Reviews

Le Voleur de Noel by Carol Higgins Clark, Mary Higgins Clark

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kkillebrew51's review against another edition

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A light read, but these holiday books by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark are always fun.

laurpar's review against another edition

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2.0

The Christmas Thief follows Alvirah Meehan, a lottery-winning millionaire-turned-mystery-solver, as she and her husband, Willy, take a Christmas vacation in snowy Vermont. Joining them is Regan Reilly, private detective, her fiancée Jack, and her parents, including her mystery-writing mother. Also joining Alvirah is her friend Opal, a fellow lottery-winner who invested all her money with scam artist Packy Noonan and is now penniless once again. Little does the party know, Packy Noonan has just been released from jail and is headed straight for them. What follows is an adventure involving stolen jewels, kidnapping, and a missing Christmas tree.

From my research, it appears as though Alvirah is the protagonist in most every one of Mary Higgins Clark’s books, and Regan is Carol Higgins Clark’s leading woman. Essentially, this book is a crossover between the two women’s series, and I felt a bit lost without knowing both of the back stories. It was hard to figure out the relationships between the characters (like Regan Reilly and her fiance Jack Reilly: same surname but apparently no relation?) and feel any empathy to the plights of the characters (such as Opal’s kidnapping, which I don’t feel is a spoiler because it’s written in the description on the back of the book). I also did not appreciate the “suspense” the “Queen of Suspense” was offering up. Rather than subtle foreshadowing, the Clarks spelled things out in a blunt way.

Altogether, the book felt a bit fantastical (Lottery winners? Stolen diamonds? Really?) and not very mystery-like. At any given moment, I knew where the characters were and what they were doing as well as the locations of all the stolen property. Where was the mystery supposed to be? Also, for having 2 primary characters who supposedly solve crimes for a living, Alvirah and Regan were pretty slow to pick up clues and piece the whole situation together.

Overall, I didn’t like it. The story didn’t offer much in terms of mystery, humor, or any other kind of entertainment. It wasn’t exactly painful to read, but I wish I had spent that time reading something better.

corytak's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

tiffanynoiles's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Fairly predictable but cute and easy read.

texreader's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

What happens if the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree gets stolen? When MH Clark heard this idea, she decided to write a book about it and by golly if she didn’t pull it off in a most excellent way! Really, how is such a plot plausible? If it is stolen the night before it’s to be cut down. And why would someone want to do that? Well, that’s the complex plot the Clarks wrote. And it works. Lots of characters and twists and turns. I loved it!