Jinxed (Regan Reilly Mysteries, No. 6) [Mass Market Paperback]

Carol Higgins Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2003

The New York Times bestseller that Nelson DeMille said "will keep...readers entranced and entertained from cover to cover."

Savvy young Los Angeles P.I. Regan Reilly faces an unusual challenge when she gets an urgent call from Lilac Weldon, owner -- with her two hippie brothers -- of the run-down California winery Altered States. Lilac asks Regan to find her actress daughter, Whitney, AKA "Freshness," in time to attend the wedding of Lilac's wealthy aunt Lucretia Standish, a 93-year-old silent-film star. The Weldons have learned from a secret source that each family member will receive a gift of $2 million from Lucretia -- but only if they all attend.

Lucretia's bridegroom, a 46-year-old con man and former actor, knows he must keep Whitney away; they have met before and she is wise to his game. How Regan foils his plot makes for an exciting climax to this comic suspense novel, filled with Carol Higgins Clark's inimitable characters.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Clark's sixth rollicking mystery featuring L.A. PI Regan Reilly (Fleeced, etc.) boasts a wonderful cast: Lucretia Standish, a wealthy 96-year-old former silent-film star (who claims to be 93); Lucretia's sneaky, fortune-hunting fianc , 40-ish Edward Fields; as well as the old lady's late (fifth) husband's family, a clutch of superannuated hippies who manage Altered States, a winery/hotel near Santa Barbara. Regan must track down a missing young actress and scion of Lucretia's late husband's family, Whitney Weldon, aka "Freshness Lilac," the name her hippie mother gave her. Adding to the fanciful mix are 21 tattooed bikers who have made Lucretia their pet; Regan's mother, who, like the author's own, is a successful novelist; television and movie people; and a host of other amusing California types. The redoubtable Lucretia made $60 million by being smart enough to dump some dot.com stock that Edward had foisted on her, but she's not smart enough to see through his schemes as their wedding day approaches. She drags him to Altered States to meet her eccentric family in her brand-new Rolls Royce, escorted by her idolizing bikers. It's up to Regan to sort everything out, and thanks to the transcontinental e-mail aid of her sweetheart, Jack "no relation" Reilly, she's more than equal to the task. As usual, Clark provides plenty of fast-paced fun, with all the substance of a soap bubble, and best of all, nobody gets hurt. (Aug. 27) FYI: Clark has coauthored two novels with her mother, Mary Higgins Clark, He Sees You When You're Sleeping and Deck the Halls.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-A fun detective romp set in California wine country. Regan, a private investigator, must find Whitney, an actress, before her great-aunt Lucretia's wedding as Whitney's family, former hippies running the Altered States Bed & Breakfast and Meditation Center, will receive a fortune if everyone attends. Lucretia, an aging silent-film star, inherited a fortune and then made more money in a dot-com enterprise. Of course, the groom and his cronies are criminals out to thwart the family attendance by kidnapping Whitney so that they will receive more money. Add to this framework a motorcycle gang, two friends in their 90s, buried treasure, news coverage, and wildfires for an exciting mystery. The story moves quickly with snappy dialogue and short chapters. Locales change frequently until the conclusion with everyone on location at the B & B.
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star (August 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074341232X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743412322
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars action-packed thriller, September 24, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jinxed (Regan Reilly Mysteries, No. 6) (Hardcover)

Regan Reilly and her boy friend Jack "not related" Reilly visit the California wine country until he has to return to his work as the head of the NYPD Major Cases Squad. Private sleuth Regan goes back to her office in Los Angeles. Almost the moment she arrives at work, Regan receives a call from the Weldon siblings, who she met when she and Jack toured their winery. Apparently their ninety-six going on ninety-three years old stepmother, former silent screen star Lucretia Standish, is getting married once again. If the Weldon trio plus the daughter of one of them all attend the ceremony, Lucretia will give them two million dollars each; if even one fails to show up they receive zero. The Weldons hire Regan to find the daughter off on one of her vanishing act weekends.

Regan begins investigating and receives help from Jack via email. However, the forty something groom has other plans for his fiancee's money, which include leaving the Weldons with nothing. If it means killing a detective to insure a Weldon fails to appear so be it.

JINXED is an action-packed thriller that moves at the speed of light, which leads to a fun time for the audience if one does not mind escapist cerebral cotton candy. The story line is fluff yet the audience will enjoy every page of it and most will finish in one sitting. Regan is a wonderful protagonist while readers will find the antics of the support cast quite pleasant and amusing. Carol Higgins Clark does what she does best entertain her fans.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better then the other Regan books, but..., April 2, 2006

By 

Brooke Hall - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jinxed (Regan Reilly Mysteries, No. 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

"jinxed" seemed to be better than the other Regan books in the series, but I have found with the Regan Reilly series, as well as her mother's books, a frustration at times with the number of characters that are introduced. I do not enjoy getting out a notepad when I am reading a book, so that I can write down the characters names and a description of each one! I felt that "Jinxed" left me hanging. I thought for sure that the motorcycle gang with all the tattoos that stayed at Altered States, would be the same gang that Jack Reilly was looking for! The author went to all the trouble to mention the tattoos, and then did nothing with the information! There are so many characters in these books, that sometimes the murderer is someone that we don't even recognize! I have found the Regan Reilly series somewhat enjoyable, because I am an extremely slow reader, and I am reading all of them. I will continue to read the series, as I can see improvement with each installment. For a light-hearted detective series, this one is not bad!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Mystery at a Bargain Price!, June 21, 2005

By 

Katie "book worm" (PA , USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jinxed (Regan Reilly Mysteries, No. 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

I haven't read a good mystery in several years, but when I came across this book, and noticed the bargain price, I decided to give it a try - and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised!

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I really enjoyed Jinxed! Carol Higgins Clark did an excellent job of building up the characters, and the story line was quite easy to follow - not like some of the other mystery books out there, where the story becomes so convoluted that you don't know who's who anymore.

Jinxed is about an old silent movie actress, her multi-millions, her young, unscrupulous fiance' & her ex-husband's family who feel they were cheated out of an inheritance (that was all given to the old actress)- and who currently live & run a winery that had been abandoned after prohibition led to its fall.

Although you know early on that the fiance is no good, and is only marrying the actress for her money, the mystery surrounds whether or not he will be found out before the wedding day. There are also several other "mini-mysteries" within the story, but it's still quite easy to follow.

I used to read Carol's mother's books many years ago (Mary Higgins Clark), and although Carol's style is considerably different from that of her mother's, she has proven herself to be an excellent mystery writer as well.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery, and who is looking for a relatively easy read. This is great recreation reading! I give it a 2 thumbs up.