Hark the Herald Angels Slay: A Year-Round Christmas Mystery
By Vicki Delany
Berkley
December 2017

Review by Cynthia Chow

In any town but Rudolph, New York, Santa arriving on a flotilla the Saturday before July 25th could seem out of place. Instead, this is where Christmas is promoted year-round, and our heroine Merry Wilkinson’s own father is the designated Santa who will sail in on the shores of Lake Ontario. Merry left her life and job in Manhattan to return to Rudolph to open Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, but the reason she fled just landed on her doorstep. Max Folger has arrived in Rudolph to feature it in a Discover America travel story in Jennifer’s Lifestyle magazine, and he hasn’t come alone. Making an Entrance is Erica Johnstone; granddaughter of the magazine’s owner, Merry former boss, and Max’s fiancé. Considering that Max ended his engagement to Merry through a text five minutes before announcing his impending marriage to Erica at a staff meeting, Merry shouldn’t be surprised that their first meeting together leads to a trending topic on Twitter.

As business in Mrs. Claus’s increases due to the celebrity presence, Merry seems to be the only one in Rudolph who doesn’t welcome the magazine’s interest. At least, that’s until Merry returns to her store to find her assistant missing and Max in her office, strangled to death with decorative cranberry beads. Pervasive gossip concludes that he missing Jackie O’Reilly was responsible for the murder, but Merry knows that her shallow and fame-obsessed employee could never commit such an act.

Anyone who loves Christmas - or at least the idea of it – will appreciate a town that celebrates it year-round. Merry may not always feel the joy of the season, but her father and the other man in life certainly do embrace the holiday spirit. Her friends assist in investigating those staying at the Yuletide Inn, while less important magazine staff are relegated to a nearby motel. Obviously, there’s some unhappy employees at Jennifer’s Lifestyle, many who object to the direction of the magazine as well as the new management. Intrigue abounds as Merry discovers that some of the residents have their own history with Erica, a woman who proves to have far more layers than one might expect. The development of characters is continually surprising, especially as Merry realizes how the murder has caused her to suspect and grill her own friends. This is a very fun mystery that exploits the gossip and small-town atmosphere of a small town in Upstate New York. Humor, not to mention Merry’s exuberant Saint Bernard puppy Matterhorn, will have even grumpy Grinches welcoming the thought of their own summer Christmas holiday.