Twelve Slays of Christmas: A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery

Happy Thanksgiving!  I appreciate you visiting today.  An Amish Courtship on Ice Mountain by Kelly Long will be published on November 28.  It is the fourth book in the Ice Mountain series and it tells the story of Bishop Joel Umble.

Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost is the first book in A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series.  Holly White has returned home to Mistletoe, Maine and her parents Reindeer Games Tree Farm.  Her fiancé, Ben called off their wedding.  Margaret Fenwick, head of the Mistletoe Historical Society, has been causing havoc around town with her tickets and demands.  Margaret’s reign of terror comes to end when she is found dead in the snow.  Sheriff Evan Gray arrives and closes down the tree farm.  Margaret was killed with one of the tree farm’s wooden candy cane tree markers for the trees which were last seen in Bud White’s (Holly’s father) possession.  Holly’s family relies on the income from these weeks prior to Christmas to live on the rest of the year.  Holly sets out to find Margaret’s killer and get Reindeer Games Tree Farm reopened (prove her father’s innocence).  The killer, though, is unhappy with Holly’s investigation and sets out to dissuade her.  Can Holly prove her father’s innocence and get the tree farm reopened?  Or will Holly become the killer’s next victim?

Twelve Slays of Christmas is a cute story.  I found it easy to read with a nice writing style and good pace.  I liked the characters but they were not fully fleshed out.  The author left out details such as people first or last names (we may be given one but not the other). Twelve Slays of Christmas is more cozy than mystery.  I liked the descriptions of the tree farm, café, craft store and the reindeer games.  Christmas is a wonderful over-the-top event in this town.  I am still not sure who owns the craft store (the person who runs it or is it part of the tree farm).  My rating for Twelve Slays ofChristmas is 3 out of 5 stars.  I wish the mystery had been more dynamic.  I found it simple with a limited suspect list.  I enjoyed the descriptions of Holly’s jewelry designs and how she created them.  I was surprised with the romantic element in the story considering that Holly was going to be married in two weeks.  I did, though, like her love interest—Sheriff Evan Gray. Twelve Slays of Christmas will put you in the mood for Christmas.

Thank you for stopping by today and reading my review.  I will be back tomorrow with my thoughts on Much Ado About Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan.  I hope that each of you have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader