Carol Higgins Clark (1956–2023)

This story reads like a Nancy Drew novel; everyone is two dimensional, there is no real mystery, and you don't particularly care for any of the characters. Also there was an unnecessary amount of characters in this short story, honestly most of them contributed nothing to the plot other than tripping me up on who was who. It's a brainless little mystery, set in November so it's not even all that holiday related. There is a Christmas tree but that's about it. I like the occasional brainless show more holiday or mystery novel but this satisfied neither of those requirements. I'd never read Mary Higgins Clark before and if this is representative of her other mysteries then I certainly have no desire to try out any others. Ugh. show less

Alvirah Meehan, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth, teams up with private investigator Regan Reilly to solve another Christmas mystery. A beautiful eighty foot blue spruce has been chosen as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The people who picked the tree don't have a clue that attached to one of its branches is a flask full of priceless diamonds that Packy Noonan, a scam artist, hid there twelve years ago. I am not a big fan of Mary HIggins Clark although I don't mind her show more daughter;s stuff (Carolyn HIggins Clark). They teamed up for this very simple read - don't expect anything in depth. I read this for a bookclub for our December meeting. This isn't a big group and no one seemed to like it at all and only a few of us read the entire book. I finished it, but it wasn't a long read. I did think the main idea of stealing the Rockerfeller Christmas tree was a fun idea. show less

I’m not sure how it is everyone gets a turn at being kidnapped in Clark’s Christmas books, but this time it is Regan Reilly’s father, wealthy owner of several funeral homes. Reilly is a private detective in LA but she engages the help of good friend of the family and NYC native Alvirah, an amateur but very good private detective herself. What I like about these stories are how the random characters and subplots come together to help solve the mystery and save some lives. This book show more features two little boys whose mother was kidnapped at the same time, elevating the level of tension, but who indirectly also have a role in solving the crime. show less

Private investigator Regan Reilly and her husband, Jack, are in Los Angeles where Regan began her private investigator career. Jack, head of the New York Police Department’s major case squad, has come here to attend a series of meetings with the Los Angeles Police Department. After the meetings conclude, the couple plans to spend a few days traveling in the area.

Regan bumps into Zelda, a friend from some seven years ago when they both appeared on the television game show “Puzzling show more Words.” Zelda invites Regan to a party at a Hollywood Hills estate where she’s staying for a week, thanks to a successful bid at a charity fundraiser.

When Zelda suddenly falls ill, Regan stays with her friend and Zelda reveals her concerns about her father’s new wife. The two, it seems, got married in the back of a cab at a drive-through church in Las Vegas after knowing each other for only three months and Zelda is concerned about her father.

But other unknown dangers lurk and both women soon find themselves in danger.

Fifteenth in the Regan Reilly series, this is a lighthearted, quick read. Populated by a group of quirky characters, the book is light on both plot and character development. The escapist tale has enough backstory for readers new to the series, but the novella-length narrative lacks depth and, for a mystery, is short on suspense.

The elephant in the room, as far as this book is concerned, has nothing to do with the story. Instead, it’s the use of a cruel racial slur for the title. About a year after its initial publication, the book title became “Scammed,” but that did little to lessen the sting of the original choice. show less