by Sandra Murphy, & Cynthia Chow

This week we have another fun group of Christmas mysteries for your holiday reading-O, Deadly Night: A Year-Round Christmas Mystery by Vicky Delany, The Snow Lies Deep by Paula Munier, and Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win copies of all 3 books and links to purchase them from Amazon at the end of each review.

O, Deadly Night: A Year-Round Christmas Mystery by Vicky Delany
Review by Cynthia Chow

While the town of Rudolph, New York celebrates itself as a tourist attraction destination town that celebrates Christmas year-round, things really heat up in the month of December. Merry Wilkinson, owner of the Christmas decoration store Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, loves not only entering a float in the Christmas parade but also seeing her father participate as the designated Santa Claus. Merry is concerned when her gossipy landlady fails to show up and assist with their float, but it turns out that Mabel D’Angelo was too busy spying on her new neighbor with her bedazzled binoculars. Merry doesn’t think that neglecting to answer the door or rejecting welcoming casseroles justifies calling the police on the new residents, but when Mabel goes missing, it definitely raises alarms. So when Merry discovers Mabel’s kidnapped (live) body next to a very dead one, it has Merry and her friends conducting an investigation into who played the ultimate Grinch by stirring up the past and committing murder.

This Year-Round Christmas mystery is enjoyable any time of the year, but it is of course most delightful during the winter holidays. Merry and her family deliver their usual Christmas-themed meals and festivities while protecting their town from rival “Muddites.” Merry’s father is attempting a more conciliatory approach this year, inviting the neighboring town leaders of Muddle Harbor to share in their events while also doing a little political machinations of his own. Merry’s bestie Vicky is having panic attacks over her proposed cookbook, as her insecurity is making her question not only her baking talent but her ability as a cookbook author.

By the eighth book of the series characters are well-established and the friendships are strong and based in long histories together. The book is at its best when the characters all get together to hash out clues or just to discuss their personal lives and challenges. The humor is strong and the tone is kept light even as it delves into darker themes and motives for motives. This is a series that should be embraced throughout the year but is always most welcome as a gift to be enjoyed during the holiday season.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

The Snow Lies Deep by Paula Munier
Review by Sandra Murphy

Mercy Carr and her dog, Elvis, are on a new mission – love, fawn over, and protect baby Felicity. At nine months old, Felicity is a charmer to one and all. And this is her first Christmas. Mercy has it all planned in her mind. Of course, things never seem to actually work that way.

While they’re in line to see Santaa (an unscheduled stand-in for the usual Santa whose grandmother is ill), Santa bolts into the wooded area leaving the elf, kids, and families bewildered. Elvis is in his element and right behind Santa, Mercy trailing behind – after handing off Felicity to friends and family.

No matter how fast the pair are, they aren’t quick enough to save Santa. Mercy finds his body deep in the snowy woods with a burning Yule log on his chest. Is it a clue or a red herring?

The celebration isn’t strictly for Christmas or Santa – it’s also the Solstice Soiree. Since the mayor/Santa stand-in was a mild mannered, quiet man, was his death a hate crime instead of a personal crime?
As it turns out, the mayor had a life no one expected. The investigation must answer another question – did his past catch up with him or is the motive from his present life?

And then there’s the poacher in the woods…Mercy has to find the killer before there are more bodies—and Felicity’s first Christmas is marred by murder.

Munier has written six previous Mercy Carr mysteries, each one better than the last as the reader gets to know Mercy and Elvis and their friends and family. The crimes aren’t impossible to solve but a challenge for both Mercy and the reader. Elvis, well, he probably had it figured out after the first sniff.

Dog lovers, mystery readers, lovers of a complex story will enjoy this series as much as I do.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards
Review by Sandra Murphy

In any mystery book, part of the reading pleasure is trying to solve the murder/crime before the fictional detective does. This mystery takes that idea one huge step farther, making it more of an interactive game with the reader as involved as the characters. As the cover says, “Find the clues. Play along. Solve the murder first.”

The Midwinter Trust is the host for the game. The Trust is made up of six people – Jeremy, Bernadette, Chandra, Daisy, Ethan, and Frankie. The invitees are Harry, Carys, Baz, Poppy, Zack, and Grace. As the intro says, Miss Winters in the Library is a game within a murder mystery. The reader should take nothing for granted. There are ‘warm up’ puzzles to spark creative thinking as well as to provide clues to the final game.

Since some (many) of the clues are subtle, there is a handy guide at the back of the book where readers can check their lists of clues against the Cluefinder – noted by page and the quote—to make sure all were found. Or more likely, to point out missed clues.

Guests arrive at Midwinter Hall on December 23rd to find a driver (Frankie) waiting for them. She’s chatty but careful to never give away more than she was instructed to say. Departure is on December 27th – well, some ‘leave’ before then but of course, not voluntarily. Chapters are from Harry’s point of view, or from Poppy, and then some just tell what’s happening.

There are drawings of maps, bits of local history, background information (severely edited) of the six who make up the Trust. Many, but not all, of the guests know each other. Clues are in Greek, code, and graphics. There’s also an author’s note to explain his thinking behind the mystery. With so much information given, will you be able to put the clues together to solve the mystery?

If you find yourself snowed in over the holidays, this is the perfect read to take your mind off the cold. I would strongly advise you do not go outside. It didn’t work out well for several of the people at this holiday event.

Martin Edwards is a prolific writer, penning The Lake District Mysteries (8), the Harry Devlin series (8), the Rachel Savernake books (4), two fiction titles, and four non-fiction books on crime. This is his first Christmas mystery.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of all 3 books, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Trio of Christmas” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 20, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Editor’s Note on the giveaway: Due to holiday closures Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife may not be shipped until January 5, 2026.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s the editor for the upcoming Yeet Me in St Louis, an anthology with stories from twelve St. Louis writers. Her own short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and anthologies such as The Perp Wore Pumpkin and I (Almost) Died in Your Arms. ‘Lucy’s Tree’, published in The Eyes of Texas, won a Derringer Award from the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She lives in St. Louis with Ozzie the Westie Impersonator and his sidekick in crime, Louie the Cat.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

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