Hallmark’s Mistletoe Murders Is Back. Here’s Where to Start With the Original Audio Series

Hallmark’s Mistletoe Murders returned for Season 3 on November 5, and the original Audible series had a new release the same day. That makes for two different trips to Fletcher’s Grove. Sarah Drew is back as Christmas shop owner Emily Lane on television, while Cobie Smulders returns to the role in Ken Cuperus’s Mistletoe Murders 5.

If you’re coming from Hallmark, start with “The Cookie Crumbles Part 1,” the first episode of the original Mistletoe Murders on Audible. The poisoned-cookie setup will sound familiar if you’ve watched the TV pilot, but the case plays out differently. You can listen from the beginning without waiting for the current TV season to finish.

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Is Hallmark’s Mistletoe Murders based on a book?

The source is a scripted, full-cast Audible Original that debuted in 2022. Cuperus created it for audio and went on to write for the television adaptation, which debuted on Hallmark+ in 2024. The audio cast features Cobie Smulders as Emily, Raymond Ablack as Detective Sam Wilner, and Anna Cathcart as Sam’s daughter Violet. On Hallmark, Sarah Drew plays Emily and Peter Mooney plays Sam.

Emily runs Under the Mistletoe, a year-round Christmas shop in a small Canadian town. She’s good at puzzles and knows how to get people talking. She also has a past she’d rather keep from the local detective. Cuperus uses Emily’s inner monologue to let listeners hear how differently she thinks from the way she presents herself around town. That gap is one of the best reasons to start with the audio premiere. It gives you a second puzzle to work on while Emily investigates the first one.

Start with “The Cookie Crumbles” on Audible

The opening case begins when a banker turns up dead at a Christmas tree farm and Sam traces a poisoned cookie to Emily’s shop. It’s a good introduction to Emily because she has two problems to solve at once. She needs to figure out who used a cookie from her shop as a murder weapon, and she needs to do it without making Sam wonder how she knows so much about investigating a crime.

Audible lists the first season under Podcasts, with six episodes that form three two-part cases:

Start with both parts of “The Cookie Crumbles.” The break between episodes gives you a chance to stop and make your own guess. If you want a listening plan for a holiday drive, queue the two halves together.

Already watched “Poison in a Pear Tree”? Listen to the audio opener anyway. Hallmark’s first case uses the same poisoned-cookie premise, and Audible confirms that Cuperus changed the culprit for television. The first season also gives you a quick way to see how far the cases diverge. The second audio case takes place around a skating event, while the second TV case sends Emily into a choir.

The Mistletoe Murders audio series in order

Audible groups the main recordings under numbered entries, even though the first season also appears as a podcast. Once you’ve finished the six original episodes, follow the numbers. The local cases give you a fresh puzzle, while Emily’s history and her relationship with Sam build across seasons. Audible’s series catalog

Ready to start listening? Find the original Mistletoe Murders on Audible.

Where does Middlebridge Mysteries fit?

Middlebridge Mysteries is an optional audio spinoff starring Anna Cathcart as Violet. It follows Violet to college, where she studies criminology, and also stars Eric McCormack. Start with the original Mistletoe Murders so you can meet Violet in Fletcher’s Grove first. Then try the spinoff when you want to follow her on a case of her own.

If Violet is your favorite, find Middlebridge Mysteries on Audible.

When do new Hallmark episodes air?

Hallmark lists new Season 3 episodes for Thursdays at 8 p.m. Eastern / 7 p.m. Central, with next-day streaming on Hallmark+. The premiere, “Don’t Fear the Wreather – Part 1,” sends Emily and Sam to investigate a wreathmaker suspected in the deaths of her husbands. That gives you an easy plan for both versions. Watch the wreathmaker case on Hallmark and start the poisoned-cookie case on Audible between episodes.

For a holiday whodunit in print, try our seven Christmas mysteries. Start with Hercule Poirot’s Christmas if you like a tightly worked puzzle, or choose The Christmas Appeal if you’d rather sift through the evidence yourself.

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