Seriously dark and some real heart pounding moments, I doubt I will ever see Santa in the same light again.
Some fantastic storytelling by the author, it took me straight back to my teenage days at school in atmosphere and effect. The excitement of a new kid starting at your school, the first feelings towards a boy and the elements of danger, elicit parties and having secrets. The chilling and sad parts are very well handled and expertly written, the mystery and darkness of girls going missing from your hometown and the scars left by a murder which send ripples through the decades and never quite heal for those still living who lived through them.
The darkness and evil of a character was well portrayed and I too got mixed feelings about whether to trust them or not so I gelled well with their girlfriend in this. Also despite the clues to the perpetrator I didn’t guess the ending but it knitted together beautifully with reader hindsight.
Absolutely recommend this, definitely a page turner and a snappy race to the end tale.

Christmas Presents Lisa Unger

5 stars

I love Lisa Unger's books and this one was no exception.

Madeleine Martin is the owner of a thriving bookshop in a small town. Ten years ago her boyfriend, Evan Handy had killed her best friend, Stephanie Cramer and left Madeleine for dead. Two of her other friends had disappeared and their bodies have never been discovered. He is now in jail serving life.

When Harley Granger , a true crime podcaster turns up at her shop wanting to delve into the crime that turned Madeleine's life upside down she wants nothing to do with him.

However since that time two other girls had mysteriously disappeared and when another young girl is reported missing ,reluctantly Madeleine is drawn into trying to discover the truth. It would appear that there may be another serial killer on the loose.

We learn about how Madeleine and Evan meet and how she is attracted to him, despite rumours that he had hurt another girl at his previous school. Evan is Madeleine's first real love and she cannot resist him despite the misgivings of her family and best friend Badger.

Ten years later, Madeleine is trying to rebuild her life even though every year she receives a small personal Christmas present which she suspects is being sent to her by Evan.

Slowly the real events of that time come to light and the identity of the killer is revealed. I had not guessed who this was, which, for me, is always a good thing and this book was so easy to read that I completed it in two days. The writing is very atmospheric and the characters are well-drawn, I really enjoyed this book.

Karen Deborah
Netgalley