Gripping novella that reads like a full fledged novel! And it’s a Christmas book! Thriller readers can finally enjoy a non cheesy holiday read this year. I did not read the blurb, I just dove right in and trusted Lisa Unger to take me on a journey that would keep me enthralled. As always, her books are expertly plotted, tightly woven and contain characters you want to root for and others you suspect of the absolute worst…but you will probably be wrong, I was! Maddie, the owner of Next Chapter Books, is struggling to care for her ailing dad who is the small town sheriff when Harley Granger, crime podcaster and author, blows into town and into her store wanting to reinvestigate an old case that ended with one girl dead, two sisters missing and almost killed Maddie. It’s a traumatic case that is coming up on it’s 10 year anniversary on December 23rd and the whole town grieves every year during this time since the missing girls have never been found. Maddie can barely remember that horrible night and Harley is determined to crack the case, and just in time, because another girl has just gone missing. Thank you Netgalley, Penzler Publishers and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on October 24, 2023

I requested this book from NetGalley because I’ve enjoyed previous reads from Lisa Unger in the past, and this book is a novella (although at 260 pages, I felt it was a rather long novella ). I would have enjoyed it being longer! I will definitely pick up this book in the physical version!

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press for a complimentary copy of this book. This is a fast-paced 224-page Christmas mystery novella by Lisa Unger. The novella combines two things I love…Christmas and a good mystery!!! Harley Granger, a true crime podcaster, comes to a small town where Madeline Martin, owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop, was the lone survivor of a brutal attack 10 years ago. Her best friend Stephanie was murdered and two other of her friends are still missing to this day. Evan Handy, a new boy in town, was convicted for Steph’s murder and the other girls’ disappearance. Two more women have more recently gone missing since then and as Harley Granger is currently investigating, another woman goes missing. The previous sheriff who investigated the case and also Madeline Martin’s father, believes to this day Evan had an accomplice, but was never caught. However, he suffered a stroke 6 months ago and was unable to further investigate. But he had found information that could help. But because of his stroke and inability to communicate, there was no way to tell anyone. Who was Evan working with? Could it be someone much closer to home? And who keeps sending Madeline a gift every Christmas for the past few years? Could it be Evan from jail or the accomplice they never caught? Read this fast-paced Christmas mystery novella to find out!!! AVAILABLE October 24, 2023

A CAPTIVATING AND CHILLING RECKONING INTO A CRIME OF THE PAST

SUMMARY
Someone has been leaving Christmas presents on Madeline Martin's doorstep for years. Madeline is the only surviving victim of a heinous crime in her teens. She now owns a thriving independent bookstore. But who could be leaving the gifts? She is afraid it's someone from her past, so she tells no one.

Five days before Christmas, Harley Granger, a true crime podcaster, stops by her shop in Little Valley to talk about the most horrific day of Madeline’s life. Madeline is not interested in dredging up thoughts of Evan Handy, who attacked her and killed one of her best friends. Two other of Madeline’s best friends, Ainsley and Sam Wallace, also went missing that night and have never been found.

Evan is serving time in prison, but some in the community believe he may not be guilty of the disappearance of Ainsley and Sam. Since Handy was imprisoned, three other young women have gone missing in the area. The most recent girl is a college dropout, missing only a few days. Is there a connection to the other missing girls? Is Handy innocent, after all?

Because of Harley Granger’s persistence in focusing on Handy’s crime, Madeline and Badger, a childhood best friend and classic car restorer, grapple with the unwanted and unwelcome memories of their past and the lies and secrets never shared.

REVIEW
What reader can resist a mystery about a bookstore owner who survives a tragedy in her teens and a true crime podcaster looking for a story? CHRISTMAS PRESENTS is a captivating and chilling reckoning into a crime of the past. The novella is atmospheric and adroitly written. Madeline’s character is nicely developed, and you will feel sympathy for the horror of her past.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penzler for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own

Publisher Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press
Published Oct. 24, 2023
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

This was an exciting read that I finished in one sitting. While it was a longer novella (a little over 250 pages), I still wanted more!

A decade ago, Madeline Martin was viciously attacked and left for dead. Her best friend, Stephanie, was killed and two other friends went missing. Evan Handy went to jail for Stephanie's murder and was a suspect in the disappearances. Madeline is now a bookshop owner. A true crime podcaster shows up to reopen the case and has a lot of questions. Since Evan went to jail, three other women went missing. Five women missing in the same area in a decade. Are they connected? Was Evan Handy innocent after all? Or was there some else there that night?

The point of views switch between Madeline, the true crime podcaster and one of the missing women. Overall, a little predictable but a quick and easy read.

Thank you Mysterious Press, NetGalley and Lisa Unger for an advanced copy!
Pub Date: October 24, 2023

Madeline Martin, the owner of a small town bookstore, is approached by a podcaster who’s doing a story about a 10 year old murder and missing persons case that involved then teenage Madeline and her friends. When another local girl goes missing, Madeline is forced to relive that traumatic night so many years ago. Christmas Presents is a novella, taking place in the days leading up to the holiday told in alternating timelines, The book’s focus is squarely on Madeline, and it’s a suspenseful read that will have you bouncing suspects back and forth as you flip through the pages. Well done! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This quick, tension filled story keeps you guessing. I was so sure I had figured it out. Wrong. I was invested in the characters. The suspense was perfectly done. A great read!

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS is a very good novella filled with a lot suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed the podcaster aspect and getting to know Badger and Madeline. I liked that Madeline was determined to remember the horrible night when her friend died and two sisters went missing. Her boyfriend, Evan, was convicted of the crime but Madeline's father, Sheriff James Martin, knew that Evan could not have acted alone in this crime. A decade later when another girl goes missing named Lolly, she digs deep to find out if this is related to what happened to the two sisters that went missing so long ago. This is a quick read that you'll find yourself having a hard time putting down. I definitely recommend it.

Many Thanks to Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

This review will be shared closer to the publication date on my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews).

Thank you to NetGalley and Mysterious Press for an e-ARC of this book.

Madeline Martin has made a life for herself, despite surviving the horrors of a brutal attack on her and her friends that left one dead and two missing. Despite the perpetrator being in jail, several women in her area continue to go missing and true crime podcaster Harvey Granger comes to investigate, leaving Madeline to begin to wonder if there’s a second monster still on the loose.

Unger’s writing is so well done. There’s a sophistication that not every thriller author can pull off. This is definitely a gritty novel, despite its holiday setting, and is perfect for when you are looking for an atmospheric novel for the cold of winter. I do think it could have benefited from being longer than a novella for developing deeper, but its length and pacing makes for a quick read.

Seems like cold case podcasts are a big thing in books now. I'm a bit tired of them at this point. This was a bit predictable but an enjoyable read anyway. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

A solid read that flew by! Readers who enjoyed Secluded Cabin, or are looking for reads with similar plots to Ruth Ware may enjoy this.

Great read ! Full of mystery and suspense and twists that keep u guessing. This follows a true crime podcaster who is investigating old cases and a book store owner , whose life was changed by a night of violence and rage and murder. Thank you to Netgalley and Penzler publishers, mysterious press for the arc in exchange for my honest review. !

With some past/present and podcast elements, this story kept me hooked and on the edge of my seat. This would make the PERFECT gift for the book lover in your life - but give it to them early so they can devour it during the holiday season!

#ChristmasPresents #NetGalley

Christmas Presents is not a cozy Christmas story but a walk on the dark side during a cold Christmas holiday.
Henry Granger is a talented Podcaster who is able to see things most people miss. Therefore he is very successful on coldcases. He decides to work on a very old case in Little Valley where most people just want to forget the horrible event and move on.

Madeline is a bookstore owner and a surviving victim and doesn't want to revisit this event either. However this resistance from the town doesn't stop Henry from his research at all.

Lisa Unger wrote a tantalizing story of deception and tragedy with a twist at the end. Anyone who loves mysteries will enjoy this book.

I want to thank Netgalley and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Madeline was the only one who went home after going to a house party 10 years ago. Found bleeding at the freezing riverbank after seeing her friend Steph murdered. The same night, sisters Ainsley and Sam went missing and have not been seen since. Madeline testified that Evan Handy was the one who killed Steph and he is under suspicion for the disappearance of the other two girls. In present day, Madeline has learned to deal with these tragedies and try to make the most out of the life she was given. While caring for her father, the town Sheriff, after he suffered a stroke, she is running a small local bookstore when well-known true crime podcaster and author Harley Granger comes in to buy a Christmas present. And asks her for an interview to discuss what she witnessed that terrible night and how multiple other young women have gone missing since Handy has been imprisoned. But Madeline doesn't want to speak with him about it, because she's moved on from all of that... right?

As this book is featured as a novella, I did not expect very deep character building. However, I was impressed that Unger was able to provide the perfect amount of characterization throughout the story in these 224 pages. I enjoyed the multiple points of view across different timelines and they were easy to follow. I really was into this book for the first 80% or so, but something about the ending just didn't do it for me. The twist in this book was good and satisfying, but after that, it felt that everything was wrapped up too happy and clean and it was nowhere what I anticipated as the ending of the book. I will say that I thought the podcast transcript as the closing few pages in the book were a great surprise and I always love that sort of mixed media in a book.

A great fast paced quick read. Interesting characters. An easy to follow plot that moved along nicely. The ending came quickly and felt a bit rushed but as this was a shorter novella I didn’t count that against it. You also don’t get to know the characters really well but again a shorter story is the cause. Overall I would recommend this as a good read. I enjoyed the characters and the pace of this one. It had some seriously creepy vibes

First and foremost, I love that this book is a thriller with a Christmas theme, because most Christmas books are romances. I’m a big fan of reading seasonally and while this story may not exactly put you in the holiday spirit—due to all of the murders and abductions!—if you are a fan of thrillers you might enjoy reading this book in December. One of the things I love about Lisa Unger’s books is that the characters are nuanced: no one is ever truly good or evil. Like real humans they are flawed; this lends a lot to her books, as nothing is ever strictly black and white. In this long novella the protagonist, Maddie, and her loved ones are still recovering from the events of a decade ago, when Maddie was attacked by her boyfriend, her best friend was killed, and two other friends disappeared. But the man imprisoned for these crimes insists that he is not guilty of all of them. As Christmas approaches, another woman disappears and a podcaster arrives in town to investigate the story. As new evidence emerges the tension rises. This is a quick read—you will quickly become engaged—and a very enjoyable one. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Podcasts and true crime are both extremely popular in the zeitgeist of our era, and Lisa Unger has combined the two with her new novella, “Christmas Presents.” Centered on a young woman in a small town who survived a brutal crime that claimed the life of her best friend, and led to the disappearance of two others, Unger’s latest story weaves together Madeline’s desire to move forward with her life with the questions being asked by famed podcaster Harley Granger about whether the truth of that night has actually been revealed.

Set during the holiday season, “Christmas Presents” exudes the charm of life outside the hustle and bustle of a large city, while also exploring what can happen when outsiders upset the sometimes delicate balance of small town life. The tale is told in both the present day and flashbacks at the time when Madeline’s life started going sideways after meeting the new guy in town. Is he truly guilty of the crimes he has been convicted of? Is it possible he managed to kill one girl, come close to killing another, and abduct two more teenagers who have never been found on his own? Has Madeline’s desire to move on clouded her judgment and memories of the night everything went wrong? The supporting characters are interesting, but I thought they could have been more fully developed to ensure readers care about what happens to them as things unfolded.

The story is fast-paced, and reaches a satisfying conclusion. I do think that the aforementioned character development, as well as a deeper dive into the motivations of Harley Granger, Madeline and Badger’s past, and more about the initial investigation undertaken by Sheriff Martin would have helped to round out the story, and move it from a novella to a full-length novel.

This starts out intense.
I love the transition to Maddy's life running a bookstore. I too want to run a bookstore. I also love the social media thoughts. And the bookstore does all the events we used to do when I worked in the library! The characters are like our patrons as well. It made me feel warm and also sad. It was just perfect.

I hated Harley because he is a weird creep but good on him for being popular and solving crimes. Also LOVE that name.
I loved everything about this book actually.

Absolutely amazing Christmas thriller by Lisa Unger!

Thanks to Netgalley and Penzler Publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Madeline Martin was the lone survivor of an attack by Evan Handy back in high school when 3 of her friends were murdered around Christmas time. She has tried to move on, since Evan is in jail and she needs to focus on her book store business and her dad who is recovering from a stroke. But when a podcaster turns up in town hoping to reopen the case at the request of one of the dead girls’ mothers, Madeline has to face the past again.