by: Kim Harrington
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: September 22, 2026
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Wrapped in red has a bloody new meaning in this contemporary holiday romance with a murderous twist, perfect for readers who enjoyed The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year.
Christmasville, Maine, is the only place where Kelsey Hendricks has ever felt happy. When she loses both her job and her boyfriend, the move is a no-brainer, especially when she sees a listing for a position as Christmasville’s social media manager. Surrounded by twinkling lights and candy canes and with the perfect job, this tinsel town is working its magic on Kelsey. With two heartthrobs vying for her attention, her life is now just like a Christmas movie.
Except for the murders.
The first one is dismissed as an accident. But after the second, and definitely the third, it becomes abundantly clear that Santa is leaving coal in someone’s stocking this year.
Determined to bring back the holly jolly spirit to the town before tourists begin canceling their reservations, Kelsey must sleuth her way out of a chilling murder mystery and back to a holiday rom-com.
This charming and clever mystery-romance where a cozy winter wonderland warms the heart while suspense chills the bones is the perfect read for the holiday season.
I’m excited! I’m so happy that the book that has only lived in my head is finally making its way out into the world. Thank you so much for having me!
You’re welcome. Congratulations on the release of A Killer for Christmas. Can you please tell me what readers can expect from it?
Thank you! A KILLER FOR CHRISTMAS is about a woman who moves to a Christmas-themed tourist town for a fresh start, and the picture-perfect charm is chipped away by a series of murders. I like to say it’s what would happen if a Hallmark Christmas movie had a serial killer, except cozy in tone.
I like the sound of that. Tell me about some of the characters we’ll meet in A Killer for Christmas.
Kelsey is a 28-year-old social media manager who, for REASONS, decides to uproot her life and move to the Christmas-themed tourist town she always loved visiting as a child. She manages the town’s socials and reports to Mayor Carol who is a bit eccentric (think the Jaws mayor on spiked eggnog). Kelsey soon finds herself balancing interest from two men—Ellison, owner of the local bookstore, and Aaron, an outsider like her who may have come to the town for nefarious reasons. Kelsey is trying to find her place in her new town, but someone keeps, ahem, killing people and shaking up her snow globe of perfection.
Did you base Christmasville, Maine off of a real city, or is it all a product of your imagination?
I took some inspiration from other tourist towns in New England that dress up for Christmas (Newport, Kennebunkport, Mystic) but made Christmasville smaller and quirkier. The town celebrates the holiday all year round, so I really went over the top with the theme. And had a lot of fun doing it!
You usually write books for kids and teens. Was your approach to writing an adult book different?
My tools were the same. Before I start writing, I come up with a loose outline and do detailed character sketches (personalities, possible motives, etc). But when it comes down to the actual writing, my characters in my middle-grade books were having different challenges than the ones in my young adult novels, and now my first adult novel.
What drew you to writing cozy mysteries, with a little romance?
I love reading all kinds of mysteries, from cozy to dark thrillers, but I also enjoy reading a romcom now and then too. So I thought it would be really fun to combine some romcom elements with a mystery novel.
Final question. Do you have a favorite scene you can tell us about?
I had fun taking well-loved tropes and twisting them. For example, when people think about the Thanksgiving table, they expect the tradition of everyone taking a turn to say what they are thankful for. In my Thanksgiving scene, everyone takes a turn saying who they think the town’s killer is. It was a really fun (and funny!) scene to write.
Kim, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for me.
Thanks so much for having me!
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Kim Harrington is the author of A Killer for Christmas, her debut adult mystery, as well as Clarity, Perception, The Dead and Buried, and Forget Me for teens and Revenge of the Red Club, the Sleuth or Dare series, and Gamer Squad series for younger readers. Her books have been sold to ten countries and optioned for television. She lives in Massachusetts with her family, where she’s hard at work on her next mystery novel.
Places to find Kim Harrington:
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Thanks so much for interviewing me!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Thank you for stopping by. A Killer for Christmas sounds like a really good story. I love romance with my cozy mysteries.
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