The Blonde Before Christmas

A Barb Jackson Mystery

by Anna Snow

From author Anne Snow comes a holiday short story about a not-so-dumb blonde who may just be able to save Christmas...


Private Investigator Barb Jackson thought she'd seen it all. But when a last minute shopping excursion leads Barb and her best friend Kelly to a dead Santa Clause beneath the shopping mall Christmas tree, she realizes that not everyone in town is filled with holiday cheer. Jilted lovers, angry elves, and a whole slew of harried shoppers stand between Barb and the truth. But this is one blonde who won't give up that easily! It’s up to Barb and her friends to find the killer and save Christmas before the Santa Claus Killer claims another victim...


The Barb Jackson Mysteries:
Bubblegum Blonde (book #1)
Blondes' Night Out (short story in the "Killer Beach Reads" collection)
The Blonde Before Christmas (holiday short story)


What critics are saying about Anna Snow's books:


"This author knows suspense and how to place just the right amount of comedy to keep us reading. The combination is gripping and pulls a readers attention."
—Night Owl Reviews


"Will keep you spellbound until the very last page."
—The Romance Reviews


"A fast and enjoyable read, with plenty of emotion and passion."
—Dark Diva Reviews

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Novella, Fiction

85 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 3, 2015

About the author

Wife, mom, lipstick junkie, and USA Today Bestselling Author of The Barb Jackson Mysteries.

Reviews

[Sabine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little prequel to Bubblegum Blonde which is the first in the Barb Jackson mysteries. Barb and her friend Kelly are Christmas shopping in the mall and stumble upon a dead Santa under a Christmas tree.
So that the investigating police officer doesn't miss out on Christmas with his family she feels that she being a private investigator has to help him solve the case....
Well, once again a short mystery is always too short for me :) - I don't really like being rushed through the mystery without even really investigating or finding clues. What bothered me in this story a bit is that every man Barb meets is viewed by her as a potential boyfriend. Really girl? Are you that desperate? This was only 85 pages so I am off to read the official #1 book in the series which is twice as long and hope for a little more mystery investigation.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s almost Christmas and private investigator, Barb Jackson, is doing some last minute Christmas shopping with her best friends. When the mall’s Santa Clause is a no show, Barb is stunned when she spots his dead body under the mall’s Christmas tree. Barb is saddened when she realizes how this investigation is going to ruin the lead detective’s family holiday plans. With some help from her friends, Barb intends to crack this case to give the detective and his family the holiday celebration they deserve.

Barb Jackson is a great amateur sleuth. She has strength, drive, and enough humor to make this a light, enjoyable cozy mystery. This is a short novella which introduces us to this cast of characters. It can be read in just a few hours and will get you right into the holiday spirit. My only complaint is that it left me wanting more, which isn’t a bad thing.

I can’t wait for the first full length book in the series.

[Cecelia Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three days before Christmas Barb Jackson is meeting her best friends, Kelly and Mandy, at the mall for some last minute Christmas shopping. Mandy texted saying she was running late and to go on without her. Barb heads for the coffee shop and gets her coffee and a cinnamon roll while she waits for Kelly. After they do some shopping, they stop in the food court to have a slushy. The crowd waiting for Santa is backed up to the entrance door. Santa is not anywhere in sight. They decide to go around the back of the tree to avoid the crowd on their way out. As they pass the tree, Barb sees something sticking out of the tree. They have found the missing Santa and he is very dead. Barb is owner of Jackson Investigation. Kelly and Mandy also work with her. Kelly is also a private investigator and Mandy does the computer work. Barb cannot resist investigating who killed Santa so close to Christmas.

Anna Snow has created very likable characters and a great Christmas story. This story was way too short and I cannot wait to read the next Barb Jackson mystery!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

***THIS BOOK WAS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER/AUTHOR IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**

The Blonde Before Christmas by Anna Snow is a wonderful little holiday short about Barb, the blonde private investigator and her friends.

On the Eve of Christmas Eve, Barb is meeting her friends for some last minute shopping at the mall, and what does her wandering eye see? But Santa, under the tree.

Barb's curiosity will not allow her to leave this suspicious death in the hands of the police, she spends Christmas Eve with her friends, trying to solve the crime. And gets into mischief of her own.

A delightful read, and I can't wait for more.

**Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official.

[Morghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very fun story! The main character, Barb Jackson, is a private investigator with a penchant for sweets and a knack for stumbling onto dead bodies. When she and a friend find a dead Santa underneath the Christmas tree at the mall, they are immediately thrust into a whirlwind investigation to figure out whodunnit. This was a short and snappy novella that did a great job at introducing the characters and setting you up for future books in the series. I would definitely read more from this author!
I was given a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable short story! A Goodreads friend recommended this to me. I am glad he did. A good start to introduce the characters to the series. I am a "hand in book" kinda of girl but was content with this kindle download!

[Ilene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, cozy and short Christmas Mystery. A good introduction to a new series. Likeable characters. Can't wait to read more of this series.

Received an advanced copy for an honest review.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

short little cozy about a woman who finds a mall santa while christmas shopping. Santa's been murdered, and the killer does not appreciate Barb butting in.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing some last minute shopping before Christmas, Barb and Kelly find Santa under the large Christmas tree next to the Santa Claus display. How horrible for Santa to be so drunk that he is fast asleep under the tree when lots of little ones are waiting for him. As Barb gets closer though, she realizes that he is not asleep.

How could anyone do such a horrible thing to Santa just before Christmas. Barb is determined to find out what happened to him and there are plenty of suspects. Will she find out who did Santa in???

This was very well written - although a bit too short for my tastes but for a quick read on a rainy afternoon it's just right.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh no, here it is two days before Christmas and a nightmare has happened. Parents, ask your children to please leave the room and make sure they aren’t listening by the door. We will have to speak quietly and I’m going to say this in a whisper. Santa Claus has been murdered!

The horror of it all. Let me tell you what happened. Private Investigator Barb Jackson, owner of Jackson Investigators, went to the mall with her friend Kelly to do some last minute Christmas shopping. To say the mall was crowded would be an understatement. Kids were lined up waiting to see Santa himself but no one could find the jolly elf and the mall would be closing in an hour.

Barb and Kelly decided to head home but the last thing they wanted to do was get tangled in the sea of kids so they went the long way around, behind the Christmas tree. As the two friends were heading for the door Barb noticed something sticking out of the fake snow under the Christmas tree. Being a private investigator she’s naturally curious so she just had to see what that strange black object was in the fake snow. She was sorry she did. What Barb saw was a boot, a black boot attached to the very dead body of Santa Claus.

While Barb protected Santa’s body Kelly ran to get the mall police, hopefully someone competent. Within minutes the mall was closed. After all, it wouldn’t be wise to have the children see the season’s hero lying dead behind the Christmas tree, under some fake snow, lying in blood. No one should have to see something that tragic.

Well, thank goodness it wasn’t the real Santa, it was one of his helpers, Marvin Garvin, who was murdered. Not that it was good that Marvin was murdered but at least Santa would be able to make his yearly journey in two days.

But who killed Marvin and why? Barb started investigating even though Police Detective Smith told her not to. Barb felt bad that Detective Smith wouldn’t be sharing his last Christmas in this upstate New York town with his wife and son. The family would shortly be moving to California where his older parents needed him. Barb wanted to help solve this crime before Christmas for Detective Smith.

So the question remained: who killed Marvin Garvin and why? The “why” was easy. Barb found out that, like some of Santa’s helpers, Marvin liked his alcohol and he also liked the ladies. At the time of his death Marvin was on again/off again with three different women.

But who killed him? Was it a girlfriend? An ex girlfriend? An angry tot who never received his candy cane while waiting to speak to Santa? Well, with the help of her friends Mandy, Kelly, and her aunt Mona, Barb was going to find out who done the deed even if it killed her, which just might happen. She considered even letting Police Detective Smith help her.

“The Blonde Before Christmas” by Anna Snow is a cute little cozy novella that can be read lickety split. There aren’t any recipes but there is lots of food talk. What cozy doesn’t have food mentioned?

Private investigator Barb Jackson is a great lead character. She cares about others, is always looking for a good man (and who isn’t), loves to eat, a bit of a pushy broad, and very likable. She’s surrounds herself with her two best buddies who are always willing to help her investigate. Her aunt Mona works at the police department and occasionally bends the rules by giving Barb some inside information. It’s always good to have an insider helping an investigation.

There are few chuckles in this story and that appeals to me. I like a little laugh with my murder mysteries.

Author, Anna Snow has a slew of other cozies out there and I plan to read as many as I can.

Put your feet up for an hour and read “The Blonde Before Christmas.” But don’t let the kids know about the death of Santa’s helper. We don’t want to upset them. Oh, and you can let them back in the room now.

[Kat Lebo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blonde Before Christmas, A Barb Jackson Short Story
by Anna Snow

There are two novels in the Barb Jackson mystery series -- perhaps later also called the Bubblegum Blonde series (also the name of book one in the series). As this short is also called Barb Jackson 0.5, I'm assuming it is an intro to the series. It was definitely a short, as I read it in one simple sitting, probably about an hour of reading time.

The characters are well drawn, the plotting and pacing were excellent, the editing and proofreading top notch, and the mystery was a mystery right up to near end. A good mix of humor, action, and danger. While the main character is a bit to interested finding her next romance for my taste, that interest was the only hint of romance, which suited me just fine.

This book was put out by Gemma Halliday Publishing. Gemma Halliday is the author of the Spying in High Heels series, and the writing in this story reminded me a lot of Halliday's style. However, I could not find anything online indicating any pen names that Halliday might use, and her publishing company seems to represent many different authors, always of the romantic mystery or just plain romance types of novels, so I have no reason to believe Anna Snow and Gemma Halliday are one in the same person.

In this short story, the reader learns that the main character, Barb Jackson, and two of her friends, Mandy and Kelly, have formed a private investigating service, aided by their mutual friend and honorary aunt, Mona. The story starts out with a good backstory fill-in as Barb is thinking back over her life as she waits in a coffee shop for her friend, Kelly, to join her for some Christmas shopping just two days before Christmas. Once the shopping commences, it isn't long before the two friends notice that the mall Santa is absent from his area and that there are several impatient children and their families waiting in a very long line to see him. When they decide to leave the mall, they choose to go around behind the 'meet Santa' area to avoid the group waiting to meet Santa, and, of course, lo and behold, Barb discovers the Santa dead, hidden under the Christmas tree. From there we go through the chain of command, first an officer from the Security firm hired by the mall for the Christmas season, the mall manager, and finally the police officer in charge of the investigation into what certainly looks like a murder. He mentions that he is leaving the local police force to relocate to California in order to be closer to family, and that he was supposed to be leaving the force the following day, but now that he's been assigned this case, he will probably miss spending Christmas with his wife and children. Of course, our Barb feels sorry for him, and, besides, who wouldn't be interested in investigating a 'who killed Santa' case? So she and her group embark on their own investigation, despite being told the police will handle it. So begins the untangling of a very amorous Santa's tale that lands Kelly and Barb in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time, with the killer not just hot on their trail, but with both of them in definite danger of not surviving Christmas Eve.

This was a fun story, and set in exactly the same time frame as I was reading it (2 days before Christmas through Christmas itself). I'm not a fan of romance novels, and this short surely seemed to be headed in that direction, so I doubt I will read the two existing novels in the series. However, to all of you reading this review who are romance fans, I would say this could be a great series for you!

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this is a short story,it really packs a punch. Barb Jackson is a licensed private investigator. With the help of her friends they make a great team. On the morning of Christmas eve, Barb and her friend/partner Kelly, go to the mall to do some last minute Christmas shopping. After awhile of fighting the holiday shopping crowds,they decide to stop in the coffee shop,for a break and a snack. As they are sitting there they notice there is no Santa even though the line was long with eager children and their list. As they leave the mall,they try to avoid the crowd and decide to go around his tree. It is then that Barb turns around and something catches her eye under the tree. She goes closer to get a better look,and sees a black boot ....with a dead Santa attached !!! And thus begins the adventure.....who would want to kill Santa just before Christmas? And why? As the girls try to help the detectives assigned to the case,single girl Barb notices the dark haired handsome detective who will be replacing the lead detective when he leaves,and he is also noticing her .........from a distance.. This is a very good story,quick and easy to read... I can't wait for the next book to see what happens.. I highly recommend this book.

[moxieBK · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Blonde Before Christmas (a Barb Jackson Mystery short story) — Anna Snow (8 chapters) Jan. 8, 2017

Note: was originally read as part of a collection of holiday cozy mysteries called: “Cozy Christmas Shorts: holiday short story collection”.

This holiday cozy mystery short story turned out better than I thought it would. My issue? —> It has a protagonist that spends too much time (in the beginning of the story,) bemoaning the fact that she is single (and OK, then not really OK,) with it. After that short, distracting bit, the plot straightened out and became a very decent mystery, about a Santa ending up dead; and she and her partners figuring out who killed him.

The characters were likable, and the interactions between them good. This is a great mini mystery to entice readers to read more in the series. I certainly thought it was well written enough to interest me in the other books in the series.

Three stars.

[Danielle Eisner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. This was just a short introduction to the series. I can't wait to see what trouble Barb gets into next. I'm also excited to see more of the quiet detective that we just got a few glimpses of in this book. Future love interest maybe?

A dead mall Santa…I have to say the idea was pretty funny. I mean it was murder and all but still. I liked that Barb was already a private detective before the book started she has some experience under her belt. She wasn’t starting out as a newbie.

This was just a teaser but enough to make we excited for more books with Barb Jackson. I cant wait for the next one.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

PI Barb Jackson discovers a dead Santa at the Mall and this novella is all about how Barb and her friend, Kelly try to figure out whodunit! The Sheriff does not want he help and the head of Mall security is over helpful. Santa had a whole slew of ex-girlfriends that could have been the killer burt
Barb keeps digging until the real killer decides to try and silence her and Kelly.

This is a quick read and it keeps you interested until the end.

4 Stars

I bought this book with my own money.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barb discovers the dead body of a Santa, under the Christmas tree, two days before Christmas at the mall. When she learns that Det. Smith is in charge in may miss Christmas with his family because of when the body was found she decides to help. Barb and Kelly return the next morning to the mall to investigate. They tell the Det. Smith they are there to finish shopping, he doesn't believe them. He tells them that knows they were investigating because he was watching them on the security feed to the mall and lets them help.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Santa has been murdered in the mall and his boots are sticking out from under the Christmas Tree.
Barb and Kelly are just heading home after some retail therapy when Barb spots the protruding footwear.
With just two days to go before Christmas Barb decides she's going to ensure that Detective Smith gets to spend the festive day with his family.
Luckily for everyone the murder is solved through sheer happenstance with Barb taking the credit!
It's all nicely done with a good sense of humour.
It's a short novella and a nice intro to the Barb Jackson mystery series.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barb Jackson is doing a little last minute Christmas shopping.
When leaving the mall, she spots something under the tree where the kids meet Santa.
What she saw was a dead Santa, and now her find is keeping the lead detective away from his family for Christmas.
Barb and her crew are out to solve a murder to help Detective Smith be with his family for Christmas.
The question is? Will she survive to see the results?

[Lori R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! What a quick & fun, little Christmas novella! Lovable characters are introduced in this short, who-dunnit story that will keep you guessing and turning page after page. Great writing by this author - Anna Snow is one to watch! Cannot wait for the series to continue with Bubblegum Blonde - coming January 2016!

[Sally Hannoush · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how I could picture Christmas crazed mall perfectly. The mention of Steve Urkel was awesome- brought back some memories and made me smile. I thought this mystery came together well and even had some action in it. The who in whodunit made sense but the actual person surprised me. I had thought it was someone else who didn't appear much in the story. Great read!

[carol colbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story

Only the sentence should have read ten P.M. to twelve A.M since Santa was murdered at eleven P.M. Two hour time period.
Instead it said ten P.M. to twelve P.M which would have made it from ten o'clock at night until noon the following day 14 hours. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas cozy mystery novella. I thought it was pretty entertaining, and I the mystery wasn't obvious. I don't know the characters, so I didn't feel super connected to them. But I thought that there was the right amount of humor, and it was well edited.

[Ruthann Mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blonde before Christmas

This is a new series to me. I liked Barb, Kelly,and Mandy. I did like the Christmas story, and I really was into the preview. Can't wait to get the full book

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who Killed Santa?

At the mall, someone has murdered Santa Claus. Barb and Kelly, who are private investigators, find the body under the big Christmas tree at the mall. They help Detective Smith solve the crime so that he can spend Christmas with his family. Okay mystery.

[Jenny T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's 2 days before Christmas and while at the mall Barb Jackson, private investigator, finds "Santa" dead. Turns out that Mall Santa had many girlfriends, but was not a likable person. I enjoyed the mall as a setting for this short story.

[Tara Adler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but exciting mystery

I liked this story it was easy to read and fun involving Christmas. When Santa shows up dead under the Christmas tree and barb is the only one to see the body first who wouldn't be curious about how Santa ended up there and who killed him.

[Nicole Palma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and witty murder mystery. Love reading a prequel to a series.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good

[charmaine White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Read

A humorous and laugh a minute mystery.One of those stories that have you laughing until your eyes tear up.I'll be looking for more by this author.

[BBAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, quick hoiday mystery!! I've never reqad anything by Anna Snow before, but am looking forward to reading more!