Twelve Slays of Christmas

Holly White hasn’t had a great week or month so far. Her fiancé cancels their Christmas Eve wedding, preferring the company of another woman. Holly moves back home with her parents and helps her mother in the family business. She wants some peace and quiet and time to mend her broken heart. When the local curmudgeon, Margaret Fenwick, is killed and left at her family’s tree farm, Holly jumps into the investigation.

The murder weapon is one of her father’s wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, the Sheriff, Evan Grey begins to question him, and the rest of their family and employees. Holly knows her father isn’t a killer; no matter him much, he argued with Mrs. Fenwick. She is determined to find out who the real killer is.

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Series: A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery – Book #2
Author: Jacqueline Frost
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Holiday/Career
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Rating:

This is Jacqueline Frost’s series debut. It is filled with interesting characters and a wonderfully picturesque location. It is fast-paced with twists and turns that will keep the reader turning the page until the end. There are plenty of red herrings that keep the reader guessing as to the identity of the killer until the big reveal.

Twelve Slays of Christmas holds within its pages a unique plot that isn’t hard to follow yet still is intriguing enough to keep the reader’s attention. Holly is a woman who has experienced heartbreak but, oddly enough, does not appear to be overly concerned about the loss of her fiance. Evan Grey is a good reason why. He is a great distraction, he and Holly find themselves working together to solve the murder, and not allowing the past to keep them from enjoying each other’s company.

All the characters are very ordinary and yet extraordinary people. From the rich girl that Holly went to school with and had a budding friendship with, to the older lady that has always been one of Holly’s favorite people: each character brings life and entertainment to the story and broadens the plot. The ending creates tension and suspense.

This book and author are highly recommended for originality, suspense, and real mystery that can be missing in other stories of this type. Readers who enjoy authors such as Paige Shelton or Ellery Adams will like Jacqueline Frost’s “Twelve Slays of Christmas.”