I love Christmas and I love cosy murder mysteries, but I really didn’t love this. The idea of the story was good, but it didn’t come off well… the whole community seemed far too caught up in a play going ahead than the woman who had been randomly murdered. The writing wasn’t great either, quite a few grammatical errors and sentences which didn’t make sense. I also didn’t like that lots of the chapters began and ended in the middle of scenes, it just didn’t make sense. Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas fun all year round - until it's not

Christmas time, thespians and drama lead to the production of A Christmas Carol production turning deadly. All fun till a body shows up.

I've never read this series before, and I love reading Delany (good cozy author)

Def pick this series up

Thank you NetGalley

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.

This was my 1st book I read in this series but I did not feel confused or lost. The storyline was good for someone just starting the series.

I really enjoyed this book and all most of the characters. I did find it little unrealistic for Nerry to have such an annoying employee like Jackie.

I enjoyed that a lot was going on to try to figure out who did but mostly I loved the setting of this hook. It was so detailed and beautiful and made me wish I could live somewhere like this.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC you let me read. All opinions are my own.

It's almost Christmas in Rudolph, New York, and the town is busy preparing for Christmas. The local theater group is fighting about the upcoming musical production of A Christmas Carol. Merry Wilkinson owns the charming gift shop Mrs. Claus's Treasures and has been known to find herself in the middle of murder mysteries. Her mother, a retired Opera singer, is starring in the production. When a theater group member is found dead in Merry's shop, she can't help herself from sleuthing.

For cozy mystery fans, this is a perfect book for a night by the fire. It's a likable cast of characters, a charming town, and a good mystery. Vicki Delany is my favorite Cozy Mystery author, and this book did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I received a free copy of, Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas, by Vicki Delany, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book 6 in The Year-Round Christmas Mysteries. In Rudolph, New York, the quaint Christmas town, there is another murder to solve. Their is a play to perform, A Christmas Carol, and a murder to solve. I really enjoyed this series, and this book, I love this town, and its people.

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas is a cozy mystery set in a Christmas-year-round town in New York. The town of Rudolph is preparing for their community musical production of A Christmas Carol. While outside the theater, people are shopping for Christmas, decorating their stores, and enjoying the winter weather, things are not all cheery on the musical set. With clashing egos and overly ambitious actors, something dramatic was bound to occur; unfortunately, that something turned out to be a murder. Amateur sleuth, Merry, must now try to help solve the case, especially since her store assistant manager is the prime suspect and her mother, one of the stars in the show, may be next on the killer's list.

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas is a cute cozy, and the setting is particularly charming. For me, there were just too many characters constantly being introducted and none of them were overly likable. Even Merry, I found annoying at times. I also did not find the mystery to be that intriguing. I had figured out who was the murderer almost immediately. With that said, I enjoyed the Christmas feels and the quaint setting, and it was a pretty fast read. If you're looking for a holiday themed cozy mystery, you may enjoy Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas.

I just reviewed Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Very entertaining and loved the characters.

This reminds me of a cozy Hallmark Mystery movie in a book. In the Christmas town of Rudolph, tension is rising at the busiest time of the year. When a member of the towns play is found dead when tensions amongst the actors are at an all time high, shop own Merry is forced into the chaos to try to solve the mystery and maybe catch a killer.

I do wish it was winter when I was reading this, but it is a fun read. It’s a cozy mystery that gives small town-Christmas vibes while incorporating drama, conflict, and murder. I thought it was a cute, easy read. Part of a series but can also be read as a stand-alone. Decent combination of plot and building the characters to further the story.

Rudolph, New York, is America's Christmas Town
With themed shops - and a Santa who'll never let you down!
This year the amateur dramatic society are going to do their best
To put on a musical A Christmas Carol to outshine all the rest!

Merry Wilkinson owns a gift shop, Mrs Claus's Treasures,
With locally made jewellery, toys and gifts to bring pleasures.
Her Dad is the local Santa Claus, he's always in character, too,
And her Mum is a renowned operatic star - and a diva at times, too.

As the rehearsals for the musical production get under way
There are lots of different people determined to have their say.
As tensions mount and rivalries threaten the show
Too many folks think they know the way the show should go.

When a visit to Merry's shop results in someone being killed
Will this terminate the show or have someone else's dreams fulfilled?
As everyone involved is a suspect in the case
Can Merry resist investigating the killing in her place?

With community dramas, secrets and ambitions, too,
Lots of components and clues to be going through.
Will this be the end of Christmas celebrations in Rudolph this year?
Should other cast members pull together or live in fear?

A heartwarming cosy Christmas Mystery, whatever the time of year,
With a great sense of community, family drama and folks who are dear.
An intriguing mystery, to keep you enthralled, too,
As you put together the pieces, searching for that vital clue.

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

If you're not a big fan of gingerbread, presents and family get-togethers then whatever time of year it is, Rudolph, New York, probably isn't your ideal holiday destination! Marketed as a Christmas all year town it is, as December begins, festooned in all its festive finery. Merry Wilkinson runs Mrs Claus's Treasures and is the daughter of an ex-mayor and Santa Clause lookalike and an operatic diva sensation.

As the week of the Christmas play, A Christmas Carol, grows ever nearer it becomes clear all is not well amongst the thespians with arguments, accusations, and tantrums clouding every rehearsal. When Merry discovers the body of a member of the dramatic society far too close to home, she tries hard not to get involved but being considered a suspect means she is soon knee deep in the investigation and desperate to prevent any more deaths.

This is the sixth in the Year Round Christmas Mystery Series, and, although yet to read the previous five, I felt instantly at home. I liked Merry, her family, and Matterhorn (Mattie), the lumbering, ever loyal, St Bernard and there were some wonderful mean spirited arguments to enjoy alongside a murder to solve, and all the positive reasons to live in such a festive location year round which I would love to do!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Crooked Lane Books, but the opinions expressed are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Christmas in July and look forward to revisiting very soon.

Love this author this book is full of irresistible holiday mystery and intrigue. The storyline has great info about a small town during the holidays. It’s cute that there’s recipes for some holiday treats as well

This is the sixth book in the series, but the first one I read about this very fun year-round Christmas town called Rudolph. It was very pleasant to read, I wasn’t bothered at all by the fact that this is so far out in the series, I didn’t feel like I lacked any background information to understand the characters better, although I would definitely love to read the other installments now and learn more about them.

The pace was great, the festive vibes awesome – everything bears a Christmas name in Rudolph (streets, stores, etc.), so you get all the cozy vibes. The drama that unfolds at the local theatre for the amateur production of A Christmas Carol was intense and riveting. That’s why I thought the motive for the murder, once you find out about it at the end, was a bit underwhelming. But that’s my only downside to it.

☆☆☆☆ Great Christmas Cozy Mystery Read! Looking forward to more!

Fun Cozy Christmas Mystery based in a cute little Christmas town. I didn't read the previous books in this series but didn't feel like it affected my reading. I wish there was a little more investigating and talking to the town members. It seemed like the main character stayed in her head a lot to try and work things out and the only way she got new information was by someone else coming up to her and giving it to her or taking her with them to ask questions. I liked the parts about the play and enjoyed the descriptions of Rudolph.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas is the 6th in the Year-round Christmas Mystery series. This book can definitely be read as a stand-alone. I hadn't read the others in the series and followed along quite well.

This cozy mystery has all the elements a good cozy mystery should have:

🎄 It is set in the cute little town of Rudolph, New York, known as the year-round Christmas town,
🎄 We have our female amateur sleuther, Merry, who is also the small business owner of a decor and things shop called Mrs. Claus's Treasures,
🎄 We have our furry companion, Merry's dog Matterhorn, and
🎄 A great cast of supporting characters, including Merry's boyfriend Alan, the local toy maker, and Vicky, Merry's best friend and local bakery owner.

And finally, you have the mystery. One of the cast members of the upcoming local theatrical production of a Christmas Carole is found dead in Merry's shop. And with a cast that is at odds with one another, an understudy desperate for a bigger role, and a husband who recently asked for a divorce, there are plenty of suspects.

This is a quick little cozy mystery read, I finished it in a day. The mystery was interesting, I was in the dark on the murderer until the very end, and the characters were likeable or amusing at least. A definite add to your cozy Christmas mystery reading.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. I received an advance copy of this book for free, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a cute sixth book in the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series, a cozy mystery series that I love reading in the summer. I liked that this one actually took place in December and was centered around a production of A Christmas Carol musical.

Merry is still a likeable main character although I do want the romance to pick up a bit. I do appreciate that she is able to stand on her own though!

Overall it was another cute read in this series!

Backstage drama takes center stage.

I've done local theater and although the stress levels can be tough, I've fortunately never experienced anything like what was going on during this production of "A Christmas Carol". Wow, talk about egos. Egos clashing with money and prestige lost or gained. And, that's just part of the story.

After what a somewhat slow start to me, I realized how hooked I was at some point. Maybe when I absolutely had to finish this book before finally going to bed? In any case, although Delany is one of my go-to authors, I somehow seem to have missed this series, so it was a delight to find it. Merry and her family were a delight .... I mean, her dad might as well be Santa Claus and her mom is a former opera star ... and the rest of the surrounding characters were intersting, too, with some quirks of their own. Set in Rudolph, New York, a town that does Christmas year-round, it was easy to fall into the Christmas spirit as I read.

Well, except for when Merry finds a dead body in her shop, Mrs. Claus's Treasures. Who killed the difficult Paula? Was it connected to the play? It isn't like Paula didn't make more than a few waves, all made worse by the behavior of her not so very Tiny Tim-ish son's behavior. Would shop worker Jackie have killed to get a better part? She does seem to harbor delusions of grandeur and being the entertainment world's next big star. How about the victim's husband? They were definitely not the perfect couple? Will Merry prove too-stupid-to-live as she persists on asking questions, not to mention showing up on doorsteps uninvited to ask them? Would Mattie the dog be enough protection? What would motivate someone to kill? Who ... oh, enough teasers. Get the book. It's a fun, relatively quick read but, beware, it may keep you up past your bedtime.

Thanks #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for introducing me to Rudolph, the Christmas Town, and its (mostly) friendly residents. Can the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future change those few Scrooge-y hearts for good? I'll be back!

Christmas is once again approaching in Rudolf and the members of the local drama group are producing a musical version of <i>A Christmas Carol</i> 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 love to visit America's Christmas Town at any time of the year! Another cleverly crafted murder that had many suspects. Surprisingly, there were several potential victims before the murder. It's usually someone unpleasant that dies and there were a few candidates. I love that Merry's parents are in every book and that they are so different from each other and from Merry. Great depth in most of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

A Year Round Christmas Mystery book #6

Vicki Delany is giving us another cozy, witty and captivating holiday mystery with her protagonist, Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures and amateur sleuth extraordinaire.

The small-town of Rudolph, N.Y. is humming with holiday cheers and ghosts of Christmases past and future, hot chocolate and gingerbread cookie no matter the weather. The local amateur dramatic society is preparing a special musical production but rivalries between the artists threatens the production...this is not a happy set. Pressure is on and everything collapse when Paula, a member is found dead in Merry’s store...

By taking us a wild adventure to find who wanted Paula dead, this soft mystery has a lot going on to please us. First we have the preparation of the town’s Christmas Carol production with its many colourful players and the drama they bring to the table. Then we have the murder investigation done by the authorities as well as from our amateur sleuth. There are a lot of suspects and we get to know all of them. It wouldn’t be a good holiday story without pooches included, we also have them.

I read in the past some books from this author and always thought Ms. Delany had a gift of immersing her readers by giving us tidbit to munch on in order to pique our interest in finding the whodunit. I was surprise to discover who it was. She also gives us a warm feeling with her smooth style, a good story and an appealing cast of characters.

Not having read the previous book in this series did not take away from my enjoyment, this latest stands well by itself.

“Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas” is a relaxing read to loose ourselves in.