Title:	Christmas Presents
	Author:	Lisa Unger
	Published:	October 24, 2023, Mysterious Press
	No. of Pages:	274
	Cover Price:	$11.99 Kindle

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Fans of Lisa Unger will welcome her holiday thriller novel, Christmas Presents where protagonist Madeline Martin, owns a bookstore in her small town and is shocked when a famous true crime writer, Harley Granger, comes into her store on the guise of purchasing a book for his father for Christmas. A decade ago, Madeline was the surviving victim of Evan Handy, who was convicted of killing her best friend and is still a person of interest in the disappearance of two other friends. Granger wants to get her side of the story, and she doesn’t want to remember the horrible events. Unfortunately, three more girls have disappeared, and they seem connected to Evan Handy. Madeline investigates; her father who was the chief of police at the time but has had a stroke never stopped trying to uncover the truth.

Unger is an excellent storyteller, and the story flows with building suspense. Unger is very good at relationships between characters in her books, and this one is no exception. Madeline’s best friend, Badger, is on her side, and is trying to help her work through this unexpected need to relive her terrible ordeal. Unger also does a good job of developing her characters. Readers will be able to relate to them and find they seem real.

All told, this is an excellent psychological thriller with a surprise twist at the dénouement. The story flows and is fun to read.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.