Rating: 
Summary: A Charming Holiday Read
Review: When reading Mary Higgins Clark's crime novels, it's easy to get caught up in her often-formulaic writing, the feeling that nearly every story is the same. In "Deck the Halls", Clark teams up with her daughter, a best-selling author in her own right, to create a decidedly different novel full of the suspense she's famous for - and without the traditional formula.
The tale revolves around Luke Reilly, a funeral home director who is mysteriously kidnapped with his chauffeur a few days before Christmas. The ransom note is for one million dollars, yet neither the police nor Reilly's family (including his daughter Reagan, a private investigator) know who is behind it - or why Reilly was targeted.
Everything seemingly goes according to plan: the ransom money is dropped off at the appointed place at the appropriate time, and Reagan and her mother are expecting Luke's release. When the bumbling kidnappers lose the money, however, the stakes are raised. What began as a quick way to get rich has become a dangerous game involving life and death. It's up to Reagan to find her father in time.
Brilliantly written, with some new twists Mary Higgins Clark's fans will enjoy, "Deck the Halls" is a charming holiday read from America's Queen of Suspense.
Rating: 
Summary: Slightly, Suspenseful Halls
Review: Actually I would give "Deck the Halls" 3.5 stars a notch slightly above "Silent Night" another recent read of mine for the holidays. This book involves a kidnapping, a mystery writer's husband and oddly enough the bumbling kidnappers decide to use her mystery novels as a plan for the ransom drop. Add in some little subplots (including a recently rich sleuth, Alvirah my favorite character for gutsy and nosey determination) that help flesh out the story and you have an effective little suspense novel written by a good mother and daughter writer team. I am interested in reading the other "Christmas" novels in Mary and Carol Higgins Clark chain, but I think I will wait until next year. I'm kind of surprised that the television networks haven't already optioned this.
Rating: 
Summary: Tendrils of Tension
Review: The Mother/Daughter Author Team merges two sets of detectives in this tightly written kidnapping at Christmas saga. In 202 pages, they craft a very suspenseful "night before Christmas" mystery with an amazing set of characters including Santa and two young boys looking at life without their mama. The tension takes over and the reader is privy to the pressures of time that police work under every day. As the minutes tick, the ever delightful Alvirah and Willy and Regan Reilly join the police in pursuing clues and rushing down empty alleys. Will the incredibly inept bad guys be successful? Will sifting through the clues provide the answer in time to get Luke & Rosita to their respective homes for Christmas? Or, will grim luck take over and everything go wrong? And could romance possibly be lurking? Quite an AMAZING read, and one I highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: 'Tis The Season
Review: Both Mary and Carol Higgins Clark are well-renowned authors, and have written countless good books between the two of them. Finally, we get the chance to see them work together. This collaborative effort is quite good.In DECK THE HALLS, writer Nora Reilly is in the hospital with a broken leg. Her husband and his driver are kidnapped by a client, and held for $1 million ransom. In a race against time, not to mention the own personal friction between the two kidnappers, several characters from the past are included in the suspense. What truly makes this novel entertaining is the diverse mesh of interesting characters. Both writers include some of your favorites from other stories. With a plethora of plot twists peppered with some incredibly zany situations, DECK THE HALLS is a real good read. The storyline is easy to follow, and the witty dialogue helps move it along nicely. This is a pleasurable, light read, and one that is perfect for this time of year. DECK THE HALLS will definately leave you feeling quite jolly.
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