In CHRISTMAS TREE WARS, Annis Ward Jackson's third novel in the Rachel Myers Murder Mystery Series, the reader finds Myers finally and completely settled in the small Appalachian Mountain community of Laurel Hill, North Carolina. The new retirement center where she is administrator is up and running and so is her relationship with Detective Robert Barnett. News that former lover David is married finally frees her from that relationship so she buys a quarterhorse, goes on an exciting trail ride, and comes home to find that one of her favorite people, garden designer Danny DeBord, has gone missing. As usual, Rachel observes from afar with no intention of becoming involved in the investigation until she is approached by a local woman whose son disappeared four years earlier in suspiciously similar circumstances. That's all the impetus needed for Myers to delve into the search for Danny DeBord, and in the process, embroil herself to her most dangerous predicament to date. Christmas trees figure prominently in this mystery, both from the perspective of their effects on the local environment, and their connection with the murder.