Rating: 
Summary: A Warm Holiday Reminder That Love Makes All Things Possible
Review: Mary Higgins Clark and daughter Carol have given us one of their best Christmas efforts yet as they tell the sweet story of Sterling Brooks, a soul in heaven's waiting room, given one last chance to earn his spot in heaven. They overlap his story with the very earthly tale of a little girl and the danger a pair of no-good gangster brothers pose for her. Readers will recognize Mary Higgins Clark's genius for creating a variety of characters and pinpointing the motivations that precede their actions. Readers will certainly sympathize with Sterling Brooks as he learns the power of caring for others---a trait he somehow missed in his earthly life--- before he can cross the bridge to Heaven. The laugh-out-loud humor of daughter Carol's previous works is unmistakable as the reader is treated to the bumbling Badgett Brothers, despicable and somewhat stereotypical bad boys redeemed only by their totally unselfish love for their wily Mama. The first description that came to my mind was The Blues Brothers Meet It's A Wonderful Life. The authors dedicate this book to the victims of the September 11, 2001 tragedy, to the families and friends who loved them, and to the rescuers who risked their own lives to help them. Certainly it is refreshing to see New York's traditional yuletide trimmings written about---the skating rink at Rockefeller Center, the windows at Sak's, the sanctity of St. Patrick's Cathedral, and more---to remind us that this indestructible city is still alive and well. Many authors choose to tell a Christmas tale and take a step off their normal path. I consider this one the very best to come out in this holiday season. Although it may lack the riveting suspense we normally associate with Mary Higgins Clark, it is an original twist on a warm and fuzzy story that satisfies, refuses to let you put it down, and warms the heart in a way we all need at this special season of loving and giving. So if you are looking for a quick, feel-good read that leaves visions of sugarplums dancing in your head, pick up this very special little book and give yourself a Christmas present you'll enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Read the first couple of pages - you won't be able to stop!
Review: Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter seem to weave magical stories with ease and this one is a totally riveting and wonderfully seasonal Christmas story, with echoes of the classic movie Its a Wonderful Life - if updated a bit for contemporary readers.
The story, in brief: In his lifetime Sterling Brooks was blessed with the intelligence and luck to get by without much effort. In the Afterlife, however, he's been stuck been waiting at Heaven's Gate for 50 years, hoping vainly to get into heaven. Opportunity strikes when the Heavenly Council decides to try a new "experiment". Sterling, they decide, must return to Earth and
help someone else.
And not just anyone. In this case, Sterling is sent to help Marissa, a young girl whose family has been placed in a Federal Protection Program. Can Sterling help her get back to the ones she loves?
What makes this story even more special is that it is set in New York, with charm and nostalgia to warm the heart. I read this one in one afternoon and then read it aloud to the rest of my family. This book could become a Christmas classic itself; it is simply that good.
Rating:
Summary: Awwwww for holiday fun
Review: Maybe it's just me. In light of all that is going on, I find myself gravitating to the fun, fast reads. I don't care if they don't challenge me and if they're slightly silly. This book is perfect for an escapist read. When I'm done travelling to and from work with this in my hand, then I'll pop in Prancer and remember that sometimes a little bit of sugar is what we all need.
Rating: 
Summary: Check Your List Twice Before You Buy
Review: Sterling Brooks is marking time in the celestial waiting room watching everyone else get their wings. As a lawyer during life, described as the kind of person who was first in the lifeboat, who never went out of his way for anyone and who was too smug and self-absorbed to notice what was going on around him (trial lawyers won't like that portrait of one of their own), it's not going to be easy for Counselor Brooks. Summoned by the Heavenly Council and informed that his only chance for admission will be his participation in an earthly experiment to recognize someone with a problem and help them solve it, Brooks is off to earn his wings. Transported back to Rockefeller Center during the holiday season, Brooks doesn't have that much time to help seven year old Marissa get reunited with her father and grandmother. The road to heaven may be paved with good intentions; but Brooks' trip takes him to the underworld of gangsters Junior and Eddie Badgett who have scared Marissa's father and grandmother into the witness protection program because of something they know. While this book may fly off the shelves this holiday season because of its authors' following, it's not destined to take up residence next to Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" or Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life" in this reviewer's holiday collection. Sure, it's probably not expected to be a classic, but even as an afternoon read with Mel Torme crooning in the background and the chestnuts roasting on an open fire, it's a disappointment. There's not enough humbug in me to say don't read this book during a free moment in the holiday rush. It is short at 199 pages. It's just that I think mother-daughter authors Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark could have done much better if they lightened up on the sugar coating.
Rating:
Summary: Better than TV
Review: Sterling was an ok guy on earth and has been waiting outside the pearly gates for years and years to get into heaven. He is summoned (finally) before the council and offered the chance to go back to earth and "do good" It's a silly little mystery with a light weight ending, but a fun read.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Start, but turns predictable...
Review: The basis for this novel is excellent. I had high hopes as Clark hooked me at the beginning with the plot. However, throughout the book I would tell my husband, "I bet xyz is going to happen next." And sure enough it would.
Rating:
Summary: Great Start, but turns predictable...
Review: The basis for this novel is excellent. I had high hopes as Clark hooked me at the beginning with the plot. However, throughout the book I would tell my husband, "I bet xyz is going to happen next." And sure enough it would.
Rating:
Summary: A Nice Little Christmas Story!
Review: The book begins with Sterling Brooks. He didn't lead an exemplary life-he was too self-absorbed to ever really think about anyone else or make a commitment to the woman he loved. On the other hand though, he did have some good character traits. His actual misdeeds were few-his were sins of omission, but not comission. It is just a few days before Christmas. For about 46 years, Sterling is lingering in the celestial waiting room outside the heavenly gates. He is awaiting summons from the Heavenly Council. Will he be deemed fit for entrance into heaven? At last the day comes and the council settles on a test for Sterling-he will be sent back to earth and given a real opportunity to help someone else as he never has before. Sterling Brooks will find himself in Manhattan, at the skating rink in Rockefeller Center. Among the skaters is a heartbroken seven-year-old named Marissa, and as Sterling soon realizes, it is she he has been sent to help. Marissa's sadness comes from her separation from the father she adores greatly, and her sparkling grandmother who is owner of a popular restaurant. Both have been forced into the Witness Protection Program because two mobsters, the Badgett brothers, have put a price on their heads
to prevent their testifying against an arson case. I enjoyed the short book as a whole, and love Mary Higgins Clark's writing a lot.
Rating:
Summary: DYNAMIC DELIVERY OF A YULETIDE THRILLER
Review: The Clark ladies are a formidable literary pair, often co-authoring to offer double dips of pleasure for mystery loving readers. Now, they've taken a leaf from the classic Christmas film "It's A Wonderful Life" and spiced it with danger. Carol Higgins Clark gives authentic voice to their story. Sterling Brooks might be everyman--except for the fact that he's in heaven's anteroom, where he's been waiting for almost 50 years for admission to heaven. In his case patience isn't its own reward, and the Heavenly Council proposes a test for him. Sterling must return to Earth and prove his Pearly Gates eligibility by helping someone else. Where to start but Manhattan and the Rockefeller Center skating rink? There he finds a woebegone seven-year-old, Marissa, whose family has been placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program due to the threats of the murderous Blodgett family. It is the Christmas season and Marissa is separated from those she loves. It does take some work and thought on Sterling's part but, of course, the tale has a happy ending. After all, even almost-angels have mysterious powers.
Rating:
Summary: DYNAMIC DELIVERY OF A YULETIDE THRILLER
Review: The Clark ladies are a formidable literary pair, often co-authoring to offer double dips of pleasure for mystery loving readers. Now, they've taken a leaf from the classic Christmas film "It's A Wonderful Life" and spiced it with danger. Carol Higgins Clark gives authentic voice to their story. Sterling Brooks might be everyman--except for the fact that he's in heaven's anteroom, where he's been waiting for almost 50 years for admission to heaven. In his case patience isn't its own reward, and the Heavenly Council proposes a test for him. Sterling must return to Earth and prove his Pearly Gates eligibility by helping someone else. Where to start but Manhattan and the Rockefeller Center skating rink? There he finds a woebegone seven-year-old, Marissa, whose family has been placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program due to the threats of the murderous Blodgett family. It is the Christmas season and Marissa is separated from those she loves. It does take some work and thought on Sterling's part but, of course, the tale has a happy ending. After all, even almost-angels have mysterious powers.
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