ARC Review: Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas
Author: Vicki Delany
Series: Year-Round Christmas Mystery (Book 6)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (September 19, 2023)

Description: 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.

My Thoughts: As Christmas approaches in Rudolph, New York, tensions are rising when the local dramatic society prepares to put on a musical version of A Christmas Carol. This wouldn't normally impact Merry Wilkinson's life since she keeps busy running Mrs. Claus's Treasures, a gift and decor shop. But Merry's mother who is a retired opera singer has a part and is directing the musical numbers. 

Merry happens to be at the theater and witnesses the tensions herself. A new person in town is the troop's artistic director and she is always trying to override the director and influence the casting. One of Merry's employees is in the chorus and the understudy for Mrs. Cratchit and has delusions of talent. When the woman playing Mrs. Cratchit is killed in Merry's store while Merry is in the backroom dealing with a dog issue, her employee and Merry herself come under suspicion. 

Merry wants to investigate to clear her name and that of her employee but she doesn't know enough about the players. She has never been interested in theater herself. However, the local gossip network, or which her landlady is a charter member, is on the case providing Merry with clues she gladly shares with the detective on the case. Tensions rise as the production gets nearer to its first night and Merry is on the case to find the murderer. 

This was an entertaining cozy mystery which is sixth in a series. I haven't read any of the others but didn't have any trouble getting into the story and learning about the characters. Fans of cozies and fans of this series will enjoy this story.

Favorite Quote:

In the past, I believed I could sometimes uncover things Detective Simmonds, with all her official resources could not. People didn't see me as an authority figure or a threat--or didn't care if they were wasting my time--so they talked more freely to me. Simmonds herself had never quite come out and said I was a help. But she'd hinted at it. I thought she'd hinted at it. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.