Title:

Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen

Author:

Vicki Delany

Release Date:

November 3, 215

Format:

Mass Market Paperback

Genre:

Mystery

Sub-Genre:

Christmas, Cozy

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Read-A-Likes:

Summary: In Rudolph, New York, it’s Christmastime all year long. But this December, while the snow-lined streets seem merry and bright, a murder is about to ruin everyone’s holiday cheer…

As the owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, Merry Wilkinson knows how to decorate homes for the holidays. That’s why she thinks her float in the semi-annual Santa Claus parade is a shoo-in for best in show. But when the tractor pulling Merry’s float is sabotaged, she has to face facts: there’s a Scrooge in Christmas Town.

Merry isn’t ready to point fingers, especially with a journalist in town writing a puff piece about Rudolph’s Christmas spirit. But when she stumbles upon the reporter’s body on a late night dog walk—and police suspect he was poisoned by a gingerbread cookie crafted by her best friend, Vicky—Merry will have to put down the jingle bells and figure out who’s really been grinching about town, before Vicky ends up on Santa’s naughty list…

What I Liked: I love the idea of a town that is 100% dedicated to Christmas, so much so that every business has a holiday-themed name and the town has two parades, one in December and one in July.  Delaney does a good job of making the reader want to visit Rudolph; the town is sweet and cheesy but not over the top. I enjoyed that the culprit wasn’t easy to spot and that the story kept me guessing until the end. I thought the relationships that Merry had with her friend and family added to the overall story and the side characters had personality and depth. I also liked the romance that was hinted at towards the end of the book. 

What I Didn’t Like: This is an issue with most cozy mysteries that I read but the reveal of the villain was very over the top and cartoonish.  I expect it in stories like this but it doesn’t mean I like it. 

Who Should Read It: Fans of cozy mysteries will like this book, especially those that like their mysteries with some humor and romance. 

Review Wrap Up: I will fully admit that I don’t read a ton of cozy mysteries because I find a lot of them to be too cheesy and unrealistic for me to enjoy. Not this one. Sure, it has its fluffy moments but overall this is a funny holiday mystery with plenty of suspects to keep the reader guessing. This is a great book to read to get you into the holiday spirit.