A Wonderful Christmas Crime by Jacqueline Frost

A Wonderful Christmas Crime by Jacqueline Frost
Narrator: Allyson Ryan
Series: Christmas Tree Farm Mystery #6
Published by Dreamscape Media on October 21, 2025
Source: NetGalley
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Length: 8 hrs 16 mins
Pages: 288
Format: Audiobook
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Innkeeper Holly White has a lot to be joyful about this season, until an attempted robbery throws the town into suspicion in the sixth installment of the Christmas Tree Farm mysteries from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

As Christmas descends on Mistletoe, Maine, Holly White has an extra gift for the a new baby on the way. Her husband, Sheriff Evan Gray, has been worried about her elevated blood pressure and Holly has agreed to take this year easy. Being idle has never been one of Holly’s gifts, so when Evan surprises her with tickets to the town-wide dinner, she and her many cravings thank him. But when a thief tries and fails to steal an antique ornament from the dinner’s holiday display, it’s clear that someone is on the naughty list.

The thief manages to escape, but after dinner, Holly spots their lifeless body. It’s clear that someone in town was keen to kill them. Evan is less than jolly to find his wife at the scene of yet another holiday homicide and asks her to promise that she’ll leave the investigating to the police. But Holly has never been one to turn down a challenge and has to get creative with the help of a few of her friends in order to find this killer.

Will she and her friends be able to stop the killer, and uncover the motive behind the attempted robbery, or will the killer strike again and paint the town a bloody red?

It’s Christmas time, which in Mistletoe, Maine, means another murder. This time around, the dead woman is in town with a antiques show, and was caught earlier on the evening she died trying to steal an antique decoration from a bakery. When the bakery owner, Alice, comes under suspicion, Holly want to help. Holly’s husband, Sherriff Evan Gray, wants her to leave the mystery to him, especially since she’s pregnant.

It annoyed me how everyone treated Holly with kid gloves. Yes, she needed to pay attention to her blood pressure, but that’s for her and her doctor to worry about – and maybe Evan, but definitely not everyone in town. She’s an adult woman with five solved murders to her credit. She doesn’t need baby sitters and constant reminders to watch what she eats. I’ll grant you, it frustrated her too, and she did tell her friends and family to back off, but so much of the story was wasted on it.

We have lots of potential suspects, most of whom are connected to an antiques road show that is in town. I did guess who the killer was, but it was still a fun read. We have of Christmas touches, an adorable small town, and several happy couples.

I listened to the audio and the narrator did a good job. The pacing worked well and the characters were all distinct. It’s a nice holiday read. I am a little worried for next Christmas though, when Holly will have a baby to take care of. I can only imagine how much nagging she’ll have to put up with.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• Audiobook Challenge 2025
• Cloak and Dagger 2025
• Cruisin’ thru the Cozies 2025
• Literary Escapes Challenge 2025