Customer Reviews

Jinxed (Regan Reilly Mysteries, No. 6)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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

"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!

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.

This was a cute story, but there seemed to be a lot of inconsistencies with the plot. Okay, to be honest, there were some pretty sizable plot holes, particularly when it came to the fire... and I have to admit that I did let those things distract me a bit, and take away from the story. Otherwise it was a fun story, with some interesting (if occasionally annoying) characters. I also thought the author overdid the foreshadowing just a tad... It's not what I would classify as a mystery, really, but more of a lightly humorous suspense novel. It had some good moments, but all in all, not a book I would strongly recommend unless you read a lot and are looking for a bit of fluff.

I purchased this book at a convenience store in Newark airport out of desperation. I finished it before my flight landed in Portland. Don't expect anything deep or profound. However, I did thoroughly enjoy reading this book. It was extremely fast-paced. I found it to be both interesting and enjoyable. This isn't ordinarily something I'd pick up, but I would highly recommend it to someone traveling. Helps the time pass more quickly.

The author reads this book. She is great, her different accents for her characters very accurately portray them. I have not missed a single one of these mysteries. You will not be disappointed in Jinxed!!

All novels are contrivances of the writer. The trick is to write in such a way that the contrivances flow and seem real. Ms. Clark apparently cannot do that. Her plots are just plain bad. Her characters are the beautiful people, people who would never eat at McDonald's or buy even a pair of socks at WalMart. They know good food, good wine, fine apparel. The plots take place in wealthy milieus. The conversations are brittle. Add it all up and one has to wonder what reader Ms. Clark has in mind. Certainly not I. But she does have her audience and it must be a sizeable one since she sells a great many books. Henceforth I'll avoid anything with her name on it and leave it to those who appreciate her work.

I read this book in two days. It had lots of twists and turns. Was so good. I am reading all of her books. I just love all the Regan Reilly books. They are worth it.

Savvy young Los Angeles P.I. 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 Lueretia--but only if they all attend.

Lucretia's bridegroom, a 46-year-old 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.

I've read most of the Regan Reilly books and this is one of the best. It keeps your interest and is a quick read.