What do you think?
Rate this book
Henry Kennis Mystery #4
Nantucket Red Tickets
"Axelrod and his protagonist bring an amused, judicious, and ultimately tolerant eye to the foibles large and small of a mixed Santa's bag of characters." ― Kirkus Reviews It's Christmas Eve on Nantucket and prominent businessman Jackson Blum is about to live out his own version of A Christmas Carol . No visions, no ghosts, just the past, represented by the exhumed skeleton of his old partner Ted Coddington with a bullet from Blum's Ruger pistol in its skull; the present, in the form of a horribly mistreated employee who reveals Blum as the Scrooge he is; and the future, invoked by a family crisis that threatens to ruin the rest of his life. Past, Present and Future, all colliding on the same dark night of the soul. Nantucket Police Chief Henry Kennis is investigating the so-cold Coddington case with Blum as the main suspect while he roots out a plot to rig the traditional five-thousand-dollar Red Tickets raffle and struggles to close down a local opioid dealer who's selling to high school kids from a house on Tuckernuck Island―a bleak vista of wild moors, dirt roads, and unpainted homes a century old. "It's a time machine," says Kennis. With a whaling history. Henry's own son has been accused of cheating, his daughter's been pushed out of the high school a capella singing group, and his girlfriend's Christmas play is careening toward disaster. It looks like a calamitous holiday for everyone. All the scandals, tragedies, and intrigues of the season close in on Blum and Kennis as the two of them face off amid the carolers and colored lights. Finally, there's nothing to save the modern-day Scrooge from his terrifying future but a decades-old secret scribbled on a stolen slip of paper, and the uncertain mercy of the son he's lost. But it's Christmas, and as the snow finally starts to fall on the decorated trees that line Main Street, it's just possible that all sins will be forgiven and all sinners redeemed. God Bless us, every one.
336 pages, Paperback
Published November 7, 2017
36 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Steven Axelrod
12 books15 followersSteven Axelrod holds an MFA in writing from Vermont College of the Fine Arts and as a former Hollywood screenwriter is still a member of the Writers Guild of America. A father of two, he lives on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, where he paints houses and writes.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 13, 2017
2 stars
Jackson Blum murders his business partner Ted Coddington in 1997. He hastily buries him replaying their earlier fight in a restaurant in his mind all the while. He scurries about trying to set up Ted’s “suicide.” He steals the codicil to Ted’s will that leaves his half of the business to his wife Anna. He steals the suicide note as proof should he need it that Ted committed suicide (does it never occur to him that Ted couldn’t bury himself?).
In 2017 a skeleton is discovered while digging a basement. Police Chief Henry Kennis is attending the scene and telling the story from his own point of view. At the same time, Santa Claus whose real name is Homer Boyce has disappeared. Once Homer is located – and the red suit – Kennis reluctantly agrees to step in as Santa at Jackson Blum’s store. Of course, Blum is as rude as ever about the whole thing.
The novel goes on from there.
There are way too many chatty asides about Kennis’ children and other uninteresting things in this novel. While it is well written, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it is well plotted. There is too much cozy and not enough action for me. It is way too slow-paced. I would imagine it’s a very fine book for those who like cozy mysteries. Sorry, I just didn’t enjoy it that much. I won’t be looking into any other Steven Axelrod novels.
I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.
Jackson Blum murders his business partner Ted Coddington in 1997. He hastily buries him replaying their earlier fight in a restaurant in his mind all the while. He scurries about trying to set up Ted’s “suicide.” He steals the codicil to Ted’s will that leaves his half of the business to his wife Anna. He steals the suicide note as proof should he need it that Ted committed suicide (does it never occur to him that Ted couldn’t bury himself?).
In 2017 a skeleton is discovered while digging a basement. Police Chief Henry Kennis is attending the scene and telling the story from his own point of view. At the same time, Santa Claus whose real name is Homer Boyce has disappeared. Once Homer is located – and the red suit – Kennis reluctantly agrees to step in as Santa at Jackson Blum’s store. Of course, Blum is as rude as ever about the whole thing.
The novel goes on from there.
There are way too many chatty asides about Kennis’ children and other uninteresting things in this novel. While it is well written, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it is well plotted. There is too much cozy and not enough action for me. It is way too slow-paced. I would imagine it’s a very fine book for those who like cozy mysteries. Sorry, I just didn’t enjoy it that much. I won’t be looking into any other Steven Axelrod novels.
I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.
February 26, 2018
I love the mix of place, characters, and mood in this Nantucket-based mystery series. The fact that author Steven Axelrod makes his home on Nantucket gives this an added reality -- that folks who simply visit this island, buy stuff from over-priced stores, or maintain a home there rarely experience (or, possibly, care about). I also like the continued development in the series of Henry's family and romantic attachment. I also like the addition to the family! The various story threads could continue in future books, which would be very interesting and which I look forward to.
What I didn't like, and which caused me to rate the book just 4 stars, is the sloppy copy editing. The number of dropped words -- and there were several -- takes away from the reading flow. Late in the book, I came across an instance of two words repeated twice in a sentence. Within the context of that passage, this clearly was not Mr. Axelrod's writing style, but rather, simply poor editing. Sadly, this seems to be happening more and more frequently in books. As a former editor and journalist, this decline in editing quality takes away from my enjoyment of the book.
Looking forward to reading book #5!
What I didn't like, and which caused me to rate the book just 4 stars, is the sloppy copy editing. The number of dropped words -- and there were several -- takes away from the reading flow. Late in the book, I came across an instance of two words repeated twice in a sentence. Within the context of that passage, this clearly was not Mr. Axelrod's writing style, but rather, simply poor editing. Sadly, this seems to be happening more and more frequently in books. As a former editor and journalist, this decline in editing quality takes away from my enjoyment of the book.
Looking forward to reading book #5!
January 6, 2018
There were many things I enjoyed about this book and a few that I didn't like so much. For the most part, I thought the story was witty and charming, the characters were original and entertaining and the story kept me turning pages, but the timeline had me going a bit in some spots.
I like books that raise lots of questions for the reader to answer and this one did that. I did feel like some of the resolutions to said questions were often a bit convenient, but overall this was still a good book and one that you won't forget right away when you finish it. I also liked the descriptive nature of the author's writing and found it easy to imagine that I was there, in place of the characters.
If you enjoy crime fiction that will keep you wondering what's going to happen next, you will most likely enjoy this book. Recommended.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I like books that raise lots of questions for the reader to answer and this one did that. I did feel like some of the resolutions to said questions were often a bit convenient, but overall this was still a good book and one that you won't forget right away when you finish it. I also liked the descriptive nature of the author's writing and found it easy to imagine that I was there, in place of the characters.
If you enjoy crime fiction that will keep you wondering what's going to happen next, you will most likely enjoy this book. Recommended.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
February 25, 2018
I have enjoyed reading the Henry Kennis series, and this one has a very nice Christmas oriented story line. Along those lines, there is a lot of focus on family relationships along with the story of a cold case murder and a drug case. I read it from end to end in one sitting, and it was a pleasant well-paced story. Interestingly, he left out the violence and heroics component in this one, and it worked well.
The only downside of this story was the excessive level of anti-rich screen in the first third of the book. The low point being when father and son come to the conclusion that you can't belittle people based on enthnicity or other factors, but it is wonderful to make fun of people based on wealth. I understand his perspective, but it seemed kind of overboard before he got around to focus on the real story.
The very happy Christmas ending, and mildly surprising positive change in family relations were enjoyable.
The only downside of this story was the excessive level of anti-rich screen in the first third of the book. The low point being when father and son come to the conclusion that you can't belittle people based on enthnicity or other factors, but it is wonderful to make fun of people based on wealth. I understand his perspective, but it seemed kind of overboard before he got around to focus on the real story.
The very happy Christmas ending, and mildly surprising positive change in family relations were enjoyable.
December 1, 2017
15 days for one book shy of 300 pages give it take. Not bad.. I'm not entirely sure if Mr Steven Axelrod is a island native, or just a long established "wash a shore". Either way, he definitely did his homework as far as source material. He mentions the town dump (not that hard to come up with), some streets here, beach areas, etc. At first u might not expect that underneath this book based on an actual annual event & an unsolved case from '97, that there lies within the classic Christmas Story. At the end of it all, everyone from the "Scrooge" character Jackson Blum to the Kennis Family where given a 2nd chance at life or the case of Police Chief Henry Kennis's family.. happiness. Even though this book was my introduction in Mr Axelrod's work, I hope that we get more from him in the form of Henry Kennis based books.
August 28, 2018
Love, love, love this series. Can't wait for the next one. This has the continuing cast of characters and takes place on Nantucket Island. We once again follow the Nantucket Police Chief Henry Kennis and his two kids and crazy police department as they mosy through the Nantucket version of "A Christmas Carol." Playing the part of Scrooge is Jackson Blum, a well-off business owner on the island. He gets to visit his past, present and future. I really enjoyed the ending. It had a happy Christmas ending for all. Henry is investigating a decades-old murder case after a body is uncovered during some construction. He also gets to investigate shenanigans going on at his kids' school while at the same time trying to join his family with girlfriend, Jane's family. Great read!
November 7, 2017
Henry Kennis has a lot going on - it seems like everything rotten is converging on Nantucket at Christmas, up to and including his effort to close a long standing cold case involving a locally prominent businessman, Jackson Blum, who may have murdered his partner years ago. All the real problems are here- opioids, teenagers, minor corruption, envy, and so on. Kennis has a personal life- and his kids' problems are part of the story. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. I'd not read this series before but I enjoyed it. This is for fans of those who like mysteries with small town police chiefs.
December 20, 2017
Really liked the characters, they were real and had depth. I did have trouble with the time line, I was sick when I read this and it may be my fever that added to my confusion, but somethings did't run in line.
June 12, 2018
Don't know what to say about this book....it held my attention, plot was ok, but didn't really grab me as a possible favorite series...jury is still out on this...maybe try one more soon...
July 9, 2018
Fun mystery with not too deep but likable characters. I think I liked the setting on Nantucket most and wonder how authentic the picture of the island's culture and residents is.
October 10, 2020
enjoyable novel, even better if you have ever been to ACK
July 14, 2021
More like 'A Christmas Carol' than a Nantucket mystery.
December 18, 2022
3 1/2 *
Better than average but not particularly engrossing
Better than average but not particularly engrossing
February 18, 2024
Good writing, good plot, good character development. Enjoying the travels around Nantucket… In hopes of visiting one day. Especially like the police chief… He’s a rich character.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews