November 1, 2024
It's Christmas: Time for another murder in Mistletoe, Maine. Holly White, who works at her family's Reindeer Games tree farm, loves all things Christmas--except having to help solve those pesky murders all the time. This year, the charming town is decked out in a Victorian theme and visitors are arriving in droves, planning to sample everything that makes up the Christmas spirit and watch Holly's mother bake a gingerbread man she hopes will set a new world record for size. Special invited guests include Violet Snow and her son, Elijah, two members of Mistletoe's founding family, who are staying at the Reindeer Games Inn that Holly manages. The town still wonders why the Snows abruptly left Mistletoe decades ago, but mother and son aren't talking. Soon after having an argument with longtime resident Henry Moore, Elijah is found dead on Holly's mother's cookie sheet, covered in gingerbread dough. Two obnoxious podcasters who combine true crime with baking are delighted to be in town for yet another Christmas murder. Holly's husband, Sheriff Evan Gray, hates seeing her involved in crime-solving, but is well aware of her inability to ignore problems. Although Moore has some kind of past with the Snow family and is obsessed with Mistletoe, Holly doesn't think he murdered Elijah. With some help from her crew of good friends, she starts looking for a motive that may lie buried in the past. A delightfully quirky group of Christmas-smitten sleuths add joy to a middling mystery.
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