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Death by Peppermint: A Christmas Manor Cozy Mystery with Cat
Forensic document examiner Juniper Vale arrives in the charming coastal town of Winterberry Bluff seeking nothing more than a peaceful Christmas vacation with her ribbon-stealing Norwegian Forest Cat, Figgy Pudding. Instead of hot chocolate and festive shopping, she finds herself invited to a Christmas Eve will reading at the town's most notorious mansion—where family tensions run as high as the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic, and decades of secrets are about to surface.
When one of the heirs dies after biting into a personalized candy cane laced with cyanide, Juniper's trained eye catches a crucial detail that everyone else missed. The beautiful gold leaf calligraphy on the victim's candy cane isn't quite right, suggesting someone tampered with it after it was made. As a blizzard traps suspects in town and Detective Sarah Cortez investigates, Juniper must use her expertise in detecting forgeries and fraudulent documents to uncover which of the feuding family members turned a holiday tradition into murder.
With Stella Brightwood's endless supply of cookies and local gossip, Figgy's uncanny ability to find evidence while stealing Christmas decorations, and her own sharp skills at spotting lies hidden in plain sight, Juniper races to solve the murder before the killer strikes again. But in a town where everyone has secrets and the victim had more enemies than friends, finding the truth means exposing lies that some would kill to keep hidden—even during the season of peace and goodwill.
When one of the heirs dies after biting into a personalized candy cane laced with cyanide, Juniper's trained eye catches a crucial detail that everyone else missed. The beautiful gold leaf calligraphy on the victim's candy cane isn't quite right, suggesting someone tampered with it after it was made. As a blizzard traps suspects in town and Detective Sarah Cortez investigates, Juniper must use her expertise in detecting forgeries and fraudulent documents to uncover which of the feuding family members turned a holiday tradition into murder.
With Stella Brightwood's endless supply of cookies and local gossip, Figgy's uncanny ability to find evidence while stealing Christmas decorations, and her own sharp skills at spotting lies hidden in plain sight, Juniper races to solve the murder before the killer strikes again. But in a town where everyone has secrets and the victim had more enemies than friends, finding the truth means exposing lies that some would kill to keep hidden—even during the season of peace and goodwill.
114 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 21, 2025
46 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 1, 2026
Stepping into Death by Peppermint, the first book in the Frosted Estates Mystery Series by Maisy Marple, is like unwrapping a peppermint-flavored mystery. Our main character, Juniper Vale, is a forensic document examiner ready for a peaceful holiday in Winterberry Bluff with her cat, Figgy Pudding. Don’t you just love that name? But her plans quickly go from sweet to sour when she attends a Christmas Eve will-reading at the town's notorious mansion. The atmosphere is filled with family tension, and secrets lurk in every corner. Even the secrets have secrets. Things take a minty twist when an heir bites the dust, leaving Juniper to unravel a sticky web of deceit and mystery.
Maisy Marple masterfully crafts a narrative filled with the winter season theme, drawing me into the quaint, close-knit community of Winterberry Bluff. The depiction of community dynamics, with its intricate relationships and interactions, enriches the story and offers a genuine sense of the place. The characters are flawed and relatable, and even the secondary characters fit seamlessly together. Juniper’s amateur sleuthing, paired with Figgy's antics and the town's colorful residents, adds layers of charm and complexity to the mystery. The author's use of the perfect amount of suspects and red herrings kept me questioning each character's motives, creating a delightful puzzle that was both engaging and entertaining.
I love how the author includes a summary of what Juniper has learned and the timeline that she formed, really helping readers keep events straight. Although essential and understandable, sometimes the information gets a little repetitive in the dialogue, more than I would like, in my opinion. However, some readers might believe that it brings clarity to the overall story structure and find it undeniably beneficial.
"Death by Peppermint" delivers a satisfying resolution that neatly ties up the mystery while leaving readers eager for the next installment in the series. The unexpected twists and the clever unraveling of secrets make it a page-turner from start to finish. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a festive flair and a wonderful touch of friendship, this book is a perfect holiday read. The combination of a quick-thinking protagonist, a charming town, and a fast-paced mystery ensures that once you start reading, you won't want to put it down.
Opinionated Book Rating:
Originality: 5.0/5.0
Plot Structure: 4.0/5.0
Pacing: 4.5/5.0
Dialogue and Narrative: 4.25/5.0
Personal Enjoyment: 4.25/5.0
Overall Rating: 4.4/5.0 (Rating will be rounded up due to platforms not allowing partial ratings.)
Maisy Marple masterfully crafts a narrative filled with the winter season theme, drawing me into the quaint, close-knit community of Winterberry Bluff. The depiction of community dynamics, with its intricate relationships and interactions, enriches the story and offers a genuine sense of the place. The characters are flawed and relatable, and even the secondary characters fit seamlessly together. Juniper’s amateur sleuthing, paired with Figgy's antics and the town's colorful residents, adds layers of charm and complexity to the mystery. The author's use of the perfect amount of suspects and red herrings kept me questioning each character's motives, creating a delightful puzzle that was both engaging and entertaining.
I love how the author includes a summary of what Juniper has learned and the timeline that she formed, really helping readers keep events straight. Although essential and understandable, sometimes the information gets a little repetitive in the dialogue, more than I would like, in my opinion. However, some readers might believe that it brings clarity to the overall story structure and find it undeniably beneficial.
"Death by Peppermint" delivers a satisfying resolution that neatly ties up the mystery while leaving readers eager for the next installment in the series. The unexpected twists and the clever unraveling of secrets make it a page-turner from start to finish. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a festive flair and a wonderful touch of friendship, this book is a perfect holiday read. The combination of a quick-thinking protagonist, a charming town, and a fast-paced mystery ensures that once you start reading, you won't want to put it down.
Opinionated Book Rating:
Originality: 5.0/5.0
Plot Structure: 4.0/5.0
Pacing: 4.5/5.0
Dialogue and Narrative: 4.25/5.0
Personal Enjoyment: 4.25/5.0
Overall Rating: 4.4/5.0 (Rating will be rounded up due to platforms not allowing partial ratings.)
November 30, 2025
The main character is Juniper Vale. Juniper is a Forensic Document Examiner and very good at her job. Right now she is on vacation at Christmas time in Winterberry Bluff. She is staying for a week at a B & B in town. Her landlady tells her she is going as a witness to a will reading on Christmas Eve and invites her along. Juniper notices things that seem off and then someone is murdered. Her landlady, Stella, tells the Chief what Juniper is and the chief Sarah Cortez asks her to help as a consultant. They talk to everyone and examiner all the evidence and know they are getting closer. Can Juniper's help make a difference ?
December 3, 2025
Death by Peppermint
This is a quick read mystery about a Forensic Document Examiner named Juniper who just wanted a quiet vacation with her cat, Figgy Pudding. But instead of reading the mystery books by a cozy fire, she gets pulled into solving one. She explains that her job is about finding inconsistencies and uncovering truth. Well, she finds a lot of secrets and lies when she agrees to accompany her delightful B&B host, Stella, to a will reading. There is blackmail, family discord, secrets galore, lies revealed, and, of course, a murder! Get the book, see if you can figure out who's the guilty one with so many with motivation to off such a nasty man.
This is a quick read mystery about a Forensic Document Examiner named Juniper who just wanted a quiet vacation with her cat, Figgy Pudding. But instead of reading the mystery books by a cozy fire, she gets pulled into solving one. She explains that her job is about finding inconsistencies and uncovering truth. Well, she finds a lot of secrets and lies when she agrees to accompany her delightful B&B host, Stella, to a will reading. There is blackmail, family discord, secrets galore, lies revealed, and, of course, a murder! Get the book, see if you can figure out who's the guilty one with so many with motivation to off such a nasty man.
December 5, 2025
Candy Canes, Inheritance and Murder!
I always enjoy these mystery reads by this very prolific author. Whether they involve one main character in all six books or six separate stories with the same theme they are enjoyable and entertaining. This first book in a Christmas themed series held my interest, was a fun read and included an adorable ribbon stealing cat. Money, lies and murder always make for an intriguing who done it.
I always enjoy these mystery reads by this very prolific author. Whether they involve one main character in all six books or six separate stories with the same theme they are enjoyable and entertaining. This first book in a Christmas themed series held my interest, was a fun read and included an adorable ribbon stealing cat. Money, lies and murder always make for an intriguing who done it.
December 29, 2025
Great book
Juniper takes her cat and goes on vacation. She chose a quiet little town. She stayed at a nice B&B who allowed cats. The B&B owner had to attend a will reading on Christmas Eve and invited Juniper to go with her. While at the reading they observe a murder by candy cane. It is interesting how many suspects there are and how they go about to ding the killer. The police ask My pier to consult as this is what she does. It is a very enjoyable book.
Juniper takes her cat and goes on vacation. She chose a quiet little town. She stayed at a nice B&B who allowed cats. The B&B owner had to attend a will reading on Christmas Eve and invited Juniper to go with her. While at the reading they observe a murder by candy cane. It is interesting how many suspects there are and how they go about to ding the killer. The police ask My pier to consult as this is what she does. It is a very enjoyable book.
November 26, 2025
Frosted Estates Mystery series
Death by Peppermint. Juniper is a document specialist. When vacationing she stays at a B and B. She is invited to the reading of a will in an old estate. There is the murder of one of the members of the family. A personalized candy cane laced with cyanide. There are several suspects within the family. I had a small idea of who the killer was.
Death by Peppermint. Juniper is a document specialist. When vacationing she stays at a B and B. She is invited to the reading of a will in an old estate. There is the murder of one of the members of the family. A personalized candy cane laced with cyanide. There are several suspects within the family. I had a small idea of who the killer was.
December 25, 2025
A cute, cozy mystery I read on Christmas Eve. The mystery itself felt a but simple, but there were still twists I didn’t expect. If you need a quick holiday mystery read with an adorable troublesome cat, here’s your book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews