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Book Review
Reviewed: 30 April 2025

A Wonderful Christmas Crime

by: Jacqueline Frost

Christmas Tree Farm Mystery - Book 6

  • Rating: full starfull starfull starfull starstar outline (4/5)

What do antiques, goats and murder have in common...Mistletoe at Christmastime

Holly (and friends) have yet another murder to solve. This has unfortunately become a holiday trend in Mistletoe. I saw ‘and friends’ because in this one Holly is relying heavily on them as she and husband Sheriff Evan Gray celebrate the news of the new edition to their family. We get to know new friends and as always we have Cookie and Theodore for some levity. The backdrop for this murder is a tea shop and the antique road show that Mistletoe is hosting for the holidays. This enables sleuthing, holiday fun and gift shopping all in one.  

This series has from the beginning has some strong interpersonal connections which continue to the grow adding new characters with still room for more. With Holly’s pregnancy and health concern, she is sitting still a bit more than usual and not liking it. Her friends are there to help. I like how when the concern became a bit smothering Holly nicely addressed and her friends took it in stride. 

The mystery was interesting especially given the series’ goat connection. We got a bit of history without it feeling like a lecture, met some new characters (is there a new romance on the horizon?) and had a bit of fun with the Gumdrop Gumshoe. I am looking for to the next adventure in Mistletoe.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the opportunity to do an early read and share my thoughts on the story. 

Happy Reading!

Release Date: 21-October-2025
Cozy Mystery, NetGalley, Female-Led

Plot Summary

Innkeeper Holly White has a lot to be joyful about this season, until an attempted robbery throws the town into suspicion in the sixth installment of the Christmas Tree Farm mysteries from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

As Christmas descends on Mistletoe, Maine, Holly White has an extra gift for the a new baby on the way. Her husband, Sheriff Evan Gray, has been worried about her elevated blood pressure and Holly has agreed to take this year easy. Being idle has never been one of Holly’s gifts, so when Evan surprises her with tickets to the town-wide dinner, she and her many cravings thank him. But when a thief tries and fails to steal an antique ornament from the dinner’s holiday display, it’s clear that someone is on the naughty list. 

The thief manages to escape, but after dinner, Holly spots their lifeless body. It’s clear that someone in town was keen to kill them. Evan is less than jolly to find his wife at the scene of yet another holiday homicide and asks her to promise that she’ll leave the investigating to the police. But Holly has never been one to turn down a challenge and has to get creative with the help of a few of her friends in order to find this killer.

Will she and her friends be able to stop the killer, and uncover the motive behind the attempted robbery, or will the killer strike again and paint the town a bloody red?