Hell for the Holidays: A Christopher Miller Holiday Thriller [Paperback]

Chris Grabenstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2007

Christopher Miller is up against a group of domestic terrorists who are copying Al Qaeda's tactics: operating in cells, following a twisted fundamentalist doctrine, targeting "public amusements." A White Supremacist hate group has smuggled in a stinger missile and recruited an army marksman — a nightmare vision of a new and more talented Timothy McVeigh. Their initial plan is to bring down an airliner as it takes off from JFK airport. When Miller warns authorities about this group and its plans, no one listens because the FBI's focus has shifted to foreign terrorists, and his home, Jersey City, has the second largest population of Arabs/Muslims in America. "Saint Chris" comes up against the same sort of bureaucratic resistance encountered by the FBI agents who, pre-9/11, wrote memos about Arab Terrorists Flying Airplanes that no one paid attention to. The White Wolves have chosen Thanksgiving as the day to strike, since they feel the holiday commemorates God giving of this country to his chosen people: the white man. Meanwhile, on the home front, Miller has to cope with his daughter's post traumatic stress as the anniversary of her Christmas nightmare draws near and he will be torn between taking care of her and saving thousands of innocent lives!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When kidnappers seize seven-year-old Carlos Acevedo, the son of a U.S. customs agent, on Halloween, Jersey City FBI agent Christopher Miller swings into action in Grabenstein's gripping second holiday thriller (after 2006's Slay Ride). Miller's sidekick, Lieutenant Cimino, wonders why Carlos would be abducted without ransom demands. Meanwhile, Miller's own seven-year-old daughter, Angela, remains traumatized from an encounter with a monster Santa who held a gun to her head the previous Christmas. Hiding at a remote Wyoming hunting lodge is the mastermind behind these crimes, Dr. John Tilley, with a demonic plan to take over the nation and save Western civilization. In New York City, an embittered ex-GI awaits orders from Tilley, a visionary and prophet, for the next operation. In a spectacular finish, SWAT teams close in on home-grown terrorists planning an attack on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. This rapid-fire entertainment is sure to please Grabenstein's fans. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

A vast white-supremacist group adopts al-Qaeda organizational techniques and tactics, and it's FBI agent Christopher St. Chris Miller's task to stop them. The group has obtained U.S. Stinger fire-and-forget shoulder-fired missiles and plans to use them to shatter America's Thanksgiving holiday. Family man Miller is a former Notre Dame running back and 20-year vet of the bureau. He's based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and his office's number-one priority is investigating foreign terrorists; as a result, native terrorists simply aren't on the bureaucratic bureau's radar, and Chris is hard-pressed to thwart them. Grabenstein seems to have mined his likable cop series set on the Jersey Shore (Whack a Mole, 2007) for inspiration. St. Chris is simply an older, black version of straight-arrow Detective John Ceepak, and neither hero does much nuance. Think of Hell for the Holidays as a beach book—timed for release after the beach season. Gaughan, Thomas --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (November 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786720611
• ISBN-13: 978-0786720613
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,785,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chris Grabenstein did improvisational comedy in New York City with Bruce Willis before James Patterson hired him to write advertising copy.

His first John Ceepak/Jersey Shore mystery TILT A WHIRL won the Anthony Award for Best First Mystery in 2006 and was followed by the critically acclaimed MAD MOUSE, WHACK-A-MOLE, HELL HOLE, MIND SCRAMBLER, ROLLING THUNDER (nominated for The Best Sidekick award) and, coming in 2012, FUN HOUSE. A Ceepak short story RING TOSS appeared in the June 2010 issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

Chris has also published two holiday thrillers: SLAY RIDE and HELL FOR THE HOLIDAYS and became a New York Times Best Selling author thanks to his short story "The Demon In The Dunes," which appeared in the anthology DEATH'S EXCELLENT VACATION, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner (thanks Charlaine and Toni!)

FOR YOUNGER READERS....

His fist book for middle grades readers, THE CROSSROADS, won both the 2008 Agatha and Anthony Awards as Best Children's/YA novel, appeared on several "Best" lists, and has been optioned to become a movie. The second book in the series, THE HANGING HILL, also won the Agatha Award. The third Haunted Mystery, THE SMOKY CORRIDOR, all about a zombie who lives in the basement of a middle school, was published by Random House in August. The fourth book in the series, THE BLACK HEART CRYPT, will be published in 2011.

Chris wrote CURIOSITY CAT, the play within the book from THE HANGING HILL, for friends at the Children's Theater of Knoxville. The script is now available for production everywhere through world renowned play publisher Samuel French.

Chris's new middle grades caper series, RILEY MACK AND THE OTHER KNOWN TROUBLEMAKERS (an Ocean's Eleven starring eleven-year-olds) will be published by HarperCollins in January 2012 with the sequel slated for 2013.

Chris has also written for Jim Henson's Muppets and co-wrote THE CHRISTMAS GIFT, starring John Denver, a made-for-TV movie that first aired on CBS in 1986 and still shows up somewhere on cable very early in the morning every holiday season.

Chris's dog Fred, however, has the best credits in the family: Fred starred on Broadway in CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Holiday Terror, June 20, 2008

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hell for the Holidays: A Christopher Miller Holiday Thriller (Paperback)

WARNING: This review (and the book) will spoil events from the previous book. If you are interested in the series, start there.

It's been almost a year since FBI Agent Chris Miller's daughter was held hostage by a terrorist disguised as Santa. And the signs are becoming obvious that it will make the up coming holiday season harder.

As much as Chris would like to focus on her, something is heating up in the country. It starts with the kidnapping of a neighbor's son on Halloween and grows from there. The chatter is that a group of white supremacists are planning an attack on US soil. With no one in the FBI willing to give him the help he needs, Chris must work with a few friends in the bureau to track them down. Can they do it before the attack takes place?

I was hesitant to read this book after how vile the villain was in the first. And I'm glad I did. Don't get me wrong, I still found the villain reprehensible, especially all the racists and homophobic slurs he said. But he wasn't evil just to be evil.

The book started out fine, but the tension increased every chapter. I couldn't believe how into it I was until I got to the end and had to take a few deep breaths. The threat was all too real, which made it even scarier.

And the characters were good. While the villain had to redeeming value, he wasn't one note. And the sub-plot with his daughter made Chris all the more real.

Thrillers aren't my normal reading choice, but I really enjoyed this one. If Chris is warding off evil during more holidays, I will be sure to celebrate them with him.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Writing & Highly Entertaining, March 26, 2009

By 

Zinc (Midwest USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hell for the Holidays: A Christopher Miller Holiday Thriller (Paperback)

An Amazon search for the types of books I enjoy reading suggested Chris Grabenstein's "Jersey Shore" books featuring John Ceepak. I really enjoyed all those books so when I searched for additional books by Mr. Grabenstein I didn't hesitate to get "Hell For The Holidays." And what a terrific and exciting book this is.

The writing style in this book is different from the style in the Ceepak books, and well it should be. The narrator in those "Shore" books is 30 years younger and is a small-town neophyte police officer whereas the point-of-view in the "Holiday" books is that of a more mature and seasoned FBI agent. Both series of books are great and I applaud Mr. Grabenstein's ability to create such believable yet diverse major characters in two different environments, masterfully keeping them separate from one another.

"Hell For The Holidays" was difficult for me to put down. As one other reviewer said, the action and suspense continues to escalate all the way to the end of the book. The plot is neither overly convoluted nor contrived; as a matter of fact, it is frighteningly believable. And there are enough red herrings and just plain surprises in this story to keep you turning the pages. The book is skillfully written.

If you're looking for an exciting read with accurate law enforcement procedurals that has villians you love to despise and heroes you love to cheer, this book is for you. Thanks for the ride, Mr. Grabenstein; I look forward to the next Christopher Miller Holiday Thriller.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good characters, twists, turns, everything, November 27, 2007

By 

Arthur Mickelson (Batavia, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hell for the Holidays: A Christopher Miller Holiday Thriller (Paperback)

I've followed the author since his first summer tale. His characters are crisp and well crafted. The story twists from here-to-there and back again. Lots of characters to like and to hate. Top notch effort.