December's Featured Cozy Mystery
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen
Book One in the Year-Round Christmas Mystery Series
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen
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Vicki Delany
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Year-Round Christmas Mystery
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Paperback, Ebook, Audiobook
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany is the first book in the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series. The story is set on the southern shores of Lake Ontario in Rudolph, New York, where it’s Christmastime all year long.
The series protagonist is Merry Wilkinson. Merry owns Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a gift shop that features holiday-themed decorations, ornaments, jewelry, and other items handmade by local artisans. Merry's store is popular with tourists who come to Rudolph in droves to experience the town's Christmas spirit. Rudolph has many Christmas-themed events (like a twice-a-year holiday parade) and specialized shops (like a gingerbread bakery) that draw people from all over the country.
In Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen, a British travel journalist comes to Rudolph to gather information for a magazine piece on "America's Christmas Town." Merry is excited by the prospect because she knows the label would help them attract more tourists and compete with other towns like Christmas, Florida; Snowflake, Arizona; and North Pole, Alaska.
Unfortunately, somebody puts an end to the story by murdering the journalist, leaving Merry and the rest of Rudolph to wonder who among them belongs on the naughty list. When one of Merry's friends is mistakenly accused of the crime, Merry decides to investigate and find the real culprit.
Reasons to Read Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen is part of the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series, so it's fitting to read all year long, but it is particularly lovely to read around the holidays since it is set in the Christmas season. The streets of Rudolph are lined with snow, and everything is extra merry and bright due to the Christmas activities that take place throughout the book.
The story starts with softly falling snow, a Santa Claus Christmas Parade filled with themed floats, locals and tourists dressed in costumes and holiday sweaters, groups of carolers singing festive tunes, and a party at the community center. All of the action takes place in Rudolph, so readers get to spend plenty of time in places like Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, which features many delightfully described decorations, and Victoria's Bake Shoppe, which is filled with slabs of gingerbread cake and gingerbread cookies cut in all sorts of shapes.
The Christmas theme even permeates the characters in the story. The amateur sleuth is named Merry. Her father is named Noel (and pretends to be Santa Claus at community events), her sisters are named Carol and Eve, and her dog is a giant Saint Bernard puppy named Matterhorn. Merry lives in an apartment in a cute Victorian home, loves the holidays, and decorates the live Douglas fir in her Christmas shop every month.
But Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen isn't just Christmas cozy to the extreme; it is also an excellent mystery. The series is written by Vicki Delany, a bestselling, award-winning author and the most prolific and varied crime fiction writer in Canada. Vicki is very skilled at crafting mysteries, dropping red herrings and plot twists in all the right places, and creating puzzles the reader can solve with the amateur sleuth.
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen kicks off a great series with multiple books. Other books in the series include:
The Year-Round Christmas Mystery series is still a work-in-progress, so you can expect even more books in the future.
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen Reader Reviews
Here are a few snippets from readers who have read and reviewed Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany:
Delaney has given us a story full of holiday cheer, an exciting mystery, wondrous characters all in a place I would love to really visit. Its charm just lit up my day.
-Goodreads Review
Witty writing, an unexpected solution, and truly likable characters ensure that the appeal of this holiday-themed series will last long past the Yule season.
- Kings River Life Magazine
You will be drawn into the book and not want to stop reading it. I was kept guessing until the end.
- Amazon Review
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen is a heartwarming beginning to what promises to be a fun new series to enjoy no matter the time of the year. This enchanting story delivers entertaining characters, a scenic setting and a murder mystery to solve. A perfect stocking stuffer for the readers on your list.
- Barnes and Noble Review
This was a delightful cozy mystery with Christmas flair. I liked the characters and the town setting. The reader was excellent.
- Audible Review
Books two through seven in the Year-Round Christmas Mysteries. Series author Vicki Delany seated next to a stack of the crime fiction books she has written. Image credit: Vicki Delany.
Cozy Crime Reads Interview With Vicki Delany
This interview with Vicki Delany offers a behind-the-scenes look at how she researched and wrote Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen and her other cozy mystery books. She also explains the surprising reason she started writing cozies and the best advice she can offer to aspiring writers.
Recipe From Vicki Delany
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen does not have recipes at the end of the book, but some of Vicki’s other cozy mysteries do. Vicki shared this soft chocolate chip cookie recipe with us from her Murder in a Teacup book from her Tea by the Sea Mysteries.
Other Cozy Mysteries by Vicki Delany
Other cozy mysteries by Vicki Delany include the:
Vicki also writes police procedurals, historical mysteries, and stand-alone suspense novels. You can learn more about her books on her website, VickiDelany.com. You can also follow her on Facebook and Instagram and connect with her through the Mystery Lover's Kitchen and the Cozy Mystery Crew Facebook Group.
