Deck the Halls [Hardcover]

Mary Higgins Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2000

As New York City prepares for Christmas, Regan Reilly's businessman father is kidnapped, along with the driver of the taxi in which he had been travelling - a Hispanic mother of two.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On her own, each Clark has written reliably entertaining mystery/thrillers that occasionally exhibit storytelling magic. The authors' first collaborationDwhich also sees a collaboration by their respective publishers, as well as the teaming of two of their best-known sleuthsDis only middling, however, though it will please their many fans. Three days before Christmas, Luke Reilly, who owns a string of funeral homes, and his young female driver, Rosita Gonzalez, are kidnapped for ransom. Luke is the husband of Nora Regan Reilly, a bestselling mystery writer based somewhat on Mary Higgins Clark; both are parents to Regan Reilly, Carol Higgins Clark's series detective (Twanged, etc.). Regan gets on the case at once, but she doesn't make much headway until she pairs up with Alvirah Meegan, the cleaning woman who turned private eye after winning a $40-million lottery in Mary Higgins Clark's Weep No More My Lady. (Here, Regan and Alvirah make each other's acquaintance at a dentist's office.) Meanwhile, Luke and Rosita remain chained on a small boat offshore from New Jersey as their two bumbling kidnappers plan, execute and bobble a ransom run. The boat starts to sink. Will Luke and Rosita drown? There's probably not a reader alive who thinks they will, and it'll surprise no one when Regan and Alvirah trip over clues as big as Christmas trees to save the day. But if the novel generates little suspense, it does go down like roasted chestnuts, and fans will greatly enjoy the pairing of two favorite detectivesDand two popular writersDin a lightweight but amiably lighthearted Christmas ornament of a book. (Nov. 1)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

It's Christmas time, but C. B. Dingle has no Christmas spirit. His departed Uncle Goodloe left his fortune to the Sod, Plant, Bloom, and Blossom Society, and Dingle is distraught. He's so upset, in fact, that he's bent on revenge. The plan is to kidnap Luke Reilly, owner of the funeral home that set dear old Uncle on the garden path. But Dingle's partner, Petey, accidentally drops the ransom in the drink (the East River, to be exact), which gives the assorted investigative types--including Reilly's daughter, the PI star of several Carol Higgins Clark novels, and Alvirah Meehan, the amateur detective featured in a few Mary Higgins Clark books--a second chance to find dear Dad, which they do just in time. Happy Christmas to all. This first collaboration by the mother-daughter team is a lightweight bit of fluff that readers will speed through in no time. The writing styles mesh seamlessly, but the goofy goings-on and the coincidences (a detective name Jack Reilly--no relation!) add a layer of comedy that isn't quite in tune with the suspense, leaving readers to wonder if it's all supposed to be a big joke. No matter. Clark, the prolific mom, and Clark, the daughter, who now has several books to her credit, have enough loyal fans between them to gather a hefty readership, even if the product is a bit thin. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1ST edition (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743209648
• ISBN-13: 978-0743209649
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,152,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Add A Star If You Are A Big Mary Higgins Clark Fan, October 24, 2000

By 

michael luciano - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deck the Halls (Hardcover)

It has become an annual tradition for Mary Higgins Clark to put out a Christmas thriller. They are shorter books than her usual fare and I guess they are marketed as great stocking stuffers. Lately, I have found myself enjoying Clark's books less and less. They have become much too predictable and at best can be described as "lite" thrillers. If this type of book appeals to you, you will enjoy Deck The Halls. Loyal fans of Clark's work will find the usual elements that attract them to her books. For those readers looking for something fresh and exciting, this book is not for you. I have never read any of the books written by her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark(who she cowrote this book with), so I have no point of comparison on her end. I will say that reading Deck The Halls does not inspire to go out and read any of Carol's other work. This is not an awful book, it's just not an interesting one. Any mystery and thriller fan will be able to predict all the action in this book by the time they've reached page fifty. I realize that is actually a positive characteristic for avid Mary Higgins Clark fans. The familiarity of both the plot and characters is attractive to these fans and the formula will produce another New York Times Bestseller. For those who have never read Clark before this is not the place to start. Go back to one of her earlier works when her plots seemed fresh and new. A true Christmas present from Clark would be to write a book as good as those early ones. These books are an annual tradition I could live without.

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Twist Falls Flat, November 10, 2000

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Deck the Halls (Hardcover)

As one who looks forward to any new Mary Higgins Clark book, I have to sadly admit that this was a disappointment. Being a lover of mysteries set at Christmas, I was totally captivated by her previous Christmas novella, "All Through The Night." This current one, while starting out on an interesting note (loved having Alvirah connect with Regan Reilly), falls flat quickly due to the lack of suspense. Is there any reader who does not know from early into the book how this is going to turn out? The suspense is virtually non-existent. Also, Mary has gone to the kidnapping at Christmas plot once too often. It worked so well in "All Through the Night" because the reader was caught up in the suspense of the helpless infant being the victim. It's hard to muster the same level of concern for two adults who seem far wiser than their inept kidnappers. I've read all of MHC's books and this one goes on the bottom of my list when ranking favorites. But I hope she does another Christmas one in 2001; just want her to be more imaginative and suspenseful.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Moment Away From Holiday Madness, November 22, 2000

By 

Jordana Vista (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deck the Halls (Hardcover)

If you are looking for a moment away from Holiday Madness, this book does its job. The characters are fun and a bit too surreal to be taken seriously, or to worry over, but The Clark Ladies still give a good read.