This is my first introduction to Jacqueline Frost's Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series, but the setting of Mistletoe, Maine really appealed to me. Although STALKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE is the fourth book in the series, I had no trouble jumping in and falling in love with Holly White.
Holly is an innkeeper and things get interesting for her at the Reindeer Games Inn when the lead ballerina of The Nutcracker is found dead on a float during the parade. However, with her wedding to Sheriff Evan Gray approaching, Holly must act quickly to catch the killer before he strikes again.
As I mentioned, I had no trouble getting into this book and the world that Frost has created. The mystery was well executed and I really liked the writing style as well. I will definitely be going back to read the other books in the series and look forward to Frost’s books in the future. I think I’ve found a new favorite Cozy Mystery author!
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 4th 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?
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