shop owner of Mrs. Claus’ Treasures) enters her float in the Santa Claus parade. The book is set in Rudolph, New York, at Christmastime. Mable D’Angelo, Merry’s landlady, fails to show up to play the elves’ foreman and help supervise the kids who play the elves. George, Mabel’s friend, phones Mabel and learns that she stays at home and misses the parade because new neighbors moved in across the street from her, and she has to be her nosy self. I want to know more about the newcomers and see what happens.

I am reading this book in July. Christmas in July—what fun! Vicki Delany creates a lovely Christmassy setting in her Year-Round Christmas Mystery series. All of the recurring characters return, some with Christmas-related names like Merry and Noel. The general ambiance of the book is as interesting as the mystery that ensues. I look forward to reading other books in the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series. Thank you, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of O DEADLY NIGHT.

If Vicki Delaney ever stops writing this series, I’ll be in a full blown depression! Every single time I open up A Year Round Christmas Mystery, I am filled with joy and happiness. The fictional town of Rudolph, New York and its residents are back for another fun mystery. Merry finds herself at the center of a murder when nosy neighbor and landlord Mrs. D’Angelo can’t just leave the new neighbors alone! Full of its signature charm and whit, this series just ignites the old school holiday spirit in me, no matter what time of year I read them. Getting to read another book each year fills me with a nostalgia that few series do. If you haven’t started this series, what are you waiting for? It’s everything you could ask for in a cozy.

Year-Round Christmas Mystery book # 8

A cozy mystery

The story in a few words:

Mrs. D’Angelo is the center of all gossip and is determined to introduce herself to the new arrivals across from her house but soon she noticed strange things about them …. Then, strangely Mabel D’ Angelo disappears. Merry Wilkinson a long-time friend is worried and admits something might be terribly wrong……

My thoughts:

In a steady pace the story moseys along and we see Merry sleuthing doing what she does best searching for clues and finally figuring out what happened, where Marbel was, why this occurred and who was behind this kidnapping. Mabel was not alone where she was found….a body was lying at the bottom of the basement….murder, suspense and mystery… the why, the who, the what….

Cute little mystery well said and well done but easy to figure who might be the killer ..

This one might be a caution about becoming too much of a snoopy neighbor but, well, since it's Merry's curiosity and caring that leads to the solution, I don't think we're supposed to take that literally. Grin. In any case, this is another favorite series with characters you'll like, even if they do annoy you at times. Kyle, I'm looking at you. Mabel D'Angelo, Merry's landlady, is determined to greet her new neighbors properly, all in being neighborly, of course, not snooping. And, if you believe that, I'm sure the realtor in town has some swamp land they'd like to unload on you.

Merry is annoyed when Mrs. D'Angelo's, who was supposed to be helping with the shop's float in the annual Christmas parade, is a no show. Crazy busy as Merry is, however, she doesn't think much beyond wondering who's moved in across the street. Then a couple days later a mutual friend mentions Mrs. D'Angelo is missing and isn't answering her phone. That's very unlike her. Merry and BFF Vicky decide to check up on her.

That's where the story really takes off. Merry's good deed winds up with her not only rescuing Mrs. D'Angelo from a frightening situation but finding a dead body. One that turns out to have ties to the quaint town of Rudolph, NY, where Christmas is celebrated all year. Merry's sister Eve, an actress home for the holiday, recalls the victim being a mean girl in high school. I won't detail the plot much further but will note it involves online scams, illegal activities, greed, a family's drama, unrequited love, well, infatuation, and, oh, yeah, a dog gets skunked. And that's just hitting the high(low?)lights. Mrs. D'Angelo plays a pivotal role here and the regulars seem to largely be on hand, including Merry's father who might as well be Santa Claus as well as just portraying him. Her mother is an opera singer. How's that for an odd couple? Vicky is, as always, there when Merry most needs an assist, even reminding Merry not to be TSTL (too stupid to live) at one critical point.

Bottom line, this was a fun read. The characters are easy to relate to and like and, well, who wouldn't like to at least try spending some time in a town where it's Christmas every day. There's even a horse-drawn sleigh! Watching the way Merry's St. Bernard Maddy adores the police detective is a hoot, too. The side-stories show Santa, er, Merry's dad, isn't just caring when dressed as Santa, either, and even Merry sometimes wonders about his Santa connections. Thanks #CrookedLaneBooks and #NetGalley for this early chance to celebrate Christmas virtually in Rudolph. We do have a North Pole here in in Alaska, so I feel a kinship with those townspeople.

Another great addition to a wonderful series! I so love the Christmas theme to these books! The mystery was so well done, I was invested in trying to figure out who did it, and I was surprised at the end! This is a great cozy mystery, that I would recommend to everyone!

Super fun read that really put me in a holiday mood. Merry is busy running her shop in the heart of Christmas town, when something out of the ordinary happens. Her downstairs neighbor, and landlady, well known for her love of gossip has disappeared, shortly after the empty house across the street is reoccupied. Merry, being concerned, takes her friend Vicky to check out the new house and find her neighbor tied up in a pantry and a dead body in the basement. Merry tries to keep her head down because of the busy season, but she cannot help but get pulled into the mystery. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one!

Really enjoyed this latest book in the Christmas-Year-Round series! I will say that I’m ready for some development between Merry and Alan; progression is needed!