The Snow Lies Deep: A Mercy Carr Mystery

by Paula Munier, Kathleen McInerney (Narrator)

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 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.

"[Narrator Kathleen] McInerney expertly sets the pace in scene after scene, driving listeners ever closer to the complicated answers at the heart of this mystery." —AudioFile on A Borrowing of Bones

"[Narrator Kathleen] McInerney delivers this mystery with creative voicings that range from scratchy-voiced elderly women to deep-voiced outdoorsmen." —AudioFile on The Hiding Place

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books

Audible Audio

Published December 2, 2025

About the author

PAULA MUNIER is the author of the bestselling Plot Perfect, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, Writing with Quiet Hands, and the acclaimed memoir Fixing Freddie. The first novel in her mystery series, A BORROWING OF BONES (Minotaur, 2018) was inspired by the hero working dogs she met through Mission K9 Rescue, her own Newfoundland-retriever-mix rescue Bear, and her lifelong passion for crime fiction. In her fabulous day job as Senior Literary Agent and Content Strategist for Talcott Notch Literary, she represents many great writers. Her specialties include crime fiction, women’s fiction, upmarket fiction, MG/YA, high-concept SFF, and nonfiction. She lives in New England with her family, Bear, Freddie, and a torbie tabby named Ursula.

Reviews

[Pat Dupuy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mercy Carr's village becomes known as a winter murderland as bodies keep turning up. All she wants is to make Felicity's first Christmas magical, with the help of Troy, the dogs, and family and friends. However, everyone turns to her to find the murderer and stop the deaths. Kind of hard to do when there's no obvious motive nor link between the victims. Other than being dressed like Santa. After reading this story I am ready to go celebrate the winter solstice!

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I greatly enjoy this series, which has a wonderful combination of likable characters and a charming setting in rural Vermont. The Christmas theme was an added bonus in this case. Like Cabot Cove, this town has more than its share of murders, but the author steers clear of darkness and doesn’t glorify the violence.

[Rick Molitor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a good mystery. Paula writes it and you feel like it is just a couple going through their everyday life. However, while they are doing that, they just happen to solve a very tricky murder mystery. Her writing just flows well.

[Bea Lathrop · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story set at Christmas in cold, snowy Vermont. I was sitting here reading this book in 95 degree weather--hot & humid.