I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Stalking Around the Christmas Tree
by Jacqueline Frost
Series: Christmas Tree Farm Mystery #4
Series Rating:
Published by Crooked Lane Books on October 17, 2023
Setting: Mistletoe, Maine
Genres: Cozy Holiday Mystery
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover, Kindle
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Books-A-Million
Tis the season to solve a murder—and innkeeper Holly White knows she’ll have to make her list and check it twice if she wants to catch the killer in the fourth Christmas Tree Farm mystery from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.
For inn keeper Holly White, Christmas time in Mistletoe, Maine, is the ultimate holiday gift. Business at the Reindeer Games Inn is booming, her wedding to Sheriff Evan Gray is nearly here, and the annual parade is about to begin. The town is lucky to have another gift this year with the state’s ballet company staying for several performances of The Nutcracker. But disaster strikes when Tiffany, the lead ballerina, shows up dead on a float during the parade, the Rat King’s mask nearby. Holly will have to spruce up her sleuthing skills if she wants to catch the killer before Christmas—and her wedding day.
Immediately, Holly discovers that Tiffany had more than a few secrets. She finds out that the star of the show had a super fan that no one knows anything about. And the show’s understudy slips some other intriguing information Holly’s way: not only was Tiffany secretly seeing someone romantically, but there seems to be more than one rat in this company. When Holly discovers a secret passage leading to Tiffany’s dressing room, with footprints leading out; she wonders if this is evidence of a secret lover—or a stalking killer.
With an impending snowstorm and the ballet company on the way out of town, Holly must act quickly if she wants to find the person responsible for this terrible murder. Will she be able to save Christmas—or will her investigation turn cold like the weather?
Stalking Around the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Frost is a marvelously written mystery with holiday flair.
Will Holly figure out who killed the ballerina before Christmas Eve?
Holly White
Holly is our sleuth in this murder mystery set right before Christmas in Mistletoe, Maine. Although investigating isn’t her primary occupation, it does seem that she is quite good at it. She also assists her parents with running their Christmas tree farm, and she runs the inn on the farm. But that isn’t all that Holly has going on. She volunteers for numerous events, has all her regular holiday things to get done, and is getting married.
I like Holly. She has a big heart and enjoys life and the holidays. I love her curious mind and love of a great sweet treat.
The Mystery
This story is like the ultimate Christmas village. They have the Nutcracker ballet in town for the week; there is a parade, massive events, reindeer games, YouTube shows being taped, and tons of fabulous shops like a fudge shop, wine shop, cupcake shop, so many shops. Oh, did I mention the snow? This town has the Christmas spirit. Well, except for the fact that they have had a murder during the holidays for the last four years. On the bright side, they always get the culprit.
In this mystery, the lead ballerina, Tiffany, is murdered, but who could have done it? They don’t know any of the people in the ballet, and they will leave on the 23rd. Holly and Sheriff Evan have to figure it out and still make it to the altar on time. Let’s not forget the snow and blizzard conditions that continue to be in the forecast.
Five Stars
Although this is my first time reading one of the Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The close-knit community and entertaining townsfolk make for a sweet read. The sleuth and her fiance are believable and likable. I will definitely be reading more of this series.
My rating for Stalking Around the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Frost is five stars. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fantastic holiday mystery.
Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Stalking Around the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Frost.
About Jacqueline Frost
Julie Anne Lindsey is an award-winning and bestselling author of mystery and romantic suspense. She’s published more than fifty novels since her debut in 2013 and currently writes series as herself, as well as under multiple pen names, for Harlequin, Kensington, Sourcebooks and Crooked Lane Books. She is represented by Erin Niumata at Folio Literary Management.
Some of the pen names that Julie Anne Lindsey uses are Jacqueline Frost, Bree Baker, and Julie Chase.
Julie is the 2022 Maggie Award Winner for romantic suspense, the 2020 Golden Quill Award Winner for Series Romance, a double finalist (and winner) of the 2020 National Readers Choice Award for Romance Adventure, a 2019 double-finalist (and winner) of the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Mystery & Suspense, the 2019 Stiletto Award for Romantic Suspense and the 2019 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award for romantic suspense.
She is a member of national Sisters in Crime, as well as a local board member, a member of Romance Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Independent Book Publishers Association, Midwest Book Publishers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writing Association, and Novelists Inc.
She’s ghost written for NYT Bestselling authors and led classes and workshops for numerous writers conferences, libraries and groups on topics from plotting and outlining mysteries, to social media 101.
Julie’s recently expanded her industry knowledge and experience by taking the self-publishing plunge. She founded Cozy Queen Publishing LLC in 2020 and coordinated her efforts with a team of professionals from her traditional writing world to launch a new cozy mystery series in September 2021, with 12 titles available now.
When Julie’s not creating new worlds or fostering the epic love of fictional characters, she can be found in Kent, Ohio, enjoying her blessed Midwestern life. And probably plotting murder with her shamelessly enabling friends. Today she hopes to make someone smile. One day she plans to change the world.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
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