I actually greatly enjoyed this novella. It was short, sweet, yet full of deadly twists and bloody murders. Unger is a master of slasher mysteries and by far one of my favorite authors. Heart-pounding, gut-wrenching, and all around terrifying, this is for anyone looking for a cold winter night slasher with lost love and hidden secrets in the mix.

Maddie is the only survivor of Evan Handy, the serial killer she was in love with when she was 17. A decode after her attack, he is behind bars and infamous true crime podcaster Harley Granger is in town to investigate the case and the unsolved disappearance of her best friend Ainsley and Sam Wallace who haven’t been seen since the night of her attack. Throughout all this more girls have gone missing including an exotic dancer names Lolly Morris.

So what secrets are there to be uncovered in this small town? Where are the girls and what will happen on this Christmas Eve a decade after the murders.

Fans of Lisa Unger will welcome her holiday thriller novel, Christmas Presents where protagonist Madeline Martin, owns a bookstore in her small town and is shocked when a famous true crime writer, Harley Granger, comes into her store on the guise of purchasing a book for his father for Christmas. A decade ago, Madeline was the surviving victim of Evan Handy, who was convicted of killing her best friend and is still a person of interest in the disappearance of two other friends. Granger wants to get her side of the story, and she doesn’t want to remember the horrible events. Unfortunately, three more girls have disappeared, and they seem connected to Evan Handy. Madeline investigates; her father who was the chief of police at the time but has had a stroke never stopped trying to uncover the truth.

Unger is an excellent storyteller, and the story flows with building suspense. Unger is very good at relationships between characters in her books, and this one is no exception. Madeline’s best friend, Badger, is on her side, and is trying to help her work through this unexpected need to relive her terrible ordeal. Unger also does a good job of developing her characters. Readers will be able to relate to them and find they seem real.

All told, this is an excellent psychological thriller with a surprise twist at the dénouement. The story flows and is fun to read.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
Lisa Unger

I love Lisa Unger and I love Christmastime so why not combine the two and make it short? What else could you ask for?

In CHRISTMAS PRESENTS we’re following Madeline Martin, Maddie to her friends. She owns a quaint independent bookstore in a small town. By day she runs the bookshop and by night she is a caretaker to her father, who recently suffered a stroke.

Maddie’s life sounds simple, it’s anything but. She has escaped a perilous past and now just wishes to escape this holiday season with her wits intact.

Enter Harley Granger. A novelist turned podcaster who is on the story of his career. Will he unlock the keys to Maddie’s past and bring her long-buried nightmares back to life?

This was so much fun. CHRISTMAS PRESENTS is a novella, only 224 pages. Although it was short, Unger had plenty of time to develop a good story with memorable characters and an intriguing plot. I read it as the weather was cooling and the universe was whispering at Fall. I recommend you read it with a cozy drink, under a warm blanket as snow falls outside.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penzler Publishers, and Mysterious Press for the advanced copy!

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Christmas Presents is a fast paced thrill ride, and I loved every minute!

Ten years ago, Madeline Martin and her friends were attacked while at a party. Her best friend was killed, two friends are still missing, and Madeline barely made it out alive. Madeline’s boyfriend Evan was arrested, and has never given up a location for the two missing girls. Podcaster Harley Granger is asked by the girls’ mother to investigate, and his digging may lead to the truth about what happened that night.

I love a dual timeline when done right, and it was executed so well here. Madeline doesn’t have many memories from the night in question, so the initial flashbacks are quite vague and even untrustworthy. In the present day, we switch between Madeline, Harley, and a girl who has been kidnapped, adding some extra fright to the story.

The atmosphere is set perfectly. This all occurs right before Christmas, with the icy cold numbing everyone’s bones and a blizzard rolling in to town. The small town feels isolated, with all of the mentions of woods and riverbanks.

The pacing was perfection, with new questions constantly popping up and a few scares along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mysterious Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Christmas Presents is a Christmas thriller/mystery that follows a bookstore owner who survived a killer. Ten years ago, she witnessed a boy kill her best friend and then leaves her for death. The guy is in prison for it,however, there are some questions because two other girls have been missing ever since that night as well. A podcaster and true crime writer comes to the town to investigate this case and find out the truth. We also have another woman who is kidnapped.

I enjoyed this book! We have flashbacks as well as the pov of the missing woman and the main pov as well. I really liked the different POVs and the flashbacks. Even though this book was short at 226 pages, we have a lot of character development and great relationships throughout. I liked the podcast element thrown in as well. It was just a little bit but I think it was a nice touch. It also touches on the ethics of true crime that I thought were interesting and good to reflect on.

I think the twists were pretty obvious from the beginning. I feel like the characters were kinda blind to it. I also feel like a couple of things were a little too convenient. I also wish it was bit more Christmasy. While it does take place leading up to Christmas, i do wish it was a bit more christmasy.

This was a short true crime thriller that was interesting and a great read. Thanks so much to netgalley and Penzler for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book comes out October 24th and I will be posting a review on my blog within the next week!

I always enjoy books that Lisa Unger writes. I love her way of pulling you in to the story and dragging you along until the very end. I can't wait to get to the end of the story so I know what happens but then I am sad that the story is over. I was surprised by the ending and was happy with how Lisa Unger made it all play out.

Madeline Martin is the owner of a bookstore and it is pretty much her life besides taking care of her father that just had a stroke. There is a nurse that takes care of her dad too but Madeline tries to be involved with her dad's care as much as she can. When an author comes to town to try and find some information for his pod cast about a case that happened several years ago, Madeline is his target. Madeline doesn't want to bring up the memories of her being the only survivor of Evan Handy. Evan is in jail now but Madeline still doesn't like to talk about that night.

Madeline finally agrees to talk to Harley, the author that has a pod cast now. Harley is known for finding little clues that others miss in murder and missing persons cases. Madeline goes into her dad's office one day and notices all the information he has compiled on the whole Evan Handy case and wonders why he is still putting time and effort into the case. Of course that was before his stroke. One day Madeline's father is being very out of character and Madeline wonders why. Soon enough Madeline finds out why her dad is acting the way he is. The suspense will keep you turning the pages of this book and wondering what in the world is going to happen. Great read! I know you will enjoy this one as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Wow! I absolutely loved this book ! It was atmospheric and I was hooked after the first chapter.

Madeline is the only surviving victim of Evan handy. A man who killed her friend stephanie and is suspected of murdering two twins.

Harley granger is a podcaster trying to get to the bottom of this mystery. Where are the twins? Why is Evan saying he is innocent? Why have three other women gone missing? How can this be explained?

I was so wrapped up in this story. My only complaint is that it was only a novella. Pick this up and read it for a great and easy to read thriller.

Thanks to netgalley, penzler publsihers and mysterious press for this fantastic arc!

This was a fast, suspenseful read with parallel timelines and a great twist. I loved the Christmas theme with the small-town feel and how the whole community was impacted by the murders and disappearances. The characters were complex and realistic, and I wish the story had been longer so we could get to know them better.

3.5 A chilling, short thriller/suspense that centers in a small town still haunted by past unsolved murders of 3 young girls. Could they be related to current disappearance? Madeline Martin was the soul survivor many Christmas's past, she now owns The Next Chapter Bookstore (love the name!) and cares for her father, once sheriff, as he recovers from a stroke. Harley Granger, a failed author, now unsolved mysteries podcaster is in town unburying secrets and stirring things up. Until I got to about the half way part (which in this case was only about 100 pages) I thought this could potentially be a high 4 or maybe even 5 star read. And then the second half just didn't do it for me. The answer was staring us in the face and really had been the whole time - which isn't unusual, but the way it all came together was a bit much and didn't work for me. I expected to read this book in one or two sittings but the back half was just continual repetition and I kept putting it down, delaying its completion. Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for an advance copy inn exchange for my honest opinion. Christmas Presents will be available on 10/24/23.

Also looking for a good Christmas Thriller and I believe this was the perfect one.
Loved the characters and the plot and I look forward to picking up a physical copy soon.

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.