October 15, 2015
Delany (Under Cold Stone) launches a new series set in Rudolph, NY, a little Upstate town where it's Christmas year-round. Merry Wilkinson has returned home to open up a shop called Mrs. Claus's Treasures, which sells quality, artisan-crafted gifts. December is Rudolph's busiest season, but someone seems to be trying to sabotage the holiday for everyone. When Nigel Pearce, a journalist writing about "America's Christmas town," is found dead, the community is thrown into turmoil and potential ruin as tourists cancel reservations and avoid shopping there. With her best friend under suspicion and her livelihood at risk, Merry is determined to find the grinch who is destroying their Christmas. VERDICT A fun Yuletide-themed cozy with an appealing amateur sleuth.
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 15, 2015
Rudolph, New York, hoping to be named America's Christmas Town, thereby increasing its already healthy number of tourists, offers a Santa Claus parade, a beautifully decorated downtown, and Midnight Madness days complete with Santa Claus and strolling carolers. The residents are thrilled when Nigel Pearce, from the prestigious European magazine World Journey, comes to town to write a piece about Rudolph. Unfortunately, Merry Wilkinson, proprietor of Mrs. Claus's Treasures, and her rambunctious Saint Bernard puppy find Nigel's body in a park. When it is learned that Nigel was poisoned by a gingerbread cookie from a local bakery, cancellations for the various holiday events come pouring in, putting local businesses in peril during their busiest season. To protect her hometown and her livelihood, Merry investigates and soon ties several acts of sabotage to the murder, all the while attracting the attention of two eligible men. This family-centered cozy, with its small-town holiday frame, quirky characters, humor, and sympathetic main character, is reminiscent of Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)