Kate Carlisle gets us in the mood for the Christmas season with her fast and entertaining A Knife Before Christmas.

Shannon and Mac get tasked with building a carnival midway with games and prizes by local hotel owners the Garrison. The Garrison’s are completely about the holidays and from Thanksgiving to Christmas. They go above and beyond with all of the holiday cheer. Everyone in lighthouse Cove loves what the Garrison do except for maybe their own children. Turning their nose down at that kind of expenditure on holidays. They feel money should be saved to go towards their own inheritance. It’s all about good holiday cheer until a body shows up. Kate and Mack find themselves rushing to figure out this Christmas caper.

Kate Carlisle did an excellent job bringing me into the Christmas spirit. I will be honest. This book was a little less fixer-upper, a little less mystery, a little more romance and more focused on friendship and family. And I am OK with that. It was nice to have a book about the holiday, to get you in the mood and to be an entertaining read. With it being the 11th book in the series sometimes you need to catch up. And that’s what this was catching up with old friends and family.

I have to admit I relished that one really rotten character got what she deserved.
One really good character was a victim.
The villain also got the appropriate treatment.
The most fun part was the Fun Zone and the descriptions of the different architectural features in the hotel.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

The Garrisons own the local Cliffside Hotel in Lighthouse Cove. Shannon Hammer and her crew have renovated several parts of it. The family loves the holidays and always plans something special for the days leading up to Christmas. They serve a seven-course dinner each night and getting a reservation is darn hard. They also have fun on the grounds of the hotel. Last year a train took guests on a tour of the beautiful Cliffside estate. This year the Garrisons have asked Shannon and her team to design and build a Victorian-style carnival midway with games and tons of prizes. They have an extraordinary ride that needs to be included and installed in the design.

Things seem merry and bright until the Garrisons’ children and their spouses have some concerns about the money being spent on the carnival. They would rather have the cash stashed away for them to inherit. But things take a deadly turn when a dead body is found in the basement. Shannon and Mac are soon on the trail to find out who was at the top of Santa’s naughty list and would be receiving their lump of coal in jail.

Christmas in Lighthouse Cove – sign me up – I am all in!

This being the 11th installment of the Fixer-Upper Mysteries the characters are like old friends. I worked in home construction for a couple of years so I enjoy following Shannon around to all her job sites and her creative ability to breathe new life into old homes. She has an amazing crew that can take her ideas and run with them. I love it when she pulls out her pink toolbox and tools and works right alongside them. Shannon and Mac are a perfect match and an awesome sleuthing team. But what I love most about Shannon and Mac is their empathy and huge caring hearts. Family, friend, or stranger – if someone needs help, they will go above and beyond to help the person in any way they can.

The Garrisons are an interesting family. Bill and Lilian are the 3rd generation to own the hotel and they have steadily made improvements to the place. With the exception of their son, Logan, all of their children and their spouses live and work at the Cliffside. Like most families, they have their ups and downs. Bill and Lilian had been Shannon and Chloe’s parent’s best friends. So much so that when their mother passed away Lillian became a surrogate mother to the girls. Featuring this family in this story was grand for many reasons sans the murder. Ms. Carlisle’s detailed descriptions were wonderful. She created distinct images in my mind of the entire hotel and its new “Fun Zone”. You could feel the joy Bill had when his dream space came to life as well as all the people that visited the new attraction.

I appreciated the time the author took to share all the holiday planning and interactions before she delved into a compelling mystery. The victim was not a nice person but those around tolerated them. Anyone could have snapped and killed them. That means the suspect list is a long one. Shannon and Mac have to work through them all. After some well-placed twists, a second death actually provides clues that could lead to the killer. Shannon has her ah-ha moment at what could have been a very inopportune time but she gets help from a surprising person until the calvary shows up to drag the guilty party away.

I did enjoy the subplot at the Veterans’ Village and the three porch pirates. Good people do good things to help people in need. This “village” has been a wonderful place for Lighthouse Cove and veterans with homes, education, jobs, and more. Shannon has a fantastic idea to light the place up for Christmas to bring awareness to visitors and joy and celebration for the residents. It is a special place for both Shannon and Mac and I love that we get to tag along when they visit.

The Knife Before Christmas is a festive whodunit with tons of good holiday feels. I had a delightful time in Lighthouse Cove with genuine and engaging characters who loved Christmas just as much as I do. The mystery was very well-plotted so that the community and family holiday spirit shines as the killer is brought to justice. It was “quite a Christmas” including a Christmas miracle or two.

In this cozy mystery, Shannon is in charge of the construction and restoration of a big deal local hotel. She is even helping them build a giant Christmas carnival on the grounds, complete with a carousel. But when murder strikes, can Christmas be saved?

This is a fun cozy mystery series, with a strong female lead character. The supporting characters are complicated and interesting, and the romances are sweet. The setting is fantastic, especially the carnival, and the mystery is a good one. I would recommend this book.

Shannon Hammer, a hard-working contractor, eagerly anticipates a respite from her demanding schedule with her fiancé, Mac. However, her plans are disrupted once again by a murder, so relaxation is certainly not in the cards for Shannon. Over the past few years, Shannon has honed her skills in solving murders, becoming an adept detective.

This book is set during the Christmas season, a time that usually evokes feelings of warmth and coziness. Unfortunately, the current murder, coupled with the presence of unhappy family members at the site where Shannon has taken a smaller job, casts a pall of gloom over the festive atmosphere.

I binge read this series and it work out that this last book was my favorite and one scene even made me cry. I guess I have about a year to see Shannon, Mac, Eric, Chloe and the others again.

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The day after Thanksgiving heralds the start of the Christmas season for Lighthouse Cove, California, and the entire town kicks into high gear with an abundance of holiday festivals and business events. The historic hotel Cliffs Hotel has built its reputation on over-the-top celebrations, and this year the Garrison family are hosting an old-fashioned carnival with its own antique carousel. Third-generation hotel owners Bill and Lillian Garrison are longtime friends of Shannon Hammer, and her family’s construction business has always been contracted to renovate and repair the massive estate. Shannon has grown up alongside the Garrison family, so she is very familiar with the adult children and their respective partners. Both Shannon and her sister Chloe may have briefly dated Logan Garrison, but he is now married to Randi, bestie to Shannon’s nemesis Whitney Reid Gallagher. Randi continually bah humbugs the senior Garrison’s plans to stage a friendly family competition to renovate another wing of their mansion, and her arrogant attitude definitely makes her a Scrooge in what should be a happy family reunion. At least Shannon and her bestselling author fiancé are able to embrace their own happy celebrations, which they share with their construction team and friends. This year Shannon and her friends have also managed to book highly sought-after reservations for one of the eight-course dinners taking place in the hotel’s gourmet restaurant every night until Christmas. Unfortunately, the discovery of a body endangers everyone’s holiday plans and jeopardizes the town’s happiest season of the year.

What makes this such an especially entertaining holiday mystery is that the murder doesn’t occur until about halfway through the novel, allowing readers to revel in the Christmas setting and homebuilding details. Gourmet meals, descriptions of priceless antiques and decorations, and the town’s festivals all make this the perfect setting for those looking for an ideal holiday read. This generous opening also permits the introduction and building up of the numerous new characters, who quickly become as familiar – and complicated - as Shannon and her Hammer Construction crew. Shannon’s adorable Westie Robbie is sure to please his fans, while her family and their partners bring along their own good cheer and support. Living in her hometown though also means that Shannon must always contend with her rivals and foes from high school, mean girls who never grew past their petty grievances and jealousies. Randi takes up much of this space vacated by the venomous Whitney, whose presence is thankfully brief and felt mostly through friendships with two of the Garrison women. Shining through this 11th of the series is love of the Christmas season and appreciation of family and friends, making this a warm-hearted, funny, and very rewarding holiday mystery.

The latest in the Fixer-Up mysteries is a fun holiday read. Mac and Shannon are on the case of the latest murder at Lighthouse Cove. All decked out for the holidays, the Cliffside resort has added a Fun Zone for families to enjoy during this most festive season. When a body is discovered in the wine cellar, investigation becomes key and some of the festivities take a back seat. Once again, Shannon and Mac along with their friends and family solve the mystery. Loved this installment. A fun read for the holidays.

This was another great installment of the fixer-upper series. As usual, Shannon and her crew have a job restoring a gorgeous old property and stumble upon a body. This time, the victim is a heretofore unknown mean girl friend of Whitney, Shannon's nemesis. While it was no biggie to lose a character nobody much liked, it took me out of the story a bit that Randi was supposedly somebody who Shannon had known all her life and had been mean to her, yet she'd never appeared in previous stories. Still, the mystery unfolded well, although I figured out who did it right away. That's a bit disappointing, but perhaps I just read too many of these! All in all, I enjoyed it.

Things are going well for Shannon as she and her team finish up some construction projects at the Cliffs before the holiday season. She is surrounded by good friends and a loving fiancé. So what if there are some “mean girls” who never grew out of it who revel in being snarky and demeaning. Shannon ignores them as much as possible but two of the three happen to be family members of the people who own the Cliffs so it is almost impossible to avoid them entirely. Then one of them is murdered and she, her fiancé and the chief of police find the body in a wine cellar.

The victim is a beauty but only on the outside. She is not a nice person and has managed to ruffle more than a few feathers both in the family and the staff that run the hotel. Even her husband, who has returned from a tour of duty, is fed up with her attitude. That means the list of suspects is long and involves a lot of people for whom Shannon cares.

A second murder ups the stakes but also provides the clues that will uncover the killer. The villain is not going to go without a fight but does not reckon with the anger of one of the victim’s friends. It is a nice tight mystery with lots of family dynamics and makes for a highly enjoyable read. Five purrs and two paws up.

The Knife Before Christmas is another classic cozy mystery with a Christmas vibe. Shannon and Mac are back and it’s Christmas in Lighthouse Cove. Shannon and her crew are helping old friends set up their annual holiday fair and it’s a whole family affair. But not all the family is in the holiday spirit and pretty soon, Shannon does what she does best—stumbles upon a dead body. Like always she has to follow the clues to help solve the mystery.

If you’ve read the others in the series, this is a cute, easy read. If you aren’t up on this one, it’s probably going to seem boring to you.

This was a fun holiday cozy mystery. Apparently it is part of a series but I read it as a stand alone and it was fine. The author did a great job setting the holiday scene and really got me in the spirit. I wish there was a Cliffside Inn I could visit. The characters were likable and I would read more books about them. The mystery was predictable and didn't even begin til midway through the book. I would recommend this one for the holiday fun but not the mystery.

Welcome to a Lighthouse Cove Christmas. Shannon is working at the Cliffs Hotel to create a Christmas carnival midway with old style games, a carousel and Santa.
The build up to the murder is slow. It doesn’t happen until after 50%. That’s okay because we have a lovely time settling into the story, learning about the Cliffs and the family. The reader is reminded of those who are nice and those who are naughty (the mean girls).
There is more about the Homefront, the tiny home village for veterans. And a Christmas celebration there.
The mystery and death are a big part of the second half of the book. The last chapter reveals the killer.
As the description doesn’t reveal the person who dies, it seems best to be vague about how the mystery plays out. I love the part where Mac and Shannon connect with Scooby Doo type vibes.
I enjoyed reading The Knife Before Christmas. I would recommend it.
This is the first time this series has been printed in hardcover.
Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read this book.

I always enjoy Kate Carlise’s cozy mysteries, and The Knife Before Christmas was no exception. We get to visit Lighthouse Cove at Christmas where Shannon Hammer and her crew are creating a Victorian carnival midway on the grounds of the Cliffs Hotel. I loved the descriptions of the hotel and the midway (I wish it was in my town). The carousel was a great addition. The story is easy to read with great characters. Shannon and Mac make a great couple. I enjoy the interactions between them. I like Shannon’s relationship with her crew. I find it funny that the guys do not like to borrow her pink tools. I appreciated that the whodunit did not take place at the beginning of the story. We get to learn about the carnival and spend time there, enjoy the local Christmas festivities, and catch-up characters. I had an idea who would die and who would do the deed, but I did not know why. I enjoyed following Shannon as she asked questions and searched for clues. There is a twist or two along the way as well as with some strategically placed clues for an armchair detective like me. I like that Shannon and Mac work together to solve mysteries by playing their Scooby Doo game. I was sorry when my visit to Lighthouse Cove came to an end. I hope I get to return soon. The Knife Before Christmas is a festive story with a regal hotel, a clever carnival, a delightful dinner with friends, an adorable carousel, Scooby Doo for two, and a cheery Christmas.

Shannon Hammer isn’t slowing down for Christmas. As the head of her own contracting business, she is willing to take on assignments close to the holidays, especially when it’s for such a good cause. The Garrison family have run a local Cliffs Hotel for many, many years. It’s where the residents of Lighthouse Cove as well as tourists come to celebrate good food, good friends, and the Christmas spirit. Last year, the Garrisons installed a train for the holiday season. This year, they’re installing an antique carousel, and they’ve asked Shannon and her crew to create a Victorian-style midway that features booths for games and snacks to go along with it.

Most of the Garrison kids and their spouses worked at the hotel. Logan was the oldest, who was in the military, but his wife Randi worked in the restaurant and was taking courses to become a sommelier. Arabella was the middle child and in charge of the hotel’s day spa, and she was married to Franco, the chef. The youngest Garrison was Stephanie, manager of the hotel, and she was married to Craig, who was the manager of the hotel’s bar. Shannon wanted to like them all, but Randi and Arabella were good friends with the woman who had stolen her high school boyfriend and still acted like she and her friends were high school mean girls.

But she could try to stay out of their way, for the most part, as she was working on the midway booths. However, it will be more difficult when they start on the hotel’s next project, where each couple gets to redesign a part of the hotel, and Shannon and her team will complete the redesign according to their ideas. The Garrison parents were trying to get their kids more invested in the hotel, and they added an extra incentive of a cash prize to the favorite redesign.

But when Shannon stumbles on the dead body of Randi in the hotel basement, the holiday celebrations are put on hold for the investigation. And when Shannon realizes that the murderer borrowed her pink-handled drywall knife as the murder weapon, she has extra motivation to wrap up the killer before Santa comes.

The Knife Before Christmas is book 11 in Kate Carlisle’s Fixer-Upper Mysteries that focus on the restoration of Victorian houses and businesses in California. Contractor Shannon Hammer solves mysteries that show up on or near her projects along with the help of her team, her fiancé Mac, her sister Chloe, and the local sheriff. She is known for quality work and her pink tools, as well as her knack for finding killers.

I really liked the Christmas theme for this mystery, which is good, because the holiday theme started right away but the mystery didn’t get started until the story was well underway. There were a lot of things happening in the book before the murder, but it was a fun story with lots of Christmas spirit. I read these books as much for the restoration and construction work (HGTV fan) as for the murder mysteries, so I didn’t mind the late entrance of the victim, but I think it was almost 50% of the way in. So that’s something to keep in mind if you’re someone who likes your cozy mysteries with a crime right away. But I like these characters, I was ready for some holiday cheer, and I had a great time with The Knife Before Christmas, even though I didn’t actually get to play Bonk the Christmas Bunny.

Egalleys for The Knife Before Christmas were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.

3.5 stars, actually.

Despite not being a huge fan of cozy mysteries, this series is a favorite - largely because for once the main character is a real woman, not a ditzy female who never listens to reason, and the stories always are intriguing and relatively fast-paced. This one, too, was enjoyable, but it was noticeably lacking in the usual pizzazz.

Yes, there's a murder in the small California coastal town of Lighthouse Cove (make that two murders, in fact); but those events take up a only a few pages - the rest mostly filled with characters running around talking about how much they like (or dislike) each other. Even the relatively brief reference to a current real-life trend (a particular concern for online shoppers) ends up with a not-quite-realistic conclusion and seems more like an afterthought than part of the plot.

Shannon Hammer is an accomplished builder with her own construction firm (for those not familiar with the series, yes, that's her real last name). It won't be long till she marries her true love, MacKintyre Sullivan, who's a successful writer of mystery novels (though it's a mystery to me when he finds the time to do much writing). This book takes place a few weeks before Christmas, so the small town is gearing up for the season. That's especially true at the Cliffs Hotel, a restored (much of it by Shannon and her team) Victorian mansion owned by Bill and Lilian Garrison, who apparently have money to burn and are by all accounts the most lovable people on the planet. Bill has asked Shannon to create a "Fun Zone" to entertain locals and tourists for the holidays, and there's plenty of enthusiasm and hoopla surrounding that.

The Garrisons have three grown children, all married to other characters - some of them are perfect like the parents/in-laws, some way at the other end of the lovable spectrum. One beloved son, Logan, has been away as an officer in the U.S. Navy and just returned home, to the delight of everyone. His wife, Randi, is one of the nasties - she can't seem to tolerate anyone except herself, and Shannon is at the top of her enemy list. Since she's married to the son of the resort owners, though, she's been given a relatively cushy job despite everyone's dislike of her (and she of them). No big surprise, then, when she turns up as the first murder victim.

At this point, I can't reveal much more without spoiling things for others, so I'll say simply that, like almost all cozy mysteries, there's a happy ending (well, except for those two dead people). If you're already a fan of this series, do read it - it may not be my favorite, but it's definitely worth it. If this will be your first, I suggest starting with an earlier book (but then that's what I suggest to all new-to-a-series readeers). As for me, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

I enjoyed this book. I don't always remember to read everyone in the series, but I never feel lost when I find the next in the series. This is one of my favorite authors however. I like the MC and the setting. The mystery kept me guessing. I like how things do move forward in the books.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have really enjoyed this series from the beginning so of course I was thrilled to spend more time with Shannon, Mac, Chloe, and Eric. I loved the Christmas-y feels and all the usual holiday busyness. I was so glad that Shannon's nemesis, Whitney, didn't have a lot of page time and there was enough conflict with Randi and Arabella.

The mystery is a good one. Pretty much everyone wanted to kill the victim so it's really a matter of figuring out who had the biggest motive. I did guess the who but I wasn't completely sure until the very end and I wasn't sure of the motive. There's also a small subplot involving porch pirates which is an issue a lot of people have to deal with around the holidays.

I really enjoyed meeting the Garrisons and figuring out their complicated relationships. I did miss the active work site aspect that normally features in this series. I also had some issues with how the porch pirate subplot was resolved and the ending of the book in general. It felt a bit rushed and like there were too many revelations at one time. Despite these issues I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish and look forward to reading more from this author.

I just finished The Knife before Christmas by Kate Carlisle and here are my thoughts.

Shannon is a contractor in the small town of Lighthouse cove and she got the contract to renovate the local hotel! Things are great until a local mischief maker is found dead and it’s up to Shannon to save Christmas.

DISCLAIMER! This is book 11 in the fixer-upper mystery series but this book worked well as a standalone but you will get so much more out of the book if you have read the first 10.

TOO CUTE TO POOT!!! I love a good cozy mystery and I actually discovered this series about 9 months ago and I started on book 5… I know, weird right but it set me on a mission to binge all 10 books before this one dropped. I love Shannon. She blasts all stereotypes of women and is so dang relatable!

You will get a small town mystery with a huge dash of christmas and that already ticks all the boxes for me. The writing is eloquent and easy to follow. It's like a hallmark movie but BETTER and I love hallmark movies.

What didn’t I like? Well, the chapters were a bit long which isn’t really a problem but I can’t think of anything else I didn’t like!

I love the characters. I feel like I am meeting up with old friends, yes I am that pathetic. Sue me. I love the hotel and the plot was exactly what I needed.

4.5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleypublishing for my gifted copy! Due out October 22nd 2024

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Christmas is rapidly approaching in picturesque Lighthouse Cove. Nothing says that better than finding out what delightful and exciting surprise event Bill and Lillian Garrison have dreamed up for the Garrison Hotel. Each year’s event seems to top the last, and this year is no exception. They have purchased a beautiful, fully functional carousel to put under a giant circus tent that will also hold various gaming booths, rides, etc. just as a regular carnival would – and it is all open to the public. Shannon Hammer and her crew have been hired to make it all come together. The job goes smoothly and delightfully – until one evening during a special event when the lights go out – all of them – and when Shannon turns the breaker back on, there is a body – a very dead body.

With Sheriff Bill and his crew investigating – and another body turning up – things are getting heated. Will the murderer strike again? Will all of the Christmas festivities have to be canceled? With no clues, will the murderer be caught?

I was quickly sure who would be the victim or the murderer, but it was still interesting to find out which—and why. The mystery was a bit slow starting, but that was okay because the focus was on the Christmas festivities, the carnival project, and other local activities.

This was a lovely, quick, fun read with an interesting mix of characters, events – and crimes. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Knife Before Christmas is book 11 in the Fixer-Upper Mystery series by Kate Carlisle.
This is a fun and interesting cozy mystery with well established characters.
A wonderful plot with lots of moving parts to keep you entertained and intrigued as the parts start to come together into a intriguing and vivid story that is easy to follow.
Great story line, great mystery, and I’m already eagerly waiting for the next installment.
The characters were an absolute pleasure to read about. They were funny, normal, and realistic enough that I genuinely adored them.
The mystery is wonderfully plotted. And the setting is riveting.
I will for sure be going back in this series to catch up on.

Thank You NetGalley and Berkley for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!