Rating: 
Summary: Wish There Were More Like This One
Review: Wish There Were More Like This One Reading this book is like watching one of those fine old black and white movies from the 1940s. You just know right from the start that everything is going to turn out for the hero, but you love watching all of the twists and turns he has to take before you find out what really happens at the end. Hats off to the Higgins Clark team for creating a well-timed novella that will not only keep you turning page after page, but will tug at your heartstrings as well. I bought this book two days after Christmas as a little present to myself, and was so glad I did. The only problem I could see with it was that it wasn't long enough! This is a feel-good book for any time of the year, not just Christmas!
Rating: 
Summary: He's sees you when you're writing!
Review: Although I believe that Mary Higgins Clark is the best novelist of our times, this book was NOT one of her best. I personally was not intrigued by angels floating back to earth to set things right. Although there are touching moments in the book...I did not feel any suspense or sense of doom for any of the characters. You knew what was coming next! Definitely a book you can avoid this or any holiday season. Better Luck next time, Mary!
Rating: 
Summary: I must be some sort of a humbug, but....
Review: Like many Mary Higgins Clark fans, I raced to the bookstore to get my annual Higgins fix....and was sorely disappointed. I just read everyone else's review, so I see I'm in the minority, but I found this less than a page turner. I put it down SEVERAL times and didn't really care that much to pick it back up except that I felt I should somehow. I thought the characters were shallow with little real motivation. The plot was contrived. The outcome was obvious. The book had none of the suspense or twists I've come to admire. Just label me Scrooge, I guess!
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.
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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: Very Disappointing
Review: I should have stuck to what I said last year about not purchasing any of these little Christmas book by MHC and CHC. I had to force myself to read 30 or so pages. I am a HUGE Mary Higgins Clark fan, but I am staying away from her holiday books. They are poorly written, and boring. I read the other reviews before I purchased this book, but I should have gone with my gut instinct on this one. Also, it didn't help that right off the bat, Tara Lipinski's name was spelled incorrectly. You would think that someone would have caught that.
Rating: 
Summary: New Twist on Old Premise
Review: Even though this storyline has been done before, both in books and the film industry, the Clark women give this one a new twist and, so, the premise doesn't seem so old or "used" as one might think. Their style of writing is delightful, full of humor, which surprised me. A book very much worth reading.
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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: Tom & Jerry's for the soul
Review: This year's Clark & Clark Christmas carol is waaaaay better than last year's. Previous reviews have given the synopsis, so I won't "truffle" you with it again. I'll just add: OK, so it's not Dickens and it's not Capra, but it *is* a heart-warming toddy for the season, and there's nothing wrong with that. Tom & Jerry's for the soul, anyone?
Rating:
Summary: Smooth Read
Review: This book was very enjoyable. Hopefully no one was really expecting this book to be like "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Carol." Both great stories, but "He Sees You When You're Sleeping" is on another level. Its a quick read that you will not want to put down. Yes its "sugarcoated", but sometimes that's exactly what you need, a story with a happy ending.
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