Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
I am delighted to share my thoughts today about O, Deadly Night: A Year-Round Christmas Mystery by Vicki Delany!
O, Deadly Night: A Year-Round Christmas Mystery
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – New York
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books
Publication date : October 14, 2025
Hardcover
Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8892421874
Kindle
ISBN-13 : 979-8892421881
ASIN : B0DT3J7TT9
Audiobook ASIN B0FH7K1X3J
’Tis the season for mischief and murder in the eighth Year-Round Christmas mystery from national bestselling author Vicki Delany.
It’s Christmastime in Rudolph, New York, which means it’s time for the December Santa Claus parade. This year, shop owner Merry Wilkinson has decided to decorate her float as Santa’s elves’ workshop and invites her landlady, Mabel D’Angelo, to help supervise the excited children playing the elves. But when Mrs. D’Angelo doesn’t show up, Merry begins to worry.
Worry quickly turns into frustration when Mrs. D’Angelo reveals she was delayed by new neighbors moving in. As the center for all things gossip, Mrs. D’Angelo is determined to introduce the new arrivals to the neighborhood. As the days pass, Mrs. D’Angelo notices strange things about the newcomers, but Merry, busier than an elf in Santa’s workshop, has little time for matters that really don’t concern her. But things turn from jolly to downright concerning when Mrs. D’Angelo disappears and Merry is forced to admit that something might be terribly wrong.
With family and friends counting on her during this stressful holiday season, it is up to Merry to make sure this Christmas doesn’t end up wrapped in blood red.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Rudolph, New York, is the place to be for Christmas as the town goes all out to welcome tourists to America’s Christmas Town. The shoppes are already seeing a surge of customers, and all are looking forward to the December Santa Claus parade. Noel Wilkerson is all decked out in his Santa garb, and Alan Anderson is on hand as his favorite elf, while Merry Wilkinson’s float is filled with children playing the roles of elves. The old person missing is Mrs. D’Angelo, Merry’s landlady, who was supposed to help with the children.
After the parade, Merry learns Mrs. D’Angelo was waylaid by new neighbors moving in. The Gossip Queen of Rudolph was set on being the first one to welcome the new people to the neighborhood, but before she could, she noticed some weird happenings at their home. She tries to get Merry to help her make a grand introduction, but Merry is swamped with work as the holidays get closer.
Then Mabel D’Angelo goes MIA, and Merry realizes maybe those new neighbors are something to worry about. Can she find The Gossip Queen and do everything else she needs to get done for everyone else before Christmas? Well, she sure is going to try. Hopefully, she isn’t the next Rudolph resident to disappear.
It is wonderful to visit Rudolph, New York, to catch up with the Wilkersons and their friends at the height of the Christmas season. They always have a lot going on, but there is always time to solve a mystery or two.
All the characters are well-crafted and developed. I enjoyed that Mabel D’Angelo played a major role in this story, taking what she usually does to a new level and landing herself in a heap of trouble. Mattie’s doggie love for Detective Diane Simmonds always makes me smile. I was also happy to see he made a new friend.
This time, we had to delve into a bit of town history to get the investigation rolling. A few people surprisingly end up on Merry’s suspect list when a past relationship is revealed. But Merry did make some mistakes as she tried to follow the clues; she knows better. That being said, I pegged the guilty party with ease early in the story, but the take-down was very entertaining. I loved that Vicky made an epic entrance.
There is a subplot about the town of Muddle Harbor’s failing economy. Noel seems to have some ideas to help the nearby town. I am intrigued to see where Ms. Delaney takes this.
I love the holiday atmosphere in Rudolph that rings throughout the story. The town is filled with people with big, generous hearts who breathe love in America’s Christmas Town year-round, and for other holidays too. Santa is never far away.
O, Deadly Night is a delightfully merry addition to the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series with a little murder and mischief to shake up the holidays. Sure to get you in the Christmas spirit. Bake up some Molasses Spice Cookies (recipe in the book), make a hot beverage, and sit back and escape to Rudolph.
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 the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
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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. Website
Find All of Vicki Delany’s Books HERE.
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