
Member Reviews

Jacqueline Frost delivers another holiday hit with Stalking Around the Christmas Tree! Holly White is once again knee-deep in Christmas cheer and small-town mysteries in Mistletoe, Maine—a place where the snow is fresh, the cocoa is hot, and the murders are just a little too frequent. This time, Holly’s holiday plans take a dark turn when a local businessman is found dead during the Reindeer Games Holiday Festival. With her natural knack for sleuthing (and a little help from the townsfolk), Holly dives headfirst into the mystery to uncover the truth.
This book has everything you want in a cozy mystery: quirky characters, a picturesque holiday setting, and a fast-paced whodunit that’ll keep you guessing. Mistletoe feels like a Hallmark movie brought to life, with twinkling lights, snow-dusted streets, and plenty of Christmas cheer—despite the dead body. Holly is a relatable and resourceful protagonist, and her relationships with the townsfolk, including her dashing boyfriend, Sheriff Evan Gray, add warmth and humor to the story.
I’m giving Stalking Around the Christmas Tree 5 stars out of 5! This series continues to be a delight, and this installment is no exception. It’s clever, cozy, and packed with holiday magic. If you’re a fan of murder mysteries with a side of mistletoe and merriment, you’ll love this one. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Holly and the gang!

Slashing Through the Snow is the third Installment of The Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series by Jacqueline Frost. This Cozy Mystery brings us back to the lovely town of Mistletoe. Holly, for the third Christmas in a row, has decided she will do whatever it takes to prove someone's innocence! If you liked the first two of this series, you will LOVE Slashing Through the Snow! From the book club selection to the presents given at Christmas, I feel this was Jacqueline Frost's gift to the reader!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
I’m loving these yearly Christmas cozy mysteries. Though I do wonder about Mistletoe’s yearly Christmas murder now. If you like the previous three then you will like this 4th installment.
Rating: 4/5

I love this series set on a Christmas tree farm. Every year there is a new murder that Holly just can’t keep her nose out of. Even with all the holiday chaos going on. In this book Holly’s family inn is hosting the ballerinas from the local performance of the Nutcracker. Unfortunately the Holiday parade features the prima ballerina dead in a snow globe. Can she discover who committed the crime before the impending snowstorm, in time for her own wedding and before she becomes a victim herself.

This series really hits the spot at Christmas time. With a character named Holly White, a town named Mistletoe and a business called Reindeer Games Inn, it’s just begging for a visit from the fat man in a red suit, but I am beginning to suspect he’s already there.
In this installment, we find Holly busy planning her wedding (on Christmas Eve, of course!) to Sheriff Evan Gray and hosting a ballet troupe at the Inn. In Mistletoe, it wouldn’t be Christmas without the parade and the fun and frolic at Holly’s parent’s farm either, as well as murder, which seems to be an annual occurrence. As with the other stories in this series, Holly finds herself smack dab in the middle of the investigation so you know she will also be in the killer’s sights at some point. Normally, I would get annoyed at a non-law enforcement professional inserting themselves into a murder investigation but in this series, it just seems to find Holly, no matter how many snickerdoodles she is juggling on her already heaping plate.
The murder victim is the prima ballerina of the ballet company so there are a lot of suspects to choose from including all of the other dancers, the troupe’s manager and a mysterious ballet blogger who nobody has ever seen or met in person. Anybody familiar with this series already knows Christmas is a very big deal for the residents of Mistletoe and with Holly’s wedding coming up, yet another murder during the holiday season can make a Grinch out of anyone, but I really love how Holly, her friends and her family seem to take it in stride and get on with the season’s festivities.
Another wonderful thing about this series are the secondary characters that I have come to care about as much as Holly and Evan. There’s a sidebar mystery involving Evan’s sister which begins to derail her blossoming relationship with Ray and Holly’s best friend Caroline appears to have found a love interest too, so I am looking forward to the next installment to see what is going on there as well as who becomes the next dearly departed.
The author does such a wonderful job of bringing the town of Mistletoe and its residents to life, that I easily felt at home there and could be friends with everyone. I really love Holly and Evan as a couple and am looking forward to reconnecting with them again.
My Final Verdict: Overall, I highly recommend this story to readers who love Christmas themes and cozy mysteries.
Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

I enjoy this series. How cool would it be to live in a town where the vibe was pretty much christmas all year around.

what a great seasonal cozy!!! Holly is catching a killer, planning her wedding, throw in a snowstorm and you have a perfect recipe for a great book!! Highly recommend this series!

I loved it! I had listened to her other previous books and wasn’t a fan of the narrator so wasn’t sure what to think. The narrator has a grating, monotone, annoying voice. This book read traditionally was super atmospheric. I love
The ballerina aka Tiffany from YouTube and it was such a cute idea to include her!

This is the fourth book in the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery. I was given a digital copy of this, free. All opinions are my own. This is a cozy Christmas mystery, and if you have read the first three, it is definitely worth continuing on with. And if you haven't; if you like a determined female who loves her family and Christmas, someone who is aware of their flaws and the reality of butting their nose in a killer's business even when they stumble across them, then this is a series that you will enjoy. I like the characters and the small town. Though it may feel like the mystery is obvious, and a bit formulaic the ride is so enjoyable that it's easily overlooked.

I have loved this series. So much fun. Cozy, Christmas mysteries. Sign me up! What a good way to diversity holiday reading.

Another great book by Jacqueline! I love Holly and her friends! The story is fun and full of mystery. I never know who done it before I get to the end.

For innkeeper Holly White, Christmas time in Mistletoe, Maine, is the ultimate holiday gift. On top of that, her wedding is just around the corner. So, what could go wrong? When a ballet troupe stays at her inn, and one of the ballerinas is murdered, Holly endeavors to solve the case before her wedding day. But what happens when the killer sets her sights on her?
This was a great Christmas mystery to read in the hot weather of July. I love Holly White as an amateur sleuth because she is intelligent, focused and she works with the police. The plot was confounding, and I didn't know whodunit until the big reveal at the end. I will definitely read the next installment in this fabulous mystery series. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced reader's copy. This review is my unbiased opinion.

If you like all out Christmas 24/7 and wish you had a cafe that sold a Christmas cookie variety basket like most sell deep fried mozzarella sticks, then please dive into Jacqueline Frost's Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries.
This is the 4th installment of this delightful series. Our protagonist Holly is getting married! IF they find out who killed the ballerina, find a stalker, and the weather holds out. As a standalone, it's possible to read and enjoy. But definitely recommended for those who have read the rest of the series. You'll feel the love in this Christmas town in Maine. The cozy shops. The town coming together for each other. Grab some hot cocoa. A basket of Christmas cookies. And get all the Christmas feels while solving the murder.

The Christmas aesthetic is top notch in this series! Filled with mystery, warmth, and a touch of humor, "Stalking Around the Christmas Tree" is perfect for anyone who loves a good Christmas-themed cozy mystery. This is book 4 in the series. You can read it on its own but I recommend starting at the beginning to truly appreciate it.

This one was my favorite thus far! It had all the holiday, community, and Cookie. I laughed out loud multiple times, and just felt the cozy feeling that the holidays bring. Holly being Holly still grated me a bit, but her love for her family and the community shines through in this one.
Ballerina Tiffany was also one of my favorites I feel like we would be best friends 😂😂😂 5 ⭐️’s for sure!!

I absolutely love this series! Stalking Around the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Frost is the fourth in the Christmas Tree Farm mystery series and each book has been wonderful.
Holly White is the inn keeper at the Reindeer Games Inn located in Mistletoe, Maine.. The inn was recently built on the family Christmas Tree
Farm where where the Christmas season is celebrated all year long.
This year in addition to the annual 12 days of Christmas Games, Christmas parade and many other holiday traditions, Holly is going to marry Sheriff Evan Gray.
An empty inn would have been nice the week before the wedding but the town mayor has arranged several performances of The Nutcracker so the ballerinas are staying at the inn.
Tragedy strikes when Tiffany, the lead ballerina, shows up dead in a giant snow globe float during the parade, Who is Tiffany's killer? Her secret lover? Her super fan/blogger that no one knows anything about? Her understudy who is now the lead? Holly makes it her mission to find out before the ballet company leaves town even though it puts her in danger.
Again, a great book and a great series!
#StalkingAroundtheChristmasTree

Christmas season this year at the Reindeer Games Inn is even more busy than normal. The Inn is hosting a ballet troupe that is performing The Nutcracker in Mistletoe, and the White family is preparing for Holly’s wedding. At the town’s annual holiday parade, the float carrying the lead ballerina, Tiffany, becomes a crime scene as the dancer is found dead within its snow globe. This means that until the killer is found Holly’s wedding celebration will be marred by fiance, Sheriff Evan Gray’s work schedule. Holly puts her sleuthing skills to the test to help Evan solve the murder. This is the fourth book in the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series. It continues to be engaging with an interesting plot and subplot. The author’s characters are developed and she does a great job introducing new characters. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series I'll Be Home For Mischief.

Holly has her hands full with her upcoming wedding and helping run her family's Reindeer Games. To make the season more magical, a ballet company is in town performing The Nutcracker. When the star ballerina is murdered, Holly finds her to do list now includes solving a murder. This book has so much going on. The extra side plot almost puts it over the edge. Still I enjoy the setting and the characters. Hopefully things are a bit calmer for the next installment.

Book four finds Holly White, innkeeper, jewelry artisan, and bride to be, in the thick of the Christmas season and knee deep in wedding plans, so surely she can find time to squeeze in a little sleuthing on the side when an Inn guest dies. The town is hopping this holiday season, in addition to the usual overwhelming influx of visitors, the mayor has arranged for a ballet company to perform the Nutcracker, stretching the police force even thinner than usual. This means that Holly’s finance Evan, aka the sheriff, is on crowd control in addition to getting prepped for the wedding and then1st there’s a murder. Everyone knows that Holly can’t resist a mystery, especially when Tiffany the dead prima ballerina, was a guest at her Inn so it is no secret that Holly is asking questions. Questions for the ballet coach, questions for the other ballerinas, questions for an elusive blogger named Courtney, she is even asking elusive Libby, Evan’s sister questions (not related to the murder). Libby is acting strange, wearing wigs, being skittish, she even broke up with her boyfriend. What is that all about? Holly has her hands full and will need to enlist the help of her friends if she is going to get Christmas cards mailed, donated gifts wrapped, reception decorations made, and murder solved. As with the previous Christmas Tree Farm mysteries, this is a stand-alone that stands out not only because of the expertly crafted plot but because these characters are genuine and draw you in as you turn each page. The other thing that draws me in with this series are the amazing sweets. Holly tells Libby that all you need is slice of peppermint pie to get people to talk, after finding a recipe and making one for myself, I have to agree that I would spill the tea for a piece of that pie. Looking forward to book five!

**I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
A soft pick for me. This is the fourth in the Christmas Tree Farm mystery series. Holly White has a big life change in the works - saying too much spoils the story progression from the prior 3 books - but of course murder strikes again. Throw in side stories of unidentified bloggers and a stalker…quite a lot for Holly to think about.
I enjoyed revisiting Maine and the characters, but Holly‘s over asking questions to potential suspect was a bit much. There was one point she asked so many questions and popped up so often that one of her suspects cried. At another point, she nearly missed her mom‘s debut on a streaming show to ask questions of another suspect. I love cozies, but sometimes the amateur sleuthing - when everyone tells you to stop but yet you continue and miss social cues - is a little over the top.