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A review by aimeedarsreads
Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost
Holly White returns to her festive hometown Mistletoe, Maine and her family’s Christmas tree farm two weeks before Christmas, but she’s not in the spirit of the season: her fiancé just called off their Christmas Eve wedding. Still, the busy season distracts her from her heartbreak. Leading up to Christmas Day, the farm holds a series of Reindeer Games that attract not only locals but tourists, too. Most of the farm’s income is generated at this time, so Holly knows how important it is to her parents.
One afternoon though, Scrooge herself visits the Hearth, the farm’s café. Margaret Fenwick, head of the Historical Society, generates a room full of whispers since she’s issued fines to most businesses in town for failing to meet the organization’s strict guidelines. In fact, she’d been seen arguing with Holly’s father, Bud, earlier that day.
The same evening, Holly hears a yell and runs to the source, a woman near the sleigh on display at the farm’s entrance. Inside is an unwanted gift: Margaret’s lifeless body. Sheriff Evan Gray arrives, he determines that the murder weapon was one of the large tree markers used on the farm, making Bud the prime suspect, and Gray closes the farm to initiate a search.
To exonerate her father and make sure the farm is open for the Reindeer Games, Holly decides she needs to find out who else might have wanted Margaret dead. She must act fast—before Bud is arrested and the games cancelled for good.
Reading this in December, I particularly enjoyed the charming setting of Mistletoe. It hits all the Christmas high notes and more, and I certainly wanted to eat cupcakes and cookies! The Reindeer Games were so fun, too, such as a snowball roll down a hill and making a gingerbread house while blindfolded or recreating a famous movie scene from Christmas candy and desserts. Of course, Cindy Lou Who, Holly’s supercilious cat, stole every scene she was in.
I liked the mystery a little less. I knew the identity of the murderer early on, though the full motive wasn’t clear until the end of the book. That actually didn’t bother me as much as Holly’s investigative method which was asking a lot of questions around town, getting nowhere, then having the killer come to her to silence her. I wish she’d actually had a chance to solve the mystery!
The next (and only other) book in the series, ‘Twas the Knife before Christmas, looks like it focuses more on Holly’s friend, Caroline West. I plan to read it, and hope Holly gets a chance to be more deductive!
One afternoon though, Scrooge herself visits the Hearth, the farm’s café. Margaret Fenwick, head of the Historical Society, generates a room full of whispers since she’s issued fines to most businesses in town for failing to meet the organization’s strict guidelines. In fact, she’d been seen arguing with Holly’s father, Bud, earlier that day.
The same evening, Holly hears a yell and runs to the source, a woman near the sleigh on display at the farm’s entrance. Inside is an unwanted gift: Margaret’s lifeless body. Sheriff Evan Gray arrives, he determines that the murder weapon was one of the large tree markers used on the farm, making Bud the prime suspect, and Gray closes the farm to initiate a search.
To exonerate her father and make sure the farm is open for the Reindeer Games, Holly decides she needs to find out who else might have wanted Margaret dead. She must act fast—before Bud is arrested and the games cancelled for good.
Reading this in December, I particularly enjoyed the charming setting of Mistletoe. It hits all the Christmas high notes and more, and I certainly wanted to eat cupcakes and cookies! The Reindeer Games were so fun, too, such as a snowball roll down a hill and making a gingerbread house while blindfolded or recreating a famous movie scene from Christmas candy and desserts. Of course, Cindy Lou Who, Holly’s supercilious cat, stole every scene she was in.
I liked the mystery a little less. I knew the identity of the murderer early on, though the full motive wasn’t clear until the end of the book. That actually didn’t bother me as much as Holly’s investigative method which was asking a lot of questions around town, getting nowhere, then having the killer come to her to silence her. I wish she’d actually had a chance to solve the mystery!
The next (and only other) book in the series, ‘Twas the Knife before Christmas, looks like it focuses more on Holly’s friend, Caroline West. I plan to read it, and hope Holly gets a chance to be more deductive!