Cursed: A Regan Reilly Mystery (Regan Reilly Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Carol Higgins Clark (Author)

Book Description

Series: Regan Reilly Mysteries | Publication Date: March 30, 2010

PI Regan Reilly moved from Los Angeles to New York City when she married Jack “no relation” Reilly, head of the NYPD Major Case Squad. To help a friend, Regan takes on a case that takes her back to her old stomping grounds. . . .

On a snowy day in New York City, PI Regan Reilly gets an urgent call from her former neighbor, Abigail Feeney. A Hollywood hairdresser, Abigail believes her life has been cursed since the day she was born— Friday the 13th.

Always unlucky in love, Abigail now needs Regan’s help in tracking down an ex-boyfriend who was just spotted in downtown Los Angeles—a “nogood bum” who borrowed $100,000 from her three months ago, then promptly disappeared. Abigail desperately needs to get that money back, money given to her by her grandmother who is heading to L.A. Grandma Feeney, no shrinking violet, has plans to buy an old friend’s condo for Abigail and will need that hard-earned money to make the deal.

With hubby Jack away, the weather in New York miserable, and the guiltprovoking memory that Abigail had brought her chicken soup when she was sick, Regan agrees to hop a plane. Before long, the hunt for Abigail’s ex takes some dangerous turns. . . . But when Abigail becomes a suspect in a murder investigation, Regan begins to wonder if the curse is real—and possibly contagious!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Few authors perform their own work nowadays, but Carol Higgins Clark prefers to read her own novels as well as some of those of her mother, Mary Higgins Clark. Unfortunately, as evidenced by her awkward performance of this light Hollywood murder mystery the younger Higgins Clark is not a skillful audio performer. Most of the characters sound similar with a noticeable regional accent (New Jersey?), and her voice rises into a faint question at the end of each sentence; it sounds as we are eavesdropping as Higgins Clark tries out the lines aloud in front of her computer. While a Barbara Rosenblat or Linda Emond could work wonders with the entertaining material, the book suffers from the author's amateurish delivery. A Scribner hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 30). (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Entertaining . . . light and fast-paced . . . and it will surprise you, too.”

—Deseret Morning News

“Rambunctious . . . Clark’s bubbly humor makes this a great vacation read for mystery-lite fans who love a Hollywood twist.”

—Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star; Reprint edition (March 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416563830
• ISBN-13: 978-1416563839
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carol Higgins Clark is the author of nine previous bestselling Regan Reilly mysteries. She is coauthor, along with her mother, Mary Higgins Clark, of a bestselling holiday mystery series. Also an actress, Carol Higgins Clark studied at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and has recorded several of her mother's works as well as her own novels. She received AudioFile's Earphones Award of Excellence for her reading of Jinxed. She lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick, entertaining read, April 11, 2009

By 

Linda Holman "L A Jewel" (Chatsworth, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cursed (Reagan Reilly Mysteries, No. 12) (Hardcover)

This is the 12th entry in the Regan Reilly series. As the title suggests, Abigail Feeney, a previous neighbor of Regan's in L.A., calls Regan for help. Abigail believes she is cursed, and that this is the reason bad things always happen to her.

Regan just happens to have the time to fly to Los Angeles, where she used to live before marrying Jack "no relation" Reilly! Jack is off in Miami for a law enforcement conference, and Nora and Luke, her parents, are in Palm Beach.

The action takes place in all the hot spots in and around L.A., including The Beverly Hills Hotel, Malibu and the re-gentrified area of Downtown L.A. The weather is gorgeous,(sory, it pretty much always is here in L.A.!)which is good for Regan, as she just made it out of New York on a typical January day; dreary, snowing and pretty darn cold!

It is fun to read how Ms. Clark weaves several seemingly un-related characters lives to coincide with each other in the grand finale. As usual, there is a very satisfying conclusion!

This is a fun, quick read and shows a bit more of Regan's character and development since she became married to Jack. If you liked Ms. Clark's previous books featuring this character, you won't be disappointed.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ho hum, April 11, 2009

By 

Kathryn Sossen "RNreader" (nantucket, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cursed (Reagan Reilly Mysteries, No. 12) (Hardcover)

I like this series- really I do- It's pleasant, easy reading and nothing really bad ever happens to anyone- In this one, I missed the interplay between Regan, her husband and parents. Also, the curse/13 letters thing seemed forced- and the ending simply appeared to be "phoned in"- all of a sudden it was over- and no interest or purpose to the epilogue. I should have waited for the paperback, or the Kindle edition.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Happy Birthday, June 19, 2009

By 

Ted Feit (Long Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cursed (Reagan Reilly Mysteries, No. 12) (Hardcover)

If you're in the mood for something light and short, this novel will fill the bill. It brings Regan Reilly back to Los Angeles from New York where she moved when she wed Jack "No relation" Reilly. What prompts her return is a phone call from her former LA neighbor, Abigail Feeney, requesting Regan's help in locating a former boyfriend to whom she loaned $100,000.

Regan leaves for the West Coast within hours (the whole novel takes place in just about a day). Abigail's grandmother also is due to arrive on the next day, Abigail's birthday. It seems the money originally came from the grandmother, meant to be the down payment on an apartment or home for Abigail, and as a birthday present she intends to pay for a friend's apartment with the $100,000 contributing to the purchase price. Unfortunately the former boyfriend spent the money and disappeared.

The side stories include the machinations of the boyfriend and his partner to finance a film they are attempting to make, and various calamities befalling Abigail who believes she is cursed (her birthday is Friday the 13th, there are 13 letters in her name, etc.) as well as an earthquake and other roadblocks to solving the mystery.

For some light reading or to while away some time at the beach, the novel will suit the purpose well.