Twelve Slays of Christmas

Holly White has just returned home to Mistletoe, Maine - she's miserable because her fiancé jilted her in favor of a yoga instructor. Still, she's not there to lick her wounds and feel sorry for herself. It's Christmastime, and her parents own Reindeer Games, a tree farm. They're doing what they've done for years: During the twelve days of Christmas, they have games and surprises for locals and tourists alike. Everyone is gearing up for the holiday, and Holly pitches in to help.

But there's a different surprise in store: Margaret Fenwick, a member of the local Historical Society, has been a thorn in everyone's side for years. But this year, it's gotten worse. She's issuing citations anywhere she can, and to everyone she can. She's show more even telling Holly's father Bud that he needs to remove fencing that he just erected. It appears to Holly that everyone is angry with her for one reason or another, and some are fighting back. But one is fighting back more than the others. While taking a walk with her friend Cookie, she finds Margaret's body in one of the farm's sleighs.

When the sheriff is called in to investigate, Holly sees that he's new to the area. Sheriff Grey is young, handsome, and possibly thinks someone at the farm killed Margaret. At any rate, he's shut the farm down to investigate, and Holly knows that without the money this time of year brings in, her parents livelihood will suffer. So she decides to do a little investigating on her own - just to give the sheriff a different suspect, of course; someone not connected with her family.

When the sheriff finds out what she's doing, he warns her to leave it alone. But he's not the only one. Someone else knows what Holly's doing, and begins warning her away too - but in a much more sinister fashion. Now Holly realizes that there's a very real danger, and it's her own life at stake. If a killer is found soon, she won't have to worry about Christmas, because she won't be around to enjoy it...

This is the first book in a new series, and although the author has written several books under another name, this is her first under this pseudonym. It's rare that a new series has such a promising start. I'm not saying that new series aren't good; of course they are; I'm merely saying that many times the author still has to find their way and hone the characters.

Not so with this book. I found the dialogue witty, engaging and amusing. The banter between Holly and Evan was always engaging, and quite fun to read. Two people who were after the same thing, but in very different ways. And oh, what a delight to read. He was never nasty or mean; she was never pushy or invasive.

Holly is a joy of a character. She never became obnoxious in her questioning; it never seemed to me that she was overly invasive to other characters. Quite refreshing, actually, from other protagonists who practically accuse everyone else of the crime in order to save someone they care about. Holly never seemed to go that route, and I appreciated that fact.

The characters are well-defined, credible and three-dimensional. You feel as if you really get to know them; these are not cardboard characters. While we don't really get to know the town of Mistletoe (because most of the action takes place at the farm) we do have fun learning about all the activities her family has planned for the holiday. It makes one wish to be a part of it and in a way, we are.

When we get closer to discovering the identity of the killer, it was a surprise. The reason was believable, and I loved the ending. To say any more would be giving too much away; you will have to read the book to find out why. This is definitely a very good beginning to a new series and I hope the next one isn't too far in the future. Highly recommended. show less

Holly White, moving back to her parents’ Christmas tree farm, can’t keep her nose out of a murder mystery making her a target for the murderer. The best part of this cozy mystery is that the sheriff isn’t a bumbling idiot who Holly must lead through the investigation (although Holly sort of is). And I liked the soft romantic undertones. Who has a strong enough motive to kill the elderly victim? That was troubling until it all came together.

Cosy mystery that's a great Christmas comfort read.

Well, this is about as cosy as a mystery can get. It's like one of those drinks that coffee shops sell where the coffee is the least important part and the impact comes from all the cream, syrups, spices and festive sprinkles that tell you it's Christmas.

The coffee in this book is the beating to death (off-camera to avoid unpleasantness) of an unpopular woman who runs the local Historical Preservation society.
Then the festive syrups and sprinkles start.

The murder weapon is a three-foot-long wooden candy cane with a sharp point at one end. The crime scene is a Christmas tree farm in the town of Mistletoe, Maine, that hosts the annual Reindeer Games over the twelve days of Christmas. show more Almost every scene is packed with festive food or festive games or jolly people in costume or tourists looking for a special Christmas treat.

Our heroine is Holly White, whose family run the Christmas Tree farm. She's returned home to her family after her fiancé broke off their engagement a couple of weeks before their planned Christmas Eve wedding. Holly is brave, creative, glad to be home and determined to find out who the murderer is despite receiving multiple death threats.

Our hero and principal love interest is Sherriff Grey, an ex-Boston PD homicide detective who reads "The Count Of Monte Christo" and is trying to leave murders behind. He seems to split his time between trying to solve the murder and preventing Holly from being killed.

The plot is strong on heart-warming, rich with suspects, low on threat and has just enough complexity and action to keep everything moving along at a good pace.

In other words, "The Twelve Slays Of Christmas" is the perfect brew for tuning out the world for few hours and wrapping the idea of Christmas around you like a blanket.
Christmas show less

This was a great debut, right from the author's cute pseudonym to all the details of the Christmas experience in Mistletoe, Maine. I really liked the setting on Holly White's family tree farm and the descriptions of the many things that make up their contribution to the season, the twelve days of Reindeer Games. For once, I didn't mind the usual trope of a jilted bride back home to lick her wounds. Holly fits right back into life in this small town very easily. The local sheriff, Evan Grey, is smart and good at his job. He doesn't really need Holly's help as she continues to coincidentally discover more about the death of local historical president Margaret Fenwick, but Holly is determined not to let her dad be the only one of the hook show more for her murder. There are a lot of characters and twist and turns in this story, but it was a delightful read all the way through. I hope this will become a yearly tradition from new author Frost. show less

What a fun cozy Christmas mystery! Holly White returns home to Mistletoe, Maine after a failed engagement, just in time for the 12 days of reindeer games hosted on her parents' farm. Unfortunately Margaret Fenwick, head of the local historical society, is killed right on the farm, and Holly discovers the body. Holly can't help but investigate, which brings threats to her and her parents. I really enjoyed this light mystery which includes a spark of romance between Holly and Sheriff Evan Gray, a Boston transplant. I enjoyed many of Holly's friends. This one has a lot of potential as a series, although if murders continue at Christmas each year, I doubt anyone will be wanting to visit the reindeer games. I look forward to the next show more installment of the series and may try some of the author's "Kitty Couture" mysteries written under the name Julie Chase. I received an advance review e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review. show less

Holly White returns to Mistletoe, Maine after her fiance breaks off their engagement for a younger woman he met at the gym. The family business, Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm, is just what she needs to help put her life, and heart, back together. The farm, and town, are gearing up for Christmas. The Twelve Day of Reindeer Games at the farm, plus cookies and hot cocoa, are really packing in the tourists and locals. Everything is holly jolly until the head of the local historical society, Margaret Fenwick, is found beaten to death, her body gruesomely stuffed into the Reindeer Games sleigh display. Unfortunately the owners and staff at the tree farm immediately become suspects because the weapon happens to be a spike used to identify show more trees on the farm. Holly's father, Bud, was seen arguing with the annoying woman just before her death, making him look guilty. Holly knows her dad is not a killer....so she is on the case to ferret out the murderer!

I love holiday theme cozy mysteries! And I'm pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The background theme of a Christmas tree farm and all the holiday events really added to the plot of the book. The mystery moved along at a great pace with some great amateur sleuthing, several possible suspects, and some surprises along the way. I enjoyed Holly as a main character, she is intelligent and has spunk. The side characters were all believable and well-written. The murdered woman was annoying, but she was meant to be. I have dealt with over zealous historical society people before when I was a reporter.....and they can be incredibly over-the-top and annoying...just like Margaret Fenwick. Luckily, none of the ones I knew were ever murdered. :)

This is Jacqueline Frost's debut novel. I am definitely going to read more in this series! Although it's not even Halloween yet, this book really got my holiday spirit going! Great theme, awesome cover, and a fun read!!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less

TWELVE SLAYS OF CHRISTMAS is a wonderful start to Jacqueline Frost’s Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series. When Holly White gets dumped by her fiancé two weeks before their wedding, she packs up her meager belongings and heads home to Mistletoe, Maine. With the holiday season in full swing, Holly offers to help out at her family’s tree farm.

Tragedy strikes when the president of the Mistletoe Historical Society is murdered on their property. Margaret Fenwick was a grump known for pressuring businesses to stick to stringent historical guidelines for the town or else, but did it make someone mad enough to kill?

This was a fast-paced and well written mystery with plenty of holiday cheer and a bit of romance. I loved the cold, snowy, cozy show more atmosphere of the book. Mistletoe felt like a real place. I enjoyed trying to fit all the pieces of the mystery into place. I was very shocked to discover the culprit, but it made total sense. Looking forward to continuing this series…next Christmas! show less