Jacqueline Frost writes Christmas-themed cozy mysteries that are a delight to read all year long. This one is exceptionally well-done, with loads of fun Christmas activities underway at Reindeer Games, the family Christmas tree farm in Mistletoe, Maine, where the property's new inn is now being run by Holly White. An influential B&B critic pays a visit and quickly wears out her welcome, and soon, the critic's body is found in one of the town's toy-donation boxes.

The murder weapon turns out to be a nutcracker that one of Holly's friends, Cookie, gave her, and although Cookie is naturally under suspicion, no one seriously believes she committed the murder. That in and of itself ends up being a fun subplot. But the critic, it turns out, was on the naughty list of plenty of local folks, and Frost keeps readers hopping as they try to solve the crime.

The festive Christmas atmosphere in these books is hard to beat, and Frost's well-developed characters and thoughtful plotting shine in this one. With an ending that's as warm and sweet and cozy as a cup of hot peppermint cocoa, Frost has gifted readers with the perfect cozy mystery to bring on all the holiday feels.

I really liked this mystery. It was easy-to-read and such a nice escape from the normal day-to-day chores. Holly and her folks have an Inn and Tree Farm in Mistletoe. Everyone is busy with the upcoming Christmas festivities. One of Holly's guests is a critic. Holly wants to make sure everything is just right, but there seems to be no pleasing the woman. When the critic is killed, Holly's friend Cookie is the prime suspect. Who would ever suspect an 80 year old woman? But Cookie is in the middle of it. Holly doesn't mean to "solve" the case, but she just can't help asking questions.

This was fun and kept my attention. The town of Mistletoe sounds quant and friendly. I love all the characters.

This has become one of my favorite series and I was so excited to see a new book! This books makes me want to live in this town. I love the setting and the characters.

I love this series! The people and the town bring forth all the Christmas feelings! I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves Christmas and cozy mysteries!

This is the third book in the Christmas Tree Farm cozy mystery series. All three of these books have been highly entertaining with good storylines. I enjoy all the characters and the setting, the author is so descriptive you can practically see the scenes as the author tells her story. I would love to read more by this author, especially in this series!

This is book number 3 in Jacqueline Frost's Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series. We find Holly in charge of the new inn keeper of her parent's B&B. Unfortunately, a murder has occurred. Holly and her friends, including her hot cop boyfriend, set out to solve the mystery of who murdered the bed and breakfast critic!

I love the Christmas vibes of this series. It feels like Christmas year around, and everyone can use some cheer!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced copy for my honest review!

There's nothing like reading a Christmas themed cozy when it's close to 100 degrees outside! I read my review copy of this book in August....I turned my AC up in my reading room.....brewed some hot tea....sat in my favorite chair with my chihuahua... and let my mind sink into holiday mode!

I enjoyed returning to Mistletoe, Maine and the Christmas tree farm! Now, the farm has a new B&B, and Holly is excited to be running it. But there is always a Grinch lurking.....a B&B reviewer with a reputation as a harsh critic shows up to check out the new inn. Cleo the Evil Critic is true to form and behaves badly. When her dead body is discovered crammed into a toy drive donation box, there are plenty of suspects. Can Holly, along with her friends and family, discover the identity of the killer before anyone else dies or the holiday is ruined?

Another fun read in this series! The plot moves at a good pace, there is plenty of action/sleuthing, and the story is just plain fun! I'm definitely looking forward to the next book!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Slashing Through The Snow is the third installment of the Christmas Tree Farm mystery series by Jacqueline Frost, AKA Julie Anne Lindsey. Holly White is happy spending the holiday season running her family’s Christmas themed Inn, until a guest turns up dead on the front porch! When her very dear family friend, Cookie, is framed for the murder, Holly is determined to prove her innocence. This mystery has plenty of suspects and red herrings and kept me guessing. If you love cozy mysteries with lots of feel good small town moments, a stellar mystery and a little romance thrown in the mix, this is the series for you. I personally think Hallmark should consider this for a holiday themed mystery series!

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 3rd novel into the series and I've picked this as my first read. While it would be nice to have some parts that eluded to the previous parts, I'll be looking forward to pick up the previous works and the upcoming ones! I love the reveal of the killer and the atmosphere that Frost gives in this novel. I love Christmas so that gets a bonus point !

Holly White is confident that her new inn at Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm, Mistletoe, Maine is going to do well. After all, who wouldn’t enjoy a stay in a beautiful festive setting? That is until travel journalist Karen Moody checks in to do a review of the inn. Karen is well known for her scathing attacks on businesses and Holly is worried that unless everything is perfect she will be on the receiving end of one.
Then Karen is found dead outside the inn, killed by a gift that Holly had recently been given by her dear friend Cookie.
With Cookie’s fingerprints all over the murder weapon and a chance remark she made earlier about Karen overheard, Cookie finds herself the prime suspect. Holly knows she couldn’t have done it but Sheriff Evan Gray has to follow the evidence.
Holly is determined to clear Cookie's name but when she begins to investigate, the suspect list just gets bigger and bigger, Karen clearly made many enemies while she was in Mistletoe.
Holly’s investigation could well put her relationship with Even and indeed her life in jeopardy.
I love these books. Cosy crime with a Christmas flavour. The inn is the kind of place I would love to stay, especially at Christmas. Holly is a brilliant character and I love her relationship with Evan.

<i>Slashing Through the Snow</i> is the third book in Jacqueline Frost's Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series. If you're like me, and love a good cozy mystery series, the I would not only recommend this series, but the third book in this series.

As with most cozy mysteries, this one starts with a the discovery of a dead body. In this case, it's a Bed and Breakfast Critic who was sent to review Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm's new B&B. Of course, our ammeter detective Holly White is on the case. Of course, the question of whether Holly or Sheriff Evan Grey will figure out the mystery first is always a true hallmark of many cozy mysteries.

This whole series is just fun. I would highly recommend this book specifically, but the series in general as a fun holiday themed set of cozies.

Slashing Through the Snow is the third Installment of The Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series by Jacqueline Frost. This Cozy Mystery brings us back to the lovely town of Mistletoe. Holly, for the third Christmas in a row, has decided she will do whatever it takes to prove someone's innocence! If you liked the first two of this series, you will LOVE Slashing Through the Snow! From the book club selection to the presents given at Christmas, I feel this was Jacqueline Frost's gift to the reader!

I knew when I started this book that I was going to like. It's Christmastime in Mistletoe, Maine and Holly White and her family are running their newly renovated inn on the Christmas tree farm. A critic is in town and Holly is doing everything she can to please her so she will get a good review. When the critic is later found murdered, having been killed with the nutcracker that Holly's friend, Cookie had just given her, Cookie becomes the prime suspect. Holly tries not to interfere in the investigation but can't help herself because she has to help Cookie. The mystery was good and I loved the interactions between the characters. I loved the ending. It was everything I was hoping for. Jacqueline Frost, aka the wonderful Julie Anne Lindsey, brings the characters and the town of Mistletoe to life. She has created a world that I would love to live in. I loved the writing and the story itself. The fact that it takes place in a Christmas town at Christmastime, my favorite time of year was perfect. I really want to stay at the inn and go on a sleigh ride, and to take a picture with Theodore the goat. I received this book from netgalley and crooked lane books in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I have to say that there are several areas in the blurb which are misleading, but that often happens before some books are actually published, so allow leeway on this. Secondly, I need to say that I have read all of the books in this series, and they just seem to get better each time.

This time out we have Holly running the new B&B her family has opened, all decorated for Christmas, even with trees in every guest room. Unfortunately, one of the guests is a newspaper critic who isn't known for being kind, but more for being vitriolic, and this time is no different. When she comes to leave for breakfast at The Hearth, her mother's restaurant, Karen Moody, the critic, is more than critical to Holly about her room and expectations. Holly bites her tongue and apologizes, telling her she'll do better.

Then Holly's friend Cookie shows up -- either a septuagenarian or an octogenarian, no one knows -- and gifts Holly with a delightful metal nutcracker that works. Holly is pleased, and leaves it on her desk while she goes to breakfast with Cookie. While there, they hear a conversation at the restaurant between other customers, and Holly can only come to the conclusion it might be Karen they're talking about. They let it pass, but realize that they aren't the only ones who dislike the woman.

Later, when Holly, Cookie, and Sheriff Evan Gray are returning to the B&B, Cookie find the nutcracker in the snow and picks it up. But when they get to the B&B, they find the body of Karen, and she's been murdered. Now, since Cookie's fingerprints are the only ones on the weapon, and someone else heard Cookie make a remark to Holly about the woman that could be taken as a threat, she's the main suspect. Holly is determined to find the killer, even if Evan warns her off. She knows Cookie couldn't hurt anyone, and between her and other friends, they're searching for clues...and putting their own lives in danger...

I actually enjoyed this book so much that I read it in one sitting. It's interesting throughout, and there's a bit of a mystery in between everything else that you need to keep on top of, but it is lovely in the end. The characters are all interesting, and yes, Mistletoe is a bit over the top, but what do you expect from a town named Mistletoe? Why, that you'd want to visit it, of course! (Except for me, it's too darn cold, but I might brave it for a day or two then I'm back to the warm weather!)

The descriptions of decorations are entrancing, and the clues are few and far between. But there is no shortage of suspects -- Karen's ex-husband, Bonnie, the owner of the Gum Drop Shop, another visitor to the B&B whose reputation was trashed by Karen; and a few others keep Holly on her toes. The problem is, Holly isn't asking questions from most people, yet someone is leaving her threatening letters and other things, having known her previous reputation of solving crimes. She's trying to stay out of the most of it, but doesn't know what's going on. It makes for a grave situation on her part, but nothing is going to stop her from keeping Cookie from being charged with murder.

So we watch while Holly discreetly asks questions, and Sheriff Gray isn't sharing, and there are a few humorous situations thrown in for levity; but in the end when the killer is revealed, it all comes together nicely, even if is also sad. The ending is wonderful, and I hope to see the next book in the series soon. Highly recommended.

If you want to feel all the holidays feels, than this is a good place to start. The inn & restaurant are the perfect Christmas-y setting. The author does such rich descriptions of a charming world you’ll want to get lost in. Holly is a great lead character & her supporting cast is perfect. The mystery has plenty of twists, turns, suspects & secrets to keep you flipping the pages. This is definitely a book, in a holiday themed series, that you should cozy up in a blanket with, get a hot cocoa & read!

Slashing through the snow is the 3rd book in Jacqueline Frost’s Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series. Enough detail is given that this can be read as a standalone. Set in fictional Mistletoe, Maine, a Christmas themed town. The Christmas theme is not over-the-top, so I feel even those people who aren’t really into Christmas will enjoy this book. Vivid descriptions of people and places allowed me to picture the scenes. Well developed characters, some you’ll love, some you’ll love to hate. Cookie is my favorite character. I love her personality, and her name is adorable. Most of the humor involves Cookie. Feasible reasons are given for the sleuth wanting to investigate the murder. Surprising plot twists kept me guessing. It’s very clever how everything ties together, and I was surprised by the who the killer is, and why. A very sweet, romantic scene ends the book.

There were two thinks I didn’t like about this book. First, the numerous arguments between the sleuth and her cop boyfriend about her sticking her nose in his case. Second, her attitude that he should be telling her everything he knows about the investigation.

Overall the book is very enjoyable, and I recommend it to cozy readers, especially those who love Christmas.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Slashing Through the Snow was my introduction to both the author and the series. The book was very enjoyable, and can easily be read as a standalone. The main characters, Holly and Evan, are pleasant, but Cookie definitely stands out and makes the book even more fun. Even though she is the main suspect, at least as far as the police is concerned, she steals the show. The mystery is well built, and events unfold at a nice, even pace. I was surprised when I found out who the culprit was, and slightly disappointed. I guess I just had other expectations. After finishing Slashing Through the Snow, it makes me want to read the previous books in the series. I recommend this book to any reader who likes cozy mysteries with a Christmas theme.

I loved it! I read this for my christmas in July read a thon!!! I have read her other two and waited for this one to come out I wish I could live in a place like this.

I loved the characters and want to be friends with Holly, Cookie, Evan, etc. The mystery is interesting and well written, there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. You think you figured it out but then the next chapter you see you were wrong.
I love how the town is like something from a Hallmark Channel then we got mixed with a little bit of mystery and bookclub detective work 😍 just loved it. A perfect Christmas book.

A fun and festive cozy mystery! Slashing Through the Snow follows Holly White who runs the newly opened Reindeer Games B&B in the Christmas themed town Mistletoe, Maine.
This is the third book in the series and my first read. You don't need to have read all the books to follow the mystery, but it would be helpful to have background on the personal/romantic relationships.
When a hard to please travel critic named Karen who is there to review then inn ends up murdered, Holly's friend Cookie is implicated. Holly tries to find out who really did it with the help of her police sheriff boyfriend and her bff.
It proves dangerous and difficult as Karen had so many enemies.
There is also some sweet romantic moments and foreshadowing to the next book in the series.

I enjoyed this book. It held my interest. Beautiful scenery. Definitely a place I would like to visit.