Murder on 34th Street: A Christmas Cozy Mystery at the North Pole

by R. A. Muth

'Tis the season for murder at the North Pole...

Juniper Hollybright is a mediocre toymaker with ADHD, anxiety, and a knack for flying under the radar. When the Head Toymaker is found dead under a pile of toppled gifts, with a broken peppermint stick and his ledger missing, everyone assumes it was a tragic accident. Everyone except Juniper.

Armed with her mystery-novel expertise, her nervous knitting habit, and Figgy the trainee reindeer, Juniper uncovers a trail of embezzlement, fake vendors, and financial fraud that threatens to destroy Christmas itself. But asking questions makes her a target, and someone is willing to kill again to keep their secrets buried under the snow.

With suspects ranging from jealous craftselves to stressed accountants, Juniper must solve the case before the killer strikes again—or before she becomes the next "accident" at Santa's workshop.

Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, holiday magic, and adorable animal sidekicks who save the day. Murder on 34th Street delivers fair-play clues, holiday cheer, and a hero who proves that being underestimated is the best disguise for a brilliant detective.

Murder on 34th Street is Book 1 in the Ho-Ho-Homicide Cozy Mysteries series. No graphic violence. Maximum cocoa and holiday vibes.

Genres: Christmas, Cozy Mystery

111 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2025

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in the series. The main character is Juniper Hollybright. Juniper is an elf who works on the toy line at the North Pole and doesn't think she an do anything right. The Elias calls for her. He wants her help on an audit. He tells her she the ability to see what others miss and he needs her help. That is the first time she remembers anyone saying anything nice about her. The next day she finds him murdered. She send her reindeer assistant to get help and try to memorize the entire room. The Chief of security tells her to go back to her toy line but Juniper won.t let Elias down. She keeps showing up and telling the Chief something new every time. The Chief starts to believe her when there is an accident on the line when it speeds up and Juniper is caught by it, If not for her reindeer she might be gone. Then she sees a page from Elias's ledger and if helps to prove she knows what she is talking about. Now she and the Chief are going to try something to get the murderer. Will it work and can it prove that Juniper does have talent?

[Nordiana Baruzzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book on my TBR for a while now. I wanted to read it over the Christmas holidays, but life interfered, as usual.
I finally took it up this morning and... Well, here I am writing an enthusiastic review a couple hours after.
A well written, short cozy Christmas mystery with a touch of magic. Kudos!!!

Juniper Hollybright is a clumsy toymaker elf with ADHD. She's such a klutz she's assigned isolated tasks near the furnace, until the day she's assigned a trainee reindeer to help the Head Toymaker find who's embezzling from Santa's workshop. But before Juniper and Fizzy can start the job, Elias is killed, the ledger has disappeared and Chief Frost cuts her off from the investigation.
Lucky for her, Juniper is as stubborn as they come, and doesn't back down easily. Solviing the murder won't be simple, but she'll succeed, with Figgy's help.

A nice start to a new (to me) series. Recommended to all cocoa lovers who want to curl up and read on a cold winter night.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful read in any season 🎄
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Phenomenal and insightful writing as the author delves into both a murder mystery in the most unlikely arena and the fragile world of Hollybright. There are multiple layers and avenues of development in this short and wonderful read! Our heroine preserves with the support of Figgy~her apprentice reindeer~all the while being crushed by the pressure of other's expectations of her in her job. She doggedly follows the evidence trail leading to the capture of the villain. She's a very relatable character and I feel we should also all be knitting anxiety scarves! I especially value Mrs.Claus's observation near the end ....remember that even in dark times warmth and fellowship prevail.
Definitely an author and series to follow!

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the HO-HO-Homicide series. While not necessary, I would definitely recommend reading the prequel, Juniper’s Cookie Caper. It’s a really cute entry into the series and book 1 references several people you met in the prequel.

I love that this series is about an ADHD elf who has been relegated to the furnace because she’s a bit of a mess! Figgy the Reindeer is a great addition to the story and it says that’s Juniper and Figgy will return in the next book.

This is a great cozy mystery series set at the North Pole with some great characters and with characters learning how to come to terms with their feelings of being not quite good enough but finding out they are in deep more than enough.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder on 34th Street: A Christmas Cozy Mystery at the North Pole (Ho-Ho-Homicide Book 1)
R. A. Muth

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was absolutely adorable. Juniper is a somewhat average toy maker with ADHD, who knits scarves to ease her anxiety and has a knack for being a little clumsy. Her sidekick, Figgy, a trainee reindeer, is irresistibly cute.

When a murder occurs in the toy shop where she works, Juniper jumps into action, piecing together clues just like the detectives in her favorite mystery novels.

It’s not a book I would have picked up on my own, so I’m glad my book group chose it for our monthly read. It's a perfect read for the Holiday's.

[G. Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good read. I enjoyed Juniper, she tries to do well at her job but she gets told by a lot of people that she was not good at her job and that only made things worse.
One day an elf comes along and gave her a young reindeer and told her it was her companion in training and she was to see another senior elf. She was confused and didn't understand why she had a reindeer following her but she would soon find out and things would change. Come along grab this book and read what happened to Juniper the elf with ADHD and anxiety issues. Happy reading.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Book

This was a very good, easy to read Christmas mystery that takes place at the North Pole. Lots of Christmas decorations, elves and hot chocolate in this one. The characters were engaging too. I would definitely read the next book in the series. If you like Christmas stories and mysteries, definitely give this book a try.

[Lizz Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun cozy with Juniper finding her special gift of investigating after years of feeling like a failed elf. Her anxiety is helped greatly when she is assigned to train an eager reindeer. The twists and turns of this seasonal story were as twisted as a candy cane. This was the perfect read for the holiday season.

[Marsha Asquith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toy Maker and a Reindeer

This is a fun story set at the North Pole. Money, inventory and supplies invoices don't match up.
An elf and Reindeer do their own investigation to find out why.

[Theresa Padula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thankful!

The story was great especially when you point out just because you have an handicap you can still achieve. I have a grandson who is autistic he is about get his master,s degree.

[HAL · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Cute, Fun Cozy

Any age can enjoy this little mystery. The plot is simple, the villain wasn't too hard to figure out after a bit but the whole North Pole community was a very fun, light visit. This is perfect to get you in the light, holiday mode.

[Janet L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute Christmas cozy at the North Pole where one of the elves is murdered after finding irregularities in the accounting records and starting an investigation. He enlists the help of another elf and her reindeer sidekick who helps to solve the case after the senior elf is murdered.

[Elaine Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Christmas read

Easy reading and funny story not too many characters for my brain to remember and perfect to the season!!! Good choice

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Christmas Mystery

This is a cute fun Christmas mystery that is very enjoyable. The elves and reindeer as main characters is unique. I enjoyed this book

[LE Eastman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun holiday mystery

This was a really cute mystery. I liked the chracters. I found the names charming. Fun twist on cozy mysteries.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute, fun Christmas read,

[DONNA FOSS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really unique story.
I enjoyed it a lot.