A Wonderful Christmas Crime

 A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery Book 6

Author:    Jacqueline Frost

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9788892421973

Crooked Lane Books

320 Pages

$29.99; $14.99 Amazon

October 21, 2025

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As Christmas descends on Mistletoe, Maine, Holly White has an extra gift for the season: a new baby on the way.  Her husband, Sheriff Evan Gray, has been worried about her elevated blood pressure, and Holly has agreed to take this year easy.  Being idle has never been one of Holly's gifts, so when Evan surprises her with tickets to the town-wide dinner, she and her many cravings thank him.  But when a thief tries and fails to steal an antique ornament from the dinner's holiday display, it's clear that someone is on the naughty list.

The thief manages to escape, but after dinner, Holly spots their lifeless body.  It's clear that someone in town was keen to kill them.  Evan is less than jolly to find his wife at the scene of yet another holiday homicide and asks her to promise that she'll leave the investigating to the police.  But Holly has never been one to turn down a challenge and has to get creative with the help of a few of her friends in order to find this killer.

Will she and her friends be able to stop the killer and uncover the motive behind the attempted robbery, or will the killer strike again and paint the town a bloody red?

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Holly White has it all: a loving husband, a wonderful family, and a magical place where she grew up.  Christmas is around the corner, and she's looking forward to all the fun that comes with it.  But even so, she just received better news: she's going to have a baby.  She, and everyone around her, is thrilled at the idea; and learning that her blood pressure is elevated, they're also determined to keep her relaxed.

Which would be easy, except when Holly and her gal friends go out for an evening of food and fun, someone tries to steal an antique goat from a new friend, Alice, who owns the restaurant.  The thief gets away, but the goat is saved...at least for a while.  When Holly and her friends return to the restaurant, they find Alice outside in the snow, lying next to a dead person -- the same one who tried to steal the goat -- the goat in Alice's hand.  Now Alice is the main suspect in the murder, and Holly is forbidden by everyone from trying to find who the real killer.  Can she work behind the scenes and still find out who did it?  Or will her overprotective friends refuse to let her out of their sight and allow Alice to be taken in for a crime she didn't commit?

This is the sixth book in the series and I have read them all.  I have also loved them all.  As I've stated before, I love the fact that the characters evolve in each book, their lives moving along as it does in real life.  While I am happy for Evan and Holly, I do hope that the series continues even with a baby in the picture.  After all, other authors have done so, so I have hope!

As to the mystery, there is more than one: Holly is taxed with trying to solve a crossword puzzle in the daily paper by Christopher, who's been a fixture in the Whites' life, and whom she believes to be Santa Claus.  But is he?  She also continues (extremely discreetly, or so she thinks) investigating, while making a new mommy friend in someone who is in town for the antique show.  But the antique show is giving signs of being in trouble, and Holly wonders if it's connected to the death.

Leaving it up to Evan, and her sister-in-law Libby, who is a private investigator, she only hopes that they will listen to her arguments.  Being constantly watched is making her somewhat cranky, and it doesn't help with the morning sickness she's feeling.

But it's unexpected when she finally figures out who the murderer is, and her only question is will she be able to get out of trouble or will she and her unborn baby face their final moments?  I loved the climax and how it's done, giving us all the backstory that we need, and solving another Christmas mystery in time to enjoy the holiday.  Recommended. 

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Wonderful-Christmas-Crime-Tree-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0DTN7NZW9/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7558291239

More on Jacqueline Frost's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/jacqueline-frost/

I'll Be Home for Mischief

A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery Book 5

Author:    Jacqueline Frost

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781639109067; 9798892422666

Crooked Lane Books

288 Pages

$20.66; $19.99; $14.99 Amazon

November 12, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's Christmastime in Mistletoe, Maine, and the Historical Society has launched a widespread campaign to celebrate the town's 150th anniversary.  Descendants of the founding family, the Snows, have returned for the first time, and Holly is determined to make the family's visit magical.  In an attempt to put Mistletoe on the map, Holly's mother, a respected local baker, attempts to break a record by baking the world's largest gingerbread man, but her plans are whisked away when Mr. Snow's body ends up in the batter.

When Mr. Moore, the local mistletoe farmer, is accused of the crime, Holly reprises her role as amateur sleuth to protect the sweet older man.  Between hosting the inconsolable Mrs. Snow and other guests at the inn, receiving threatening messages telling her to stop her investigation, and preparing for her first wedding anniversary with Sheriff Evan Gray, she might need a Christmas miracle to survive.

When someone breaks into Holly's office and scratches a warning into her desk, she knows she has little time left.  Can Holly uncover the killer before someone else gets burned, or is her involvement a recipe for trouble?

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Holly White-Gray is nearing her first wedding anniversary on Christmas Eve.  But she also has to work as innkeeper at her family's inn at their farm Reindeer Games, which is open all year but especially, and understandably, busy during the Christmas season.  It's almost overwhelming.  But this year is the town's 150th anniversary, and her mother Carol wants to make her gingerbread man large enough to get into the Guinness World Records book.  To this end, two people from Guinness have arrived to watch the pouring and cooking of the large gingerbread man.

Also in attendance are the Snows, a mother and son, who are descendants of the founders of Mistletoe, Maine.  When Holly notices local mistletoe farmer, Mr. Moore, in what seems like an argument with Mr. Snow, she wonders what it was about.  But it's not too long later when everything is in motion that someone notices the batter is bubbled, and it seems a hand is sticking out.  A hand belonging to Mr. Snow.  Now Mrs. Snow is heartbroken, and Mr. Moore is the main suspect.

Even with her husband Evan warning her to stay away from the investigation, Holly is positive Mr. Moore couldn't have murdered the man, so she begins what she believes is discreet questioning.  But someone is watching her every move, and she receives threatening messages in more ways than one.  With the heat escalating over the cold in the air, Holly knows she has to ramp up her investigation while keeping her husband satisfied.  But will it be enough?  Or will the killer finally catch up to her before she can catch a break?

This is the fifth book in the series, and I have read them all.  I have to say that I love reading about Holly and her family, and I love that the series evolves as each book appears.  We see what is going on in Holly's life and the family and friends around her, and, unfortunately but of course, a new murder.  I enjoy reading how Holly's mind works and how she puts the pieces together to create a complete puzzle, outlining how everything comes to an end.  But it also comes with the inevitable danger, and the climaxes are worth reading the book itself.  They are done well, and everything in between in believable.

This book is no different, and with a lot going on, you still need to find the clues along with Holly, and try to solve the murder yourself, and I do enjoy doing that.  I had an idea who the murderer was, but watching everything along the way gave me pause as to whether I was right or not.  In the end, it really didn't matter, and the book itself was welcome time away from the real world, and the author is very talented in this area.

I loved it all and look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Mischief-Christmas-Tree-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CVKNNLT7/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7548355388

More on Jacqueline Frost's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/jacqueline-frost/