The Knives Before Christmas
A Santa-in-Training Mystery
Set in Christmas, Florida, J. Kent Holloway’s The Knives Before Christmas is a magical murder mystery novel about a grisly death in a cheery town.
When Thomas’s protégé, Trixie, is implicated in the murder of her father, Thomas, who is training to become Santa Claus, becomes a reluctant detective to prove her innocence. Imbued with the power of Kris Kringle and with the help of Peppermint the Christmas Elf, Thomas uncovers shocking secrets, buried crimes, and skeletons hidden in numerous closets.
The mystery is full of ratcheting tension and rising stakes, with red herrings and revelations upending the case. Regular contrasts between Christmas story elements, holiday gags, and procedural elements are played to great comedic effect, as when Thomas’s yuletide powers alter the music in a dive bar while he interrogates a suspect. Other fantastical elements, including Peppermint’s presence and that of a sentient alligator, Tinsel, call back to earlier series entries, filling out Thomas’s wacky world of holiday magic, which is hidden from the view of most around him.
Both the magical and the mundane characters contribute heart and wit. Beyond the book’s comedic moments are scenes of sincerity and earnest growth, including for Trixie, Peppermint the Elf, and goofy Thomas, the latter of whom muses on his fate as a Santa-in-training and the responsibilities that come with the position. Though the story includes a few flimsy leaps of logic, and though Thomas himself admits he is no genius detective, the story works toward an ending in which all is well revealed. Thomas even indulges in a classic denouement, laying out his reasoning to an incredulous audience of witnesses, suspects, and police.
The Knives Before Christmas is an absurd detective story balancing humor, murder, and Christmas spirit.
Reviewed by
Brendan McKelvy
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
