Hark the Herald Angels Slay by Vicki Delany

Hark the Herald Angels Slay by Vicki Delany ISBN-13: 9780425280829 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: Nov. 28, 2017

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Santa’s summer vacation plans turn deadly in this festive mystery from the author of Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen and We Wish You a Murderous Christmas.

The town of Rudolph, New York, has the Christmas spirit all year long—but when homicide heats up a summer holiday, it’s up to shop owner Merry Wilkinson to wrap up the case.

In Rudolph, Christmas in July heralds Santa’s arrival by boat to begin his summer vacation at the lake, and Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, is looking forward to a busy weekend. But she’s caught off guard when her ex-fiancé, Max Folger, unexpectedly arrives with a team from a lifestyle magazine wanting to do a feature on the July festivities.

It’s clear that Max’s visit has less to do with business and more to do with winning back Merry’s heart. Merry has too much on her plate to deal with an old flame, but when Max is found strangled to death in Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, she must find out who wanted him dead—and stop a killer from ruining the summer holiday cheer.


My Review:
Hark the Herald Angels is a cozy mystery. This is the third book in the series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this one didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous mysteries.

The mystery was clue-based, but there weren't many clues. Much of the time was spent developing the characters, looking for a missing person, and other side issues rather than asking questions about the murder. Still, I did guess whodunit before the end (purely based on what was reasonable and a vague clue), so it is possible to guess. The main characters were generally nice, and the overall story was interesting.

There was no bad language or sex. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.


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