September 18 – My Reading Journeys – CHARACTER GUEST POST
Matterhorn, the Saint Bernard
By Vicki Delany
It’s happened again. I can’t believe it.
Once again, someone is being murdered in Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, the décor and gift shop I own along with Merry Wilkinson.
And, once again, there’s nothing I can do about it as I’m trapped in this office in the back of the store. Unfortunately, I don’t have opposable thumbs, so I can’t get the door open even though I can hear what’s going on.
Merry, she of the limited intelligence and even more limited hearing and sense of smell, is happily filling my water bowl and tiding up the office. While someone is being murdered a few feet away!
Humans. I mean, really, what use are they? Except to use those opposable thumbs to open doors, fill water bowls, and open cans of dog food.
My name is Matterhorn, although most people call me Mattie. I’m a proud Saint Bernard. No, I am not a pony, and no your spoiled brats can not ride me.
I am a dog. Once upon a time my ancestors proudly protected the snowy passes of the Alps, helping save travelers lost in sudden mountain storms on impassable trails. We carried life-saving brandy and used our own great bulk to keep people warm and alive. Now, I understand, they carry phones and reply on GPS to find their way. Ha. As if a phone will keep them warm or pour fiery liquid down their throat.
But, I digress. I’m not complaining. Much. Generally, I enjoy my life with Merry. Like most of my kind, I don’t need a lot of activity and stimulation. I take life as I find it. Although I have to admit I hate those hot, humid Upstate New York summers. Give me winter and the colder the better.
Living in America’s Christmas Town (as they hope to be known) suits me. I get lots of nap time in the office of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, pleasant walks to and from work and along the lakeside path with Merry every day. The occasional play time with Ranger, Alan’s Jack Russell. (Believe me, when it comes to a Jack Russell, occasional is more than enough, thank you).
I even help Merry bring down a criminal now and again. When I can get out the door.
Yes, life is good.
Find out if Merry discovers someone dead in her own shop in HAVE YOURSELF A DEADLY LITTLE CHRISTMAS, the sixth Year-Round Christmas mystery by Vicki Delany, from Crooked Lane Books
ABOUT THE BOOK: It’s the beginning of December in Rudolph, New York, America's Christmas Town, and business is brisk at Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a gift and décor shop owned by Merry Wilkinson. The local amateur dramatic society is intensely preparing a special musical production of A Christmas Carol. But it’s not a happy set, as rivalries between cast and crew threaten the production.
Tensions come to a head when a member of the group is found dead shortly after a shopping excursion to Mrs. Claus's Treasures. Was someone looking to cut out the competition? Everyone in the cast and crew is a potential suspect, including Aline, Merry’s mother, and Merry's shop assistant Jackie O'Reilly, who was desperate for a starring role.
It could be curtains for Christmas—and for Merry—unless the killer can be ferreted out of the wings.
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