Book Review: Unwrapped by Phyllis Picasso

Reviewed by Peggy Kurkowski

The holidays take a dark turn following two shocking murders.

The Christmas season is anything but jolly for Jordan Runnell. She’s struggling with a difficult pregnancy, the return of her husband’s ex, and two disturbing murders at the shopping mall that implicate people close to her.

It is late November, and Jordan and her husband Joe are busy with work and social gatherings. Jordan can barely keep down food and finds only more of an upset stomach when she realizes her new boss is Cheryl Kingston, Joe’s ex-fiancée. Both women acknowledge the awkwardness and move forward with a strict “work only” policy, despite the best efforts of a meddlesome coworker, Brianna Lisle, who is “like a shark waiting for the slightest droplet of blood” when it comes to spreading gossip.

Meanwhile, at the Hedgewood Mall, several upscale business and restaurant owners are eager to recoup the profits lost during the recent pandemic. But when a shopper is found strangled in an unlit section of the parking lot, fears of a killer on the loose threaten to tank the season. The case falls to Detective Bob Drake, whose “ability to find a kidnapped child last year had put him at the top of his game,” which he knows was only possible with the help of his psychic friend (and true love), Mila. As they draw closer over Thanksgiving and Detective Drake bounces ideas off Mila, another victim is found stabbed to death a week later inside the mall. Drake soon discovers that the two victims were once part of a social clique that included Cheryl.

The town buzzes with news of the murders, and Jordan begins to piece together the connections between the victims and Cheryl. Adding to her concern are Joe’s recent late nights, which increasingly leave her home alone. Is she Joe’s second choice in marriage?

When she receives a chilling note on her car warning that “you are next,” she rushes to Detective Drake, who leans on Mila’s insights to help him follow the scattered breadcrumbs of clues. Will the investigation—a laborious process of questioning everyone in the mall and within the social circle of former friends—yield answers before the threat becomes reality?

Unwrapped is a colorful character-driven thriller with more procedure than action. The love triangles from the past (and present) serve up complications for Jordan’s sense of security, both for her marriage and for her pregnancy. The numerous relationships and past associations can be hard to follow at times, but Jordan’s increasing sense of isolation and feeling of terror provide compelling reasons to turn the pages. Some scenes may lean a bit heavier on telling rather than showing, but it’s still all satisfyingly cozy in the end.

“Had the house always enjoyed the number of different sounds she now heard? It wasn’t only the noises that frightened her, it was the thought that her fear was irrational and she was giving in to it.”

The book reads like it could be part of a series—Drake’s backstory with Mila and the kidnapping case, for example—but it stands on its own merits too. It thrives under its engaging character development and a realistic redemption arc.

Unwrapped is a cleverly constructed story with great characters and a stocking stuffer of misdirection that fans of women’s crime fiction will appreciate.

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