Author: Jacqueline Frost
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:`9781643857763
Crooked Lane Books
304 Pages
$26.99; $13.99 Amazon
October12, 2021
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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-so-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.
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First off, I have to say that there are several areas in the blurb which are misleading, but that often happens before some books are actually published, so allow leeway on this. Secondly, I need to say that I have read all of the books in this series, and they just seem to get better each time.
This time out we have Holly running the new B&B her family has opened, all decorated for Christmas, even with trees in every guest room. Unfortunately, one of the guests is a newspaper critic who isn't known for being kind, but more for being vitriolic, and this time is no different. When she comes to leave for breakfast at The Hearth, her mother's restaurant, Karen Moody, the critic, is more than critical to Holly about her room and expectations. Holly bites her tongue and apologizes, telling her she'll do better.
Then Holly's friend Cookie shows up -- either a septuagenarian or an octogenarian, no one knows -- and gifts Holly with a delightful metal nutcracker that works. Holly is pleased, and leaves it on her desk while she goes to breakfast with Cookie. While there, they hear a conversation at the restaurant between other customers, and Holly can only come to the conclusion it might be Karen they're talking about. They let it pass, but realize that they aren't the only ones who dislike the woman.
Later, when Holly, Cookie, and Sheriff Evan Gray are returning to the B&B, Cookie find the nutcracker in the snow and picks it up. But when they get to the B&B, they find the body of Karen, and she's been murdered. Now, since Cookie's fingerprints are the only ones on the weapon, and someone else heard Cookie make a remark to Holly about the woman that could be taken as a threat, she's the main suspect. Holly is determined to find the killer, even if Evan warns her off. She knows Cookie couldn't hurt anyone, and between her and other friends, they're searching for clues...and putting their own lives in danger...
I actually enjoyed this book so much that I read it in one sitting. It's interesting throughout, and there's a bit of a mystery in between everything else that you need to keep on top of, but it is lovely in the end. The characters are all interesting, and yes, Mistletoe is a bit over the top, but what do you expect from a town named Mistletoe? Why, that you'd want to visit it, of course! (Except for me, it's too darn cold, but I might brave it for a day or two then I'm back to the warm weather!)
The descriptions of decorations are entrancing, and the clues are few and far between. But there is no shortage of suspects -- Karen's ex-husband, Bonnie, the owner of the Gum Drop Shop, another visitor to the B&B whose reputation was trashed by Karen; and a few others keep Holly on her toes. The problem is, Holly isn't asking questions from most people, yet someone is leaving her threatening letters and other things, having known her previous reputation of solving crimes. She's trying to stay out of the most of it, but doesn't know what's going on. It makes for a grave situation on her part, but nothing is going to stop her from keeping Cookie from being charged with murder.
So we watch while Holly discreetly asks questions, and Sheriff Gray isn't sharing, and there are a few humorous situations thrown in for levity; but in the end when the killer is revealed, it all comes together nicely, even if is also sad. The ending is wonderful, and I hope to see the next book in the series soon. Highly recommended.
More on Jacqueline Frost's Book: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/jacqueline-frost/
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