Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Christmas Presents is a 'novella'. The 'novella' is about a cold case. Madeline was a victim of a violent crime. A crime podcaster Harley Granger comes into town around Christmas to do a pod cast about a the cold case. The book weaves together the past and present to solve the case.

This definitely put me in the holiday spirit, both Halloween AND Christmas!

This was a super quick read that still gives you enough back story and time to get to know the characters.

Madeline survived a brutal attack when she was a teenager, and she has the scar to prove it. She was Evan Handy’s only surviving victim, a man who was convicted of murdering her best friend, Steph, and who was suspected in the case of two missing siblings…

As an adult, Madeline has been trying to move on for years. But, the arrival of Harley Granger, a true crime podcaster, stirs up a lot of old dust. He thinks there was always more to the story, a notion that Madeline’s cop father shared until a medical condition took away a lot of his functionality. Between the two of them, they won’t stop until they figure out the truth… because more girls have gone missing.

I really enjoyed this one. It’s got a fast pace and and an intriguing storyline. I loved the little bit of romantic happy ending sprinkled in for a couple individuals. Christmas is hopeful after all, even when you take Christmas and make it murdery.

This was a short read for me finishing in one day, afterwards realizing it was a novella. A small town experiences a traumatic situation years prior leaving one girl dead, two girls missing and leaves one girl almost dead, Madeline. Madeline who survives is now running a bookstore trying to go on with her life till a podcaster shows up wanting to re-investigate what really happened that fearful night. In the meantime another girl goes missing after having a hamburger with a guy. As the story continues it goes between the girl being held captive and Madeline revisiting the past and what happened and asking more questions and how these two girls can cross paths. I do kind of wish it was more of a longer book going more in depth and why's in some areas but in all I think it was a good short thriller fast read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for this ARC

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!
This was a quick read, and I always enjoy Lisa Unger's writing style. Unfortunately, this book was rather predictable. In the past, Unger's books have been a little more difficult to predict, but I guessed the outcome of this one fairly early on. It may just be that this is a novella, and it was still an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mysterious Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published October 24, 2023.

This Christmas novella was a quick read, but not an especially thrilling read. It’s the story of a famous podcaster and true crime author who comes to town to try to solve a decade old disappearance of 4 missing women. Maddie survived with a bad scar but doesn’t remember much from that night. Her Dad was the sheriff investigating the unsolved murders. The chapters bounce back and forth between present and 10 years ago.

My favorite part, and it’s a very small part, has to do with the title of the book. No spoilers here but I liked the thought behind the Christmas presents.

This was average for me. I didn’t really love or hate it. It moved along quickly, and I will continue to read this author. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Madeline Martin is the owner of a small bookstore, The Next Chapter Bookshop. Just before Christmas a man comes in to buy a gift for his father. The man turns out to be Harley Granger, a true crime writer and podcaster. Madeline is a huge fan, but when he asks Madeline about her past and Evan Handy, it triggers memories and feelings she has tried to keep suppressed. Madeline barely survived Evan Hardy’s attack when she was in high school and her friends weren’t all so lucky. Will bringing up those painful memories help answer what happened to two friends that went missing after that fateful night? Madeline feels she needs to try, especially after another woman goes missing. Someone has been leaving Madeline Christmas presents every year - she has kept this to herself for fear that they are somehow from Evan Handy, even though he is locked up in jail. Madeline is also caring for her father, the retired town sheriff who suffered a stroke. He had been looking into the Handy case all these years, trying to figure out where the missing girls might be. Madeline decides to go through her father’s files, with the help of her best friend Badger, in search of any clues that might help answer questions from the past. I enjoyed this book. It was short, a quick read but interesting and well written. I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a creepy Christmas Present! Lisa Unger manages to capture the Christmas spirit with a chilling creepy twist. Even though I guessed the plot twist it still kept my interest and I will recommend this book to everyone! #ChristmasPresents #NetGalley

Christmas Presents is a “novella” that feels more like a novel. At 224 pages it is a fast read but you get a full story and it doesn’t really feel extremely rushed. This is a multi-pov novella. In this our main female character, Madeline is the owner of an independent bookstore. She is also the victim of a very violent crime. When she was in high school she was violently assaulted, with her best friend also being murdered in front of her and two of her other friends disappearing. There has been an arrest and sucdessful prosecution of the person who murdered her friend and the assault she loved through though she was left for dead. Her father, the local sheriff, also believes there was a second person who was involved.
Harley is an author and podcaster who is looking into the case. He received a plea from the missing girls mother and from the man who was prosecuted for the murders to relook at the case. In this we also see the pov of another woman who was recently kidnapped.

I really liked this overall I give it 4 stars and really look froward to reading the authors other works. I did figure out who did it long before I got through the first half of the book. But still enjoyed the journey the author paved out to get to the end. Would recommend for new readers of Lisa Unger.

Lisa Unger never disappoints. I enjoyed the mysterious cold case theme as well as the characters. While I understand the premise behind a novella, I agree with other reviewers that this story really could have been longer. Some of the things that happened in the story were "glossed over" and a more in-depth view might have added to the novel (the relationship between Madeline and her mom, Evan's story from prison, more of the high school years when Madeline was dating Evan but Badger pined for her). While I had a couple suspects in mind, I didn't immediately guess who-done-it. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was supposed to be a novella, but it definitely felt like a full length novel. I loved the atmosphere and Christmas theme. The setting, the bookstore, the crime solving podcaster was all great. I was right in my suspicions about how it all ended, which didn’t necessarily change my enjoyment of this story. This was a good, chilling thriller, perfect for a cozy December night.

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars with this one. It had moments where I was engaged and couldn't read fast enough and other moments where I just wanted a little more context. With that being said this book still gave me that creepy feeling of being watched. I was correct with my early detection about whodunit but still was surprised with some aspects of the story. This would. be a good thriller book to read around the holidays. That is if you're not too scared. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

It's Christmas in August! I am a firm believer it is never too early for Christmas, so was thrilled to get an ARC of this novella. I say novella because it is much too short to be considered a book. This is a fast paced, read in one sitting type of story. It will be perfect for those home for the holidays and looking for an escape.

So what is it about? It's about a woman named Madeleine, who after surviving a killer has opened up a successful book shop. She is visited by Harley Granger, a podcaster, who is looking into her case. At the same time, a stripper in town goes missing and people start to wonder if the 2 cases are connected.

I found the concept fascinating. So fascinating, that I wish it had been a longer book! haha That rarely. happens, but is why I have this on e 4 of 5 stars. If you want a little murder in your holiday season check this one out!

Madeline Martin owns a local bookshop and is star struck when a true crime podcaster shows up in her store. Harley Granger isn’t just there to shop though, he intends to dive into a cold case which occurred right before Christmas several years back. At a party, Madeline’s best friend was murdered, her 2 friends disappeared and were never seen or heard from again, and she herself was brutally attacked and left for dead. Madeline’s ex Evan Hardy is in prison for life for the murder and her attack… but what became of her other 2 friends who disappeared? Could Evan have done all that himself? And if he had, why was there no evidence? And now another girl has gone missing… Lolly, a dancer who never made it home after her shift. Turns out she is the 3rd missing dancer near the area in the past few years. This book skips around between the night of the attacks, Madeline in the present, and Lolly.

I found this story captivated me from the start. They’re no big twists or things that really threw me off, and I found it a bit predictable, but it wasn’t overly obvious. I felt our main characters were well developed. I very much enjoyed this and would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I requested this book from Net Galley because I have enjoyed Lisa Unger’s books. It will be published in October in time for the holidays.
Madeleine Martin experienced a traumatic experience when she was 17. She was the only survivor of a horrific attack. Years later she owned The Next Chapter Bookshop and cares for her father who suffered a stroke. A cold case involving a dangerous killer, Evan Handy, now incarcerated, with a presumed accomplice is still on the loose. A young woman is missing. A true crime podcaster, Harley Granger visits Madeleine at her bookstore delving into the case thereby opening a cold case. Evan Handy is in jail for killing Madeleine’s friend, Stephanie, and he almost killed her and 2 sisters are missing and presumed kidnapped or killed.

The author divulged how Madeleine has been changed by this event and carries the weight of that night. She and her childhood friend, Badger made attempts to investigate the case. With a tip from Madeleine’s father’s notes and some nuances from him recovering from his stroke, they manage to solve the mystery of the 2 sisters and rescue the missing young woman. It is an intriguing plot and characters and an enjoyable fast read.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press for this digital copy to read for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Unger and Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press for a digital ARC of Christmas Presents in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own and may not be reproduced (except quoted synopsis).

“Instead of presents this Christmas, a true crime podcaster is opening up a cold case…

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.”

I’m a huge Lisa Unger fan, but she has been hit or miss with me lately. I still always hop on board to review her books though!

This was a solid 4 star read and much better than Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six from last year.

This story was very haunting and atmospheric. The pacing was perfect. I was engaged and invested in the characters. This is a perfect Fall read that I would recommend to any book lover!

I will read anything Lisa zinger writes! A novella rather than a full length novel, this was told in multiple POVs and had some good twists. A quick read that could be finished in a day. I really enjoyed it and wish it was longer!

I absolutely loved this story! It's a novella so it was a quick read but definitely didn't leave you feeling like you missed out on anything. The true crime and thriller vibes sucked me in immediately and I loved that in additional to the "main" storyline we had a few other side stories going on as well - it really made you connect with the book and the characters. Can't say enough great things about this one!

Madeline lives a quiet life as the proprietor of a bookstore in her home town while taking care of her retired sheriff father who has had a stroke and maintaining a close relationship with Badger, her childhood best friend and his brother, Chet. She is haunted by the memory of being a survivor of an attack 10 years ago by a monster who killed her best friend and may also be responsible for the disappearance of two other friends. He has been locked away all this time but, as the anniversary of the attack and disappearances approaches, a writer has come to town to investigate these incidents for his true crime podcast. To add to Madeline’s discomfort, another local girl suddenly goes missing.

Don’t let the title or the bookstore locale mislead you…no cozy mystery or rom com this. That is not a criticism as I couldn’t put this dark thriller down. It is engrossing and very fast paced. A novella rather than a full length novel, it can easily be a one day read. I think, though, it may leave many readers yearning for more. Quite atmospheric, I could feel those icy, slushy conditions as the days lead up the Christmas. Told in alternating POVs and timelines, there are no real surprises; despite some violence, it is a very entertaining read.

Regarding the title…you will just have to read the book to discover its significance.

Madeline is a survivor. Her high school boyfriend, Evan Handy, has been convicted of murdering her best friend and is suspected in the disappearance of two of her other friends (sisters) who vanished the same night. A true crime podcaster comes to town to investigate the missing girls and find out what really happened that night.

I pretty much never want books to be longer, but I wish this novella had been fleshed out a bit more into a full-length novel. Madeline was a great character and the setup was excellent - just didn't love how abruptly everything was wrapped up. I'd recommend this for thriller fans looking for a quick read who don't mind a bit of a rushed ending.

(3.5)