Author: Jacqueline Frost
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: October 2017
Genre: Cozy Mystery / Christmas Holiday
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: When Holly White's fiancé cancels their Christmas Eve wedding with less than two weeks to go, Holly heads home with a broken heart. Lucky for her, home in historic Mistletoe, Maine is magical during Christmastime--exactly what the doctor prescribed. Except her plan to drown her troubles in peppermints and snickerdoodles is upended when local grouch and president of the Mistletoe Historical Society Margaret Fenwick is bludgeoned and left in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, Holly's family tree farm.
When the murder weapon is revealed as one of the wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, Sheriff Evan Grey turns to Holly's father, Bud, and the Reindeer Games staff. And it doesn't help that Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret just before her death. But Holly knows her father, and is determined to exonerate him. The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn't watch out, she'll end up on Santa's naughty list.
My Thoughts: You are probably thinking how schmaltzy that this story takes place in the town of Mistletoe, Maine, the female protagonist is named Holly and she comes home to her childhood home, Reindeer Games, where the best Christmas trees are sold as well as yummy snickerdoodles and hot chocolate. I agree but it still didn’t stop me from wanting to be there, especially at Christmas time.
Holly doesn’t have a lot of time to enjoy the celebratory atmosphere as the town grump who also happens to be the president of the town’s historical society is murdered and Holly’s father appears to be the primary suspect. Having your dad arrested for murder does not contribute to a holiday spirit, so Holly quickly begins looking into the matter herself, despite the hunky new Sheriff telling Holly to butt out.
I really enjoyed the premise of this story and was a great addition to my annual Christmas theme reading. The author creates very personable characters that the reader can relate to easily and quickly. The story flows smoothly and is well-written. I especially liked how the town of Mistletoe, Maine is one of the characters readers will also love. The author did such a fantastic job of illustrating the town, I got a strong sense of Mistletoe’s charm very quickly which added to the whimsy of the holiday season.
My Final Verdict: If you like your bludgeoning and murdering to be packed with festive Christmas cheer, you can’t go wrong with this book. The next book in the series, ’Twas The Knife Before Christmas is ready to go for next Christmas and I’m looking forward to more from this author.
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