I've read 15 books by Lisa Unger. I've never given her less than 4 stars and three of them were Fivce-Star reviews. So I know I would want to read this one. This is another 5-Star review for me.

I liked that it was a shorter book. I never felt like the book was dragging or repetitive. I found all the characters likable and engaging. I would recommend this book to a friend.

I received this galley from NetGalley

10 years ago, Madeline Martin survived an attempted murder at the hands of her boyfriend, Evan. Her best friend was also killed and two other girls remain missing. Evan maintains his innocence. True crime podcaster Harley. Granger is coming to town in an attempt to shed some new light on the case. There is now another girl missing.

This was a short novella, but it still took me a while to finish, because I just didn’t feel a strong connection to any of the characters. I guessed early on what turned out to be the twist. This did not feel like an adult thriller. It read more like a 90s teen thriller. A Point Fiction book if you will. Not that those are bad, I loved them! I believe that is what got me to fall in love with reading thrillers. But it’s not what I want to read anymore as an adult. I feel like the story could’ve been written without Harley as he did not add much substance in my opinion. And nobody else except maybe Madeline was all that likable. I do like this author a lot, this book was just not a big hit for me.

I’d give this one a solid 4! I was hooked throughout and I felt the description and suspense were great. The only issue for me was I guessed the killer from the start.

I liked the dark side of Christmas vibes and while it wasn’t mind-bogglingly twisty, it was somehow both thrilling and comforting at the end.

A good, easy read.

Loved this thriller by one of my favorite authors! The whole plot line had me guessing at every turn and I loved the multiple POV of the characters leading to the dramatic ending that had me shocked with the twist at the end. As an avid true crime podcast listener myself I really enjoyed the aspect of the book.

Wow! What a novella. I found myself rushing through the ending to confirm my suspicions. Wanting to know who sent those Christmas presents, and who took Maddie’s friends all those years ago?
Maddie has always been the sheriffs daughter, always following the right path, until Evan comes to town. Evan plans a party, the night is supposed to be memorable for Maddie, her first time, but becomes memorable for other reasons. Maddie’s best friend is killed while she’s drugged and watching, unable to help. 2 sisters, and the other part of Maddie’s friend group also go missing, no clues ever found. Maddie is still searching for answers when a untrustworthy journalist shows up in town to interview her and find the truth.

I would’ve loved more perspective from Evan, maybe he should’ve made an appearance on the podcast with Harley. What’s his take? Why did he do it. Extended epilogue to give me answers!

Thank you to netgalley, and Penzier publisher for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Told in the past, the present, and the future this novella takes place in a town with a haunting history. The season is Christmas, a happy time for most, but in this small town with a terrible past, it brings back horrific memories. There are missing women, others murdered, and one who survived this event that seems to keep taking place in the minds of many. How could it be any other way when more women come up missing. Was the right killer arrested all those years ago? Or is this a copycat killer? Or worse? Will they truth be uncovered when a true crime writer comes to town to investigate? Or is he just out for himself?

Thank you NetGalley for a wonderful opportunity to read this ARC! I loved it!

Lisa Unger

#ChristmasPresents
#NetGalley

This is a book not to miss! Due out 10/24/23.

5 ⭐️’s

Something about Unger’s writing gets me every time! I had no doubts I’d enjoy this one as well. Of course, I wish it was longer 😂

The story kept me hooked from start to finish. Madeline was actually a likable character, which I haven’t found many of recently. That added an extra layer of enjoyment.

Oh my GOSH. I LOVED THIS ONE.

Thank you @mysteriouspress and @netgalley for this advance review copy in exchange for an honest review! 

Available October 24th 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had such a hard time putting this down! Luckily at only 224ish pages it was a quick read and I didn't really have to.

Madeline, a little bookstore owner with a tragic past is trying to live her life despite the horrific events that transpired roughly a decade ago. One friend murdered, 2 friends missing, she herself nearly died, and the person believed to be responsible is in prison.

Enter Harley, failed writer, current podcaster and true crime researcher who's here to look more into the crime and see if he can't unearth details about the missing girls because, get this, 3 more women have gone missing since that day. Is it connected? Is it random? Was the wrong person put in jail?? Did he have an accomplice??

A cozy christmas thriller novella with dual timelines and multiple POVs is the thing I didn't know I needed in my life right now, and I swear even if it was 200 pages longer it would've held my attention just the same.

I thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful Christmas novella by Lisa Unger! I would call it a smart, chilling & impactful page turner.

The twist towards the end was knockout good & the Podcast wrapped up the story with a neat little bow. I was so focused on what Lisa calls her “psychological thriller tendencies” that I forgot this was a Christmas novella!

A special thank you to The Mysterious Press, NetGalley & Lisa herself for providing an ARC for an honest review.

True crime Podcaster, abandoned in the blizzard-the murderer’s off the streets, but the girls are still dying familiar territory, but Lisa Unger always tells a good tale. Nice little Christmas package.

I really enjoyed this one!
Madeline, an owner of a small bookstore, is taking care of her ailing father, a former chief of police. She is also scared (figuratively and literally speaking) by a tragic event that happened to her in high school. With a famous true crime podcaster in town, she is trying to uncover the truth of what happened to her and who killed her high school friend.
Story moves fast, offers some twists, some events feel rather too coincidental. I see a lot of true crime podcasts in the latest thrillers. I hope it will stop as it does not add much to the story anymore.

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for an early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so good and I didn't see it ending the way that it did. Madeline is living with survivor's guilt and I can imagine why. Evan Handy is convicted of murdering her friend, almost killing her and the disappearance of two of her friends. A crime podcaster leads her to find answers when someone else disappears and when he comes around stirring up all of the bad memories. Christmas Presents kept me guessing and I was surprised with the ending, but loved it. We will definitely be ordering for our library and I will be recommending to my patrons that love mysteries and suspense!

Another hit from Lisa Unger

A survivor of a mass murderer, Madeline, runs a bookstore. She has put her past behind her until a pod-caster/writer turns up to explore that past. While the supposed killer has been in jail similar murders have occurred.

What is the real truth and what cost will Madeline pay.

Set in Christmas time, the plot and setting make this a great distraction from holiday stress.

This was a quick read and one that was easy to follow. While relatively predictable, it was still worth the time it took to fly through this novella. If it was expanded to full-length, I'd definitely read that version.

Characters were developed just enough to feel invested, but the podcast seems to be a new trope in mysteries. Regardless, there was a bit of mystery, a bit of thriller, and a bit of romance--all of which balanced pretty well.

Overall: 4 stars

I'll tell my students about: alcohol, drugs, gore, death, language, trauma, murder, sexual assault

**Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publications for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

Fast paced and quick read. I read it in a single afternoon and loved every minute of it. It has all the plot twists that Lisa Unger always delivers. This story also has podcast vibes and a serial killer. Will be buying copies as gifts. ,Round up to 4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC

Thank you Net Galley for the advance copy of this book.

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger is a fast paced thriller about a serial killer. Madeline Martin owns a bookstore in her home town. When famed true crime novelist and podcaster, Harley Granger, shows up to shop for a book, she knows he is here for here for her story. She was a victim of a crime in her teenage years. Madeline was attacked by her boyfriend in high school after she witnessed him murdering her best friend, yet she managed to escape. Her other two friends went missing that same night and have not been seen since. Harley plans on revisiting that crime to find the truth of what happened.
I figured out the myster
y quite uickly to be honest. There was little surprise for me when I finished the book. I still recommend reading it, although it is quite predictable, because the story is a quick read and is enjoyable as a mystery, seeing how it all unfolds.

Another fantastic edge of your seat thrill ride by Unger. Fast paced novella about a young bookstore owner who survived a horrific attack after watching her best friends murder. Madeline is a young woman with a tragic past that she would rather forget, so when a true crime podcaster comes to town to speak to her about her past she is less than thrilled. But as crimes and disappearances are still occurring in the small town, maybe the podcaster can help bring justice and healing to the town. Excellent and impossible to put down.

This haunting trip to Next Chapter Bookshop during Christmas turned out to be a truly satisfying adventure, just as I had anticipated. However, I must admit that the novella left me wanting more, especially considering the intriguing concept it presented. A cold case involving a dangerous killer targeting young girls in a small town, an elusive presumed accomplice still on the loose, and a renowned podcaster delving into the secrets held by witnesses and the last surviving girl.

The plot idea was undeniably captivating, and I found myself wishing for more time spent with the characters. Madeleine Martin, the soul survivor and last girl standing, had a striking resemblance to Harley Granger, the famous podcaster determined to solve cold cases that had eluded others. Both characters carried the weight of dysfunctional family dynamics. Madeleine was abandoned by her free-spirited mother and raised by her alpha father, the town's heroic sheriff, while Harley, too, was left behind by his mother and raised by his emotionally distant, alcoholic father. Both became emotionally guarded, avoiding intimate relationships, resembling lone wolves. I had hoped that their similarities would draw them closer together, connecting them as they worked to solve the case. However, Lisa Unger took a different approach in exploring how the characters dealt with their past traumas and gathered clues to uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of Ainsley and Sam Wallace, who were presumed kidnapped and never found for years. This brought forth the idea of a possible accomplice to the killer since Evan Hardy, who attacked Madeleine's friend Stephanie Cramer and stabbed Madeleine herself, couldn't have been in two places at once to kidnap the Wallace sisters, who were also Madeleine's close friends.

Initially, I was captivated by the fast-paced opening that immediately drew me into the mystery. As Harley Granger sought Madeleine's assistance in unraveling the mystery, we were also introduced to another crime: the abduction of Lolly Morris, an erotic dancer who had been planning to return to her hometown for Christmas after being expelled from college.

Once again, I found myself wishing that this brilliant concept had been explored in a full-length novel. The mystery was solved rather quickly, as soon as Madeleine and her childhood friend made their initial attempts to investigate the case. Furthermore, the identity of the culprit became quite predictable from the start, which took away the excitement of playing the guessing game of "whodunnit."

The conclusion was wrapped up swiftly, and I couldn't help but feel that this story would have benefited from a more extended narrative with additional suspects and mind games, allowing readers to spend more time with these intriguing characters.

Despite these shortcomings, I still find myself rounding up my rating from 3.5 stars to 4, thanks to the strong beginning and the intriguing plotline. I look forward to reading more of Lisa Unger's upcoming books.

I would like to express my special thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press, for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this thrilling novella in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Madeline Martin was viciously attacked at a party one night and left for dead. Her best friend was murdered and two more girls went missing. 10 years later Podcaster and Author Harley Granger investigates the unsolved case. He stirs up a hornets nest and trouble abounds.
This was an exciting read that I finished in a day.
Thanks NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for this ARC that will be released October 24, 2023!

Thank you Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press and NetGalley for my ARC of “Christmas Presents.” This novella kept me on my toes the entire time I was reading. My heart was pounding, I was sweating and I had to keep the lights on. The fear was palpable as bookshop owner, Madeline Martin searched for answers from her childhood trauma (her ex boyfriend was a murderer). Along with the help from her best friend and a shifty podcaster. I loved all the characters and I was rooting for them the whole time. Truly excellent. 5/5 stars ⭐️ Lisa Unger is on my nice list.