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mochagirlalysia's review against another edition
3.0
For the month of December my book club selected this book and it's our second book in two years by Mary Higgins Clark. Needless to say that makes it my second time reading a book by her.
The story of a group of co-workers winning the lottery right before Christmas was quite cute. The author set them in a small town were everyone knows everyone and everyone's business was very picturesque in a small town way. I love the mystery element they brought in and how the characters slowly but not too slowly started to put the pieces together.
But when I tell you this is a light read I am not joking. In my opinion there are a few too many characters in this book for how light it is. It seemed like a few of them could have been left out and it would not have effected the storyline at all.
I am not a big readers of this series and I found it just ok as a stand alone. Their were a few mentions of things that happened in another book but overall you could get in and out of it without knowing all the back story.
The narrator and co-author Carol Higgins Clark did a good job of reading her work. I know that sounds strange but I am not a fan of authors reading their own work. Most of them don't act the part and just read the words. For me the better the acting in an audiobook the better the story.
Overall, this was a perfect holiday book and I am happy it was light-hearted.
The story of a group of co-workers winning the lottery right before Christmas was quite cute. The author set them in a small town were everyone knows everyone and everyone's business was very picturesque in a small town way. I love the mystery element they brought in and how the characters slowly but not too slowly started to put the pieces together.
But when I tell you this is a light read I am not joking. In my opinion there are a few too many characters in this book for how light it is. It seemed like a few of them could have been left out and it would not have effected the storyline at all.
I am not a big readers of this series and I found it just ok as a stand alone. Their were a few mentions of things that happened in another book but overall you could get in and out of it without knowing all the back story.
The narrator and co-author Carol Higgins Clark did a good job of reading her work. I know that sounds strange but I am not a fan of authors reading their own work. Most of them don't act the part and just read the words. For me the better the acting in an audiobook the better the story.
Overall, this was a perfect holiday book and I am happy it was light-hearted.
jennlrichardson's review against another edition
2.0
I'm a little undecided about this book. It was an easy read and it was cute and all but it wasn't really my taste. When I read a mystery I like a real mystery. I know it was supposed to be this way but the bad guys were a bit to quirky and the whole story was a bit out there. I feel like it was a bit childish and the bad guys weren't really that scary. Maybe I'm a snob but this book just wasn't for me.
bleeb287's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book up on impulse when I saw it in the bookstore. I have a soft spot for Christmas stories and this one had a pretty cover, and I had at least heard of the author. I think that this is the first book that I've read from either of these authors, and I think that this one is maybe the fifth of a sort of a series, though I'm not sure. I enjoyed reading it, but something felt missing. The characters didn't have a lot of depth and it felt like there was a bit too much explanation of everything. It reminded me of reading an old Nancy Drew book, and not quite in a good way. I enjoyed it anyway, and would still recommend it to someone who is interested in a Christmas story with a happy ending, but that doesn't tear you apart like those emotionally manipulative stories that are so popular.
luann's review
3.0
It's been years since I last read anything by Mary Higgins Clark. I really enjoyed her early books, but at some point she ran out of new ideas. At least that's what it felt like to me. All of her books started to feel the same so I stopped reading them.
This one has been sitting on my iPod for a couple of years. I got a good deal on it from iTunes, but then never listened to it. I wasn't sure how much I would really enjoy it. But I wanted something light and easy after spending WAY too much time on audio with Moby Dick. Also, I thought that I would probably enjoy this more right before Christmas than any other time of the year.
I gave it three stars, but my real rating would be 2.5 stars. It did fit the bill of something light and easy. In fact, very light and quite cheesy and silly in some places. Some of the characters were laughable, and not in a good way - although I do really like Alvirah Meehan. Mary Higgins Clark wrote this with her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark. It has characters from both of their books: Alvirah and Willy Meehan (from MHC books) and Regan and Jack Reilly along with Regan's mom (from CHC books). It felt like too many cooks in the kitchen - or maybe I should say too many sleuths in the mystery! Apparently there is a series of books they have co-written with all of these characters and all set around Christmastime.
The audio version was read by Carol Higgins Clark. For the first little bit her speech seemed very stilted and forced. I wasn't sure I would be able to listen to the entire book. I continued, though, and after a while I didn't notice it as much. Either I got used to her speech patterns or she relaxed and sounded more natural. She did some nice women's voices, but her men's voices could be better - which is a common complaint I have with many female narrators.
Overall, this was okay to listen to since I was in the mood for something light and easy, although I most likely won't ever want to listen to it again. I also won't buy any others in this series, but might listen to another if I found it at the library and it was around Christmastime.
This one has been sitting on my iPod for a couple of years. I got a good deal on it from iTunes, but then never listened to it. I wasn't sure how much I would really enjoy it. But I wanted something light and easy after spending WAY too much time on audio with Moby Dick. Also, I thought that I would probably enjoy this more right before Christmas than any other time of the year.
I gave it three stars, but my real rating would be 2.5 stars. It did fit the bill of something light and easy. In fact, very light and quite cheesy and silly in some places. Some of the characters were laughable, and not in a good way - although I do really like Alvirah Meehan. Mary Higgins Clark wrote this with her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark. It has characters from both of their books: Alvirah and Willy Meehan (from MHC books) and Regan and Jack Reilly along with Regan's mom (from CHC books). It felt like too many cooks in the kitchen - or maybe I should say too many sleuths in the mystery! Apparently there is a series of books they have co-written with all of these characters and all set around Christmastime.
The audio version was read by Carol Higgins Clark. For the first little bit her speech seemed very stilted and forced. I wasn't sure I would be able to listen to the entire book. I continued, though, and after a while I didn't notice it as much. Either I got used to her speech patterns or she relaxed and sounded more natural. She did some nice women's voices, but her men's voices could be better - which is a common complaint I have with many female narrators.
Overall, this was okay to listen to since I was in the mood for something light and easy, although I most likely won't ever want to listen to it again. I also won't buy any others in this series, but might listen to another if I found it at the library and it was around Christmastime.
murderbydeath's review
3.0
The writing isn't bad, but it's not deep and the plots rely on stunning coincidences not usually found in nature. You are absolutely guaranteed that the bad guys will all come to a bad end, the good guys will all win, all wrongs will be made right and justice will prevail. If you go into this book knowing this, you'll find a very fast, festive read.
Slightly wordier review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/1299976/dashingthroughsnow
Slightly wordier review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/1299976/dashingthroughsnow
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