Twelve Slays of Christmas: A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery (A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery, #1)

by Jacqueline Frost

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 in Twelve Slays of Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s jolly series debut.

• ISBN10: 1683313178
• ISBN13: 9781683313175
• Publish Date: 10 October 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Crooked Lane Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781683313175

Reviews

[Eve1972]

This cover is getting a much coveted 5 Star rating from yours truly. Why? Because it is is just SO damn fun and festive. Fabulous use of graphics. A great representation the story. Good composition and title work as well.

After her breakup, Holly is back home in Mistletoe, Maine and helping out on her families Christmas tree farm. The reindeer games are coming up, and the town is buzzing with excitement. When a member of the local historical society is murdered on the property, all eyes are on Holly and her family. Holly just can't believe anyone in this small town is a murderer and makes it her mission to find out who did it and get the family farm back in business.



I enjoyed this one a lot. It was suitably festive. Well written and paced. The plot was engaging and kept me guessing right up until the end. I loved the small town Christmasy feel. I loved the characters both secondary and main. They were quirky and delightful. There is a tiny smidge of romance in this one between Holly and the sheriff. I am not a huge fan of romance in my cozy mysteries because it often feels forced or underdeveloped. This one was neither, and it struck the perfect balance. The only thing I missed was a few recipes at the end. I think it would have been a nice touch to have a few of the drink and cookie recipes that were featured in the book included at the end. All in all, though this one gets two thumbs up from yours truly.