Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

Is it weird to read a seasonal book in the summertime? Not if it’s this novella by Lisa Unger.

Ten years ago Madeleine nearly died, two of her friends disappeared, and one of her close friends was murdered. Madeleine has since made a life for herself in town. She’s proud owner of a small bookstore and part-time caretaker of her father (the former sheriff). Her life is disrupted when real crime podcaster Harley Granger has started asking questions and digging everything up.

Don’t be fooled by the title it’s not really a holiday thriller. I think that’s why it’s a great anytime read.

Because of the book’s length and the bookstore setting, there is almost cozy mystery feel. Almost, but the deaths are a bit descriptive, the characters are kind of broody, there is too much procedural information to fit that genre.

Thanks to Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press, NetGalley, and the author for an opportunity to read this ARC

"Christmas Presents" by Lisa Unger presents a gripping mix of a Hallmark style cozy, small-town holiday atmosphere with a chilling true crime mystery. Madeline's troubled past and the return of Harley Granger, a true crime podcaster, set the stage for a suspenseful narrative that explores cold cases and buried secrets. Unger effectively creates a sense of unease, blurring the lines between nostalgia and dread. The book excels in its ability to keep readers engaged with a well-paced plot and vivid characters. "Christmas Presents" offers a haunting and atmospheric read for those who enjoy a good holiday thriller.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press for the ARC for my honest review.

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger is a wonderful short story set during Christmas.
This story has everything, suspense, serial killers (my favorite) a bookstore and a podcast element.
Lisa Unger is one of my favorite authors and I absolutely devoured this suspenseful story. I never saw the end coming. Great actions and twists and turns.

For a novella, characters are well developed. The pacing is appropriate, and I enjoyed the multiple POVs and timelines. The ending didn't quite work for me, unfortunately, as there were some good twists throughout the book. This is not a cozy mystery. It's a quick read overall.

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger, Pub date - 10/24/23

Shamefully, this is my first by Unger (despite presenting for years that we were related) and its a novella — a great, easy way to be introduced to her writing style! This is my second book in a month that revolves around a true crime podcast. But this also has a bookstore as the main character’s business — so say no more! I was hooked!

Madeline Martin had a tragic high school childhood — the victim of a brutal crime that left her the only survivor. Evan Handy was convicted of murdering her best friend and is suspected to be behind the disappearance of two of her other friends (gone for a decade). A true crime podcaster comes into town to get to the truth — Is he genuine? Or does he just want ratings? Harley Granger is contacted by the killer when another girl goes missing under similar circumstances (because how could he commit both crimes?) He’s determined to get to the truth - but at what expense?

Madeline’s best friend is super protective of her and wants Harley to just leave town — why open old wounds? Is he hiding something long buried in the back of Madeline’s traumatized mind?

This one was pretty easy to figure out but I still had fun on the ride! Unger’s writing was very atmospheric which is a win in my book. I plan to pick up her backlog as well as check out her newest out next year, The New Couple in 5B.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #MysteriousPress for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! This novella will be our December book club selection! 4.25 stars

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger:
My rating:
4/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Madelyn was almost murdered when she was 17 years old by the guy she was seeing at that time. Years later, a woman is abducted and Madelyn is approached by a cold case true crime podcaster to hear her story and to see if the two events were connected.

This was such an enjoyable read! Lisa Unger is a great thriller writer and this did not disappoint.

I loved the two points of views and the timelines of the past and present all coming together.

This was a rather short book, being under 250 pages and had short chapters and great pacing. I will say I think this book could have been expanded with more details of what happened on that night where Madelyn was attacked.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this one for spooky season as well as the holiday season as it has lots of holiday elements!

Thank you Penzler Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC! This will be published October 24, 2023!

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger is a very highly recommended psychological suspense thriller that is definitely not a Christmas story.

In 2014 Madeline (Maddy) Martin was the only survivor of a terrifying crime among friends and is trying to recover and move on. She is currently the owner of a successful bookstore, The Next Chapter Bookshop, and trying to balance working with making sure her father is cared for after his stroke. Now a true crime podcaster/writer, Harley Grange, is in town and looking into what happened years ago with Evan Handy. Handy was convicted for killing her friend, Steph, and is suspected in the disappearance of two sisters, also friends of Maddy, whose bodies were never found.

The problem is that since Handy went to prison, three other young women have gone missing. The most recent missing woman is Lolly and from the opening chapter readers know her from her job dancing at a club. Now Christmas is approaching, a blizzard is coming, and Lolly is still missing. She was looking forward to going home for Christmas. Grange is trying to look into the missing girls, but he needs help from those who were there when it started in 2014.

Billed as a novella, Christmas Presents weighs in at 224 pages so it's on the short side, but it is a complete, compelling story that readers will love. Unger expertly sets the atmosphere and introduces the characters. Maddy is a sympathetic character, She's trying to recover from what happened years ago, but it's a well known fact in the small town she's in. She's trying to help her father recover and make a living. Granger is who he is. He's not pretending or putting on a false front. He wants to dig and uncover anything that has been overlooked. Lolly is the only character experiencing terrifying circumstances, but her voice appears infrequently.

Admittedly, I guessed what was going on before the ending, but this is the pleasure in reading thrillers. Authors leave clues and readers follow them. Keeping in mind the page count, there wasn't a lot of extra time to distract readers and set up false leads.I knew what I was getting into at the start, but also knew Unger would write an exceptional story no matter the length. I was right.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Mysterious Press via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger is an intriguing short mystery which takes place during the Christmas season. It is about crimes which happened ten years ago, survivor's guilt, trauma, secrets and digging into the past. When the past becomes present, people are on tenterhooks.

The Next Chapter Bookshop is humming with Christmas busyness. Former writer, now true crime podcaster Harley Granger is on a mission to discover what happened in Little Valley (sounds like an innocent place, doesn't it?) a decade ago and meets awed Madeline Martin, owner of the shop. Madeline is a survivor of a murderous crime and doesn't want to re-live the experience which happened to her group of high school friends. Madeline's father is the former Sheriff but has suffered a stroke which has necessitated a care giver. Additionally, other women have gone missing in the area, including a dancer at a club. Coincidence?

In my view this is unfortunately not as strong a mystery (no real suspense or thriller elements) as I have come to expect by Unger. I liked it but it just doesn't dazzle or sparkle. Though Christmas wrapping and decorations are mentioned I would have loved to see more Christmas-y themes. The mystery itself is interesting yet in ways predictable. Lisa Unger will continue to be a go-to author for me but this time I was disappointed. Maybe it's a "it's not you, it's me" thing.

My sincere thank you to Penzler Publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this novel.

What drew me into this book was Madeline - as the owner of a small town bookstore taking care of her father, plus the approaching holiday season, it felt cozy in a sense. Overall, great story idea.

I struggled with: The POV not being super clear at the beginning of each chapter. This in addition to time jumps made my head spin a bit.

I also felt there were some characters and plot pieces (such as the Christmas Gifts!) we could have used more development, while there is some information that seemed irrelevant (the podcasters girlfriend, for example). With a little more depth in the right spots, this would have easily moved to a 4+ star book.


Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the ARC of this title.

This 226 page novella by Lisa Unger may take place in the five days leading up to Christmas but it is not all Santa's and Candy Canes it is chilling. I found it well written just would have wanted more from it because it would be a great novel with further development rather than novella. Madeline barely survived a horrifying attack that happened over ten years ago. Her best friend was murdered and two more friends disappeared without any trace. Evan, her boyfriend at the time, was convicted of the crimes and sentenced to life in prison. Now a decade later, she has learned how to move forward with her life and is the owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop in her small town. When a famous true crime podcaster comes to town to reopen the cold case it causes Madeline to revisit the events of that tragic night. Simultaneously, another woman goes missing. Very Haunting and relevant in today's world.

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press and the author.

Christmas Presents was presented as a novella but it felt like the perfect length at just over 200 pages. I love holiday themed books but the majority are romance and Hallmarkish. This was a nice change of pace. And speaking of pace I thought it was paced really well but a little predictable in the end. Still a good whodunit thriller with lots of suspense. Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers- Mysterious Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 4 stars.

Christmas Presents is a totally unnerving, wildly suspenseful holiday thriller!

Madeline's carefully constructed life is shaken up when true crime podcaster Harley walks into her bookshop and starts digging at her past; she's the survivor of Evan Handy who murdered her best friend Steph, and most likely two of her other friends as well. Evan Hardy is in jail, but three other girls have gone missing in the time he's been there. Madeline starts to wonder if Evan is actually guilty or if someone else was behind the murders the whole time. With a blizzard on it's way, Madeline and her childhood friend Badger must face what they remember about their pasts to discover who is behind the murders.

This is a fast paced, creepy story that's perfect for the wintry holiday season!

This was a solid, fast paced and enjoyable thriller.

Ten years ago, Maddie's boyfriend murdered her best friend and tried to murder her. On the same night, two other girls went missing from the party they were all at, and he has never confessed where the bodies are. Maddie has tried to move on with her life, until a well-known cold case investigative podcaster comes to town, looking to reopen old wounds. More women have gone missing since that night, and the podcaster is convinced the case isn't as open and shut as people believed it to be 10 years ago.

I will say that I figured out the plot twist very early on, almost in the first few chapters when they were introducing the characters, so that was kind of a bummer. It was super predictable, but I enjoyed finding out how the main characters were going to reach the conclusion.

Some of the book was a little unrealistic. When Maddie's father, the retired lead officer on the original case figures it out, he immediately has a stroke and can't communicate. It just felt a little too convenient.

Without giving a spoiler, there is a point in the book where someone gets shot, and unless I missed it, I don't think it was ever explained. It was completely unclear who shot this person and why.

Overall, I am being somewhat nitpicky, but I really did enjoy this one.

NetGalley Review — my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“Christmas Presents” by Lisa Unger is a spooky novella with an amazing story to tell about Madeline Martin, a survivor of a vicious attack at 17 years old.

She’s still living in the same small town that was the scene of her attack as well as the death of her best friend and disappearance of two others. She’s just trying to survive and live her life.

Enter a Harley Granger: true crime podcaster looking to stir up the past. The man that went to prison for the crimes is still in jail, yet women are still disappearing.

Who’s telling the truth?

I really enjoyed this one! I anticipated the twist in this one but still really liked how Unger weaved this story together.

Just in time for the holidays, this one comes out next week! October 24! Definitely give it a read!

Big thanks to @penzlerpub for the ARC!

#netgalley #lisaunger #christmaspresents #arc

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 24, 2023
Madeline Martin was the only survivor of a violent attack that left one of her friends dead and two missing. Now, she owns the local bookstore and is caring for her father, the local Sheriff who suffered a stroke six months ago. True crime podcaster and novelist, Harley Granger, comes to Madeline’s town to investigate the crime that put Evan Handy away for life. Madeline tries to ignore Harley and put the past behind her for good, but Harley is in town because more young women have gone missing and, with Evan in jail, Madeline’s life may once again be in danger.
Lisa Unger’s novella, “Christmas Presents” is not your average Christmas story, with caroling, small town charm and saccharine romance story lines. Instead, “Presents” features a murderer in a Santa mask and a bookstore owner on the run for her life. This is the kind of Christmas story that only Lisa Unger can deliver.
Madeline is brave, as a young woman who struggles to overcome the tragic night that changed her life, relatable for her desire to start over and her passionate love of books and gentle, as she cares for her ailing father. As a protagonist, she is immediately one to root for, and I connected with her from the jump.
There are as many unexpected twists as you can get in a novella, with enough shady suspects to keep a reader guessing. I found the reveal to be a little rushed though, as the perpetrator seemed to be discovered out of nowhere. There was no lead-up, no tiny hints dropped, and I felt like I had missed something as all of a sudden, Madeline is on the hunt for the man who I (literally) did not see coming. However, I really enjoyed Unger’s choice for the murderer, and the Santa Claus mask was a hilarious touch.
Short, gripping and engaging, “Christmas Presents” was an unexpected treat from phenom Lisa Unger. Although I wanted more, Unger did pack a whole lot of entertainment into two hundred and twenty pages. The perfect holiday read for those of us who prefer the horror of Halloween to the snow-covered twinkling lights of Christmas.

👻🎄 Instead of presents this Christmas, a true crime podcaster opens up a cold case in Lisa Unger’s chilling novella, “Christmas Presents” 🎄👻

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Madeline Martin is a SURVIVOR and is doing her best to move on with her life. She owns and operates an indie bookshop and is caring for her father who is recovering from a stroke.

Ten years ago she escaped death by someone she thought she loved. But Evan Handy was an EVIL person … and not only did he stab her in the face and leave her for dead outside in the December cold, but also murdered her best friend and possibly two more friends who are still missing to this day.

In the present days leading up to Christmas, true crime podcaster Harley Granger shows up to reopen the case. Two more women have gone missing from town, and Harley is certain that both cases are CONNECTED. But how?? Will Santa be bringing out the TRUTH this holiday season?? Or is the truth too close to home??

Lisa Unger can do no wrong!! I absolutely devoured this novella so quick and was desperate for more!! It’s chilling, dark, atmospheric and suspenseful! A twisted holiday treat for thriller lovers!

Thank you kindly to Lisa Unger, Mysterious Press and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This bone chilling novella releases on October 24, 2023!

A pretty standard, but nonetheless satisfying, maybe-the-serial-killer-wasn’t-caught-after-all thriller.

When Maddie was 18, Evan Handy - good looking, broody, and all the appeal of the rebellious bad boy - transferred to her high school. Of course she fell for him but it all goes horribly wrong at a party he holds in his remote house while his mother is away and one girl is dead, Maddie is an eyewitness and is grievously injured, and two girls are missing.

Now Maddie still lives in her small town, owning a bookstore, and caring for her dad who’s recovering from a stroke. Enter Harley Granger, true crime podcaster who thinks that there’s more to this case than came out at the time.

Maddie is torn - she doesn’t want to relive the past but there are some loose ends that were never addressed and now some local women have gone missing. And every year, she gets a tiny and thoughtful anonymous Christmas present that she believes jailed Evan Handy is somehow getting to her.

Not quite a full length novel but maybe a bit more than a novella, this moves along at quite a click with not a jot of fat on the plot. Maddie’s past and present is spliced with the terror of Lolly, one of the missing women, which brings some urgency to the story. The author throws in several possible suspects for us to plump for as well as the requisite roadblocks to stop us getting to the truth.

The characters are nicely sketched in, particularly Harley Granger, the amoral and opportunist podcaster (is there any other sort?) though the Christmas small town setting is a bit cursory. I’ve never really seen the point of season-specific thrillers and I suspect the author doesn’t either but was happy to go along with it.

Overall, I didn’t feel I wasted my time reading this and if women-led small town thrillers are your thing, you probably won’t feel that either.

Thanks to Penzler and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

When a famous author comes to Madeline's bookstore he's not really there to buy a book but to find out from her about her best friends killer and her near death experience from her ex-boyfriend. Although the case is closed there are still a lot of questions going around about the disappearance of two sisters in the same place and same night. Their are some people who would rather not have it investigated for a true crime podcast. Then it's discovered that since that time others have gone missing over the years but how can they be connected when the killers in jail?
This is another winning story by best selling author Lisa Unger. The story is tense and full of suspense. The pages fly as you wonder what's going to happen next and the ending leaves you satisfied. Thanks to Netgalley and Mysterious Press for the opportunity to read this best seller to be.

Christmas Presents needs to be on your radar this holiday season! This is a unputdownable, super fast paced thriller novella by Lisa Unger and it is one you will probably read in one sitting!

Told in days until Christmas in two timelines & pov's (past & present) this is the perfect holiday read!

We follow our main character who was a survivor of a murder by her ex-boyfriend. Not only that but her best friends who also went missing the same night. We follow our character as she is approached by true-crime podcaster and author to help investigate what really happened which caused Madeline to really look back and remember what happened, especially since someone else has gone missing coming up on the 10 year anniversary.

This book is thrilling and it has the usual tropes a thriller will have, and it was honestly one of my favorites recently!

Another great story by Lisa Unger - I found it hard to put down and read it in one sitting . I do wish it was a longer novel instead of a novella as the end felt a bit rushed