Stalking Around the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Frost Review

 Good Morning Everyone :)

I pray your week is off to a great start, and I'm so thankful you chose to drop on by The Preppy Book Princess for another book review.

I had mentioned in my last post that I would be taking last week off to go on a family vacation to the lake. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned, and our holiday ended up being cut massively short because of a family emergency. With all the stress and worry that's been coming our way, I didn't know if I'd be able to get a review out for you all today or not, but I decided to go ahead and do my best to do so.

I'm quite excited to share about this title with you all, especially since I've enjoyed all the previous books in the series. You can check out those previous reviews using the links below:

Twelve Slays of Christmas

'Twas the Knife Before Christmas

Slashing Through the Snow

Now I hope you'll join me today for my review of the fourth title in this wonderful cozy mystery series.

Stalking Around the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Frost:

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Crooked Lane

Publication Date: October 17th, 2023

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: Christmas Tree Farm Mystery

Synopsis:

Tis the season to solve a murder—and innkeeper Holly White knows she’ll have to make her list and check it twice if she wants to catch the killer in the fourth Christmas Tree Farm mystery from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

For inn keeper Holly White, Christmas time in Mistletoe, Maine, is the ultimate holiday gift. Business at the Reindeer Games Inn is booming, her wedding to Sheriff Evan Gray is nearly here, and the annual parade is about to begin. The town is lucky to have another gift this year with the state’s ballet company staying for several performances of The Nutcracker. But disaster strikes when Tiffany, the lead ballerina, shows up dead on a float during the parade, the Rat King’s mask nearby. Holly will have to spruce up her sleuthing skills if she wants to catch the killer before Christmas—and her wedding day.

Immediately, Holly discovers that Tiffany had more than a few secrets. She finds out that the star of the show had a super fan that no one knows anything about. And the show’s understudy slips some other intriguing information Holly’s way: not only was Tiffany secretly seeing someone romantically, but there seems to be more than one rat in this company. When Holly discovers a secret passage leading to Tiffany’s dressing room, with footprints leading out; she wonders if this is evidence of a secret lover—or a stalking killer.

With an impending snowstorm and the ballet company on the way out of town, Holly must act quickly if she wants to find the person responsible for this terrible murder. Will she be able to save Christmas—or will her investigation turn cold like the weather?

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I always look forward to new titles in Jacqueline Frost's Christmas Tree Mystery Series, and this one especially had me looking forward to it as I loved that the plot was going to revolve around a traveling Nutcracker Ballet company coming to stay at Holly's family's inn. As someone who adores this series, cozy mysteries, and the Nutcracker, I couldn't wait to dive right in.

I will say that I don't personally recommend reading this title without having first read the previous three, as you'll be spoiled for a lot of the plot otherwise. Stalking Around the Christmas Tree takes readers back to the beloved Reindeer Games Christmas tree farm, where we are once again catching back up with Holly and her wonderful parents. Holly's been a busy bee planning her Christmas Eve wedding to the local town sheriff, Evan Gray, while still trying to handle everything else already on her plate. Already feeling overwhelmed, she can't believe when another murder happens during the holiday season in her beloved hometown, and together with her friends, she'll stop at nothing to see the truth be brought to light.

With delightful romance and suspense elements, characters that have come to feel like old friends, and a mystery that will keep you guessing right through until the end, the fourth installment in this fan favorite cozy mystery series is another winner in my eyes, and I had a hard time wanting to put it down.

Aside from the well developed mystery, and the swoon worthy romantic bits between Holly and Evan, I also loved how readers were treated to more of Libby and Caroline's stories, and how the Nutcracker tidbits added another interesting layer to an already complex plot.

Overall, I ended up enjoying this one, and while I wouldn't say I loved it quite as much as the first three, it was still a wonderful cozy mystery, and one that I'd definitely find myself recommending to anyone who is a fan of this genre.

I hope the author has more titles to come in this favorite series of mine.

Final Rating: 4/5.

Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to advance read and review this title!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Crooked Lane Books) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review. 

Thanks so much for reading guys! I'm thankful that I got to spend this time with you all today, and I pray you all have a great rest of your day :)