Christmas Presents
A SheReads, Criminal Element, CrimeReads, and Zibby Mag "Most Anticipated" Thriller
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.
Coupling a picturesque, cozy setting with a deeply unsettling suspenseful plot, Christmas Presents is a chilling seasonal novella that can be enjoyed all year long.
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Community Reviews
Madeline narrowly survived a horrifying attack that happened over ten years ago. Her best friend was murdered and two more friends disappeared without any trace. was convicted of the crimes and sentenced to life in prison. Now a decade later, she has learned how to move forward with her life and is the owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop in her small town. When a famous true crime podcaster comes to town to reopen the cold case it causes Madeline to revisit the events of that tragic night. Simultaneously, another woman goes missing! Are the crimes connected if so how?
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 Ainsley and Sam Wallace. Evan, Madeline’s boyfriend at the time, 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. Someone has been leaving Christmas presents on Madeline Martin's doorstep for years. Who could be leaving the gifts? She is afraid it's someone from her past, so she tells no one. Could there have been more than one person involved in the crimes?
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?
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 it may leave many readers craving more. A wonderfully atmospheric book told in alternating POVs and timelines. This is a great winter read.
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 Ainsley and Sam Wallace. Evan, Madeline’s boyfriend at the time, 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. Someone has been leaving Christmas presents on Madeline Martin's doorstep for years. Who could be leaving the gifts? She is afraid it's someone from her past, so she tells no one. Could there have been more than one person involved in the crimes?
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?
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 it may leave many readers craving more. A wonderfully atmospheric book told in alternating POVs and timelines. This is a great winter read.
For many years now, I’ve vacillated numerous times about adding many of Lisa Unger’s books to my to-read list. This is the second book I’ve read by Lisa Unger. I discovered this book while looking for a Christmas themed murder mystery for my holiday reading binge.
The book summary lays out the primary storylines so I’m not going to repeat them here. What the book summary doesn’t mention is that Evan was Madeline’s boyfriend at the time of her attack as well as Steph’s murder and Ainsley and Sam’s disappearances. Part one flips back and forth between Madeline and Harly with a couple of chapters from Lolly, the most recent missing woman, an exotic dancer at the local strip club. Madeline’s chapters flip back and forth between present-day and the past when she first met Evan. The few chapters of Lolly are of her meeting the killer and subsequently being abducted. Harly’s chapters are about collecting interviews for his podcast. Pretty early in the story, I began to suspect two of the characters of possibly being the killer, besides Evan Handy.
Part two is just more of the same with the story flipping back and forth between past and present and between the different characters. It’s well into the second half that Madeline reveals some more details of the night of the murder/disappearances that shed a little different light. I’m now vacillating between three different characters and am getting a little confused too! After a series of intense and scary scenes with Madeline, Hardy and Lolly, the end comes pretty fast after that. My initial suspicions of who the killer was? I was right about one of the suspects.
Most of the story was a solid 3star read, however, the best part of the story was the ending. Before thanking NetGalley and High Bridge Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review, I just want to comment that the narrator was terrible! I was so bummed this wasn’t a Kindle Unlimited book, where I could turn off the audio version and just read the kindle version. The narrator sounded absolutely bored and uninterested in the story she was reading. Definitely not the kind of energy you want to be projecting on your audiobooks. JMHO
#NetGalley #HighBridgeAudio #ChristmasPresents
The book summary lays out the primary storylines so I’m not going to repeat them here. What the book summary doesn’t mention is that Evan was Madeline’s boyfriend at the time of her attack as well as Steph’s murder and Ainsley and Sam’s disappearances. Part one flips back and forth between Madeline and Harly with a couple of chapters from Lolly, the most recent missing woman, an exotic dancer at the local strip club. Madeline’s chapters flip back and forth between present-day and the past when she first met Evan. The few chapters of Lolly are of her meeting the killer and subsequently being abducted. Harly’s chapters are about collecting interviews for his podcast. Pretty early in the story, I began to suspect two of the characters of possibly being the killer, besides Evan Handy.
Part two is just more of the same with the story flipping back and forth between past and present and between the different characters. It’s well into the second half that Madeline reveals some more details of the night of the murder/disappearances that shed a little different light. I’m now vacillating between three different characters and am getting a little confused too! After a series of intense and scary scenes with Madeline, Hardy and Lolly, the end comes pretty fast after that. My initial suspicions of who the killer was? I was right about one of the suspects.
Most of the story was a solid 3star read, however, the best part of the story was the ending. Before thanking NetGalley and High Bridge Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review, I just want to comment that the narrator was terrible! I was so bummed this wasn’t a Kindle Unlimited book, where I could turn off the audio version and just read the kindle version. The narrator sounded absolutely bored and uninterested in the story she was reading. Definitely not the kind of energy you want to be projecting on your audiobooks. JMHO
#NetGalley #HighBridgeAudio #ChristmasPresents
A solid mystery suspense thriller with a dash of Christmas charm.
The story is well written. I found myself sucked in and captivated. The suspense really had me in my feels. That part 10/10. I couldn't wait to turn the page. I read for entertainment and was able to figure out the "who dunnit" component. I could have done without the language but its not a hill ill die one.
What knocks down the score for me is that the ending (SPOILER but also not completely) was too sudden for my preference. I like a bit more of a wrap up, which did happen a bit more in the epilogue and closing scenes, I just felt like the story just ended. Id still recommend.