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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Is Carol the Weak Link? (2.5 Stars),
This review is from: Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea (Hardcover)
Although I've read almost every Mary Higgins Clark book (including her memoir), I haven't read any of Carol Higgins Clark. That's because I bought one of her books that sat on a remainder table, and the writing was so bad, I put it down and never read another.
I had just finished The Christmas Thief and thought I'd read the newest book, Santa Cruise. (I got both from the library, thankfully!) The Christmas Thief is a *bit* better than Santa Cruise, but both have unbelievable plots and cardboard characters. Alvirah Meehan, MHC's elderly lottery winner, gets on my NERVES. I was hoping that she'd get whacked by the middle of the book. The plot was unbelievable, the gaggle of elderly people were tiresome, and there was much to be desired in terms of evoking atmosphere. There was a time when MHC would describe a character making a salad, and I'd get hungry for one just reading about it! I'm beginning to wonder if the weak links in the holiday novels is actually MHC's daughter, Carol. Would Carol have come this far without having a famous mother? I wonder. Regan, Nora, Luke, and Jack ("The Reillys") are the most thinly drawn of the characters, after all... If you're a rabid fan of MHC and her daughter Carol, you may enjoy this light read. (I finished it within 24 hours). Me...I'm glad I didn't spend the $ buying the book. If you want to read a great holiday book (although it has touches of mystery, it's not a crime novel) that also has a lot of heart, try Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans. Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty bad,
By
This review is from: Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea (Hardcover)
Remember the Gong Show, where the annoying little guy with the stick would bang on the huge metal gong when an act was really bad, and the performer had to leave the stage in disgrace? There was the sound of a really loud "gong, gong, gong" from the very first page of this book.
I don't want to insult MHC - I have been reading and enjoying her books for decades - but nepotism has no place in the publishing world. I think Carol Higgins Clark looks and sounds like a very nice person, but she is no writer, and I truly think if she'd attempted to break into the fiction market anonymously, using the name C. H. Clark or whatever, she would still be collecting rejection letters on her first manuscript. I have mistakenly picked up one or two of her books thinking they were MHC novels and been extremely disappointed in myself for not being more careful. I could compose paragraphs about the horrific misuse of words and phrases in the book, The Santa Cruise, but those points would be nit-picky. Sort of like looking at a car wreck and noticing a crooked antenna. The entire book is just one huge fiasco on every level. The only thing that could have saved it would have been to market it in the category "For ages 7-12".
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Appalling!!,
By Steven James (Washington State) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea (Hardcover)
This was, without a doubt, the worst book I've read in over a year. The plot was completely ridiculous and full of cliches. The characters were mere caricatures of real people and the outcome was just plain silly. The two authors must be getting greedy or spending beyond their means because any author worth their salt would have flushed this down the toilet before subjecting the masses to it. Thinking maybe I was delusional I gave the book to my mother, without commenting on it, she told me today that she can't remember the last time she read such a terrible book. I love Mary Higgins Clark, but "Santa Cruise" (cute title) is a real sinking ship!
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