Christmas Presents

By: Lisa Unger

Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens

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.

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.

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?

©2023 Lisa Unger (P)2023 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Simple

It’s a great story and a very simple listen. I love the narrators voice. The story was a little confusing on the timeline of events yet it was a great book! I will listen to again gladly!

Fun Xmas novel

I wanted this last year but decided to wait and pick it up on sale. I had a great time reading this as I do with all Lisa Unger novels that I have read.

Christmas mystery

It was a great Christmas mystery even though I figured it out early but I still enjoyed it

Excellent as always

Lisa never fells to deliver an intriguing story with developed characters. I loved the mention of the Hallows. Jennifer was a perfect fit for this audible recording.

Timeline Hard To Keep Up With

I was really looking forward to reading this book and was left a tad disappointed.

Couple of key takeaways for me were; the timeline of things happening wasn’t entirely clear & the character development was missing for me as well and hard to grow with the MC’s.

Overall, I enjoyed the book for being a short read and would give it 3.7 stars.

Not bad, not bad.

Pretty good. I really like this author. I’ve read two of her books and I’ve enjoyed both so far. Very unique story.

perhaps great if full-length...

The plot was intriguing, but I wish this had been a full-length novel instead of a short story. A longer format could have explored the characters more deeply, introduced a larger cast, and fully developed the story's potential. When Harley the podcaster was introduced, I expected a multimedia concept, but this didn’t materialize—or at least not until the very end, where it felt like a rushed way to tie up loose ends. This story had so much potential, but unfortunately, it felt both rushed and predictable.

Just ok

That was a very quick read. Read it in a day. I feel like if it was longer, it would’ve been better. I wish the relationship between badger and the main character was more explored as well as Evan’s upbringing and character growth.

Solid storytelling

I really enjoyed the dual points of view and the flashbacks, although at first it was confusing partly because I didn’t read it tandem with the book, just listened to the audiobook. Good story.

Good but predictable

Overall the book was pretty good but towards the end it was predictable. Not a shocker