Cursed (Reagan Reilly Mysteries, No. 12) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Los Angeles, New York, Nicky Tendril (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Clark's rambunctious 12th Regan Reilly mystery (after 2008's Zapped), the New York City PI heads for Los Angeles to help an old neighbor, film hairstylist Abigail Feeney, track down her ex-boyfriend, producer Cody Castle, who owes Abigail $100,000 she loaned him. Born on a Friday the 13th, Abigail has always felt cursed, and this is just the latest disaster in a run of bad luck. The missing Cody's filmmaking partner, Dean Puntler, is also worried, since Cody has squandered funding they needed for their production to boost hot young actress Stella Gardner. The murder of 85-year-old Nicky Tendril, one of Cody and Dean's prospective investors, adds extra stress. Might Abigail be the killer? Abigail had been cutting Nicky's hair for free until he began getting rude, but Regan is sure she's innocent. Clark's bubbly humor makes this a great vacation read for mystery-lite fans who love a Hollywood twist. (Apr.)
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Product Description

Private Investigator Regan Reilly moved from Los Angeles to New York City when she married her husband, Jack "no relation" Reilly, head of the NYPD Major Case Squad. To help a friend she ends up taking on a case that calls her back to her old stomping ground...

Cursed opens on a cold and gray January morning. Sleet and snow are swirling as Regan arrives at a warehouse in Long Island City with a trunk full of her old case files from Los Angeles. After carting all her boxes into a storage unit, she heads back out into the snow, and her cell phone rings.

Abigail Feeney, a young woman who had lived across the hall from Regan in an apartment complex in the Hollywood Hills, is on the line. Abigail believes her life has been cursed since birth. She was born on Friday the 13th of January, and her parents gave her a name with 13 letters. A hairdresser on movie sets, Abigail was recently injured at work when a piece of scaffolding fell and knocked her over, and her arm was broken in two places. But that isn't why she is calling. "Regan!" she exclaims. "The 'no good bum' has been spotted in town. I desperately need the money he owes me. Can you please come out here and help me find him?"

Regan immediately knows the identity of the "no good bum." From her L.A. apartment, Regan had often seen Abigail's ex, Cody Castle, sitting by the pool, bent over his cell phone, text messaging nonstop. Before he disappeared three months ago, he borrowed $100,000 from Abigail. He promised to pay her back in three months.

"Find him?" Regan asks.

"Yes! My grandmother is flying here tomorrow. There's a condo she wants to buy me. But we need that money. She can't find out I don't have it. Regan, can't you spend a few days with me?"

If Regan weren't freezing, she might have made an excuse. But Jack was away at a seminar, Regan had never liked the "no good bum," and Abigail had brought her chicken soup when she'd had the flu last winter. Within hours Regan is on a flight to Los Angeles where her adventure with Abigail will take her from the beaches of Malibu, to the mountains north of the city, to the renovated lofts of downtown L.A.

Regan starts to feel Abigail's curse is contagious as she encounters a cast of characters who aren't always welcoming. Some are downright dangerous. And there's one who is the most dangerous of all...

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; Book Club (BCE/BOMC) edition (April 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416562176
• ISBN-13: 978-1416562177
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,423 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ho hum, April 11, 2009

By	Kathryn Sossen "RNreader" (nantucket, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I like this series- really I do- It's pleasant, easy reading and nothing really bad ever happens to anyone- In this one, I missed the interplay between Regan, her husband and parents. Also, the curse/13 letters thing seemed forced- and the ending simply appeared to be "phoned in"- all of a sudden it was over- and no interest or purpose to the epilogue. I should have waited for the paperback, or the Kindle edition.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Happy Birthday, June 19, 2009

By	Ted Feit (Long Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews

If you're in the mood for something light and short, this novel will fill the bill. It brings Regan Reilly back to Los Angeles from New York where she moved when she wed Jack "No relation" Reilly. What prompts her return is a phone call from her former LA neighbor, Abigail Feeney, requesting Regan's help in locating a former boyfriend to whom she loaned $100,000.

Regan leaves for the West Coast within hours (the whole novel takes place in just about a day). Abigail's grandmother also is due to arrive on the next day, Abigail's birthday. It seems the money originally came from the grandmother, meant to be the down payment on an apartment or home for Abigail, and as a birthday present she intends to pay for a friend's apartment with the $100,000 contributing to the purchase price. Unfortunately the former boyfriend spent the money and disappeared.

The side stories include the machinations of the boyfriend and his partner to finance a film they are attempting to make, and various calamities befalling Abigail who believes she is cursed (her birthday is Friday the 13th, there are 13 letters in her name, etc.) as well as an earthquake and other roadblocks to solving the mystery.

For some light reading or to while away some time at the beach, the novel will suit the purpose well.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick, entertaining read, April 11, 2009

By	Linda Holman "L A Jewel" (Chatsworth, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This is the 12th entry in the Regan Reilly series. As the title suggests, Abigail Feeney, a previous neighbor of Regan's in L.A., calls Regan for help. Abigail believes she is cursed, and that this is the reason bad things always happen to her.

Regan just happens to have the time to fly to Los Angeles, where she used to live before marrying Jack "no relation" Reilly! Jack is off in Miami for a law enforcement conference, and Nora and Luke, her parents, are in Palm Beach.

The action takes place in all the hot spots in and around L.A., including The Beverly Hills Hotel, Malibu and the re-gentrified area of Downtown L.A. The weather is gorgeous,(sory, it pretty much always is here in L.A.!)which is good for Regan, as she just made it out of New York on a typical January day; dreary, snowing and pretty darn cold!

It is fun to read how Ms. Clark weaves several seemingly un-related characters lives to coincide with each other in the grand finale. As usual, there is a very satisfying conclusion!

This is a fun, quick read and shows a bit more of Regan's character and development since she became married to Jack. If you liked Ms. Clark's previous books featuring this character, you won't be disappointed.