Lisa Unger is on my list of go to authors when I want a thrilling page turner. She did not disappoint with Christmas Presents.
Madeline Martin, owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop, has built a life for herself despite her tragic childhood and now having to care for her infirm father.
Harley Granger, a true crime podcaster, arrives in Madeline's shop a few days before Christmas. He wants to dig up events from her past being the only survivor of a convicted murderer.
Now a cold case with many unanswered questions, until 3 women are recently murdered. Was the right man convicted?
A page turning novella that I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I listened to this on audiobook (thanks to libro.fm for an ALC) in a day. It's very fast-paced and a nice potato chip type of thriller (tasty while it lasts but kind of blends together with all the other bingeable/unmemorable-type thrillers).

A spooky read just in time for Christmas! Not your typical feel-good seasonal read, this one has all the scary elements many of readers crave during the festive season. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time!

Lisa Unger's Christmas Presents is a disappointing novella that fails to deliver on its promising premise. The characters lack depth, the plot twists feel forced, and the suspense ultimately falls flat. While Unger's writing is generally engaging, it is not enough to salvage this otherwise underwhelming novella.

Rating: 2/5 stars

I think this was my first time ever reading a Christmas thriller and now I definitely want to read more! I really enjoyed this book and the characters, story and setting. My only complaint was that it kind of bounced around from POV and timeline without any notice. I would have liked a header with the characters name and date letting the reader know who and when we were about to start reading about. It was also really easy to figure out who it was so a little more of a twist towards the end would have been nice but I still really enjoyed the overall story and the suspense and the tiny bit of romance.

‘Tis the season to make our murdery reads festive 🤣 I love reading books that correlate with the season I’m in, but I also don’t want to give up all thrillers for romance! So thank you @lisaungers for writing this book just for me! And one thing I love is a well done novella! Sometimes you just want to read a story that is thrilling all the way through and not so much “fluff”. Don’t get me wrong, I love the extra details normally, but every once in awhile I like to just get down to the nitty gritty! Lisa throws you into the bulk of this story, weaving in the backstory details from ten years ago with the current timeline. Christmas Presents was the perfect balance for me!! It was full of relatable, well developed characters, a missing person, a podcast, a possible serial killer, all in this small town with tons of secrets. The three POVs worked so well and I was not able to flip the pages fast enough! This book provides the twists wrapped up in a beautiful Christmas bow!

This is a fast-paced and chillingly suspenseful Christmas novella. Lisa Unger packs a lot of story into a short page count. It was action-packed from beginning to end. Christmas Presents is intriguing and compelling. It combines two of my favorite things, Christmas and an excellent murder mystery! My only complaint would be that it was too short.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press, and Lisa Unger for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I love Lisa Unger and was so so excited to be approved for this e-arc! A Christmas novella + a thriller?! My two favorite things! And as I expected I loved this book! Lisa did a fantastic job of hooking me into this story right away and had just enough twists and turns that I didn't see coming! Solid 4 star read for me!

This was the perfect length! I was engaged the whole time, never lost interest. No filler. I liked the different timelines and the addition of the podcast transcripts. Overall, a great “holiday” read!

One of my favorite authors wrote a Christmas thriller novella? Say no more, I’m in!

Madeline is the owner of the Next Chapter Bookshop and she’s surprised when Harley Granger, the famed true crime podcaster walks into her shop. He’s in town investigating the crimes of Evan Handy, who Madeline is the only survivor. Evan was convicted of murdering Madeline’s best friend and is suspected in the disappearance of two other young girls. Madeline’s father was the town’s sheriff and he was never able to solve their disappearance. She’s also been receiving annual little presents each year- who is sending these?

Harley is here to investigate, but he has a checkered past. He has some unconventional investigative skills and even unethical practices. But since Evan went to jail, 3 other woman have gone missing in a similar pattern. Is there a copycat? Was Evan not the right guy after all?

Madeline and her old friend Badger decide to figure out the mystery themselves as it gets closer to Christmas and an impending blizzard. Will they figure out the mystery or with they be the next victims?

I really enjoyed this! I always love a podcast angle and Harley was perfect for digging up dirt. He was well known and would do anything to get scoop. Despite the short novella, the story felt complete. I highly recommend.

Thank you @launger and @mysteriouspress for my gifted ebook. Christmas Presents is out now!

Another novella about a true crime podcast..

Madeline is the owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop which doesn’t leave her much time to care for her father who had a stroke. As Police Chief, this is difficult for him.

When Harley, a crime podcaster comes into the shop right before Christmas, she is fairly certain it has something to do with the past and herself.

Madeline is the only known surviving victim of Evan Handy. Evan was convicted of her best friend’s murder and is a suspect in the disappearance of more. Madeline can’t forget that night and doesn’t want to revisit it. Even if it means finding out what happened to the other girls.

Madeline’s father is still sure he knows the murderer. But is unable to communicate that.
While Harley sees a lot that others do not, she doesn’t trust him.

The problem is that since he went to prison, three more young women have gone missing. One named Lolly, recently. So what is going on? Did he have an accomplice?

When a Christmas blizzard blankets the area, Madeline will find out more than she ever dreamed about that night and her friends.

Madeline doesn’t want to remember the past, the night she was attacked, her friend murdered, and her other two friends missing, assumed murdered as well. But when podcaster and true crime novelist Hartley comes to town he starts digging around, making Madeline dig around too. Meanwhile a woman has gone missing locally, is this somehow connected?

I enjoyed this story a lot. The characters were mostly well thought out and likeable. There was an air of suspicion around almost everyone. I had no idea who would have been involved and what the truth of that long ago night was.

Another win by Unger.

I’m a fan of Lisa Unger, and was excited to read a psych thriller plus holiday book! The plot had good potential, but the pacing was slow and repetitive, and then the final twist came a little too abruptly. Christmas was mentioned, but it didn’t rely heavily on the holiday background. It was long for a novella and short for a regular length book. Not bad, but could have been better!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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

Personal Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book seriously had it all, packed in a tiny 220 page novella - true crime, cozy hallmark Christmas movie vibes, an independent bookstore owner strong female lead, a podcaster - what more can you ask for in a winter read? Thank you @netgalley and @mysteriouspublishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review - I love anything Lisa Unger, but was sleeping on this one because I wasn’t ready for holiday vibes. This novella packs a punch, and plot twist, that no one sees coming! The character list is long, but the author did a great job of developing each of the characters and interwoven plot in such a small amount of pages. The cozy Next Chapter Bookstore and Maddie were intriguing, as the author slipped small details like breadcrumbs about the events leading up to the almost murder of Maddie and disappearance of multiple young women. Is there a serial killer on the loose? Is there multiple serial killers?! Santa isn’t the only one slaying this holiday season.

Synopsis: 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.

A great Christmas themed thriller. I thought this book was a novella but at over 250 pages this is not a novella. Good story story though, love a holiday themed thriller.

This book was so good. I read it in one sitting because I needed answers. I loved how everything came together and was all tied up by the end.

This book was another five star read for me by Lisa Unger. The story has an eerie feel throughout and I loved the dual timeline/pov. The major revelation was not a surprise entirely but the path to get to it was so suspenseful and frightening that I didn’t even care that I had already figured it out. And who doesn’t love a seasonal setting?!

I am posting this review on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzB80gFr0WL/?igshid=NHNyejNnd2hyeTYw

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5916621919

And Amazon

I got sucked right into this - quick moving and a little scary at times - A+ for keeping me invested

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. This book is listed as a novella, but it is a long one at 260 pages! Madeline lost her 3 best friends 10 years ago, and a reporter has came to revisit the case. Since putting the bad guy behind bars, there have been 3 more disappearances. Beginning was slow moving but picked up halfway through.

Christmas Presents, by Lisa Unger, is a tension-filled, eerie, small town novella set at Christmas!

A tragedy occurred ten years ago, and Madeline, the victim who survived, is finally coming to grips with the what her boyfriend did to her and others. She now runs a bookshop in her hometown and is putting the past behind her. When yet another girl goes missing, Harley Granger, a true crime podcaster, seeks out Madeline wanting to dive back into the old investigation. Madeline really just wants to put the past behind her. But Harley has a link to the brutal past and is determined to discover if the right perpetrator was sent to jail.

Christmas Presents is a fast-paced, chilling, quick-reading thriller that will captivate you and is easy to read during the busy holiday season.