A Mercy Carr Mystery Book 7
Book Blurb:
Mercy and Troy are looking forward to baby Felicity’s first holiday season, and they’re determined to make it a Christmas to remember. At Northshire’s annual Solstice Soirée, hosted by Northshire’s finest and funded by Mercy’s billionaire pal Feinberg, Amy’s little girl Helena is sitting on Santa Claus’s lap. She’s telling him she’d like a Bitty Baby doll just like little Felicity when the bearded man leaps up, thrusts the toddler at her mother Amy, and staggers away from the festivities. He disappears into the woods. By the time Elvis and Mercy find him, Santa Claus aka the town mayor, is lying on his back, dead. A yule log made of oak sits on his chest, burning bright, a beacon of light on the darkest day of the year.
This strange murder is the first of a series of similar Solstice-themed killings targeting the town’s most prominent citizens. Beloved family friend Lillian Jenkins, the grande dame of Northshire, could be next. Mercy and Troy and the dogs must team up with Thrasher and Harrington to capture The Yuletide Killer before he strikes again, this time far closer to home.
My Review:
I’ve been a fan of the author and this series since the first Mercy Carr mystery I stumbled across, the last one being Home at Night (#5) read and reviewed in July 2023. (Dang! I missed number six!) And I greatly enjoyed them all, so grabbed this one as soon as I saw it offered on NetGalley.
Last I read, Mercy and Troy (her game warden hubby) had bought an old Victorian called Grackle Tree Farm as they were expecting to expand their family beyond their respective working dogs, Elvis (the Malinois) and Suzy Bear (the Newfoundland). “A fed bear is a dead bear.”
I still trip over that name every time I see it printed, but this installment has the couple looking forward to baby Felicity’s first Christmas. They are preparing for the Solstice Soirée, as well as other activities, including choirs and Santa.
Unfortunately, Elvis finds Santa (the town’s mayor) dead in the woods with a Yule log burning on his chest. It’s followed shortly by the second murder, and soon the Druid-inspired celebration and ensuing village festivities are not looking so jolly.
I still love those dogs, complementary to each other, and look forward to their contributions to the plot line. However, this novel, meant to be a Christmas-themed narrative, tries to keep the spirit of the season at the forefront.
“As she spoke, she was struck by the contrasts that marked their lives: crime and crib, poaching and playtime, murder and motherhood…a seemingly random and yet eternal cycle of hope and despair, happiness and sorrow, light and dark.“
The storyline appears to put the domestic themes in front of the mystery. Mercy tends to find babysitters easily enough when she wants to dash off on another clue in the murders. (So much for “just being a mom” now.) Also, while I was fascinated with the Druid folklore and practices, I became a bit disillusioned that the antagonists reverted to the Russian oligarch thing. (There’s gotta be other bad guys out there.)
“The neo-pagan legend recounted the story of two brothers, the Holly King and the Oak King, and their endless battle of the seasons. The Holly King ruled winter…the winter solstice marked the victory of the Oak King…until the summer solstice when the Holly King won the crown…”
I do enjoy the author’s writing style, which includes quotables and prose:
“May the log burn,
May the wheel turn,
May evil spurn,
May the Sun return.”
While I was a bit disappointed in this installment, I look forward to the next, and indeed will go back and see if I can find the one I missed.
“The past is prologue.”
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars 
Book Details:
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery, Cozy Animal Mysteries, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 978-1250389992
ASIN: B0DPTMPYYZ
Print Length: 308 pages
Publication Date: December 2, 2025
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s):
Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
The Author: PAULA MUNIER is a literary agent and the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Mercy Carr mysteries. A BORROWING OF BONES, the first in the series, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was recently named the Dog Writers Association of America’s Dogwise Book of the Year. The second, BLIND SEARCH, pubbed in November 2019. The third, THE HIDING PLACE, will debut in March 2021.
Paula was inspired to write the series by the hero working dogs she met through Mission K9 Rescue, her own rescues, Newfoundland/retriever mix Bear, Great Pyrenees/Australian cattle dog mix Bliss, and Malinois mix Blondie, and a lifelong passion for crime fiction.
Paula also written three popular books on writing: PLOT PERFECT, THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO BEGINNINGS, and WRITING WITH QUIET HANDS, as well as the acclaimed memoir FIXING FREDDIE: A True Story of a Boy, a Mom, and a Very, Very Bad Beagle, and HAPPIER EVERY DAY: Simple ways to bring more peace, contentment and joy into your life.
She lives in New England with her family, her three rescue dogs, and a rescue torbie tabby named Ursula. Find Paula at http://www.paulamunier.com.
©2025 V Williams
Rosepoint Publishing 