When the cantankerous old man who has played Jacob Marley for years suddenly dies, Marley Jacob is roped into playing the role in Oriole Point's production of A Christmas Carol. When accidents begin to pile up Marley will have to outwit a killer. This is the 5th book in the Berry Basket Mystery series and does not disappoint. I enjoyed the Christmas setting filled with trees, snow, lights, and cookies. This is a great Christmas cozy.

Holly berry Homicide is a very well written and entertaining cozy mystery. Good plot and character development. Mystery fans will love this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

This book really put me in the mood for everything winter and Christmas! It's the 5th in the Berry Basket series, but the first one I've read and it worked very well as a stand-alone. Marlee is taking over the role of Jacob Marley in the town's production of A Christmas Carol after the original actor passed away. He was quite old, so no one assumed anything untoward about his death. It isn't long after Marlee takes over the role though that she learns things are not what they should be on the set. I enjoyed everything about this book....the setting, the holidays, the play (one of my favorites!), and the characters. I will be seeking out the others in this series as well as future volumes.

Sharon Farrow's latest addition to her A Berry Basket Mystery series is delightful. Set in a small town in Michigan, the city of Oriole Point is filled with likable, quirky and sometimes evil characters. Marlee is conscripted into playing Jacob Marley in the town's annual production of A Christmas Carol when Everett Hostetter is found dead just before the play is to begin. Marlee's intense curiosity about the death and the subsequent death of Everett's former lawyer leads to an exciting rush to find out whodunit. I was kept guessing (incorrectly) until the final reveal. I thoroughly enjoyed 'Hollyberry Homicide' and look forward to many more in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is the fifth book in this series and the second I've read. It can be read alone if you haven't read the others. It's a solid mystery chock full of cozy Christmas feelings; snow, trees, lights, and fires. The main character is interesting and well-developed. There are a lot of secondary characters to keep track of but they're all likable. The mystery is intriguing and not obvious to solve. A great addition to Christmas cozies.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This is the first time I have read this author but really enjoyed this one. This is about the death of Everett Hostetter who played Jacob Marley in the A Christmas Carol for many years. Marley, the amateur sleuth is something else as she goes about trying to figure things out , then another death occurs. This is a page turner as you really don't know who did it until the very end of the book..

Great series. Its Christmas time and marlees favorite holiday. When a murder again. Marlee sets out to find the killer before they kill again. To hear more read the book

Marlee Jacob isn’t thrilled to be participating in this year’s version of A Christmas Carol. Her unique name gives her the added edge to become the ghost of Christmas past.

Everything about this book screams fun, including the bright colorful cover on this next installment in the berry series.

I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

This is the 5th installment of the Berry Basket Mystery series. Marlee Jacob given her name is the obvious choice to replace the actor who died before having a chance to play Jacob Marley in the upcoming version of the Christmas Carol. The play on her name has everyone chuckling. I will admit I love mysteries set during the holidays and Christmas is my favorite. Marlee’s plate is full with running the Berry Basket but she is doing her best but the production seems to be cursed and several actors have walked off for that very reason. When a body is found in the village and all the accidents perhaps the elderly actor did not die of natural causes. Now there are 2 deaths and Marlee has to figure it out who the scrooge is that is trying to dampen the holidays. This is a good series and this is one of my favorite in the series. Highly recommend.

Marlee Jacob is very busy getting ready for the holidays. Her shop, The Berry Basket ready for the holidays. The town goes crazy for Christmas with a tree lighting ceremony with shopkeepers on the square with special sales, and a Christmas play.
Marlee goes overboard every year with decorating. With a little time off she accompanies her beau Kit, to the train display and runs into Gillian, who has found a body on a bench.
Even with all she has on her plate she wonders about the dead man. Even getting dragged into the play to replace him can't stop her from wondering if it was foul play.
She does find her suspicions justified and tries to snoop, putting a big target on her back.
Ms. Farrow's eclectic cast of characters playing against her 'normal' folk make this little intrigue lots of fun. Everett Hostetter wasn't beloved or young, but didn't deserve to die like that...or did he?
This twisted mystery will have you reluctant to put it down until you found out who...and then why.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse and offer my opinion freely.

I liked this book. It's got some great characters and an interesting story line. It reads fast without any slow spots. #HollyberryHomicide #NetGalley

When the man set to play Jacob Marley in the town's version of the Christmas Carol is found dead they need to fill the role. They volunteer owner of Berry Basket, Marlee Jacob.
There are a series of accidents. The man found dead was murdered. Holly is warned to stay out of it.
Marlee is likeable, as are the other characters. Keeps you guessing.

This was a fun new book in the berry series. It was a good thing that the author did mention that holly berries are poisonous. Most of the previous books featured edible berries around a theme. some people may have thought to try some out. The characters in this series are always fun to read. Since it has been awhile, It did take me a few chapters to remember things that had occurred with these people before. But even if this was your first book, you do not feel lost. The story line chugged away at a good pace with no lagging time. I think I would have liked to see a bit more interaction with the parents but they didn't enter the book until the end so perhaps in a future book we will see more of them. I wasn't entirely surprised about the culprit, but the author did a good job at creating other equal suspects so it wasn't given away early. Another enjoyable afternoon spent readling!

small-business, small-town, family-dynamics, friendship, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, investigation, cozy-mystery

The first corpse was a wealthy 95 year old curmudgeon who always played Marley in the local production of A Christmas Carol, so everyone assumed that it was natural causes. Lots more about him came out after that and the play seemed cursed as players continued to have unexpected problems. The small but fairly affluent town had lots of secrets and divas to add to the mysteries that were as thick on the ground as the lake effect snow. A really good whodunit with some fun situational humor.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley.

When the 95 year old man who was set to play Jacob Marley in the town’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol” dies, Marlee Jacob is tapped to take over her namesake role. But with two more actors dropping out for health reasons another leaves for fear that production is cursed. But Marlee doesn’t believe in curses and suspects a murderer is loose and behind it all.

But can Marlee learn her lines, run her business, and find a murderer while still being around to celebrate Christmas? She’s hoping luck will be on her side.

A fun holiday themed read that will have you saying “Bah humbug” and “God bless us everyone “along with the best of them!