Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger @lisaunger #JenniferPickens @HighBridgeAudio

the setup…
Madeline Martin is the owner of a successful business in upstate New York called The Next Chapter Bookshop. She leads a quiet life, caring for her father who is still recovering from a stroke and enjoying her role in the community. That is until Harley Granger walks into her bookstore a few days before Christmas and threatens to upset her equilibrium. He’s a true crime podcaster and has his sights set on Evan Handy as his next subject. Ten years ago, Handy was convicted of murdering Madeline’s best friend Steph, suspected to have something to do with the disappearance of two sisters who were also her friends and ER own attempted murder. Madeline barely escaped with her life.

the heart of the story…
I was looking for something different in a Christmas story and found that in this one. While Madeline wants no part of Granger’s podcast, his probing stirs up painful and uncomfortable memories she’d buried in the years since that awful night. It doesn’t help that Handy is denying his guilt, which is what drew Granger to the story since three other women have mysteriously disappeared after he was imprisoned. As Granger forces Madeline to revisit the details, she starts to question some of the things that happened the night she almost died.

the narration…
As this is a short story, it’s all about the storytelling and the narrator gets everything right. I’m so glad I held out for the audio version.

the bottom line…
There’s lots of mystery and intrigue here as the events from the past are slowly revealed. I honed in on a probable suspect early on and nailed it but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment. Madeline was an interesting woman and her relationship with Handy was “complicated.” She becomes an unwilling amateur sleuth as Granger forces her to reckon with the past. It’s short but certainly had all the elements of a good, full length story and listening to it made it even better.

Book Info

• Release Date: October 23, 2023
• Narrator: Jennifer Pickens
• Audio Length: 5 hours, 39 minutes
• Publisher: HighBridge Audio

Listen to a Sample!

Goodreads | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm