‘Tis the Season to be Scary by Vicki Delany

Vicki Delany’s Tis the Season to be Scary, is the latest in her year-round Christmas Mystery series. This Halloween cozy gem will give you a delightful Halloween mystery while easing you into the Christmas Season – it simply can’t be helped!

It may be Halloween in the town of Rudolph, New York, where all things are Christmas 24/7, but that doesn’t stop the townsfolk from celebrating the “spooky” time of year, especially when the Yuletide Inn is hosting a major Halloween fundraising gala to support the local hospital.

This year, Eleanor, a Rudolph newcomer and socialite, has taken charge of making the gala the biggest and best it’s ever been! Costs have not been spared. Ticket prices are high for this over-the-top costumed party event filled with celebrities coming from other states, to help boost the donations for the hospital.

Shop owner, Mary Wilkinson, is excited for her best friend Vicky, who is launching her brand new cookbook and also catering the dessert buffet at the gala. Vicky’s agent is in town, so are her new publishers and she’s getting nervous wondering if book sales will go well. It also doesn’t help that an old cooking school classmate, now turned book critic, is there with an axe to grind.

Poor Vicky! Little did she know that book sales would be the least of her problems. When someone drops dead at the gala after eating one of her desserts, all eyes on on her! Accidental food poisoning can surely impact Vicky’s future, but not as much as premeditated murder!

Of course, Mary doesn’t hesitate to come to the rescue of her best friend. It isn’t easy coming up with clues or motives for the gala murder especially with almost everyone wearing flashy Halloween costumes and donning masks.

But as Mary thinks about the gala that night, she remembered something was very “off” about the ticket sales. She also noticed the victim’s companion seemed to have a hot temper as well as a “sketchy” side. And she couldn’t help but notice the two publishers, Shannon and Zack, constantly displaying their intense dislike for each other. And what’s up with the creepy guy dressed as Ebenezer Scrooge always lurking in the gala shadows?

Unfortunately for Mary, the killer knows she’s getting too close. She’s being watched and she feels it. But when someone tries to silence her once and for all, she’s wondering if maybe this time she’s really over her head in a boiling cauldron!

Readers will love the town and the quirky characters! I love love love Mrs. D’Angelo, the queen of the gossip grapevine, who can spread a rumor faster than Santa can say “Rudolph!” This cozy is chocked full of warm, funny and witty characters combined with a town that’s “everything Christmas”.

Vicki Delany’s ‘Tis the Season to be Scary is a Halloween treat and Christmas present rolled into one!

A copy of this book and cover photo were provided by Crooked Lane Books.