'Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost

I have been looking forward to this book since I finished "The Twelve Slays of Christmas" last year, and was thrilled when this one came out in time for the holidays. I loved the main character Holly White. She is the queen of multi-tasking, as she juggles helping her parents run the tree farm during the busy holiday season, taking over as head decision-maker for the new inn (currently under construction), managing her in-demand jewelry business, and trying to clear her best friend of murder charges. The mystery itself was a good one...plenty of suspects, and I liked that Holly actually goes out and tries to pro-actively interview people and learn things, instead of just occasionally stumbling onto a clue, like some cozy heroines are prone to do. Maybe the police should consider hiring her as a "special consultant". I also enjoyed the fact that the police were actually competent, and arrived at the same conclusions themselves. I love this series enough to read it even without a crime. I enjoy reading about the (non-sleuthing) activities of Holly and her friends and family just as much as the mystery element of the story. I'd happily pick up each new installment around Christmas just to enjoy all the fun and excitement at Reindeer Games! As an added bonus, this book included the mysteries contractor Christopher, who *may or may not* bear more than a passing resemblance to a certain red-clad visitor we all look forward to at this time of year. I hope he pops in at some point in a future book! Five out of five giants hunks of extra-sharp cheddar!