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Frost & Crowe Mystery #5

Nightmare at the North Pole

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Jayne Frost and her husband, Sinclair Crowe, are back at the North Pole—just in time for the birth of their son and his all-important Naming Day. With family gathered, magic humming, and plenty of hot cocoa flowing, what could possibly go wrong?

Plenty, as it turns out.

When a name is mysteriously redacted from the enchanted guest list and a trusted member of the palace staff turns up dead, things take a chilling turn. Jayne can’t ignore the signs—or the secrets that begin to surface, including the shocking identity of the person deliberately removed from the list.

With her necromancer husband digging through shadows and her two talking cats offering commentary from the comfort of the royal nursery, Jayne must unravel the truth before ancient grudges turn deadly again.

Can she solve the case, protect her family, and survive the most magically chaotic Naming Day in North Pole history? Or will this joyous occasion turn into a full-blown nightmare at the North Pole?

372 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2025

147 people are currently reading
90 people want to read

About the author

Kristen Painter

187 books3,416 followers
Kristen Painter likes to balance her obsessions with shoes and cats by making the lives of her characters miserable and surprising her readers with interesting twists. She currently writes award-winning paranormal romance, paranormal women's fiction, and cozy mysteries. The former college English teacher can often be found on twitter @Kristen_Painter, Facebook at www.facebook.com/KristenPainterAuthor where she loves to interact with readers and her blog: http://kristenpainter.com/blog/.

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5 stars
386 (68%)
4 stars
123 (21%)
3 stars
49 (8%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
Profile Image for Madison Warner Fairbanks.
3,435 reviews496 followers
November 2, 2025
Nightmare at the North Pole by Kristen Painter
Frost and Crowe mystery series #5. Paranormal cozy mystery. Should be read in series order. Spin off from the Nocturne Falls series.
Jayne Frost and Sinclair Crowe are home in the palace at the North Pole with new baby JJ. A celebration is being planned for the baby’s Naming Day. When Jayne asks for a copy of the guest list a mystery begins with a magically hidden name and the death of the history museum curator. They call in the family to help babysit while searching for clues to the hidden name and why the curator was killed.

🎧 I was able to alternate between an ebook and an audiobook. The narration is performed by Hollis McCarthy and BJ Harrison who do the full series. The performances are consistent from story to story. Frost and Crowe alternating POV’s are by each of the two narrators and they both have distinct voices for the main characters and secondary including Spider. The performances are filled with emotions of worry as they investigate and love they have for each other and family. Plus Jayne’s pure love of all things sugar are often a chuckle for me.
I listened at 1.7 on this to better match reading speed and local conversations.

Fun to revisit the North Pole, Jayne, Sinclair, the talking pets and new JJ. The mystery’s are interesting to follow without too much angst or worry. The families are close and loving and add the support that is always a homey feeling. The magic soft and helpful.

I received an early copy and also purchased a copy to keep.
Profile Image for Dee Smith.
619 reviews9 followers
November 5, 2025
Loved this !!

I absolutely love Jayne Frost, so it is always a treat to get to read and listen to one of her stories. I love the mysteries that she and Sinclair solve. This one was especially good because it was set in the North Pole and involved her family and her sweet baby. I highly recommend this series that I recommend starting from the very beginning because you don’t want to miss one minute of her adventures.
Profile Image for Brenda.
1,303 reviews6 followers
November 24, 2025
Jayne and Sinclair are visiting the North Pole for an extended period of time so that Jayne can have her baby. Once the baby comes, they are once more caught up in a mystery. This is such a fun series.
574 reviews
November 2, 2025
Awe… This book is even sweeter than Jane’s deserts!

Really, this book is just soooo darn sweet it makes my teeth hurt. I LOVE it. This is what a real HEA looks like. Two people who love each other deeply, surrounded by family on all sides who are supportive and empowering, who have the respect and admiration of thousands, but who nonetheless, no matter the fairy-tale nature of their romance, will never have a life where everything is perfect; just like the rest of us, they WILL face adversity, and how they deal with that adversity will reveals who they truly are. And THAT ladies and gentlemen is about as real an HEA as I could ever imagine.

Painter does this so well. She keeps the balance between the various aspects of the story, comic and tragic, light and dark, humility and over the top extravagance, just to name a few of the forces she keeps balanced in this story, never letting one dominate overall. The only thing dominant in THIS book is it’s sweetness. The scenes with spider had that great mix of pathos and humor, as we can all feel Spider’s pain, just how much he misses time with Jayne and then feel the pure joy he experiences when he is vindicated and validated - you can’t help but laugh.

That “episode” (tiny plot threads, the story within the story, so-to-speak) is so sweet to begin with it’s silly, nut then Kristen goes and does what any sensible author would do in her position and just made it even sweeter yet. And so it escalates.

You see, she follows a formula throughout this book from start to finish, It’s a brilliant model, really, and if she didn’t do this consciously, she should have. The entire narrative is made up of a series of these ”swooping” plot threads contrasting a pair of those emotional states or expressions I mentioned above. It keeps the reader entranced. I truly believe it literally does. The emotional swing from pain to joy, anger to forgiveness, confusion to confident clarity, etc isn’t addictive, per se, but that down to up loop IS just enough for your brain to latch on and ask for more, over and over again, until the book is done. It’s what comes next though, that’s truly mind-blowing. It’s the fact that every one of these little vignettes is a perfect little capsule, each one adding just that much more sweetness into an already super-saturated system.

The thing is, you won’t care. That little emotional roller coaster just makes the whole thing fun - simple, unadulterated, uncomplicated, Light, Joy and FUN. For that kind of payoff, I say bring on the sweetness.

So don’t hesitate to pick this book up. Even if you haven’t read the others, this installment is a great entry into the world of Jayne Frost. I guarantee you will enjoy! (Note: I’m not an AI and I’ve never met, spoken, or worked with Ms. Painter. I’m just a fan who wants more people to enjoy Kristen’s stories so she’ll keep writing more.)
Profile Image for Rachel.
121 reviews4 followers
December 11, 2025
I’m so conflicted about writing this review. Let me be clear: I am a big fan of Kristen Painter. Especially the Nocturne Falls universe. I’ve enjoyed the Jayne Frost world so much. And I understand that every series takes turns that can dramatically affect what comes next.

With that said, where was the humor in this book? Where was the magic? I felt a lack of humor and fun and excitement in the prior book (Nixed In New Orleans). I felt this coming because NINO was really gearing up for this extraordinary winter elf necromancer baby arc, yet something has been happening. Or not happening. But this book was so full of redundancies that it almost fell below 3 stars, imo. The baby is full of milk and sleeping. Change the diaper. The baby. The diaper. Tell each other the baby is full and sleeping. And maybe it was deliberate. Maybe it was a little way too close to reality. But I don’t come to this fictional universe for reality. I come for mysteries and exciting paranormal imaginings and because Spider loves Chicken Party. I don’t need diapers and milk and diapers and naps and repetitive diapers and feeding the baby. I need a MAGICAL baby. A winter elf necromancer baby that has been led up to as the first of its kind and that will be exciting. Not sad elves, cake after cake, and baby vomit. And diapers. And feeding the ordinary baby. Getting ordinary gifts for the baby. Where are the cool baby toys from the Tinkers? And then more naps. And crutches. Oh, and that murder. And the sad and angry elves. And diapers. This was NOT exciting. Maybe it was a deliberate vibe?

Yet… I want to still love the Jayne Frost world. I just hope Sin does more than lurch around on crutches and pine over his hot wife and his baby and hand out food in the next book. Maybe Jayne will do some magic next time instead of just eating cake and candy. Because she sure hasn’t in the last two books. No one has. No magic. In two books. No new kinds of paranormal fun. Just lots of cakes. And candy. And sandwiches. And sad people and sad elves. And diapers. And a very ordinary baby. And did I mention NO MAGIC?

I love Chicken Party. And Jayne and Sin and paranormal fun. I still love the Kristen Painter universe. I have hope!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kelly.
5,699 reviews228 followers
November 25, 2025
Jayne and Sinclair are welcoming the newest royal member and HE'S A CUTIE! His Naming Day is also turning into a bit of a situation since one elf has already turned up dead and strange "accidents" keep happening to Jayne and Sin.

Both Jayne and Sin are willing to go to any lengths to keep their son safe. That means asking uncomfortable questions of staff and family alike and taking extra care with everything they do. But Naming Day must go on (or Jack Jr's path to the throne could be questioned) and the clock is ticking away. Jayne is finding some very unexpected things out about her family and she's learned that not everybody is thrilled by her marriage to someone who isn't an elf.

A solid ending to Jayne and Sin's series. We got to see Jayne really lean into her adoration of sugary treats, watch the cats sit watch over the newest family member, and see how much Sin loves his family. Oh, and Jayne and Sin solved a murder. AS ONE DOES! *thumbs up*

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Profile Image for Jillian.
1,236 reviews94 followers
November 14, 2025
Nightmare at the North Pole is book 5 in the Frost & Crowe Mystery series. In this book, Jayne and Sinclair are back home in the North Pole and Jayne finally has her baby. I loved everything about this book. Jayne has always been a favorite of mine since the Jayne Frost series were what introduced me to the Nocturne Falls series and I have stuck with them all over the years, onto this spin off series. I adore Jack Frost Sr. so anytime he gets more page time I am super happy. I am hoping that one day we might even get a book with Jack Frost and Jayne's uncle Chris (Santa) taking the lead. Spider is perfect as always. This mystery provided the perfect amount of cozy. The narration was wonderful, as always. 5 stars.
Profile Image for Eden.
2,225 reviews
November 3, 2025
2025 bk 148. Frost & Crowe are back in the North Pole for the Naming Day of their son, Jack. But trouble besets the family in the form of threatening letters and small discourtesies. It is only when their safety is threatened that the pair go into action. They are able to do so since they have Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Jack Frost, Mrs. Frost, Aunt Zinnia, and the master illusionist and his wife all eager to babysit. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery - and wish that I could experience the Aurora Borealis show with the family on their one night out. Loved the characters, the setting, the mystery and am eager to read the next in the series.
Profile Image for Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads).
3,375 reviews181 followers
did-not-finish
November 11, 2025
DNF pg. 107 (38%)

I knew going into this that Jayne was going to have her baby and that being a mother would be part of this book, but I decided to give it a go anyways since I have read the rest of the series. I got through 38% of this book and it’s just now having the first hint that something is really wrong. Up to this point everything has been about being a new mother and the new baby, which I expected, but I am really not enjoying because I don’t enjoy reading about motherhood or children. I don’t feel any urge to continue this book to find out what kind of mystery they deal with.
282 reviews
November 12, 2025
Love this 5th book with Jane and Sinclair and the new J J, and of course Spinder and Sugar. Of course, there is a murder and who is going to help solve it. I think this is my favorite so far, but I love all the series in Frost and Crowe. With all the families being at the North Pole they are having a good time, visiting seeing showing and of course the family babysitting for Jane and Sinclair. The murder was a little surprise of who did it. Read or listen to this book you will not be disappointed.
Love the narrators and the author. Can't wait for the next book to see what they get into.
259 reviews1 follower
October 31, 2025
My favorite Frost & Crowe Mystery to date! Jayne and Sinclair prepare for their baby's naming day. However someone in the North Pole is not in favor of an heir that is not pure elf sitting on the throne. From strange occurrences like the naming day list with a redacted name, a recent murder, and other strange happenings around the North Pole, can Jayne and Sinclair solve the mystery and protect their son in the process?
Profile Image for Theresa.
4,128 reviews16 followers
November 3, 2025
The baby is here! Early. Now they have to adjust to being parents and cope with all the relatives and friends. Then there’s a mysterious not-name on a guest list that leads to murder.

Footnote: 1) A Segway is the worst thing for someone with a sprained ankle in a boot. It puts too much pressure on the ankle, plus they’d either fall off or go in circles because they’re unbalanced.

Fave scenes: Jayne choosing a dress, lingonberry scones, and the notepad trace.
Profile Image for Candy Berg.
277 reviews4 followers
November 14, 2025
love love love this cast of characters

I adore this author. Her characters all seem like people I’d want to meet. Jayne Frost and Sinclair Crowe have been some of my favorite characters yet. They have magically speaking cats and she comes from North Pole royalty. They solve crimes together and their characters are completely in love. I am always waiting for the next book in this series.
Profile Image for Elyse Cady.
13 reviews5 followers
November 16, 2025
3.5 Stars. I am a huge fan of the series, and this story was good but much more serious in tone than the previous ones, as well as less funny. I think this would be 4 stars for someone less sensitive to such a shift in mood. The story was well-written and I love being back at the setting of the NP, but there was a lot more stress from lurking threat than I prefer in cozy mysteries. I hope the next one will bring us back to the fun and humor of previous installments.
42 reviews
December 10, 2025
Always a delight to dive into the Frost and Crowe series, and this installment is no exception. Set against the enchanting backdrop of the North Pole, the story brings together the Winter Elf King, a clever illusionist, a zombie, and of course, the ever-charming talking pets. Jayne and Sinclair once again find themselves racing against time to unravel a mystery, and the journey is as entertaining as ever.

Profile Image for Ashley .
226 reviews21 followers
October 11, 2025
This one went in a direction I wasn't expecting and I think this is in my top two favorites of all the Jayne Frost books. While I partially had things figured out I did second guess myself and I enjoyed every minute of taking mental notes fully determined to solve the mystery before the characters. After everything that takes place I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how things progress.
Profile Image for Amber K.
1,241 reviews52 followers
November 5, 2025
The whole family is together at the North Pole to celebrate the birth and naming of Jane & Sin's baby. But the celebration turns into a dangerous mystery when Sin literally stumbles upon a body.
Jane & Sin's stories are always amazing and fun. I just love visiting the worlds that Kristen Painter creates!!
The audio narration, as always, is spectacular!!
Highly recommend!!
Profile Image for Amanda.
114 reviews5 followers
November 5, 2025
Why can't things ever go right for Jayne. This is supposed to be an amazing event for Jayne and Sinclair. Now the curator of the museum is killed and Jayne and Sinclair are working to solve the case. As always Kristen does a wonderful job telling a story this series is amazing but should be read from the beginning. Personally I would read it from when she was still in Nocturne Falls.
620 reviews1 follower
November 6, 2025
Wonderful, Clean Read!

This book was all I expected it to be and so much more. I love the adventures of Sin and Jayne. The world they live in sounds so spectacular and the storyline is always very interesting. Seeing there two wonderful characters have their first child is the cherry on top of the cake. I can’t wait to see where their next adventure takes them!
Profile Image for Lisa.
902 reviews12 followers
November 7, 2025
This was so good. I love it was set in the North Pole. I liked how the author touched on post Partum some. That was a great touch. There was a lot going on with the upcoming name day ceremony. And someone thinks they should be next in line. I had trouble guessing some things. I love it.

The narration is wonderful. All the voices sound so good and unique.
194 reviews
November 12, 2025
Another great read

I could not put this down once I started it I had to stay awake until I finished the whole book. I enjoy all the Frost stories and if I have nothing interesting to read I will start to read from book 1 right through. It’s good to see how Jayne and Sin have got together and grown together to cumulate in having their son. Def recommend it.
Profile Image for Starla.
951 reviews
November 23, 2025
Awesome Read!

This series is one of my favorites. I loved watching Jayne and Sin fall in love in another favorite series Nocturne Falls. This story was so good. It had all the "feels". I cannot wait to watch the prize grow up. If you already love this series you will love this book. If you have never read it, I would read Kristen Painter's books in order.
145 reviews
December 15, 2025
Creative. Enchanting

With a tinge of murderous mystery. Complicated family secrets swept across the page with only hints of what connections might unfold.
Jayne and Sinclair romantic connection along with their beautiful son both brightened the story while softening murder and complicated connections. Great story
Profile Image for Jennifer Bollnow.
265 reviews11 followers
October 31, 2025
Murder and mystery seem to find Jayne Frost no matter where she is. Now, they are back home at the North Pole with her husband, Sinclair, after the birth of their son, Jack. They uncover a mystery when they investigate who is invited to the naming day ceremony. I love how Jayne still has time to find time to solve cases, even with a new baby and her in-laws in town. These are always a delight. Jayne isn't your average princess, and Sinclair isn't your normal North Pole royalty. Even though this is a fantasy, it gives realistic glimpses into what it is like to be a new parent. I always love the talking cats, Spider and Sugar; they are a hilarious addition to this unusual family. I enjoy and recommend this book and the series, as well as the series it is spun off of.
Profile Image for Christine.
Author 2 books32 followers
November 1, 2025
Long Live Prince Jack!

I feel like we’ve waited forever for this one, but well worth the wait. I really hope the Frost & Crowe Mysteries continue because I’m not nearly ready to say goodbye.
Profile Image for Rachel.
411 reviews3 followers
November 2, 2025
Truly spectacular

I love Jayne and Sinclair. And now little JJ. A great story with a wonderful mystery mixed in. Plus, having Sin's family a full part of the story was perfect. Plus, I can never get enough of Spider and Sugar.
Profile Image for Lenore Ebhardt.
11 reviews
November 4, 2025
Wonderful book

This just proves that the books only get better with each one. I love Jane Frost books so much. I an looking forward for more of her soon. I also listen to all of them more than once.
Profile Image for Mimi N. Weitz.
11 reviews
November 5, 2025
Jayne and Sin save the day

Princess Jayne and Prince Consort Sinclair triumph again. In order to save baby Jack’s Naming Day they solve a murder and find family that
They did not know they had. Huzzah!
16 reviews
November 13, 2025
Wonderful read

Kristen Painter has done it again, brought w wo derful story with, laughter, suspense and heart warming. The North Pole is always a nice place to visit with Jayne Fronst family.
1,556 reviews4 followers
November 15, 2025
I liked the story

I liked the story but I feel like I missed stories that were written before this one. It felt like the story was told in a way that there were other stories about this couple and maybe that should have been read first.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews

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