Monday, December 17, 2012

The Christmas Thief by Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark


Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

Alvirah Meehan, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth, teams up with private investigator Regan Reilly to solve another Christmas mystery.  In Deck the Halls, they rescued Regan's kidnapped father. This time they get in the middle of a case involving a beautiful eighty-foot blue spruce that has been chosen to spend the holidays as Rockefeller Center's famous Christmas tree.  The folks who picked the tree don't have a clue that attached to one of its branches is a flask chock-full of priceless diamonds that Packy Noonan, a scam artist just released from prison, had hidden there over twelve years ago.

An excited Packy breaks his parole and heads to Stowe, Vermont, to reclaim his loot.  Once there, he is horrified to discover that his special tree will be heading to New York City the next morning.  With a bumbling crew consisting of Jo-Jo, Benny, and an unsuccessful poet, Milo, he knows he has to act fast.

What Packy does not know is that Alvirah and Regan are on a weekend trip to Stowe with Alvirah's husband, Willy; Regan's fiance, Jack; Regan's parents, Luke and Nora; and Alvirah's friend Opal, a lottery winner who lost all her winnings in Packy's scams.  On Monday morning when they're supposed to head home, they learn the tree is missing, Packy Noonan may be in the vicinity, and Opal has disappeared.

So I finally got around to reading the second book in the Christmas collaboration between Mary and Carol Higgins Clark.  I've already read the first, third, and fourth book, not in that order, so I'm not bothered by the fact I'm finishing with the second.  My only regret, is that so far, the series is over with.  I've now read the only four Christmas books starring Alvirah and the Reillys.

What I've enjoyed about this series was the lightness of it all.  I now there is kidnapping, thievery, and general mayhem; but it's fun at the same time.  Nothing is taken too seriously, they are the perfect mysteries for a Christmas night.  Now I just have to hope that the duo get together soon, and write a new book.

Challenges:  CS

3 comments:

Kaye said...

Love the cover on that one. Glad you enjoyed it so much.

Staci said...

I'm sure they will write another one!! Light fun is always a winning factor during the crazy hectic holiday season!

Michelle Stockard Miller said...

I might have to give these a read some year. I used to love reading Mary Higgins Clark's books, but kind of got out of them. I might appreciate some light Christmas mysteries.