Dashing Through the Snow

It’s time for the Festival of Joy, but joy seems hard to come by. The hard-working employees at the local market don’t get the Christmas bonus they’ve come to expect. Instead, the new bride of the owner talks her husband into giving framed pictures of their wedding. Needless to say, the employees are more than a little disappointed. But that feeling doesn’t last when they discover they have won the lottery. That is, all but one of the regular players who backed out at the last moment. Things go from bad to worse for Duncan. There is much speculation among the townspeople as to where Duncan is and what really is happening. It will take someone with some deducting skill to sort things out. Enter Alvirah Meehan, amateur sleuth. The show more action is fast-paced in this clever Christmas tale, with just enough twists to keep you turning the pages. A good read anytime, but especially at Christmas. show less

Fictional author Nora Reilly is a special guest at a small New Hampshire town’s festival that’s gone nutty when a group of grocery store workers win the lottery the day before. When one goes missing and turns up injured and his girlfriend kidnapped, Nora’s daughter/private investigator Regan and family friend Alvirah are on the case. Once again, many “chance” events culminate in a tidy resolution. I love it because I like to see how it all comes together to solve the crime. These Christmas stories are really well done (even if kidnapping is the crime de jour)!

I've never read any of the books Mary Higgins Clark has written on her own, but I've read a few of these that she's co-authored with her daughter and I've read a few of Carol Higgins Clark's Regan Reilly mysteries, and they are pure fluff of the average variety. But when found for a buck at a used library books sale or book shop, they make for easy, light holiday reading equivalent to eating a mass-produced christmas cookie.

The writing isn't bad, but it's not deep and the plots rely on stunning coincidences not usually found in nature. You are absolutely guaranteed that the bad guys will all come to a bad end, the good guys will all win, all wrongs will be made right and justice will prevail. If you go into this book knowing this, show more you'll find a very fast, festive read. show less

While waiting for my next book club book to come in from the library, I grabbed this book. Mary Higgins Clark's Alvirah Meehan and some other characters work to find and help a missing lottery winner and his girlfriend during a small town Christmas Festival. A good quick, brainless read.

I bought this book during the holidays a few years ago at the local Friends of the Library store. I don't think I have ever read a Higgins Clark book, so I had no idea what to expect. What a fun cozy mystery this was! It was fast-paced, had likable characters and stood alone nicely, even though it's the fifth in a series.

There is just enough intensity to cause a little "reader stress" and a lot of levity to balance it. This was a delightful book, and recommended.

When a group of workers at a small town grocery win the lottery their joy is overshadowed by the sudden disappearance of one of their co-workers. The amateur sleuth Alvirah Meehan and her friend Reagan Reilly, a private investigator, jump in to unravel a mystery so big that it takes the whole town on a wild ride. I liked this little book. It was worth the quick read and written in the classic Clark style. Great characters, wonderful story, and just when you thought you knew exactly what was going on, they throw in a curve you never would have expected. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a comfort book to curl up with by the Christmas tree.

When a group of workers at a small town grocery win the lottery their joy is overshadowed by the sudden disappearance of one of their co-workers. The amateur sleuth Alvirah Meehan and her friend Reagan Reilly, a private investigator, jump in to unravel a mystery so big that it takes the whole town on a wild ride. I liked this little book. It was worth the quick read and written in the classic Clark style. Great characters, wonderful story, and just when you thought you knew exactly what was going on, they throw in a curve you never would have expected. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a comfort book to curl up with by the Christmas tree.