When Mysterious Press founder Otto Penzler asked bestselling author Lisa Unger (Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six) if she had ever considered writing a Christmas novella, she was delighted. “I’m always interested in the shadow of a beautiful thing, the hidden layers beneath all that glitters and shines,” she notes in the acknowledgements of the resulting Christmas Presents (which at 224 pages, is perhaps a novella only in name).
The tale starts out cozily enough—but only for a split second—six days before Christmas, as 22-year-old pole-dancer Lolly Morris makes plans to meet up with a handsome stranger after her shift. Meanwhile, Madeline Martin is finishing up a busy day in The Next Chapter Bookshop. To her surprise, a new customer turns out to be Harley Granger, a well-known true crime writer who has just bought a decrepit home in town. Two of Maddie’s close high school friends once lived there, but the sisters disappeared one night. That same horrific evening, Maddie’s bad-boy crush, Evan Handy, killed her friend Stephanie Cramer and left Maddie bleeding and near death. Now, 10 years later, Handy remains in prison and Maddie is trying to go on with her life.
Granger’s arrival stirs up memories, which Maddie begins to discuss with her best friend, Badger, another member of their close-knit high school group. What’s more, additional women in the area have gone missing over the years—with the latest being Lolly. Unger nimbly moves between compelling scenes from the past and present-day chapters following Lolly’s abduction, Harley’s investigations and Maddie and Badger’s continued probing into exactly what happened when they were 17.
Unger embraces 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. With the true crime angle, readers may be reminded of Rebecca Makkai’s recent I Have Some Questions for You, although Unger’s book focuses more on suspense and less on social commentary. Both Maddie and Lolly are strong and well-crafted creations, but readers seeking a lighter holiday read should be warned that Unger doesn’t shy away from the creepy misogyny of a serial killer who preys on young women. In any event, Unger neatly ties up loose ends of the varying cases in an electrifying conclusion. The killer’s identity is a tad implausible—then again, that can sometimes be the case with real-life serial killers. Regardless, Unger fans will find themselves racing through the pages of Christmas Presents at near reindeer speed.
