The release date for the English version of 'Christmas Presents' by
Lisa Unger is Oct 2023. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
This Christmas, a true crime podcaster is investigating a cold case in lieu of giving out gifts.
Despite having a difficult upbringing and currently having to take care of her ailing father, Madeline Martin has made a successful career for herself as the youthful owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop. Days before Christmas, Harley Granger, a former novelist turned true crime podcaster, wanders into Madeline's business and seems determined to unearth things that she would much like forget. She is the sole victim still alive of Evan Handy, the guy found guilty of killing her closest friend Steph. Evan Handy is also thought to be responsible for the disappearance of Madeline's two best friends, sisters, who went missing almost ten years ago. Her father, Sheriff James Martin, was preoccupied with this probe until a stroke rendered him incapable of functioning.
Harley Granger possesses an eye for detail that others fail to see. He wasn't much of a novelist, but he became well-known and wealthy as a true crime writer and podcaster, and he also faced harsh criticism for his unethical behavior. Nevertheless, he has been investigating a case that many believe to be closed but that some want reopened after traveling to Little Valley to be nearer to his ailing father. Additionally, he is very curious about what happened the night Madeline Martin was found bleeding out on a riverside, Ainsley and Sam Wallace vanished, and Stephanie Cramer was killed.
Three additional young women have vanished since Evan Handy was arrested, the most recent of whom was Lolly, a young college dropout. In a decade, five young ladies have gone missing in the same location. Do they have a connection? Had Evan Handy been innocent all along? Or was someone else present that evening? Someone who continues to sate his sinister cravings?
In order to locate Lolly and find answers to concerns that have troubled them both, Madeline and her childhood friend Badger travel back in time to a past they both thought had passed away as Christmas draws near and a blizzard descends. They find that the truth is far worse than they had imagined and that it is much closer to home than they had realized.
Christmas Presents is a spine-tingling novella that is perfect for reading any time of year since it combines a beautiful, cozy atmosphere with a very unpleasant and scary plot.