Book Review: Deck the Halls

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Deck the Halls     Amazon US PB Amazon US TPB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada TPB Amazon Canada HC
Mary Higgins Clark , Carol Higgins Clark
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Cozy   Private Investigator   Woman Main Character   Humorous   Holiday
Series: Regan Riley
Scribner, Nov 2000, $18.00, 192 pp.

California private detective Regan Reilley flies home to New Jersey to spend the holidays with her parents. Regan visits her mother, Nora, a patient at the Manhattan Hospital for Special Surgery for a leg she broke tripping over a rug. At her mother’s room, Regan also sees her father Luke, a funeral home owner, who quickly races off to attend the Goodloe funeral before going onto a dentist.

However, Luke never makes his appointments as Petey the Painter and C.B. Dingle kidnap him. C.B. felt he was cheated by Luke providing “ill advice” that cost him his inheritance. C.B. demands that successful mystery writer Nora send them one million dollars for the safe return of her spouse and his driver. Regan begins searching for her abducted father starting at the dentist’s office where she meets local amateur detective Alvirah Meehan, who offers her help.

Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter Carol Higgins Clark collaborate on a mystery tale that unites sleuths from some of their previous solo efforts. The basis for the kidnapping of Luke seems a stretch. However, the tale will entertains readers well because the writing duo in their first pairing imbues humor into the story line while insuring their two protagonists blend well together to make an entertaining novel.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner