Rating: 
Summary: A Pleasant "Read"
Review: If you want a two hours plus respite from holiday cooking and shopping, put your feet up and read this book. Fans of the Clarks (mere et fille) will be delighted. If you like the Clarks go directly to page one and begin!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Twist Falls Flat
Review: As one who looks forward to any new Mary Higgins Clark book, I have to sadly admit that this was a disappointment. Being a lover of mysteries set at Christmas, I was totally captivated by her previous Christmas novella, "All Through The Night." This current one, while starting out on an interesting note (loved having Alvirah connect with Regan Reilly), falls flat quickly due to the lack of suspense. Is there any reader who does not know from early into the book how this is going to turn out? The suspense is virtually non-existent. Also, Mary has gone to the kidnapping at Christmas plot once too often. It worked so well in "All Through the Night" because the reader was caught up in the suspense of the helpless infant being the victim. It's hard to muster the same level of concern for two adults who seem far wiser than their inept kidnappers. I've read all of MHC's books and this one goes on the bottom of my list when ranking favorites. But I hope she does another Christmas one in 2001; just want her to be more imaginative and suspenseful.
Rating: 
Summary: Delightful team effort
Review: 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
Rating: 
Summary: a simple read
Review: This is a book that holds ones interest but is nothing very special. It is very slight in substance and size and does not compare in any other way with previous books written by the authors. Disappointing! Barbara B Winkler
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: This was pretty good, plot-wise. At times the plot would get a little far-fetched or silly, but otherwise it was very entertaining. It featured Carol Higgins Clark's fabulous female sleuth, Regan Reilly, in a case involving the kidnapping of her father and his friend. Mary Higgins Clark contributed by having a (rather irriating) amateur sleuth from one of her books help her on the case. I really recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Reader in the Midwest
Review: My review would almost mirror Michael's review, so I am only going to add to what he has already said. If you have never read a MHC or CHC book, please don't let this be the first one you start with. MHC original 12 or so books are amazing, and CHC's book are also a good read. Save reading this book until after reading their other books. To me, this book was a big thank-you to everyone in their lives. It is full of mommy, daddy, daughter, editor adoration(and others). Parts of the book were totally unbelieveable. An example is when Nora(Mary) is in the hospital talking with a young handsome cop, she is thinking about how nice it would be if he was her son-in-law(Nora is always trying to fix-up the single Regan), however, if my husband had been kidnapped, that probably would be the last thing on my mind. I also found the laughing and nonstop joking from the kidnap victims with their almost overly courteous kidnappers to be a bit strange(the kidnappers do get kudos, as they feed their victims on a regular basis!). When I first heard about this joint project, I thought this most likely was a vehicle to be used to propel Carol into Mary's arena, and make Carol the next Queen of Suspense, however, after reading this book, I have changed my mind. I now believe this was something mom and daughter did together for the fun of doing it(because there is no way this little 180 something page book is capable of accomplishing that feat). Since Mary seems to be publishing a book at the holiday season, I would like to see something with a little more meat next year. Bottom line: It's not a bad book, but it's not Mary's best(or Carol's), but I am not sorry I bought it. I just wish their was more to it!
Rating:
Summary: Add A Star If You Are A Big Mary Higgins Clark Fan
Review: It has become an annual tradition for Mary Higgins Clark to put out a Christmas thriller. They are shorter books than her usual fare and I guess they are marketed as great stocking stuffers. Lately, I have found myself enjoying Clark's books less and less. They have become much too predictable and at best can be described as "lite" thrillers. If this type of book appeals to you, you will enjoy Deck The Halls. Loyal fans of Clark's work will find the usual elements that attract them to her books. For those readers looking for something fresh and exciting, this book is not for you. I have never read any of the books written by her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark(who she cowrote this book with), so I have no point of comparison on her end. I will say that reading Deck The Halls does not inspire to go out and read any of Carol's other work. This is not an awful book, it's just not an interesting one. Any mystery and thriller fan will be able to predict all the action in this book by the time they've reached page fifty. I realize that is actually a positive characteristic for avid Mary Higgins Clark fans. The familiarity of both the plot and characters is attractive to these fans and the formula will produce another New York Times Bestseller. For those who have never read Clark before this is not the place to start. Go back to one of her earlier works when her plots seemed fresh and new. A true Christmas present from Clark would be to write a book as good as those early ones. These books are an annual tradition I could live without.
Rating:
Summary: Deck the Halls
Review: I have read several novels by Mary Higgins Clark, but none by her daughter Carol. They team up to write "Deck the Halls", which has Carol's series character, Regan Reilly, and Mary's character, Alvirah Meehan, who has appeared in several of her novels. The novel centers around the kidnapping of Regan's father, Luke Reilly, and his driver just days before Christmas. Regan and Alvirah team up to help solve the crime. The kidnappers follow a plot used by Regan's mother, Nora, who is a mystery writer. This is an enjoyable read, and is recommended for 3-4 hours of holiday fun.
Rating:
Summary: No suspense, no mystery, and not a thriller
Review: Why did the queen of suspense become involved with this novel? I assume it was to fulfill a lifelong goal for mother and daughter to write together or for a contract because that is all that was achieved. I've never read Carol Higgins Clark, therefore I do not know if her other books were as boring. Mary Higgins Clark, however, has kept me spellbound for hours. The plot was mediocre -- Luke Reilly and Rosita Gonzazles are kidnapped for ransom. They are held in a leaky boat until the inept culprits get paid. The stupidity of these criminals comes through in their conversation and actions. The characters were one-dimensional and gratuitous, and it seemed their only purpose was to give names for identification while reading. I was surprised by the immature style of writing. Even though we run into people with our name, it is not a good story approach because it can be confusing - two sets of Reilly's make for difficult character identification. Long time writers rarely make the mistake of switching the point of view (POV) multiple times within short segments or changing the verb tense from past to present while doing so. Perhaps I see this clearly because I'm an editor, but I think the sudden switches would be unwelcome by most readers. The book needed to be proofread, and may have been, but there were so many grammatical errors that I doubt if the authors even read it. Some of these items are question marks or periods immediately followed by a comma, or double period marks, and some misspellings. Every book has some proofread errors, and I, like most people, simply ignore them. There were too many to be ignored. In my opinion, this book was published because of the author's names. Period. I do not recommend it. Victoria Tarrani
Rating:
Summary: An okay read
Review: I admit this isn't one of Mary Higgins Clark's best. I've never read any of the books they've wrote together, so I didn't know what to expect. I had been wanting to read it for some time, but it didn't have a lot of suspense in it so I only gave it three stars.
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