The Snow Lies Deep

It’s December in Vermont - and Mercy is determined to give her baby Felicity the very best first Christmas ever. Starting with a visit to see Santa on the Northshire town common, home to all of the village's holiday celebrations. But when Santa abandons his post and runs into the woods, Mercy and Elvis go after him - and the shepherd finds the jolly old elf flat on his back in a small clearing, dead, a Yule log ablaze on his belly. Mercy wants nothing more than to stay at home at Grackle Tree Farm taking care of Felicity, but as this St. Nick is really “Uncle” Lazlo, her family presses her to help solve their old friend’s murder and save the Solstice Soirée. She demures, but when another Santa ends up dead and the bones of a long-missing trapper turn up in the woods, Mercy and Troy and the dogs team up with Captain Thrasher and Detective Harrington to rid Northshire of the bad elements ruining the holidays for their town and their family. Together they chase down clues leading to poachers and endangered lynx, evangelical zealots and Russian emigrés, and the terrible secrets of the past haunting the village, past, present, and future. It’s not just Santa at risk, it’s everyone in town - including baby Felicity. It’s up to Mercy and Troy and the dogs capture The Yuletide Killer before he strikes again, this time far closer to home.

The latest thrilling installment in the bestselling Mercy Carr mystery series 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 Soir?e, 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.