The Knives Before Christmas
A Santa-in-Training Mystery
by J. Kent Holloway
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Pub Date Nov 18 2025 | Archive Date Nov 30 2025
Turner Publishing Company | Keylight Books
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Description
International bestselling mystery author Kent Holloway spins a delightfully mischievous holiday mystery full of twists and turns sure to delight amateur sleuth fans of all ages!
Holiday emporium owner Thomas Nast isn't your typical guy. His Victorian-era home is sentient with a 13-foot guard alligator named Tinsel living in its walls. A mostly invisible—and mischievous—elf named Peppermint reluctantly serves his every whim. And he just happens to be the next in line to become the real-life Santa Claus. Until that happens, however, Tom spends his days helping the people—and frequent tourists—of Christmas, Florida, with all their Christmas and other holiday needs.
That is, of course, until he walks into his store one morning to find the body of a man dressed in full Santa costume—a man reviled by almost everyone in town—who's been stabbed multiple times with a pocketknife identical to six custom jobs Tom had given to his closest friends a few years earlier.
With Tom's young assistant, Trixie McNamara, in police crosshairs as the prime suspect, Tom is forced to dig up the dirt on his friends, a nasty town spinster, and a semi-retired mobster to prove Trixie's innocence. But as he investigates the murder, Tom will find himself in the crosshairs of an altogether different kind if he's not careful...and Santas-in-Training, he knows, can die just like anyone else.
Advance Praise
“A surfeit of Santas seriously complicates a murder investigation... A magical mystery with a Christmas theme.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A magical murder mystery novel... balancing humor, murder, and Christmas spirit... The mystery is full of ratcheting tension and rising stakes, with red herrings and revelations upending the case.” —Foreword Reviews
“Holloway sets the tone from the very first sentence. This is going to be a great, fun ride. His characters are unique and imaginatively drawn. And he manages to mix humor, heart and a lot of Christmas spirit into a very satisfying whodunit. It’s everything you could possibly want from a light mystery.” —Hy Conrad, head writer for USA Network’s Monk and author of Mr. Monk and the New Lieutenant
“Hidden secrets are everywhere in Holloway’s The Knives Before Christmas. It’s a twisty mystery wrapped up in holiday paper with a magical bow.” —Heather Weidner, author of the Pearly Girls Mysteries and the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries
“A disgruntled and mischievous elf, magic pockets, a self-cleaning house with a guard-alligator, and ho-ho-homicide in the town of Christmas, Florida, where Santas-in-training need to watch their backs... J. Kent Holloway’s Knives Before Christmas is an imaginative, clever, holly jolly suspenseful time! I highly recommend!” —Michelle Bennington, author of the Hazardous Hoarding series
“A gift! J. Kent Holloway earns himself a prominent place on the ‘nice’ list with this wonderful tale. In The Knives Before Christmas, Holloway grafts a solid traditional mystery onto the legend of Santa Claus, with delightful results... Fans of cozies and Christmas mysteries will want Santa to bring this one to their house!” —Nikki Knight, author of the Grace the Hit Mom Mysteries
“When there’s a murder in Christmas, Florida, who better to solve the crime than the guy who’s next in line to become the real-life Santa Claus? And of course Santa’s helpers—a sentient house, a persnickety elf, and a thirteen-foot guard alligator. Do they get the job done? Ho, ho, ho! The Knives Before Christmas is a droll delight!” —Molly MacRae, author of the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries, the Highland Bookshop Mysteries, and the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9798887980706 |
| PRICE | $17.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 240 |
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