The Christmas Present

3,5 Stars Lucys grandmother is in hospital after an accident, and is questionable if she can ever return to her own home and live by herself again. Thus Lucy makes use of her month-long vacation and clears out gran's house. That's the plan, anyway. But when she finds a box with 12 beautiful small Christmas tree ornaments she gets side-tracked. The accompanying letter sounds soo romantic that Lucy is dying to find out who gave them to her grandmother 70 years ago - and if this someone is still alive. I know what it's like to clear out your family home. There are so many things where it just doesn't feel right to simply trash them, for various reasons. But on the other hand, you cannot keep all the stuff!! Lucy is normally a very organized person. At least that's the feeling I got, what with all the To-Do-Lists she writes herself. But sorting through her grandmothers stuff is obviously a different matter. (But why did she have to go through every single thing right there and then on the spot. Why didn't she take a quick look - decide if it goes in the skip or keep it to look at it more closely later on. Would probably be a bit more efficient). Although I also have to say: she shouldn't let herself rush so much by her boyfriend Rod. Luckily, gardener Jake totally supports Lucy search for and in the past. A book about old loves lost and new loves found that I enjoyed reading. Most of all I liked that there is no black and white in there all around. Rod for example seems quite unlikeable in the beginning, but he also shows understanding towards Lucy. He is not a bad guy, he just is set in a certain way and can't/won't change. That's just the way he is. Same goes for Lucys mother I think. So while they are searching for a Christmas Past, the Christmas Present is slowly creeping up, and who knows what will await them in a Christmas Future.

I liked the idea of the story. The Santa killer who apparently likes the song "Twelve days of Christmas" and plants presents and/or hints every day in the run up til Christmas. Journalist Anna is determined to catch the killer before all the days have run out. I also liked how the story develops, with the first clues leading to others. With Annas search. (Although I found her a bit too self-confident when she says already at the very beginning that she will find him this year, she will be smarter than all the cops and she will catch him before he kills his next victim. How can she be so sure of herself with not even one clue yet?) I even found the big showdown quite good, although not heartstopping despite the surprise effects. It's only that I found the writing style not always fitting for a crime novel. All these rhetorical questions Anna is asking herself (and sometimes answering, too) were annoying for example. But overall it was an enjoyable read.