Christmas Presents is a riveting novella that skillfully weaves together the festive atmosphere of the holiday season with a spine-tingling true crime mystery. The story introduces us to Madeline Martin and Harley Granger, who embark on an engrossing journey to unearth the truth behind a long-buried case involving murder and disappearances. As the narrative unfolds, the tension steadily builds, keeping readers eagerly turning the pages. With its well-crafted characters and a plot that keeps you guessing until the end, this novella is a must-read for those who enjoy a perfect blend of suspense and holiday charm.

Pub date Oct 2023
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Not your typical Christmas read! This is a suspenseful mystery set around the Christmas holidays.

Ten years ago, at 17, Madeline was rescued by her friend Badger after being knifed across her face. Her friend her murdered and 2 other friends went missing. An arrest was made but the girls never found. Each year she gets a gift at Christmas. This year, an investigative podcaster arrives in town when he finds out other local girls are missing.. Secrets open up, surprises abound.

This one kept me guessing although I had my suspicions!!

I was excited to start this book as I just came off a reading slump. It did take me a bit to get into the book, but once I did, I didn't want to put it down.
Fast pace mystery. Clues that made you know who was the bad guy, but then made you wonder if you were right. Can't wait to get to share with my mystery lover friends/patrons. They will love it.

I hope this is a prequel because I definitely want more of Harley and the podcast. This was a good mystery told from multiple pov and with time jumps, which kept the story moving quickly. I wish there was more character development and interaction between the two leads, but it works as a short story and, hopefully, the author gives us more! I would recommend this as a quick mystery!

Christmas Presents may be set during the Christmas season, but it didn't feel very Christmas-y to me.
I liked the podcast element and the different POVs, although the transitions between chapters was hard to follow at times. It went from present with multiple POVs to the past when Maddie was in high school. There was no indication what time period the chapters were in, so that took some getting used to.
I saw someone else mention this would be a good prequel to more books about Granger, the podcaster, and I agree. There just wasn't enough character development in this book because it was a novella, but I did like his character. But Granger and Maddie hardly had any interaction, so it felt like two different stories.
I figured out the twist pretty quickly,
Not a bad book, but just okay.

Lisa Unger is one of my go to authors that I recommend when patrons are looking for a suspense mystery book. Just like in her other books Lisa creates a world that is compelling and that draws the reader in right away with Christmas Presents. The one downside of this book was that I was able to predict one of the main reveals however it didn’t take away from the book too much. This book was just easier to predict than some of her others. I enjoyed watching Madeline trying to come to terms with her past, and how flashbacks were used to build onto the story.
Thank you so very much to Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

My thanks to Net Galley and Penzler Publishing/Mysterious Press for allow me to review this arc.

I liked the basic premise of this book. Harley Granger, a Podcaster comes to a town to interview the survivor where her 2 friends went missing and one friend murdered. Throw in a current kidnapping in present time.

Book was a tad confusing with jumping pov s. Ending wrapped up a bit quick. Decent read. Good Christmas theme, but just ok.

I really enjoyed reading this novella by Lisa Unger. This story takes place in a small town during the Christmas Season.The Next Chaper Bookshop is owned by Madeline Martin, who ten years before had been left for dead by her boyfriend who had killed her best friend. Two of her other friends, sisters, were missing and presumed dead.
When author, Harley Granger, shows up in her shop and wants to do a podcast about what happened to her, it opens up old wounds, she would rather leave buried. But women are going missing again.Just like before. That can't be ignored as there are too many similarities to the old case. So Harley and Madeline end up joining forces, bringing danger to themselves and others. This is not a cozy murder mystery! It is so much more than that!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ahead of time.
3.75 out of 5.

I have loved all of Lisa Unger’s books and Christmas Presents didn’t disappoint. Madeline survived a serial killer when she was a teenager but her friends weren’t so lucky one was killed and the other two have never been found. She lives a quiet life now and is the owner of a bookstore then a stranger shows up asking questions about what happened to her all those years ago and wanting her to do a podcast and talk about it. This was a great book that had me guessing and that surprise ending I didn’t expect. Thanks Netgalley for this arc.

Summary
Madeline Martin’s life was perfectly average until she met Evan Handy as a teenager. But, the events of that tragic night have fragmented her memory and left everyone with unanswered questions.

Evan was the new kid at school, and Madeline was completely fixated on him. Caught up in these new feelings, Madeline’s friend group begins to get a little more disjointed, and people are saying that Evan is dangerous. But, Maddie just doesn’t see it, until she does. While her memory remains incomplete, it was her testimony that helped to put Evan Handy behind bars for murdering her best friend Stephanie Cramer. Evan is also a suspect in the disappearance of two other members of the friend group, Ainsley and Sam Wallace.

Present day, the disappearance of the Wallace girls isn’t the only disappearance to occur. Three other young women have gone missing from the same area since then. How can the perpetrator still be at large if they’re to believe that the culprit was Evan Handy? That’s what Harley Granger is here to investigate.

Harley Granger is a novelist turned podcaster with questionable methods and a knack for cracking cases. With Madeline’s help, he knows that they can get to the bottom of this.

Review

This book was definitely shorter so it was quick, to the point, without much fluff. Which I prefer.

I like having a shifting POV, but the book could benefit from indicating who’s voice we have transitioned to. While Unger does a great job of making it clear early in the reading, it would be nice to know who we are hearing from before digging in.

I also feel like there is a missed opportunity in not hearing as much from the Evan Handy perspective. An alternating victim-killer perspective could’ve added some extra spice and added a psychological component to this novel.

Very good book, but lacking “wow” factor for me.

Madeline has built a life for herself as an indie bookstore owner. She’s overcome a lot since she was abducted and escaped near death as a teenager.

Henry Granger has a gift for seeing things that other miss. He failed as a novelist but now he’s excelling at being a true crime podcaster. He’s taken an interest in the man that attempted to kill Madeline.

As Christmas approaches and a blizzard comes, Madeline is forced to face her past in order to save someone. Will she and Henry be able to figure it out before it’s too late?

I was excited to read this one because I loved Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. This was an interesting thriller set at Christmas. I haven’t read many thrillers set around this time, so it was a nice change. This book was short but did a good job of annunciating the point and listing key points. I would have liked the ending to be a little less rushed, but it was still good. The pacing was well done and did a good job of keeping me engaged. Despite being short the twists on this one was a lot of fun and kept me on the edge of my seat. This one was also full of action, which I enjoyed.

If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller set around Christmas, then check this one out.

Thank you Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A short, but fast paced Christmas thriller. This kept me turning the pages, but also felt the ending was wrapped up a little too neatly, this is perfect when you want something thrilling but don’t want a novel, like a plane ride read.

I typically devour Lisas books but this one just didn't do it for me. I've never read a Christmas thriller so I was very optimistic about how the setting would be depicted, but this ultimately fell flat. This really isn't very christmas-y and the plot twist was pretty predictable. The ending seemed very rushed as well, which was disappointing.

Thank you #NetGalley and # PenzlerPublishers and #Mysterious Press for letting me read this book.Instead of presents this Christmas, a true crime podcaster is opening up a cold case.his is a novella, so a little shorter of a read. The ending was a little too neatly wrapped up for me.

Such a fun read! I'm a fan of anything Lisa Unger writes, and this was no different! A great holiday read, and I loved that it read more like a short story than a long, unwinding mystery.

Christmas presents is a high paced thriller that keeps those pages turning as you race to the ending to see what really happened the day one girl was murdered , two disappeared and one survived.

Harley Granger is on town to talk to Madeline the only survivor and to delve into the case for his upcoming podcast.

Evan Handy is already locked up in prison for the murder of the one girl .

Madeline cant or wont let her memory go back to that fateful night.

Secrets are in the air .

The book is faced paced (a novella) and I would have loved a longer story .

Highly recommend Christmas Presents so get your copy and settle in for a quick but very good story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press for the opportunity to read and review Christmas Presents.

Christmas Presents is a novella thriller set in the days leading up to Christmas in a small town where tragedy keeps striking.
Madeline survived a terrible attack while she was in high school, on the same night where one of her best friends was killed and two more disappeared without a trace. A decade later and Madeline is still living in the town where she runs a bookstore and cares for her aging father.
Shortly before Christmas, Harley Granger arrives in town. He's a podcast host and author who investigates cold cases and is hoping to make a big break in the mysterious case that's been haunting the town for the past ten years.
I actually wish that this book was not a novella but a full length novel because I longed at points for more detail and for being a short story I feel that some parts were more predictable not really having twist like I expected. It felt like the turn of events happened so rapidly, just when I was getting pulled into the story it was completed. I enjoyed the characters but felt like they had so much potential to have more background or depth
Picturesque settings and a twits-y plot allows immediate envelopment into this story. I will say the final reveal was satisfying but not completely shocking for me. A fun holiday thriller for sure nonetheless.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishing/Mysterious Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

As a teenager, Madeline Martin was the only surviving victim of Evan Handy, who was convicted of murdering her best friend Steph and suspected in the disappearance of two other friends. Now Madeline runs a thriving bookstore while caring for her aging father, the former sheriff. When true-crime podcaster Harley Granger arrives just before Christmas, he suspects there is more to the story. Women are still disappearing and Harley wonders if Evan might have had an accomplice.

Lisa Unger can certainly set a scene with this novella about a decades-ago murder at Christmastime. Christmas Presents had a good mix of tension and twists to keep you wanting more. The novella's short length made it a very quick read; however, it didn't leave as much time as I would have liked for character development.

The Christmas Presents is Lisa Unger’s latest phycological thriller. Madeline Martin is the owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop. When Harley Granger, a true crime podcaster, comes to town to investigate the disappearance of three young women and how/if they may be connected to an old crime, Madeline’s life is turned upside down. Ten years early, Evan Handy was convicted of killing Maddie’s best and suspected in the disappearance of two other friends and sentence to live in prison. Just as Maddie was trying to get her life in order, old memories must be reexamined.

All the twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. It is a fast paced, easy read that that you will not be able to out down. The perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter night.

Madeline is the owner of a popular bookstore, and also the only surviving victim of murderer Evan handy. Evan handy was convicted of killing Madeline’s best friend and is a suspect in the disappearance of two of her other friends. Madeline has been trying to get on with her life and forget her trauma… then Harley Granger walks into the next chapter bookshop. Harley is an author turned true crime podcaster and he’s intent on finding out what really happened. Since Evan went to prison 3 other women have gone missing from the same area. Is Evan really the killer or is someone else out there. This book has plenty of twists, chills and suspense. Keep you up all night thriller! Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy.