[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Holly barely has time to register that the nitpicky grouch of a reviewer might be in town to cause trouble before the woman ends up dead.
This is becoming an annual event – a murder around her parents’ Christmas tree farm, Reindeer Games. But this is NOT the sort of thing Holly wants to see become a tradition.
Even worse, her beloved Cookie is the prime suspect! Now, her elderly friend is at risk of jail time, customers are bailing on their reservations at the inn, and gossipy townspeople are acting like Cookie might actually have done it.
Holly knows after last time that she really should stay out of things. But her dear friend – and the family business – are at risk. She just needs to find some other suspects to get the heat off Cookie.
Review
I have loved this series from the start, and the latest mystery from Jacqueline Frost did not disappoint. There’s a nice balance between holiday events at the tree farm and the events of the mystery. There’s not a ton of the games and events here like in the first two books. But those of us who have been charmed by the setting of this will still have some events to enjoy.
The mystery was fun and fresh – and with a nice dose of peril as with the first two books. The solution was unexpected, and I enjoyed just watching it unfold. While the mysteries in this series are always well done, it’s the characters and the setting that bring me back. (And unlike another series I used to love, the author doesn’t forget about crafting a terrific mystery while writing lovely interactions for the characters.) I wasn’t sure we were going to get a third book when there was such a long gap after book two, so there was a bonus treat to getting to read this. I’m happy the series has picked up again – as are several friends who claimed their fan status when I posted that I was reading this.
I think the mysteries for these stand well on their own, so readers don’t have to read these in order. But I think newcomers will discover that they want to know more about the characters and the farm. So be sure to go back and pick up the first two books.
Rating: ♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.