Christmas Presents - Lisa Unger
Despite her tragic past, Madeline has built a life where she can feel safe and leave the past behind her. She owns a thriving bookstore, and cares for her father, the retired police chief.
When Harley Granger comes into the bookstore, everything changes. When Harley pushes Madeline to be interviewed for his true crime podcast, he is met with resistance, with Madeline not wanting to revisit that tragic night.
But as women continue to disappear, it's hard to not compare these new cases with the case of Madeline's missing friends. Did Evan Handy act alone? How could he have murdered Stephanie, and did something with Ainsley and Sam within the same time frame? Does he have someone outside of the jail acting on his behalf?
After all these considerations, Madeline decides to give in and talk to Harley, hoping to do what drove her father mad, and solve this case for good, hopefully bringing closure to the ones left mourning.
After having enjoyed Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six so much, I was so excited to receive an ARC for Christmas Presents. However, I found myself slightly disappointed. This book had the basis for such an incredible story, but I found it rushed, missing out on so much depth and detail that it could've had. It had such a build up to that tragic night, leaving you dying to know what actually happened to Madeline, and it just fell flat. I sadly decided on ⭐⭐⭐/5. I really wanted to love it, and I love the idea of the story, but I just wanted more.

It's September, the temperature dropped below 100 degrees in Austin, you can find Xmas decorations in the stores so why not read a Xmas book!

I loved this Christmastime thriller. It's a simple storyline but it gripped me all the same. It was hard to put down since many chapters end with a hook...so I found myself saying "just one chapter". Of course, I guess the whodunnit wrong and I was so certain I had it right!!

A fun quick Christmas thriller. If you're looking for a break from the hallmark stories during the holiday season, this is it!

A podcaster revisits a high school murder...is the right guy in prison? I usually never let myself figure it out...but this one was a bit obvious from the get to. Fast and fun read

With 3.5 months left in 2023, I have begun planning my TBR for the rest of the year! Christmas Presents by @launger is an absolute must read for the upcoming holiday season❤️

This Christmas story is deeply disturbing and super creepy! It is fast paced and a real page turner. The contrast between the idealistic white Christmas with all the glittering decorations and the nightmare of missing women is perfect. I highly recommend this book for all thriller and suspense readers.

Thank you @mysteriouspress and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(I have also left this review on the Barnes & Noble website)

Very quick easy read that moves at lightning speed! Lots going on all the time! It keeps you on the edge of your seat!

I read everything I see by Lisa Unger, so when I found this one I immediately grabbed it. Her books are always full of mystery and suspense. The Christmas presents in this book are not ones you want.

Description:
Madeline Martin has built a life for herself as the young owner of a thriving business, The Next Chapter Bookshop, despite her tragic childhood and now needing to care for her infirm father. When Harley Granger, a failed novelist turned true crime podcaster, drifts into her shop in the days before Christmas, he seems intent on digging up events that Madeline would much rather forget. She’s the only surviving victim of Evan Handy, the man who was convicted of murdering her best friend Steph, and is suspected in the disappearance of two sisters, also good friends of Madeline’s, who have been missing for nearly a decade. It’s an investigation that has obsessed her father Sheriff James Martin right up until his stroke took his faculties.

Harley Granger has a gift for seeing things that others miss. He wasn’t much of a novelist, but his work as a true crime author and podcaster has earned him fame and wealth—and some serious criticism for his various unethical practices. Still, visiting Little Valley to be closer to his dying father has caused him to look into a case that many people think is closed—and some want reopened. And he has a lot of questions about the night Stephanie Cramer was killed, Ainsley and Sam Wallace disappeared, and Madeline Martin was left for dead, bleeding out on a riverbank.

Since Evan Handy went to jail, three other young women have gone missing, most recently a young college dropout named Lolly. Five young 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? Someone who is still satisfying his dark appetites?

As Christmas approaches and a blizzard bears down, Madeline and her childhood friend Badger return to a past they both hoped was dead—to find the missing Lolly and to answer questions that have haunted them both, discovering that the truth is more terrible and much closer to home than they think.

Coupling a picturesque, cozy setting with a deeply unsettling suspenseful plot, Christmas Presents is a chilling seasonal novella that can be enjoyed all year long.

My Thoughts:

Cold cases are fascinating to me in that someone can pick one up years after the case is basically over and find new evidence or another explanation for what happened in the case. When the podcaster, Harley Granger, reopens this case it sets the entire town on edge. But yes, there is more to know of this case and the twists and turns are fascinating. A great read.

Thanks to Mysterious Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on October 24, 2023.

Lisa Unger is one of my favorite thriller authors and her new Christmas novella is a perfect, fast paced thriller for the holidays. Actually, Christmas is only a tangential part of this book that includes an independent bookstore owner, a true crime podcaster, and an assorted cast of small town characters. The perfect gift for thriller readers, all of Lisa Unger's books are highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mysterious Press for an advanced reader copy.

This is the second book I have read by this author and I didn’t like either book I have read by her. I just don’t find her writing that good. Her thrillers don’t really give me the thriller vibes I like. Oh well. But an interesting take on a Christmas vibe.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.


I've never read a Lisa Unger book before, but I probably will read more now. Murders, kidnapping, survivor's guilt, PTSD, not knowing who to trust. This really had all the components necessary for a good, little thriller. The first murder/attempted murder/kidnappings take place on December 23, and the present day kidnapping/attempted murders take place on the days leading up to Christmas. These repetitive events throw a black cloud over this small town during a normally bright, joyous time. Even though I think the guilty party was fairly easy to guess pretty early on, I still enjoyed this little read.

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger
The title of the book will fool you. You think that it is about happy times during the holidays but it is not. It is about Madeline who was almost murdered by her boyfriend. She is trying to put her life back together and trying to forget about what happen until Harley Granger comes to town to do a podcast and get Madeline side of the story.. Badger Maddy's friend is the one who saved her life that night doesn't want her to talk to Hatley.. Where the Christmas presents come in because she is getting them put on her porch every Christmas and she thinks that Evan her boyfriend who tried to kill her is sending them to her., Evan was accused of trying to kill her and killed two of her best friends and they never found their bodies.. Some young women have been disappearing and Madeline and Badger think a copycat is involved. Madeline father James was sheriff at the time of the murders and Madeline is taking care of him because of a stroke.. Madeline and Badger decided to investigate on their own and some shocking revelations are revealed and you find out where the presents were really coming from..

Opening my review with a disclaimer, this is not a Christmas story that will put you in the holiday spirit, just wanted to make that clear. But this is a pretty good who dun-it mystery. A crime was committed many years back, and a well-known podcaster decides to open the cold case for investigation. This opens up a whole lot of questions and feelings that surrounded the crime.

The pros are the storyline is a good one, the cons are the story jumps back and forth in time and characters, this caused a bit of confusion.
There are quite a few twists and turns and I didn’t figure out the guilty party. The ending was especially satisfying.

I was provided an uncorrected ARC from NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for a voluntary review if I so wished, I thank them. This is a 4-star.

This is my first book by this author — very intriguing from the start and good build of the characters to get you invested in the story very quickly, I needed to know how everything played out and how they are interconnected . Who is sending her these Christmas presents … if the person who hurt Maddy is supposedly in Jail ? Who is this crazy masked Santa ?
Quite the page turner, difficult to put down and go back to real life- lots of twists and secrets to reveal before this story was over. I definitely didn`t expect the ending — but it was tied up a little too quickly for my liking, though the podcast was a good finale - overall - It was a great read , good writing and a thriller for anytime of year even if Christmas is in the title.


Thank-you to Netgalley and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press for this ARC . This is my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley & Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press for allowing me to read a copy of Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger.

"Fuck you Santa, I think. Fuck your lists and your judgments and your stupid presents. I'm going to take you down."

Madeline Miller is a survivor of a traumatic past; she is still trying to put the pieces together and fully remember what happened years ago. Madeline was attacked, her best friend Steph was murdered, and her two friends Ainsley and Samantha (sisters) are still missing. Her ex-boyfriend Evan was put in jail for the crime. In the present day, Lolly Morris is another girl who has disappeared. Harley Granger, a podcaster and crime writer, has decided to move into town to write about the event that shook the quiet, safe town to its core; and investigate the disappearance of recent missing girls. Are these crimes related? If so, who's responsible if Evan is in jail? What really happened to Madeline, Steph, Ainsley, and Sam?

I really enjoyed this story. Lisa did a great job of inserting the atmosphere of winter and Christmas, while telling a chilling mystery/thriller. This is NOT a cozy mystery; do not go in thinking that. If I were to compare this story to others I would say mix Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier and All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham and What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall; then, sprinkle in some Christmas into the mix. It was a dark story, and it was good.

My only issue is that since this is a novella, I felt like the ending was a bit abrupt. Although it mostly wrapped up what happened, I think the ending could have used a twist as the story was slightly predictable. That is why I rated it 4 stars instead of 5. But it was an intriguing story, especially for a Christmas mystery/thriller. It is something that is different than the typical Christmas cozy mysteries or hallmark Christmas stories that are a dime a dozen.

I just discovered this author and I’m truly loving her plot twists! Who knew a Christmas story could be such a page turner! I was trying to solve things myself as I was reading and I definitely never saw THAT coming!! What a great book to read curled up under twinkling lights with cocoa and a warm fire!

3.5 stars rounded up! Quick Christmas thriller novella. It was a bit predictable, but also enjoyable to read! I enjoy reading Lisa Unger’s books!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press and Lisa Unger for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is my second book by Lisa and I’m looking forward to reading more.

I love a good Christmas book and a Christmas thriller makes it even better.

Living in a small town you think you know everyone and everything. As it turns out that’s not always true. Following Madeline’s story from 10 years ago and now kept me wondering what was going to happen next.

I really enjoyed this Christmas thriller... oh, the irony! It was just a fun read that I enjoyed it one sitting.

Unrequited love, a serial killer, a current kidnapping, missing teenage girls, grief, taking care of a parent - these are all heavy themes, but surprisingly they fit in this mystery.

This was a novella that had as much action as a regular thriller novel typically does.

I usually read Christmas romances, but I thought this was a fun during Christmas mystery ... with a touch or romance ... or not. :)

I definitely want to read more of Lisa's works.

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for an e-copy of CHRISTMAS PRESENTS to review.

I rate CHRISTMAS PRESENTS four out of five stars.

I love Lisa Unger’s books and was so happy to have received this on my kindle! I’m happy that Lisa Unger has written a novella (a tiny bit long, but still good) and it takes place around Christmas time. From the very beginning this story had its hooks in me and I couldn’t put it down. Even though the ending is predictable, that didn’t hinder my enjoyment. Thank you Lisa Unger, NetGalley and Mysterious Press for this early digital copy.

I picked up this nail-biter of a novel and set it down 2 hours later, absolutely drained. This is a whopper of a story that grabs ahold from the first chapter and doesn’t let you go until the final sentence. Everything works here from the characters to the dialog to the narrative structure and description - it all comes together in this incendiary story that will have you gripping the book, white-knuckled, as you gnaw on your fingernails.

So well done.