Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.

THE KNIFE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is the eleventh book in the Fixer-Upper Mysteries by Kate Carlisle. As usual, the author brings the charming characters to life and the holiday theme only ramps up the “feel goodness” of the story. Shannon Hammer is a terrific protagonist! Not only does she own a construction company and knows how to do every aspect of the job, but she’s also one of the most caring people you’ll meet on the page, whether they be family, friend, employee, or client. When issues arise with her newest job, renovating a local family-owned hotel and building a holiday-themed carnival on the grounds, Shannon is the first one to jump in and find solutions. The only problem is it’s a couple of the family members creating the problems, which leads to murder.

While the mystery is slow to start, Ms. Carlisle paints such inviting scenes and character interactions (aside from a couple of the characters) the first half of the book, that I felt like this was more like a Hallmark Christmas story…all warm and cozy and full of holiday cheer. But once the murder happens, Shannon is on the case, hunting down clues, and working with local law enforcement to quickly solve it. There were some twists, and the clues were strategically placed for the armchair detective to follow. This is another wonderful addition to a well-loved series, full of Christmas merriment!

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The setting of this story was probably the very best part of the story. As I read about the Carnival at the Garrison hotel, I couldn't help but be swept into the story, imaging the grandeur and wonder. I need to find a town like that for my own Christmas trip because the author made it sound fabulous. The characters were pretty great too, especially Shannon, Lillian and Bill. Shannon was a particular favorite because she had built a niche in a male dominated field even earning two silly nicknames - Drywall Queen and Grommet Girl. Lillian and Bill were both so kind and lovely and fit perfectly into the lovely Christmas scene they created for the town. Having the children participate was a stroke to genius because kids always get anxious at Christmas.
The rest of the Garrison family one or two in-laws were much tougher to deal with and you just had a gut feeling that when things blew, they would be involved. Randi was particularly loathsome and didn't deserve the war hero who made a job helping vets.
That said, it took a long time for the mystery to get going. I need the mystery elements in a book and generally think that should occur before I have read 25% of the book. Beautiful scenes are worth reading when done right especially with the holiday twist. I have been waffling on where this book stacks up. I would honestly put it in the low 3’s and then round down for stars because it has not been my favorite cozy. It was not bad and if you are invested in this series then give it a whirl. Also, if you are not as invested in getting to the mystery and want to journey into a beautiful holiday story, you might enjoy it. I need the mystery.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC.

First off, thank you to Netgalley and Kate Carlisle for allowing me to read this ARC of the newest Fixer Upper Mystery.

I'm so happy to be back in Shannon Hammer's world again. This time, Shannon and her crew are fixing up a cool Victorian carnival for the Garrisons Hotel. They call it the Fun Zone and have many fun games and rides and even recruited Steve to be Santa!

But not all fun and games when the daughter in law of Bill and Lillian shows up dead in the cellar. It's up to the Scooby do crew to find the killer before more people are killed.

Great story, I thought it felt more sweet than usual, similar to her Bibliophile series. My only weird complaint is I feel like she always said Bill's full name every time he came into the picture.

I can't wait for the next one! And maybe we'll have a wedding or two in it!!

4.5 stars rounded up

Big disclaimer: I like Kate Carlisle's style of writing but I've only read the first book in the series so I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it but I really did!

The Knife Before Christmas is another great book written by Kate Carlisle that follows Shannon, a contractor working on the Cliffs Hotel in the charming town of Lighthouse Cove. She is having to deal with tough personalities during her job including the ghastly Randi who is the daughter-in-law of the owner of the Cliffs Hotel. Randi is found murdered and Shannon's curiosity takes over which makes her play the "Scooby-Doo" game, trying to figure out whodunit.

I thought this book was very clever and fun. The setting was warm and cozy and I liked the mystery a lot. I got to know the characters very quickly because I haven't read the whole series but I thought the book was very easy to follow and the mystery was challenging enough. I really liked the character growth that we see in this book. I'm sure it must be a really nice payoff for the people who've been following the series for a long time. I'm for sure going to pick up the other books in this series to check them all out. The only thing I did not like was how long the chapters are, I wish the chapters were shorter so it would be easier for me to ready. Even with that I highly recommend this for the cozy vibes and for people who enjoy a great cozy mystery!

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Kate Carlisle for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Knife Before Christmas by Kate Carlisle is a Christmas Cozy set in the world of Shannon Hammer, as she and her crew finish up a Christmas Carnival on the grounds of the Cliffs Hotel, owned by the Garrison family. This was a very enjoyable read, as she and her boyfriend Mac and family and friends become embroiled in Garrison family life and finally a murder. This is a welcome addition to the Fixer-Upper Mystery series.

While I enjoyed the mystery of the story, I feel like the character of Whitney was very overdone in this book-- she didn't even physically show up in the book (I don't believe she did or if she did, it was only once). I understand that she's not the nicest of people, but I feel that more than half of the book was about her instead of focusing more on the mystery or having Shannon and her girl gang get together and talk about their lives. I missed that in this book... I always love hearing about how all those background characters (and their families/ significant other) are doing!

I've happily read all the books in this series, but I'm sorry to say this outing just doesn't meet the usual standard. The writing was very choppy and juvenile, the exposition was stilted and very long, and the mystery is hardly investigated. I was very disappointed, but I'd probably still read the next and hope for a return to form.

Shannon's adventures are always fun to follow! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy of this so I could get a head-start on murder solving with her! All opinions are my own.

The Knife Before Christmas, the 11th and newest book in Kate Carlisle's irresistible A Fixer-Upper Mystery Book series, is an enjoyable read for fans of the series. I especially love when Shannon interacts with Mac and her other friends; I have become so attached to the whole group. I like that the lives of the group are dynamic with small appropriate developments with every book. I adore the fact that Shannon's tools are all pink, so she is sure to get them back. The lighthearted relationship between the contractor and her team adds to my attachment to the series.
I am a holiday fan so getting to participate in the plans for The Cliff's hotel Christmas festivities made things even more fun in spite of the murders that come with every book. It is after all, a cozy mystery.

#NetGalley #BerkleyPublishingGroup #KateCarlisle #AFixer-UpperMysteryBook # The Knife Before Christmas.

Kate Carlisle sure knows how to writes the perfect Christmas scene in the picturesque Lighthouse Cove, the town is bursting at the seams with Yuletide greetings. The only thing that can bring down this epic Christmas celebration is a murder. The Knife Before Christmas is a fun cozy Christmas mystery that balances the right amount of Christmas cheer with the right amount of mayhem.

Review is posted on Goodreads and final review will be on instagram closer to publication date!

As wonderful as it is to be in Lighthouse Cove during the Christmas season, this installment of the
terrific series doesn’t quite measure up. The murder takes place well into the book and the victim is obvious from the start. This author is reliably top-notch so let’s hope the next book is a more intriguing effort.

I’m a very big fan of this series and I was thrilled to see that the book is finally being published in a hard cover format. However the book itself this time was very disappointing. The murder doesn’t take place until the book is halfway over, and you knew who was going to be murdered from the get go. There’s a lot of unnecessary fluff filler that just seems to go on and on, and a lot of repetition about the Gregory family . As far as the rivalry’s between the women, and Shannon’s enemies, this isn’t high school anymore. Get over it, be an adult, move on and stop letting it be a major plot point.
I do love the series concept however and hope the next book is better.

After so many pages of high school worthy mean girls gossip I stopped at Chapter 9. Yes, there was an unsolved murder but the victim had been portrayed as such a one dimensional monster you knew it was coming.

Shannon is in the holiday spirit when she is contracted to make a Victorian style carnival for a local hotel. Everything is going well until a few grinches get involved, and quite a bit of hotel family drama ensues. When one of them dies, she begins to wonder if Christmas it going to be ruined by murder. I really liked this book it has great characters and was flowing well with an interesting mystery. Until about 70% in. Then things seemed to become rushed and somewhat disjointed. With information from supposed conversions that never happen on page and seem to be out of the timeline order. Or saying something in one chapter and contradicting herself in the next. The last of the book the dialog also seemed to be taken over by a retro tween, with a LOT of Oh no's! and bummer's. It was weird. All in all a good book if not a bit confusing at the end.