In the town of Rudolph, New York, the Christmas season should make spirits bright, but as the year comes to an end, so does a life, in the fifth installment of this charming cozy mystery series.Christmas has arrived in Rudolph, New York, and Merry Wilkinson is looking forward to a much needed rest. But before that can happen, Luanne Ireland walks through her door. Luanne had asked Merry to help … asked Merry to help make decorations for her wedding, but has suddenly moved the wedding months earlier and is now demanding that everyone follow her lead, regardless of the cost.
But that cost is much higher than anyone anticipated. When Luanne’s fiancé is found murdered at their proposed wedding venue, Merry resolves to restore peace and calm to the community of Rudolph. But the closer she gets to the killer, the more personal the case becomes, and Merry begins to worry that a death knell could ring in the New Year.
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Dying in a Winter Wonderland is the 5th book in the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series written by Vicki Delany and was published in September, 2020. Although I love autumn and want to focus my celebrations on Halloween this season, this was the next book on my TBR and became my read over the weekend. Don’t worry though… I’ve got some more spooky ones coming up later this month. That said, I enjoyed my sidebar trip to the winter wonderland in Rudolph, New York, where this series takes place.
The book opens with a Bridezilla who’s pressuring Merry to move up her wedding. Luanne is hardly even a friend of Merry’s, but for some unknown reason (their parents are friends, I suppose), Merry agreed to design and plan part of the woman’s wedding. Definitely a mistake… Luanne asks to move it up from July to February, and that’s where the beginning of the end arrives. Merry’s brother, Chris, used to date this girl, and she is not over him, even though he moved to NYC as a set designer years ago. Luanne’s new fiancé is a bit rough around the edges, but he comes from money, and the family needs it desperately. What happens when Merry finds Chris, who is home for a holiday visit, standing over the fiancé’s dead body at the wedding venue? Mayhem, and of course, another terrific murder mystery.
If you love Christmas settings, you must read this series. From the descriptions to the names of all the characters and the buildings, it’s an immersive experience that truly lets the holiday spirit stir up some emotions. Regardless of whether Merry made a mistake agreeing to help with the wedding, it serves as an excellent way to introduce some new characters, provide levity and shock at the same time, and perhaps set the base for a possible future secret to come out about Merry’s brother. Just what is he hiding in NYC? While we don’t find out in this book, we do get to know him a lot better, and meeting the protagonist’s extended family is a real treat. I adore Merry’s parents, but Chris is the all-around good guy. He couldn’t haven’t murdered the fiancé, right?
When the mystery is solved, it’s full of surprises. We follow many clues to the neighboring town (rivals) over a land dispute and quick sale, another love interest involved in the plot, and someone who’s pined for Luanne for a while. Which one of these side stories will interact with the main plot? Perhaps all of them… maybe none of them, but one thing is for sure… Delany weaves them together with finesse, and I truly enjoyed my trip to the upcoming holiday season. So… if you’re a Christmas and Winter lover like me, save this one for shortly after Thanksgiving and jump on in. You can read it stand-alone, but I always recommend diving into a series in order. Enjoy!
It’s Christmastime in the year-round Christmas town of Rudolph. Merry once again finds herself investigating after the fiancé of her acquaintance, Luanne, is found murdered at the Yuletide Inn by Merry’s brother, Chris. Chris himself is a prime suspect after having had an altercation with the man the night before. Merry had been helping Luanne with decorations for her wedding to be held in July at the inn. Luanne suddenly decides to move up the wedding to Valentine’s Day and things start to go downhill. Luanne doesn’t seem to know what she wants and has latched on to Merry’s brother, Chris, who was a former boyfriend in high school. Can Merry catch a killer before they can spoil New Year’s? Lots of drama and intrigue surrounding this murder. I loved the introduction of Chris, Merry’s brother, and would enjoy seeing her sisters sometime as well. The town of Rudolph is charming and sounds like the perfect place to be at Christmas or whenever you are in a holiday mood. I enjoyed watching Merry and Alan’s relationship deepen a little and I look forward to more adventures for Merry and her friends and family! Definitely a highly recommended book in my opinion!!
It is always a wonderful holiday treat to catch up with Merry Wilkerson, her family, and all the other residents of Rudolph New York. Dying in a Winter Wonderland is the 5th book in the Year-Round Christmas Mystery and once again we find Merry in the middle of a murder mystery. I love how Detective Simmonds put it to Merry, she may not be looking for trouble but it finds her. This time around, Merry jumps in to help clear her younger brother of suspicion of murder. There was a lot going on in this book and trying to keep close track of the clues got away from me with all of the hijinks created by Luanne.
The mystery is solid. There are a lot of clues and a good number of viable motives and suspects for the murder, including some possibly shady characters in the deceased life. Once again, Merry finds herself asking too many questions causing her to be right in the middle of danger when the climactic reveal occurs. I was surprised by the identity of the killer and did not have this person on my radar at all. Ms. Delany did a great job of dropping very subtle clues that I realized in hindsight were clues.
I love this series and will return to Rudolph New York for as long as Ms. Dleaney continues to write this series.
Boy, did this book put me in the Christmas spirit! I LOVED it! I’d give anything if Rudolph, NY was real and I could go visit. In the meantime, I’ll visit through this utterly captivating series. Delany really is a master of the genre.
I was excited to visit the charming town of Rudolph, NY again where it is always Christmas! Merry is a young woman who is, most of the time, merry! She gave up her job as design editor for a big-name magazine in New York City, returned to Rudolph and opened Mrs. Claus’s Treasures.
Merry’s brother Chris came home to celebrate Christmas with their parents, Noel and Aline. He is a set designer on Broadway and has a new play opening in a few days. Noel, whose birthday is on Christmas, enjoys being the town’s Santa Claus. Merry is sought out by Luanne, whose wedding venue design Merry is doing for her July wedding. Luanne came into Mrs. Claus’s Treasures on Christmas Eve, begging Merry to come to her parents’ home that night. Luanne had been given the opportunity to upgrade from the 75-seat room in the original, historic Inn building to the 250-seat ballroom, and made the snap decision to accept it. The wedding will be on Valentine’s Day, mere weeks away, and she wants Merry to tell her parents, Jeff, the groom, and his family, in town for Christmas.
Merry finally agreed to go for a few minutes only, as she and her boyfriend Alan had a rare evening alone planned. The groom’s attitude was ‘just tell me where and when and I’ll be there’. Her father was stressed, concerned about how much more the venue and meals would cost for so many more people. The mothers were happy that they could invite many important society ladies. When she left, Merry hoped to not see Luanne again for a while.
After a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas and birthday celebration, Merry’s family and friends were settled in with drinks and desserts when a visitor arrived. Luanne. Sloppy drunk, wanting to see Chris. She was making a mistake marrying Jeff, she still and only loves Chris, who she had dated briefly in high school. As the tears and drama play out, Luanne’s father and fiancé come to get her, and Jeff socked Chris. The next day, when Merry is at the Inn to help plan the new wedding dinner menu, Chris went separately in hopes of settling things with Luanne. Instead, he found Jeff dead on a garden path. Despite a woman showing up claiming to be Jeff’s real fiancée, and the mob contacts of the family business, Chris is the one the police somewhat favor as whodunit.
What a great tale! I’ve rarely picked up a book for the sole reason of a holiday, but this series could change my mind. Living in the beautifully appointed Rudolph would be exciting, at least to me, especially at Christmas. I did enjoy reading this while it was still over 100 degrees in the desert, so it can be very refreshing in the summer, also. The characters are engaging, memorable, and quirky. The mystery is baffling! My sleuthing cap failed me when it came to whodunit. There are several possible killers, and the real one wasn’t even on my radar until a very short time before Merry figured it out. Overall, I loved this Christmas cozy mystery, and highly recommend it to those who are fans of the author and series, enjoy Christmas cozies, lovable characters, and unique settings.
From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this novel; a review was not required.
Merry Wilkinson has gotten talked into designing the decorations for Luanne Ireland’s wedding. However, on Christmas Eve, Luanne drops the bombshell that she is moving the wedding up from summer to Valentine’s Day, and naturally it causes chaos. Just two days later, Luanne’s fiancé is found murdered, however, and Merry’s brother, Chris, becomes the prime suspect. Luanne and Chris had dated back in high school, but is that enough motive for murder? Merry doesn’t think so, and she sets out to prove him innocent. Can she do it?
No matter when the books in this series are set, they always immediately put me in the Christmas spirit, and this book is no exception. Merry and the rest of the characters are their usual charming selves, and I always enjoy spending some time with them. Okay, so there are a few characters who regularly annoy Merry, but I enjoy those scenes, too, and we got some interesting developments with them in this book. The plot introduced lots of drama before the murder takes place, and that pulled me in from the first chapter. I never wanted to put the book down until I reached the logical conclusion. This latest book is perfect for any time you need a dose of Christmas.
Merry Wilkerson has returned to her hometown of Rudolph, New York after a successful career as a design editor for Jennifer’s Lifestyle magazine headquartered in New York City. When her boss retired and turned the magazine over to her granddaughter Merry decided it was better for her to quit that job and return home. Rudolph, NY is a town that celebrates Christmas all year long but really gets into the spirit in December. Upon her return home Merry opened her own Christmas shop called Mrs. Claus’s Treasures. Merry loves her shop and being close to family and old friends. She is presently dating Alan Anderson, a talented woodworker who makes toys and items for her shop.
Once again Merry happens to be in the vicinity of a dead body. She was talked into doing some designs for the wedding of Luanne Ireland and Jeff Vanderhaven. Luanne decided to move up the date of the wedding from July to Valentine’s Day which would mean getting everything done in only seven weeks. Luanne meets Merry with this shocking news and wants her to break this news to her fiance, his parents and her parents. Merry is too nice to tell her “no.” A few days later Merry is to meet Luanne and her mother at the wedding venue, the Yuletide, to discuss the reception dinner menu with the chef there. Arriving early Merry decides to walk the gardens to see if it would be feasible to have the wedding ceremony outdoors on Valentine’s Day. That’s where she discovers her brother Chris next to the prospective’s groom’s dead body. The detective on the case warns Merry to keep her nose out of it but Merry knows Chris is innocent and plans to prove it.
Dying in a Winter Wonderland by Vicki Delany is the fifth book in her A Year-Round Christmas Mystery series. This book has a well-plotted storyline. Ms. Delany kept me guessing about who the killer could be until the end. Her characters are fun and realistic. The dialogue adds to the storyline quite well. I liked how Merry thinks so methodically and investigates clues step by step. Mystery lovers will enjoy this book.