thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea by the Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series for Crooked Lane Books, the Catskill Resort mysteries for Penguin Random House, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates) for Crooked Lane.
Delany is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards. She is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. Delany lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Delany applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, O, Deadly Night: A Year-Round Christmas Mystery, and reported the following:
From page 69:Visit Vicki Delany's website, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.“Okay, but one thing before we continue. When Doug called 911, he was told the police might be delayed in getting to us, as they were responding to a major incident. Anything to do with what happened to us? To Mrs. D’Angelo?”O Deadly Night, passes the Page 69 Test with flying colours. As regards the plot, or the mystery the book is about, we get a good glimpse that something is wrong. New people have moved into the neighbourhood and something is ‘odd’ about them. They seem to come and go without wanting to be seen, and certainly without wanting any contact with their new neighbours. In addition, we find that someone might be ‘lingering’ in the area, watching the house in question. Might they be up to no good? And why are the new neighbours being so secretive?
“No. A child had gone missing. Walked out of her house in nothing but her diaper and a T-shirt into the snow. I’m happy to report she was found in the neighbor’s doghouse. Being kept warm by the dog.”
Detective Simmonds gave Mattie a fond smile.
“Good animals, dogs,” Alan said.
“Yes.” She cleared her throat. “At any time, Merry, did you see the people who moved in across the street well enough to identify them?
“Never. I wasn’t home when they initially moved in, and after that, they, or he or she, drove into the garage, and the doors shut behind them. I only know that based on tire tracks on the driveway and lack of footprints outside. Once or twice I saw someone lingering outside the house, as though they were watching it, but they didn’t stay long, and I simply assumed they were just curious. In the same way Mrs. D’Angelo was.”
“Anything noticeable about these observers?”
I shook my head. “It’s wintertime, and everyone is well bundled up. I might have seen a man once, maybe slightly on the bulky side, but I didn’t notice anything you’d call identifying about him. Might even have been a tall, overweight woman in a big coat. I have no reason to believe he wasn’t enjoying a breath of fresh night air.” I shrugged. “It’s December in Rudolph. I don’t have enough time in a day to attend to my own business, much less pay attention to anyone else’s.
But, as Merry Wilkinson points out, this is really none of her business. The reader is left to assume that it soon will be!
As this is a cozy mystery a glimpse of the lighter side for which the series is known, is provided by the very brief story of the lost child being saved by a dog. And we can all cheer for dogs!
Little in the way of description or atmosphere is provided on page 69, just enough that we know it’s coming up to Christmas in Christmas Town and the missing child walked into the snow.
The Page 69 Test: Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen.
The Page 69 Test: A Scandal in Scarlet.
The Page 69 Test: Murder in a Teacup.
Writers Read: Vicki Delany (September 2021).
The Page 69 Test: Deadly Summer Nights.
The Page 69 Test: The Game is a Footnote.
Writers Read: Vicki Delany (January 2023).
Writers Read: Vicki Delany (January 2024).
The Page 69 Test: The Sign of Four Spirits.
The Page 69 Test: A Slay Ride Together With You.
Writers Read: Vicki Delany (December 2024).
The Page 69 Test: The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime.
Writers Read: Vicki Delany (July 2025).
The Page 69 Test: Tea with Jam & Dread.
Writers Read: Vicki Delany.
--Marshal Zeringue
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