Cover Image: Twas the Knife Before Christmas

Twas the Knife Before Christmas

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Member Reviews

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Holly White returned home after being left at the alter last Christmas season. She is hoping this Christmas is a little bit more Holly Jolly Christmas than Blue Christmas, especially since she was stalked by a killer last year.

However, when her best friend Caroline is accused of murdering the lecherous man she went on one date with, Holly is knee deep in snow and mystery!

I enjoy this series as I do enjoy her other series (as Julie Ann Lindsay), Cider Shop Mysteries. Will definitely read more of them.

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How Holly makes it through and some follow up is a bit fanciful, but this was another comfortable, Christmassy cozy that will make you want to read the next one in the series.

I received copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Jacqueline Frost has once again written a really good mystery. The fact that it revolves around Christmas, my favorite holiday, is simply a bonus. I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series.

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I didn't know who the killer was. What's happening to Libby is interesting and scary. I really like this series.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

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Give me a Murder mystery set at the Christmas holidays and I am game. Throw in rich checkers, whimsical descriptions and a CHRISTMAS TREE FARM, and we are off to the races. This book was pure joy from start to finish. It was a salve to a season that sometimes can feel a bit lonely.

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It's Christmas time again in Mistletoe, Maine, and things are going well for Holly. Unfortunately, that means it's time for another murder. This time, all fingers point to Holly's friend Caroline.

Holly and everyone in Mistletoe work to clear Caroline's good name. Holly also is trying to spend sometime with her cop boyfriend.

I love Jacqueline Frost's Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries. This one definitely brought some cheer to my hot summer days!

Thanks for the arc, Netgalley!

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A good book. Well written with great characters and a good plot. The storyline flows and the mystery is enjoyable. I highly recommend.,

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I could enjoy reading Christmas-themed books year-round and with a mystery included besides romance make it all the better.

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One would think after nearly losing her life, the last thing Holly White would ever do again is insert herself into another murder investigation, placing herself in the killer’s sights and risking all sorts of danger to herself. Despite Holly’s apparent lack of common sense, another charming installment of the Christmas Tree Farm mystery series brings us back to Holly’s world, her family’s Christmas tree farm brimming with holiday spirit, festivities and another murder. This time, Holly’s best friend Caroline is the main suspect after a body is found stabbed with one of Caroline’s butcher knives. Caroline was also seen arguing with the victim, so it doesn’t look good for her. Much to hunky sheriff Evan’s, displeasure, Holly once again begins asking questions.

The story moves at a good pace and with several possible suspects besides Caroline, I was unable to figure it out before the big reveal. In addition to the regular characters that I have come to care about, this installment brings the arrival of Evan’s little sister from Boston under some unusual circumstances as well as construction for the new inn is well underway which will bring more visitors to Reindeer Games and hopefully more opportunities for murder and mayhem sprinkled with a little Christmas spirit.

My Final Verdict: Another great addition to my Christmas reading list that could be read any time of the year, but really recommend reading it with a steaming mug of cocoa and a plate of snickerdoodles while waiting for St. Nick to make his appearance.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of ’Twas the Knife Before Christmas from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Who doesn't love a Christmas novel! Especially when mixed with a little mystery! Unfortunately, I didn't realise it was the second book in a series so I was left to fill in some gaps. I’m keen to go back and read the first book this Christmas Season

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It is Christmas time and it is just not complete without a Christmas murder mystery. This book has it all. When a body is found in a Huge bowl in the town square, Holly White is beside herself when she hears that the murderer is her best friend Caroline. I mean everyone saw Caroline fighting with the victim and better yet there was knife found. Not just any knife, but one with Caroline’s initials on it. What will happen to this lovely town now? Can Holly figure out whodunnit?

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When a body turns up in the dumpster behind Caroline’s Cupcakes, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect. Everyone in town, including Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, saw Caroline fighting with the victim on the night of his death. Worse, Caroline’s fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a custom designed marble rolling pin.

Now, just ten days before Christmas, Holly’s up to her jingle bells in holiday shenanigans and in desperate need of a miracle. Juggling extra shifts at her family’s Christmas tree farm and making enough gingerbread jewelry to satisfy the crowd is already more than she can handle and now she has to find time to clear her best friend of murder. Add in her budding relationship with the sheriff, and run ins with an ex-fiancé looking to make amends, and Holly’s ready to fly south until springtime. But her Sherpa lined mittens come off when Caroline is taken into custody. Can Holly wrap up the case in time for Christmas even after she gains the true killer’s attention?

The mystery is full of suspense, suspects, clues, and red herrings to keep you guessing about who the real culprit is. The characters are well written and well developed each with their own personalities which makes them lifelike and relatable. The author does a nice job of describing the town of Mistletoe that it almost seems like a real town in Maine that you could visit.

I like how the relationship between Holly and Evan is developing at a nice steady pace and it's not forced to fit the story. I also liked that the book didn't end with a cliff hanger but with promises of what could happen with the characters and their relationships if the series continues. The only thing I didn't like was how Evan would always tell Holly to let him take care of things all the time, it made him seem a little chauvinistic when he didn't really need to be.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my review.

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I really enjoyed this seasonal cosy mystery. It’s a good mix of crime, mystery, humour, romance and Christmasy-ness. I felt very festive reading it over the actual Christmas period. I liked the characters and did not guess whodunit. I would definitely read more in this series.

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There’s nothing quite like a cosy crime story set at Christmastime – it’s just so comforting, despite all the murder and mayhem.

In Twas the Knife Before Christmas, Holly White, jewellery maker, Christmas buff and keen amateur sleuth, is shocked to hear that a body has been found in the dumpster behind Caroline’s Cupcakes, the shop belonging to her best friend. She soon receives an even greater shock, however, when Caroline’s fingerprints are found on the murder weapon – a marble rolling pin – and she quickly becomes the number one suspect. There are only ten days left until Christmas, but Holly is going to have to find time to prove that her best friend isn’t a murderer.

This is the second book in the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series and it marks a fun (and festive) continuation of the series. The Christmassy scene is really well set and the murder mystery is well thought out. Derek, the victim, was definitely not well liked and so there are a fair few suspects – aside from Caroline – for Holly to investigate. In fact, her efforts to pin down the identity of the killer will ultimately lead to her having a new appreciation for the phrase “no pain, no gain.” A couple of the suspects are perhaps a bit too awful/unhelpful, as they would probably be taking greater pains to appear innocent, but then, maybe they’re just awful people (regardless of whether they’re killers or not)? Holly White is a very appealing central character; she’s a clever and tenacious investigator, and it’s very easy to warm to her.

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A good story. I love holiday themed mysteries and this one did not disappoint. Realistic characters and a solid mystery.

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I was so excited to go back and visit Holly and her family and friends at the White family's Christmas tree farm in Mistletoe, Maine! A year has passed since the events of the first book of the series, and, as expected, another murder is about to occur, with a close friend of Holly's, Caroline of Caroline's Cupcakes, as the main suspect. Caroline had had a rather public argument with her date at a benefit dinner (he couldn't keep his hands to himself), and lo and behold, he shows up dead in a giant bowl of mints at the annual tree lighting ceremony, stabbed with one of Caroline's knives!! It's up to Holly to make sure that her friend gets a fair shake when all of the evidence points right to her.

I am so in love with the descriptions of this amazing Christmas town and all of the holiday themed events that are held up at the White family's Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm! I feel like I'm right there building snowmen, sledding blind folded, and riding sleighs through the tree farm (although I could do without being shot at!). The characters are all very well written, so much so that you feel like they are your friends and family, as well as Holly's. The setting was described in delicious detail, and the story unfolded at the perfect pace, jumping between sleuthing and celebrating the holiday with ease. The only complaint I have is with the romance (or lack thereof) between Holly and Evan, the local sheriff. It just seemed a bit "meh", but I'm hoping it will pick up a bit more in the next book in the series. When Holly and Evan are together, there is definite chemistry, and we do find out why Evan is a bit of an absentee love interest, but I hope they can find a way to spend more time together building on that chemistry.

All in all, I was very happy with the characters, world building, and pacing of this book, and only have a tiny complaint about the romance, which I'm certain will grow in the following books of the series. I'm giving this book an enthusiastic 4.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

(I posted the above review at the links listed below and also on Amazon and Barnes and Noble under the interviewer name: jwitt33. I just don't know how to get the direct link on those 2 sites.)

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This book was really cute, the little bit that I read if it. However, it’s part of an open world series so to speak, and there were a lot of things mentioned that were hard to follow along with because of things that happened in previous books. I tried to overlook it, but jr prevented me from really investing myself to the storyline.

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I am such a fan of this author and series. The book was a quick read that was filled with twists and turns that kept you guessing as to whether you knew the killer or not.

I can't wait to see what this series has in store next!

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A great second book in the series. I knew what to expect in style and characters from this author but was blown away by the level of the mystery. I adore anything holiday related in cozy mysteries and this was certainly one of my favorites this year to read!

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Holly White, who lives in Mistletoe, Maine, has already solved one murder (in the first book in this series). Now she, and we, are back for number two.
It’s nice to meet the secondary characters again that we got to know in the first book, especially Ray and Caroline. In this story Caroline moves to the foreground as she’s the prime suspect for the murder of womaniser Derek. Not only did she have a row with Derek shortly before he was found dead, but it’s one of the knives from her cupcake shop that’s the murder weapon. Holly immediately starts trying to clear her friend’s name, but someone is keen that she doesn’t find too much out.
It’s an intriguing mystery that’s well constructed, and the whole book is extremely enjoyable. There are so many Christmassy touches that it’s a seasonal joy to read. The dialogue is lively, the characters are all interesting and the writing whisks you along.
Lots to enjoy in this sweet but edgy cosy.

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