Book Review: Hark the Herald Angels Slay by Vicki Delany (Year-Round Christmas Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Christmas infused cozy mystery

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Christmas in July

Another murder in town

Christmas spirit filled

Christmas in July Turns Deadly

For the first two books in the Year-Round Christmas Mysteries, we visited the town of Rudolph, New York, for Christmas itself.  But when a town draws in tourists by celebrating Christmas all year long, there are other celebrations.  For Hark the Herald Angels Slay, we are visiting for their Christmas in July, and it’s a wonderful visit.

This July, the town is trying something different.  Instead of Santa coming for his vacation in a traditional parade, the town is going to do a boat parade.  Merry Wilkinson is looking forward to starting this new tradition in her role as Mrs. Claus, and she’s hoping that it will draw in tourists to help her store, Mrs. Claus’s Treasures.

What she isn’t counting on is her ex-fiance Max Folger showing up.  They split when he started dating Erica, the owner of the magazine where they both worked.  While Max claims he is in town to do a feature on Rudolph, he makes it very clear that he regrets letting Merry go and wants her back.  The only trouble is, Merry doesn’t want him back.

Things get more complicated when Merry finds Max strangled to death in her shop.  Everyone keeps insisting that Merry stay out of it, but she finds herself being drawn into the investigation.  Will she figure out what happened to Max?

I love Christmas, and one thing I absolutely loved about the first two books in the series is the Christmas spirit the infused the pages.  I wondered if that would be the case in this book since it is set in July.  I didn’t need to worry.  While the weather may be warmer, I still felt that Christmas spirit.  It certainly helps that the contents of Merry’s shop sound delightful.  I have a feeling I would spend way too much money there if it were real.

Of course, I am reading this book for the mystery, and this is the strongest one in the series to date.  There were several complications that left me turning pages as quickly as I could.  Things lead up to an exciting and logical climax.

And I love these characters.  Merry and the other series regulars are a lot of fun.  Well, there are a couple that are annoying, but since Merry is annoyed by them as well, I know I’m in good company.  I was actually surprised by the suspects introduced in this book.  They showed more growth than we usually see in the mysteries I read, which I enjoyed.

Hark the Herald Angels Slay is the strongest book in this series to date.  No matter when you read it, you will be filled with the Christmas spirit as you watch Merry solve a fun mystery.

Stay in the Christmas spirit with the rest of the Year-Round Christmas Mysteries.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Tuesday, December 5th, so please leave your comment before 12:01 AM Pacific Time on 12/5.  You will have until midnight on 12/10 to get back to me, or I will choose a new winner on 12/11.