This is the second book in this solid series; and this series holds great promise for many more stories to come. I enjoyed following Tory, Ashley, Jake and Adrian as they each did their own investigating of the mysterious murder. Each had a legitimate reason to be involved; each one had a strong connection to an aspect of the case. This was not the usual snooping on the part of an amateur sleuth. The mystery was solid and kept me guessing, the characters were well developed and i would say they were people I would like to have as friends. I highly recommend this novel.

It's been a long, hard year for Tory Benning. Last year her father was still alive and so was her husband, Milo. In a short space of time her father died, she got married - and widowed the same day and started a new chapter in her life, none of it easy to cope with. Now, aged 34, she is an orphan, a widow, the owner of the family landscaping business, a landscape architect and owner of three residences. Christmas is here and that means the biggest money maker of the year for Bennings. It is enough to keep them afloat during the slow months to follow.
Tory is juggling her life running Bennings, trying to get two residences rented out and pull together the details for an event that she is having catered. Emma, who is an awesome baker and owns a food truck has agreed to do the catering gig for Tory. Her truck is parked in front of the Christmas tree lot and, after a few words with Tory, they agree to meet later. Santa has other plans for both Emma and Tory. It appears that somebody has hacked Tory's email system and redone the work schedule - now every employee is told to dress as Santa, not just the daily manager. As Tory and her BFF, Ashley enter the tree lot they can't decide how many Santas they are seeing. As many as seven? Did they see the same one more than once? When Tory stumbles across the dead body of Emma she realizes that she must have been within a few feet of the killer Santa. One thing is for sure, the killer had it all planned out with Santa as a disguise and the security system reduced to just one camera, killing Emma was not at all hard to do. With one of her employees the prime suspect - he used to date Emma but broke it off leaving her with very hard feelings - and then started dating Emma's employee.....not good in the eyes of the police, Tory also worries about the impact a homicide in her tree lot will have on her business. Not a very merry Christmas. Now a stalker may have targeted Tory.
I enjoyed following Tory, Ashely, Jake and Adrian as they each did their own investigating. Each had a legitimate reason to be involved, each one had a strong connection to an aspect of the case. None of the usual snooping on the part of an amateur sleuth. The mystery was solid and kept me guessing and the characters were well developed and were people I would like to have as friends.
My thanks to the publisher, Beyond the Page and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Cosy mystery that had potential but just went over the top with twee Christmassy "stuff" for me. The multiple Santas were a nice twist to start. A light read and a reasonably compelling murder mystery. Just lose the tack. Thanks to NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for an honest review in return for an advance copy.

This is the first time I’ve read anything by this author, but I found the book to be fast paced and enjoyable. I’m looking forward to reading more and getting to know Tory.

Fun read by a still new to me author. Very fast paced, exciting read.. Interesting way the stories end up intertwining at the end. I love the friendship with Ashley and Tory and budding relationships. Very entertaining.

Knee Deep In Murder....
A Tory Benning mystery. Whilst struggling with the impending festive season Tory, our sometime amateur sleuth, finds herself knee deep in murder and, with a suspect list defying reasonable bounds, she vows to catch a killer. Light, easy reading cosy mystery.

This is my first time reading this author and I really enjoyed the book. The writing was very good with some humorous moments, some touching moments and more. The setting was cute, Santa Sofia, set at Christmastime. Tory was a strong lead with her bff sidekick, Ashley, and the mystery was well done. There were several red herrings that I fell for while reading the story. I never realized the ‘who done it’ and why until it was revealed. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

4.5 stars

This is the second book in the Tory Benning Mystery series by Judith Gonda.

Tory has problems of her own, but when a friend who owns a food truck is found dead on her Christmas Tree Lot, she knows she has to get some answers.

I thought this was a great mystery. It was well plotted and the characters really resonated with me. I could easily see their POV and it kept me interested the entire time. I definitely want to continue on with the series. It will be a must read for me.

This is the type of story that you root for the characters and cross your fingers that their meet their aim, save the tree lot from all the negative publicity from the murder. This will be a great book to read right around Christmas!

Loved so much about it. If you like cozy mysteries, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

This is the first time I read this author and I really enjoyed this story. It involves more than 1 Santa in the Christmas Tree lot and then trying to find out which one did it. Tory and Ashley are the sleuths. You need to read this one to find out who did it. A GOOD READ. It was almost to the end until I even had a hint.

Fa la la la la la la la. Did I count them right? I've never been to a Christmas tree lot so this was besides being a great read it's a font of information. It's a murder mystery with interesting characters.. It even has a dog in it so how can it be bad? It's not.

I highly recommend this book.

This review was written freely and honestly.

I wanted to like this book, it sounded like an interesting premise. Unfortunately, all I liked about it was the title. I was sorry to give this book a bad review but the writing is terrible and the plot was so obvious.

Tory Benning is trying to survive after losing her fiancé (per the previous book) and her father in a short period of time and keeping the family landscaping business and Christmas tree lots running and in the black. However, when her caterer and food truck vendor is killed in her tree lot, she feels compelled to solve the case.

I really wish I had something good to say about this book but I just cannot come up with anything other than I saw it through to the end to figure out if whodunit was ridiculously obvious...

The dialogue is so canned and sounds like it was copied out of a manual on B-movie dialogue. The characters are one-dimensional and just kind of so-so and the plot was just cheesy. I think if the author had been a better writer it might have made a better book. I read a lot of mysteries and this is definitely one I would not recommend.

This is the second book in the series but it’s easy to follow, even if you haven’t read the first book. In the crowded field of Christmas cozies this one stood out for me. From the California setting to the interwoven storylines and likable characters the book really held my interest.

The second in the Tory Benning mystery series. Tory is still dealing with the death of her husband and Father from almost a year ago. It is Christmas time and the Benning Brothers Landscaping and Nursery have their annual Christmas lot open and when Tory and Ashley arrive a little early before the lot opens she is confused as to why there so many Santas on the lot. Only the manager is to wear the Santa suit and other workers are to be elves or reindeers and it appears the email system was hacked and someone is playing a prank on them or so Tory thinks until the food truck owner is later killed in the tree lot. One of the lot managers Matt becomes a prime suspect as he was dating Emma and Tory feels compelled to investigate. Jake the PI who she befriended a year ago from Milo’s murder is involved as are her friend Ashely and her boyfriend Adrian who is now a lieutenant on the police force. There are a few suspects including Jake as he was working on a case involving Emma. This was a good solid mystery with multiple mysteries within this as Ashley has a case for the Justice project which freed an innocent man who disappears as soon as he was released as did the professor who worked on the project with her. This is another mystery or is it related. I enjoyed this mystery and that Tory has grown and although she is still working thru the tragedy she is growing as a person.

December in California might not be cold but it is a great place to find a fir tree, just perfect for Christmas. Meet Tory Benning, landscape architect and part owner in Benning Brothers Landcaping. In addition to being a landscape architect, Tory is little bit of a slueth, be it unexpected, just like being a newly wed widow (she was married and widowed in the series starter, poor dear). She is ready to tackle the Christmas tree season with a positive outlook with a little help from her friends, Ashley,Adrian,and handsome PI Jake (no being judgy, she isn't looking for a relationship nor does she feel ready to even contemplate it). The season can be stressful enough, and Tory really doesn't need the extra stress of finding a murder victim, on her lot. It seems that Santa is on the naughty list this year, but which Santa was caught by the video camera? This is a story that wraps a mystery up in a decorative box and then wraps it again just to keep you guessing at what is going on. Several mysteries make up this story and it seems that everyone is keeping secrets. Great characters, it was so easy to get caught up in the story and after reading about the lobster rolls, I think I am going to need to try my hand at making one.

Tory Benning is the MC and runs her Christmas tree lot. The setting and mystery was okay. It was a slow paced book that felt dragged out a bit. I think this series has potential but the MC character needs more developed.
#MurderintheChristmasTreeLot #NetGalley

It’s Christmas Time in Santa Sofia and the Benning Brothers Nursery is doing a brisk business with their Christmas Trees. With employees dressed festively and food trucks to add to the festivities, people are turning out in droves. Until the food truck owner is murdered in the lot and Tory’s manager is the prime suspect.

To avenge the murder of her contractor and restore Christmas faith at the lot, Tory begins to dig in and try to figure out who had it in for the well liked woman. As she sleuths, Tory learns more bout herself and the woman she thought she knew. With a focus on figuring out whodunit, Tory seems o be putting herself into the killers crosshairs. Will Tory find the murderer or will she become the next lump of coal in his Christmas stocking?

This is the second book in this solid series. I was not too happy with the way Tory was portrayed in the first book, but I’m glad I stuck with it as this series hold great promise for many m ore entries to come.

A plethora of Santas lead to confusion in this whodunnit. The storyline had potential, however the one dimensional characters and stilted dialogue made it difficult to stay interested.

I received an advance copy of, Murder in the Christmas Tree Lot, by Judith Gonda. Tory Benning has a murder to solve at her Christmas Tree lot. I thought this book was nice, if slow paced.