The boats are decorated. The palm trees are wrapped in lights. Thousands are preparing to crowd the marina for Turtle Key’s beloved Christmas Light-Boat Parade. And former homicide detective Ellis Kane is looking forward to a quiet Christmas.
Then Turtle Key’s unofficial queen of Christmas, Portia Holliday, is found dead aboard her yacht—hanging from the flybridge in a tangle of Christmas lights.
In the wake of Portia’s murder, her personal assistant, Colette Cartwright, disappears without a trace. So does $300,000 from the Holliday Foundation.
To everyone else, the story seems obvious.
Colette killed her boss, stole the money, and ran.
But when Colette’s worried brother hires Kane to find her, Kane starts pulling at the loose threads and discovers a story that doesn’t add up. As the case against Colette begins to unravel, Kane realizes someone didn’t just commit a murder. They built a story around it—and they’ll do whatever it takes to make sure everyone believes it.
Even if that means killing again.
Because in Turtle Key, even the holidays can be murder.
David Antocci is a novelist, performer, and longtime storyteller from New England. Before turning his focus to fiction, he spent years writing humor and lifestyle pieces for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette website, sharing the adventures and chaos of family life through the lens of a real-life Mr. Mom.
A lifelong lover of stories in all forms, David has worn many creative hats over the years: author, actor, musician, and entertainer. While music was his first passion, he eventually traded late-night guitar sessions for late-night writing sessions, discovering that the sound of keyboard keys is far more family-friendly after the kids have gone to bed.
David is the author of multiple novels spanning suspense, thrillers, and his brand new Ellis Kane mystery series, blending humor, mystery, and colorful characters in a tropical Florida setting. When he isn't writing, he can often be found on stage performing, spending time with his family, or buried in spreadsheets at his day job, wondering how he somehow ended up becoming the "numbers guy."
He lives in New England with his wife and children.