I enjoyed this story and thought it was a nice second book in this cozy mystery series. I love the characters and the storyline was interesting; sending out a prank email to have everyone show up in santa suits at the tree lot so you can murder the one you want and hopefully not get caught. But our MC steps up with the help of her friends and solves the mystery. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. this is a great mystery with adorable animals that will keep you guessing until the end.

This book was enjoyable to read. I was captivated by the story early on while reading it. It had a good plot and unforgettable characters. I highly recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers.

I saw a bit of myself in main character Tory Benning. She's smart and sees things that others might miss but, like me, she also tends to overthink things, often in the most frightening way. This made her all the more human. As a result, she spends much of the book tightly wound, seeing murderers in even the most innocent around her. Despite this she keeps going, fulfilling a multitude of responsibilities that would make a less distracted person exhausted. I admire her ability to talk herself off the edge, however, and not just protect and show loyalty to friends as she tries to solve the horrible murder, but keep pushing forward, even when terrified.

Tory's background trauma involving murder is horrific but even though I haven't yet read the prior book of this series (a fact I will be remedying soon) the book worked nicely as a stand-alone. The pace of the story moves forward quickly and the relationships between the characters are smoothly established for those like me who are just discovering this series. The parallel stories are intriguing in themselves and author Judith Gonda shows mad writing skills in pulling them all together at the end, something I hadn't necessarily expected. Toss in that despite the horrific death of her husband that Tory seems to be moving forward, not living inside her protective shell, and her budding relationship with Jake the PI shows promise. And, oh, saved the best for last. There's a dog, an adorable, feisty Pomeranian that, despite its size, is one of Tory's fiercest protectors.

I don't think I'll ever quite look at a Christmas tree lot quite the same after this. Talk about a Christmas buzz kill, pun intended. Excellent book that I couldn't put down.

Thank you #NetGalley and #BeyondThePage for the ARC.

What a fantastic Christmas murder/suspense book. I love a good Hallmark movie and this could be one. Judith Gonda did an excellent job with character building and wrote a enthralling fun mystery. I am definitely going to read the first book in this series.

There is nothing like all the employees arriving in Santa suits and trying to figure out who killed the body that was found in the lot! Who would want to kill someone and set up Tory by hacking her email? Are they related to each other? What an easy read that could totally be a fun movie. Some of the characters are a little harebrained at times but overall I totally enjoyed reading it over Christmas break.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Tory Benning has had better days. It's the busy time of year and someone has hacked her company's email system. Instead of one Santa on the lot, every employee is dressed as Santa. Not only that, but the owner of the food truck has been murdered on the lot. Some many Santa's, so many suspects.

These are fun cozies. Tony is determined to solve this mystery before it irreparably damages her business. There are many suspects and the story kept me jumping. It is engaging and easy-to-read.

Really fun read. The murder in this took front and center and, while it felt a little meandering right after that, the last half of the book was filled with action and a very twisty and complicated murder scenario/motive that I did not piece together. Even though the book centers around a Christmas tree lot, it does take place in California, so for this East Coast reader I did miss the winter scenery that usually comes with a Christmas cozy. But there were Santas galore!

This is a Christmas themed cozy with descriptive writing, believable characters, and many red herrings. I enjoyed the setting as well in Ca.

This is the 2nd book in the series and it's quite enjoyable. The storyline is well written and the characters are developing nicely. I'm really hoping this series will be around for a long time.

This is an entertaining story. The characters are likable and have shown grow from the first book. There is never a dull moment for the main protagonist as she lives a very busy life. The mystery. This is a well-plotted and well-developed mystery that moves at a great pace. The well-placed red herrings keep the reader turning the pages to find out whodunnit.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone..

This had the potential to be a fun holiday themed book. The main character, Tory, owner of the Christmas tree lot, was extremely paranoid. That alone was off-putting for me. I either wanted her to give up or grow up.

Tory’s amateur sleuthing had an uphill battle, with the puzzle pieces strewn all over in the wake of the murder mystery on her business property. The storyline was great, and the characters were no exception. It took Tory all of her amateur sleuthing skills to outmaneuver the culprit thereby, avoiding any more fatalities.

An entertaining and well written cozy mystery.
Good character development, a solid mystery that kept me hooked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

An entertaining and well crafted cozy mystery. Good plot and character dynamics. Cozy mystery fans will enjoy the book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Wonderful characters. There is a cute dog in this story.

I liked how the story was written. The story takes place during the Christmas season.

Murder in the Christmas Tree Lot is the second instalment in Judith Gonda's mystery series featuring landscape architect Tory Benning. Having read the first book Murder in the Secret Maze earlier in the year, I was delighted to be offered the chance to read this one.

Set on the California coast, Tory is still reeling from the death of her husband, Milo and also her dad last year. The Benning Brothers company is having to struggle with a variety of setbacks including a computer hacker and an office break-in. Then a dead body is found in the Christmas tree area and once again, Tory is deep in the mire...

This second book builds up the characters well as busy Tory juggles all of her responsibilities - running Bennings, looking for tenants for her residential properties, continuing with her commitments as a landscape architect, as well as preparations for the forthcoming festivities. The pacing was spot on, there was always plenty going on and there was certainly never a dull moment!

Judith Gonda clearly knows how to write a story that is compelling, entertaining and fun, with characters that were not necessarily easy to love but fitted with the story really well. I really enjoyed Tory's personality traits - particularly her spirit and astuteness. It was intriguing to follow the progress of the case. Tory, Ashley (her supportive and caring friend), the amiable lieutenant Adrian Ramirez who is an old schoolmate, and Jake, the PI who she befriended a year ago at the time of Milo’s murder, all had individual reasons for their involvement. All of the characters had a great part to play, whether or not they were likeable and all had plenty of drive and resolve. The plot was brilliantly executed and I was desperate to find out what was going to happen next.

The combination of description and dialogue was great and I had plenty of opportunities to play armchair detective as the suspect list was a long one, with plenty of Santas milling about! I was definitely surprised by the final denouement. All things considered, I loved this fascinating mystery and I highly recommend this humorous, easy-to-read cozy. I am already looking forward to reading the next book in the series. A well-deserved five stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Beyond The Page Publishing for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
I usually find myself reaching for cozy mysteries at Christmas time- and if they’re Christmas themed then all the better. I think that this year (2020) that tradition of mine is going to take on extra importance - I’m sure I’m not the only one that needs comfort and escapism after all that this year has given us.
I haven’t read this author before but she definitely scratched that itch for me with this cozy mystery set at a Christmas tree lot. Her characters were likeable and the plot had enough twists to keep you guessing. There was some good red herrings thrown in that got you questioning if people were who they said they were. Overall it was a good paced and enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend as a good seasonal read. 3.5 stars.

Christmas tree lots are supposed to be happy go lucky places right? Places where families and couples go to happily pick out their tree to decorate for the season with visions of a decorating party once home and sipping hot chocolate. What if that vision vanishes in an instant when a friend of the owner who runs a food truck is found dead on the lot?
From a hacked email to garbled dress code messages to being suspicious of tree lot employees who can you trust?
The mystery kept me on my toes guessing. The characters were solid,the plot was realistic and I enjoyed the story.
Fast paced and exciting, I look forward to more by this author.

Published November 17th 2020 by Beyond the Page Publishing.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Murder in the Christmas Tree Lot by Judith Gonda was an early release copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Tory Benning took over Benning Brothers Landscape design and Nursey after her father died. She is now the president. Every year they fence off part of it to sell Christmas trees. The business office is broken into and the manager can't find his keys. Emma, the food truck lady, was killed by a "Santa". Tory found her and called 911. There were 6 or 7 men dressed like Santa. Tory and her best friend, Ashley, have a lot of adventures in trying to find answers to who was causing so many problems.
I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book, but I really enjoyed reading it to see what would happen next. An exciting Christmas story at a Christmas tree lot. Only problem is I want to read more of their adventures. Thank you for a great book.

A thoroughly enjoyable festive cosy with a strong and likeable heroine. Unlike many amateur sleuths, who tend towards the ditzy, Tory is understated, calm and gracious.
The plot is clever and intriguing, with plenty of seasonal overtones. Setting is well constructed, and you get a very strong sense of community. People pull together here - apart from when they're bumping each other off, of course! The author gets the balance just right - we get glimpses of enough people to show this is a small town but we don't get swamped by a sea of names.
Throughout Tory is continuing to come to terms with the loss of her husband, and this adds an extra layer to the story.
There's excitement, tension, friendship, loyalty and courage, and sprinklings of wry humour. A wonderful read.
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