I'LL BE HOME FOR MISCHIEF by Jacqueline Frost

Mistletoe, Maine is a friendly town that happily trades on its name to make a winter income. Innkeeper Holly White, who married Sheriff Evan Gray in the fourth book of the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series, returns for an encore in the charming I’LL BE HOME FOR MISCHIEF.

This year, the Historical Society has encouraged everyone to dress in period costumes for the town’s anniversary. Victorian garb and décor are so sweet in photos, tourists are coming non-stop. Holly’s capable mother is determined to bake the world’s largest gingerbread man, so we see Holly pulling a little wagon of supplies – and that’s just the spices. The Guinness Book of Records is sending judges, and the whole town wants to participate. The snowy surroundings make life more difficult, but give excuses for hot chocolate and warmed cider. Everyone seems festive, even the eccentric Mr. Moore, the local mistletoe farmer. Guests staying at the Reindeer Tree Farm Inn include the Snows, a lady called Violet and her son Elijah, with a longtime connection to the town.

Everything is going so well – until it isn’t. A suspicious death occurs. Two true-crime podcasters are in town, chuckling, as they anticipated the fifth death in a row at Christmas in Mistletoe. This has to be a drastic coincidence. Holly has no intention of investigating the possible murder, but because she did solve the other murders, someone feels threatened.

That’s the premise, and I enjoy Christmas mysteries, so I got what I came for – I did find the constant love a bit too sweet, though. Every town has at least one sourpuss. Holly, who crafts trinkets in her spare time, spends much energy trying to find a nice gift for her dishy husband – I might have gone with a book token. The most fun, I think, is when everyone keeps trying to get their pastime into the Book of Records.

If you are looking for a relaxing and jolly mystery read at Christmas, put your feet up, sip some hot chocolate and open I’LL BE HOME FOR MISCHIEF. Jacqueline Frost has skillfully blended sights, sounds and scents to bring her town to life, with all the ingredients of a cosy mystery, and Victorian costume too.

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SUMMARY

Innkeeper Holly White is decking the halls this Christmas season, but someone is on the naughty list when a body is discovered in the fifth installment in the Christmas Tree Farm mystery series from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

It’s Christmas time 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?

EXCERPT

BOOK SERIES

Christmas Tree Farm