Christmas Presents

A dark Christmas thriller from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.

Instead of presents this Christmas, a true crime podcaster is opening up a cold case

When true crime podcaster Harley Granger drifts into The Next Chapter Bookshop days before Christmas, he seems intent on digging up events that store owner Madeline Martin would much rather forget.

Granger has a gift for seeing things that others miss, and his work on true crime has earned him fame and wealth - and some serious criticism for his various unethical practices. Looking into Madeline's case, a case that many people think is closed but some want reopened, he has a lot of questions about the night Madeline was left for dead on the riverbank, nearly a decade ago.
Madeline is the only surviving victim of Evan Handy, who murdered her best friend and is suspected in the disappearance of two local sisters. Since Handy went to jail, though, three other young women have gone missing in similar circumstances. Are the cases connected? Was Handy innocent after all or was there someone else there that night? Another predator, still out there somewhere?

As Christmas approaches and a blizzard bears down, Madeline must return to a past she hoped was dead, to answer questions that have haunted her and others since that day. Will she discover the truth and is it more terrible than she could ever have imagined?

Coupling a picturesque, cosy setting with a deeply unsettling and suspenseful plot, Christmas Presents is a chilling seasonal novella that can be enjoyed all year long.