A review by gwendolyn_kensinger
Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

3.0

In the days leading up to Christmas true crime podcaster Harley Granger shows up to question locals about Evan Handy, the serial killer convicted for the murder of Madeline’s best friend and suspected in several other disappearances. Madeline is struggling with his arrival because the same night her best friend got murdered she too was a victim left for dead, but she survived. Now three more young women have gone missing and either there’s a copycat at work or the authorities locked up the wrong man. Harley wants to interview Madeline and see what she can remember from that fateful night, in the hopes that her memories will lead to finding the missing women.

This is quite a slow burn with little to no action in the first half of the book. It takes its time setting the stage for reveals down the line, building up the characters and the events that lead to where we are now in the story. It was a bit confusing at first because the different timelines and pov’s weren’t very clear at first, but once I figured it out it flowed much easier. The author does use the holiday theme throughout: Lolly’s abductor wears a Santa mask, and Maddie believes that Handy has somehow been sending her Christmas gifts each year. I was a tad let down by the whodunit aspect but it was still an enjoyable thriller for the season.