Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
It makes me merry to share my thoughts about
A Slay Ride Together With You Today!
A Slay Ride Together With You (Year-Round Christmas Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Setting – New York
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books (September 24, 2024)
Hardcover : 288 pages
ISBN-10 : 1639108793
ISBN-13 : 978-1639108794
Kindle ASIN : B0CQWX976D
Audiobook ASIN B0D9YT76GL
The slay bells are ringing in this festive seventh installment of national bestselling author Vicki Delany’s Year-Round Christmas mystery series.
Rudolph, New York, shop owner Merry Wilkinson’s best friend Vicky Casey is newly engaged to Chef Mark Grosse and is moving into the historic Cole House–a home surrounded by drama, intrigue, and a possible haunting that is in desperate need of renovation. The wedding is just three weeks away, but all is not bliss for the newly engaged couple as estranged relatives of the late owner fight over her will. Then, late one night, Vicky and Merry come across a dead body in the garden of Cole House–and Mark is the one standing over the corpse.
As Detective Diane Simmonds focuses on Mark as the prime suspect, Vicky asks for Merry’s help to clear her fiancé’s name in time for the wedding. As they dig deeper into the connection between the house, Cole relatives, and town residents, past and present, it becomes clear that plenty of people wanted the victim dead.
With a bakery to run, the busy Easter weekend fast approaching, a house to renovate, and a fiancé to clear of a murder accusation, Vicky’s wedding may end up on the chopping block. It’s up to Merry to put aside the chocolate bunnies and stuffed rabbits and help her best friend save her wedding–and her life.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
While Rudolph, New York goes all out for Christmas they need tourists to visit year-round. Right now, they are decking their halls for Easter. Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, and the other shopkeepers are adding some eggs, chicks, and bunnies to their wares and windows.
Merry is also looking forward to her best friend, Vicky Casey’s wedding. It is just three weeks away and she and her groom Chef Mark Grosse have made a major purchase, the historic Cole House. It has been empty for a long time and needs serious renovation but it is also plagued with a history of drama and it may be haunted. On top of that alienated relatives of the previous owner are fighting her will and want the house.
Vicky and Merry are having a girl’s night at the house and a noise leads them outside. There they find a dead body in the garden and Mark is standing over the body with blood on his hands. Mark is now Detective Diane Simmonds’ prime suspect and Merry knows she and Vicky need to prove his innocence. Can they do that before the wedding? or will Mark be locked away on their big day?
Merry Wilkerson is a terrific protagonist and a master juggler taking care of everything thrown at her in this story. Her father Noel performs his Santa duties whenever needed. Her mother gives voice lessons. They are a perfect match. Merry is dating Alan Anderson, woodworker extraordinaire. Her best friend Vicki owns Victoria’s Bake Shop. Her fiance Mark is head chef at the fancy Yuletide Inn. Merry’s dog, Mattie is a big lovable drooling Saint Bernard who goes with her almost everywhere. All the core characters in this story feel like old friends including Mattie.
The victim, Jim Cole has made many enemies over the years and hadn’t visited the property he wanted in very long time. Merry and Vicki soon had a nice list of suspects. With Vicky’s wedding day quickly approaching she and Merry worked hard to follow every clue much to the angst of Merry’s assistant Jackie who was left handling the shop. Ms. Delany has written a well-plotted story. I thought I had my focus on the right person but her talented writing sent me in another direction only to realize she tricked me. She really is an expert at creating twists and turns to keep her characters and her readers on their toes.
The Cole House was a character in itself. It is a rundown creepy place. Boarded up for years, red brick with multiple chimneys, the old Victorian featured dusty chandeliers, cracked tile, mouse-chewed carpeting, heavy dust-filled curtains, moldy furniture draped in sheets, cobwebs, and an overgrown yard and that was just at first glance. Over the years it became a kid’s hangout and a right of passage to spend the night there for the students from Rudolph High. It did have a working kitchen but I wouldn’t have made it beyond the porch and I definitely wouldn’t have moved in. I would have sided with the people who thought Mark and Vicky had lost their minds.
Ms. Delany also uses her descriptive writing talents when describing the food served in this story too. Her words may have you drooling as much at Mattie. She does include recipes at the end of the book. The Holiday Shortbread recipe was scanned and printed out immediately.
A Slay Ride Together With You is an entertaining read that takes us on a merry chase to catch a killer. It was unusual to visit Rudolph in the spring but I enjoyed catching up with the Wilkerson’s, their friends, and the town’s residents. Until next year, Ms. Delany. I am excited for this series to continue.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
About the Author
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than forty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Year Round Christmas books for Crooked Lane, the Tea by the Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series for Crooked Lane Books, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates) for Crooked Lane.
Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards.
Vicki is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Also written by Vicki Delaney
Find more of Vicki’s books HERE.
Find her books written as Eva Gates HERE.
Thanks to the publisher I have 1 hardcover copy to give away!
The contest is open to anyone over 18 years old
with a US or Canadian mailing address.
Duplicate entries will be deleted. Void where prohibited.
You do not have to be a follower to enter but I hope you will find
something you like here and become a follower.
Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow.
Plus 2 Bonus Entries For Following My Facebook Fan Page.
Add this book to your WANT TO READ shelf on GoodReads
for 3 Bonus Entries.
Follow Crooked Lane Books on Facebook for 3 Bonus Entries
Follow Crooked Lane Books on Instagram for 3 Bonus Entries
Pin this giveaway to Pinterest for 3 Bonus Entries.
If you share the giveaway on Threads, Facebook or anywhere you will receive 5 Bonus Entries For Each Link.
The Contest Will End on January 1, 2025, at 11:59 PM CST
The Winner Will Be Chosen Using Random.org
The Winner will be notified by email and posted here in the sidebar.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.”
