Author: Jacqueline Frost
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: October 2021
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Cozy Mystery
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Maine innkeeper Holly White returns to sleuth another seasonal slaying in the third Christmas Tree Farm mystery from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.
Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm is going into the B&B business, and Holly White is looking forward to her new role as innkeeper. Even better, Mistletoe, Maine's sheriff, Evan Gray, has deputized his little sister Libby to help Holly wrap presents for Mistletoe's toy drive. But a cold wind ruffles the cheery holiday decorations when a new guest checks in: Karen, a vicious B&B critic, who could make or break the new inn. And the short December days turn even darker when Evan and Libby find Karen's dead body in the gift-wrapped toy donation box.
The suspect list is longer than Santa's naughty list, and local resident Cookie is on it, since her fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a metal nutcracker that she gave to Holly. So is Libby, who recently moved to town from Boston in less-than-savory circumstances. But cranky Karen was an oh-holy-nightmare to lots of the townsfolk, such as Evan's reporter friend Ray; Christopher, the inn's former contractor; and confectioner Bonnie, whose Gum Drop Shop was a direct target of Karen's scathing prose.
To figure out the killer's identity and clear Cookie's name, Holly and her friends brainstorm at The Hearth, the farm's café, while her mother keeps them fueled with Christmas goodies fresh from the oven. But if they can't put the culprit on ice, Holly may never see another Christmas.
My Thoughts: I enjoyed this installment of the Christmas Tree Farm mystery series and feel it was a good addition to my holiday reading. As with the residents of Mistletoe, I love this little community and once again another murder happens at Christmas time which should put a serious damper on the festivities. Despite this being the third year in a row that a murder happens that also finds Holly White right in the middle of the investigation, the holiday festivities continue.
This time around, Holly’s friend Cookie is the suspect and with her fingerprints on the weapon, Holly and her friends are desperate to figure out who the real culprit is. As with the other books, I felt annoyed that Holly puts herself in situations that draw the killer’s attention to her, but unlike Evan, I knew she would insert herself into the investigation and wouldn’t listen to anyone telling her to let the authorities manage it.
As frustrating as it is seeing Holly put herself in danger, I have to say that for the third year running, the crime appears to be solved in large part due to her involvement. Evan is an excellent police officer, but he probably should just involve Holly at the onset of the investigation to avoid having to worry she is up to her neck in trouble as a result of keeping her out of it. I suppose hoping Holly comes to her senses and leaves the crime solving to Evan would mean the end of this series, so I will hope she and Evan keep their channels of communication open and she tries to stay in the background. I would miss the hot chocolate and snickerdoodles at The Hearth if it all went away.
My Final Verdict: I recommend this book and the whole series to fans of cozy mysteries as well as readers looking to add a little warmth and cheer to their holiday.
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