Twelve slays of Christmas

Holly White is twelve days from her Christmas Eve wedding when her fiancé calls it off. With a broken heart, she returns to Mistletoe, Maine, a historic town that goes all out for the holidays, and plans to spend the weeks eating peppermints and snickerdoodles.

The plan collapses when Margaret Fenwick, a local grouch and president of the Mistletoe Historical Society, is found bludgeoned in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, the White family tree farm. The weapon is one of the wooden stakes the farm uses to label its trees.

Sheriff Evan Grey looks first at Holly's father, Bud, and the farm staff. Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret shortly before she died, which makes matters worse for them. Holly knows her father and sets out to clear his name.

This is a cozy mystery with a holiday setting and a light, festive tone. An amateur sleuth, a family business under suspicion and a Christmas deadline drive the story, and the small-town charm stays in place even with a murder at its centre.