2 Bloggers 1 Series - Slashing Through the Snow

 

 Stormi and continued our Christmas in July trend with a cozy mystery we've been waiting on for 2 years. So read on to see how much I loved this one and then hop over to Stormi's  at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! to see what she thought as well.

TITLE: Slashing Through the Snow 

AUTHOR: Jacqueline Frost

PUBLISHER: Crooked Lane Books

PUBLISHING DATE: October 12, 2021

PAGES: 304

SOURCE: Netgalley Arc

FROM GOODREADS: Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm is going into the B&B business, and Holly White is looking forward to her new role as innkeeper. Even better, Mistletoe, Maine's sheriff, Evan Gray, has deputized his little sister Libby to help Holly wrap presents for Mistletoe's toy drive. But a cold wind ruffles the cheery holiday decorations when a new guest checks in: Cleo, a vicious B&B critic, who could make or break the new inn. And the short December days turn even darker when Evan and Libby find Cleo's dead body in the gift-wrapped toy donation box.

The suspect list is longer than Santa's naughty list, and local resident Cookie is on it, since her fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a metal nutcracker that she gave to Holly. So is Libby, who recently moved to town from Boston in less-than-savory circumstances. But cranky Cleo was an oh-holy-nightmare to lots of the townsfolk, such as Evan's reporter friend Ray; Christopher, the inn's former contractor; and confectioner Bonnie, whose Gum Drop Shop was a direct target of Cleo's scathing prose.

To figure out the killer's identity and clear Cookie's name, Holly and her friends brainstorm at The Hearth, the farm's café, while her mother keeps them fueled with Christmas goodies fresh from the oven. But if they can't put the culprit on ice, Holly may never see another Christmas.

MY THOUGHTS:  Once again it's Christmas in Mistletoe and just like the previous two years, someone has been murdered.  A guest at the new Inn winds up dead stuffed in a Christmas donation bag and when a family friend is accused, Holly sets out to clear her name.  And her name is "Cookie" Cutter so there's no way she's guilty, right?

Both Stormi and I thought this one was a tad obvious from the beginning but boy were we wrong.  I was fairly surprised at the end and had no idea about the real motive.  She you could say this book delivered.  The setting is fun, the characters are great, and the ending is extra-special.  So glad we picked this one up!

RATING: 5 PAWS