Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

 

"Those of us who come alive in the pages of books, and struggle with the “real” world—we recognize each other.” - from Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

Okay.  This book deserves a star for that quote alone.  It is absolutely perfect for those of us book nerds/bookworms/ book obsessed, etc.  

Getting that out of the way, if you like your mysteries to include murder and unsolved disappearances that take place during the Christmas season, as well as a locale that is an independent bookstore, this book is for you.   Our heroine, Madeline, is an indie bookshop owner, daughter of the town's former police chief, and 12 years earlier became the final girl of convicted killer Evan Handy after one of her friends was murdered and two others went missing.    Now it is days before Christmas, young women are disappearing once again and true crime author and podcaster Harley Granger has come to town to dig into the case and reopen Madeline's wounds.  

The backstory of Christmas Presents works, as does the creepy house vibe we get from Granger's accommodations and his desire to get to the bottom of the case while also keeping his social media followers engaged and happy.  I felt that he and Madeline's father, the retired police chief who is recovering from a stroke, were the best written characters in the book.   And here is where the book fell short for me - Madeline was a bit stereotypical; the survivor who never left town but can't move on who is now questioning everything she once believed to be true and who is maddeningly stubborn to the point of not listening to anyone in her circle, oftentimes to her detriment.  The other frustration?  The love interest for Madeline just did not feel authentic or sincere to me.  I didn't buy it then and I still don't.  It felt more like a pat ending for the book. 

That said, Christmas Presents is relatively solid if you're looking for an easy, quick read.  It's a hardcover, but a small one, and clocks in at only 258 pages.  I think I read it in about two days (while working) and despite my critiques of it, I continued flipping the pages to see what the outcome would be.  And full disclosure, I figured out who the baddie was very early on in the story, which is fine.  Not everything has to be a mystery until the very end.  Christmas Presents also doesn't throw a shocking twist in the middle or end of the book - what you see is what you get.

If you're looking for a relatively light (in page count and story) mystery set during Christmas, Christmas Presents wouldn't be a bad choice.  I wouldn't go out of my way to get it but there are worse ways to spend your time.

Disclosure:  This book was purchased by me with my own funds.  My views and opinions are my own.  I was neither paid nor compensated for this review.