Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea (Holiday Mysteries)

Book Description

America's Queen of Suspense -- Mary Higgins Clark -- joins forces with her daughter Carol -- bestselling author of the Regan Reilly mysteries -- in this fast-paced novel set on a special holiday cruise that sets sail from Miami the day after Christmas.

Alvirah Meehan, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth; her husband, Willy; recently hitched private detective Regan Reilly and her groom, Jack, head of the NYPD Major Case Squad; and Regan's parents, Nora and Luke, are guests on the Royal Mermaid's maiden voyage, the Santa Cruise. The cruise is Commodore Randolph Weed's gift to a select group of people who in the last year "made the world a better place." What he really wants is good publicity that will generate future bookings for his struggling new venture. He also plans to scatter his beloved mother's ashes at sea during this four-day odyssey in the Caribbean. What he doesn't know is that his ne'er-do-well nephew, Eric, has smuggled two escaping criminals on board.

Alvirah won the cruise at a charity auction and persuaded the Reillys to accompany her and Willy. Other passengers include members of the Oklahoma Readers and Writers group, who volunteer their time teaching people to read. The group is planning a mystery seminar dedicated to a Ghost of Honor, the late Left Hook Louie, a champion prizefighter turned bestselling author. There are also ten men on board who had donated their time playing Santa Claus during the holiday season as well as assorted other charitable folk, all planning on a restful post-Christmas vacation.

The hoped-for tranquility soon vanishes. A terrified mystery fan swears she has spotted the Ghost of Honor in the ship's chapel. Two Santa suits disappear from a locked supply room. A storm develops, and in the infirmary an attempt is made on the life of a seemingly feeble passenger. Back in Miami, a TV reporter is turning the cruise into a public-relations nightmare, thanks to her spies on the ship.

As the Royal Mermaid sails through troubled waters, Alvirah, Regan, and Jack are uncovering the clues that lead them to dangerous criminals who were not on the original guest list!

Filled with suspense and humor, Santa Cruise is a holiday mystery you won't want to miss. Join the Clarks as they bring this unpredictable voyage to a hair-raising and heartwarming conclusion and ring in the New Year.

Customer Reviews:

Weak.......2007-07-24

This has to be one of the worst books I have ever read. I have nothing good to say about it. Very weak.

Absurd!.......2007-07-05

I've been a fan of Mary Higgins Clark for decades, and there is no way she could have had anything to do with the writing of this book. Too many characters (many of whom are unlikeable), too many names to remember, phrases like, "She opened the door with infinite care," awkward transitions. Painful reading at best.

Much better than other reviews make it out to be.......2007-06-30

I'm glad I read this book despite the poor reviews it received here because I enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps it appealed to the cruise ship enthusiast in me! It was full of zany action, appealing characters and it was lots of fun to read. Now I feel inspired to read the rest of these author's Christmas mysteries!!!

Pass on this one !!!!.......2007-05-13

How many chapters? Fifty? Every five minutes you are interupted with the announcement of a new chapter. By the end of the first CD I was thinking, "Would I be able to make it through the next four?" Don't waste your money, I'll give you mine.

1 star was the worst I could give...........2007-03-28

...or I'd given it a 0 star. I have loved Mary Higgins Clark's books, but like many popular writers, once they start churning out the books to fulfill a contract, the quality goes way down. Years ago I read one of Carol's books (that horrible series where every title ends in -ed), and thought it was the worst writing I'd ever seen. I never read another. This book was given to me as a gift at Christmas and I felt the only polite thing to do was to (finally) read it. It's so bad I can't finish it. Her writing style is juvenile and the stories are plain stupid. Don't waste your time on this book!

Popped: A Regan Reilly Mystery (Regan Reilly Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

Great fun and a little nuts.
I agree with the previous reviews - this deserves a 0 star!
Something lower than 1
Worst Book Ever
entertaining romp combining balloons and reality TV

Popped: A Regan Reilly Mystery (Regan Reilly Mysteries)
Carol Higgins Clark
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Fleeced : A Regan Reilly Mystery
Iced
Twanged
Burned (Regan Reilly Mysteries)
Snagged (Regan Reilly Mysteries)

ASIN: 1416523480

Book Description

It's up, up, and away with sleuth Regan Reilly in this whirlwind adventure from New York Times bestselling author Carol Higgins Clark

L.A.-based private detective Regan Reilly heads to Las Vegas to help out her old school chum Danny Madley. Danny is producing a reality TV show featuring three married couples who have all suffered the proverbial "Seven Year Itch," but are now vying for a chance to renew their vows in a wedding-cake-shaped hot air balloon -- and win one million dollars! But Danny has received an anonymous letter warning him to halt production, and "accidents" start happening on the set. It's up to Regan to find out what's lurking behind the scenes....After all, the show must go on!

Popped takes us from the kitschy glamour of the Las Vegas casinos and run-down hotels off the Strip to the world-famous Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta -- a funny, fast-paced romp!

Download Description

"It's up, up, and away with sleuth Regan Reilly -- in a lively new caper from beloved New York Times bestselling author Carol Higgins Clark. L.A.-based private detective Regan Reilly flies to Las Vegas -- the mythic city of cash and flash, glamour and kitsch -- to help an old school chum, Danny Madley. Danny is producing the pilot of a reality TV show, Love Above Sea Level. The show features three couples who all have experienced the proverbial Seven Year Itch and are now vying for the chance to renew their wedding vows and win one million dollars. But someone is trying to sabotage the show before Danny can shoot the final scene at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Danny's show is in competition with the sitcom Take Me Higher for a coveted permanent slot on Hot Air Cable, also known as the Balloon Channel. Both shows involve hot air ballooning, and both have casts of characters who are more than capable of disrupting production of Love Above Sea Level. Regan's job is to find out who is making trouble and why. Is the culprit one of the contestants on Love Above Sea Level? Could it be the advice columnists Danny has hired -- Aunt Agony and Uncle Heartburn -- who are there to help rekindle the sparks between the husbands and wives? Is it Danny's right-hand man, Victor, a local Vegas boy Danny met while gambling? Or his cameraman Sam, who would much rather be surfing than working? Is it Bubbles Ferndale, producer of the sitcom, who is desperate to make her show the one that wins the competition? Is it Danny's ex-girlfriend, the Vegas showgirl Honey? Or her friend Lucille, a dealer in one of the casinos? Could local entrepreneur Roscoe Parker, the owner of the Balloon Channel and mastermind behind the TV competitions, be the source of all Danny's problems? There is no shortage of suspects and no shortage of mishaps.

Customer Reviews:

Great fun and a little nuts........2007-05-10

Every once in awhile Carol writes a great tongue in cheek mystery long the lines of Damon Runyon. Keep up the great fun, Carol!

I agree with the previous reviews - this deserves a 0 star!.......2006-10-17

I guess I was expecting something on line with Carol Higgins Clark type mysteries - forget that - not even close!! The characters are ridiculous and the storyline - well I am not sure you can even call it a storyline - is simplistic and just dumb! Don't even think about this one. Read a magazine!

Something lower than 1.......2006-07-28

This book was awful! I had the unfortunate experience of getting the audio version of the book to listen to in my hideous Atlanta commute. It was juvenile, to say the most! I think this Reagan Reilly character is supposed to be a pathetic likeness of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone (whom I love, by the way).

Even more unfortunate was the book was read by the author who had a pronounced lisp, especially when speaking the letter "S". Though I mean no disrespect toward anyone who speaks with a lisp, it made listening to these CDs very painful.

Please do not waste you time on this book and especially not on the CD. If you want a sure bet look to Sue Grafton ...

Worst Book Ever.......2006-07-08

When a book is filled with characters named Bubbles, Kitty, Aunt Agony, Uncle Heartburn and Pilot Pete - how can an adult possibly enjoy it. The book's plot, like the character's names, are rediculous and just plain stupid. I agree with HeyJudy. Harriet the #1 reviewer must work for the publisher or something because no sane adult can give this book 5 stars.

entertaining romp combining balloons and reality TV.......2005-09-16

Private Investigator Regan Reilly is asked by an old boyfriend to help him sniff out who is causing trouble on the set of his new reality TV show. His show is competing with a sitcom for the attention of Roscoe Parker, who runs the Ballooning Cable TV channel in Las Vegas. Silly characters abound in this amusing story. Nonsensical happenings occur also, with bad actors, slot machine jackpots, crazy overaged cheerleaders, etc. Although this isn't a mystery in the usual sense, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Take it for what it is... an amusing story that reads well and isn't hard on the brain.

Average customer rating:

Fun Fun Fun and more Fun
A great book
An Actual Crime & The Crime Convention...
Appropriate Title - FLEECED
Laughable

Fleeced: A Regan Reilly Mystery
Carol Higgins Clark
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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Iced
Twanged
Popped : A Regan Reilly Mystery
Decked
Snagged (Regan Reilly Mysteries)

ASIN: 1416523499

Book Description

Regan Reilly -- the smart, saucy sleuth featured in all of Carol Higgins Clark's bestsellers -- is in New York attending a crime conference organized by her celebrity-author mother...and enjoying time with a new beau, Jack "no relation" Reilly. It's not long before trouble finds her: a family friend, Thomas Pilsner -- the president of the Settlers' Club on Gramercy Park -- desperately needs help. Two Settlers are dead, diamonds they were donating to the flagging club have vanished, and Thomas is rapidly becoming the prime suspect on all counts. As sharp as ever, Regan sets about solving the mystery of the disappearing diamonds and dead donors in order to save Thomas' neck...before the real killer finds him.

Download Description

Regan Reilly is back. The smart, saucy sleuth featured in all of Carol Higgins Clark's bestselling novels was last seen in Deck the Halls, the holiday thriller Carol wrote with her mother, Mary Higgins Clark.

Now Regan is in New York to attend a crime conference organized by her celebrity-author mother. A friend, Thomas Pilsner -- the frenetic president of the Settlers' Club on Gramercy Park -- calls Regan, desperately pleading for help. Thomas is distraught over the sudden suspicious deaths of two members of the Settlers' Club. The men had promised to donate a cache of valuable diamonds to save the Club. But now the diamonds are gone, the men are dead, and Thomas is a mess. He fears the police will suspect he is at the heart of both mysteries, and worse yet, he'll lose his job.

Enter Regan. Who better than the star of Decked, Snagged, Iced, and Twanged to solve the mystery of the missing diamonds and suspicious deaths? Who better to contend with the quirky characters around the Club, such as Lydia Sevatura, the self-styled "Princess of Love," who operates a dating service, and her butler, Maldwin Feckles, who has just opened the first school of butlering in New York City? And who better than Carol Higgins Clark, with her sparkling, canny prose, to keep the readers guessing to the end "who done it"?

Fleeced is a witty portrait of modern urban life. This fifth Regan Reilly mystery proves once again that Carol Higgins Clark is a uniquely talented writer.

Customer Reviews:

Fun Fun Fun and more Fun.......2006-05-08

This would make a very funny movie. Every scene in this romp novel was great and easy to visualize. It's been a long time since I was able to be so nicely distracted from life realities. This was my first Carol Higgens Clark read but it won't be the last. Delicious.

A great book.......2006-05-04

After two members of the Settlers' Club die of suspicious deaths, the clubs' president asks his friend Regan Riley who is in N.Y. for a crime conference, to help. The dead club members promised to donate valuable diamonds to the club but the diamonds are now missing, the book is great, it keeps you guessing until the very end about who commited the murder(if a murder even was commited).

An Actual Crime & The Crime Convention..........2005-10-29

A murder mystery, robbery, farcical characters, love story, dynamic sleuth, Regan from L. A. flies to New York to visit family and friends and to attend a 'crime' conference. She gets involved in a real crime when Thomas Pilsner, asks for her help in located some missing diamonds which were anticipated as dowry for the continuation of the Settler's Club. Two of the members had pledged four expensive diamonds but, before they can contribute this largesse, they are victims of suspicious deaths.

Thomas fears that he will lose his position with the almost-defunct club and perhaps be indicted for the murders of these two old men. Lydia and her ex-boyfriend, Burkhardt, appear to be a part of the conspiracy to keep the killer from being found. A couple of "stuff sheep" (Dolly & Bah-Bah) have a bit to do with locating the diamonds for Regan, so that she can discover the real killer and get on with her love-life with suitor, Jack. She has to invite him to accompany her home to California to have any privacy from this erratic group.

At the celebration party, securing the future of the Settler's Club and Mr. Pilsner as continuing President, one of the guests intervened to suggest that she and Jack drive down the Coast (which is something Jeff did while out in LaJolla one summer); "Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. You two should try it..."

Since this book was released, Carol Clark has come out with JINXED & POPPED (both in 2003) and BURNED & HITCHED (both in 2005); I am curious to know whether she married Jack!

Appropriate Title - FLEECED.......2005-09-07

I feel like I got fleeced into buying this book and I only paid $1.00 at Half Price Books. I still believe I was taken.

Don't waste your money or especially your time on this garbage.

Laughable.......2004-05-07

Carol Higgins Clark thrives off her famous mother's name. She completely expolits the well-known "Higgins Clark" to sell her books, which are to say the least, trash.

Fleeced was a waste of time.. and it was a VERY quick read. The dialogue is dumb and predictable, the characters under-developed and shallow, and the plot is almost non-existent. This book lacked any suspense and was very, VERY slow. One particularly laughable part was when they discovered who the killer was.

"Oh my god!" cried Regan.
"Oh sweet Jesus!" yelled Clara.

Dear Lord, what a ridiculous piece of trash this book was.

Book Description

From the acclaimed author of the bestselling Italian Fever comes a fresh twist on the classic Jekyll and Hyde story, a novel told from the perspective of Mary Reilly, Dr. Jekyll's dutiful and intelligent housemaid.

Faithfully weaving in details from Robert Louis Stevenson's classic, Martin introduces an original and captivating character: Mary is a survivor–scarred but still strong–familiar with evil, yet brimming with devotion and love. As a bond grows between Mary and her tortured employer, she is sent on errands to unsavory districts of London and entrusted with secrets she would rather not know. Unable to confront her hideous suspicions about Dr. Jekyll, Mary ultimately proves the lengths to which she'll go to protect him. Through her astute reflections, we hear the rest of the classic Jekyll and Hyde story, and this familiar tale is made more terrifying than we remember it, more complex than we imagined possible.

Customer Reviews:

This is a very deep, very well-written book.......2006-03-09

This is a book about addiction and the binding power of abusive relationships. Martin's writing is gothic and atmospheric, but it would be a shame to read this book as a thriller, a romance, or a sermon on the evils of the class system in Victorian England and miss out on the main point of the book. What Martin is saying about substance abuse is that the addiction is not to getting high, or to enjoying the substance itself, the addiction is to letting out the inner beast. Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde are both present in all abusers, who use substances to let out the evil inside their souls (not to get rid of it, to enjoy using it). Mary's father used alcohol to let out his demons, and Dr. Jeckyl used his experiments. Women like Mary are bound to them by loyalty, family ties, and love. This is a very deep book and will make you think!

no title.......2005-11-19

Egrossing novel, especially in the last pages, but I cannot help feeling that it is somewhat of a cheap shot to use a famous classic upon which to build your story. So much of the suspense was already written by Robert Louis Stevenson, that Martin has less to imagine than most authors. Really should have read Jekyll and Hyde first. Martin was obviously a fan of "Upstairs, Downstairs". Probably where she got the idea. Slow moving, but because the reader always knows much more than the novel states, because of the earlier classic, it works. Lots of tidbits about Victorian life and housekeeping. Did Mary's father abuse her sexually? Of course, we think of that in these days, even though Martin really give us no reason to. Well written and plotted.

Great Idea, Wonderful Execution.......2005-03-23

To really appreciate MARY REILLY, I'd recommend first reading the original THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE by Robert Louis Stevenson (a quick read) and then dive into MARY REILLY. You will really appreciate the way Ms. Martin weaves her story through the original.

(I was excited when the film version was released. John Malkovich would make an awesome Jekyll and Hyde. But the star was Julia Roberts and the original story was completely destroyed. DO NOT go by the film. Horrible.)

Stylish; Excellent Heroine; Disappointing Finale.......2004-12-13

"Mary Reilly" is a very smooth and stylish read. It goes down easily. Martin creates a sustained mood of low level suspense.

I cared enough about this book to have been disappointed by the ending, though.

I'd still recommend the book, for its powerful and appealing heroine, and its stylish evocation of Victorian-Gothic Romance -- three contrasting historical periods, but one fun literary genre.

Warning! This review will hint at the book's ending, but will not spell it out. If you are familiar with Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide," on which "Mary Reilly" is based, you won't learn anything new.

"Mary Reilly" has one of the most riveting openings I've ever read, if not the most. It's a description of an episode of child abuse.

For the first time in my life, I was hooked from the very first line of a novel, and could not put the book down. I had to know what happened to that child -- even though, of course, since the child is the Mary Reilly of the title, I knew that she would survive.

Martin doesn't plunge to the depths of child abuse, but she writes of the surface with such power that I had the feeling that I was in the hands of a master.

Martin deeply impressed me with the terror and vulnerability of the abused child, as well as that child's resilience and drive to survive, and the twisted sadism of the abuser. All in a very few brief words and pages.

But that's just the opening pages.

The bulk of the book is made up of Reilly's crush on her "Master," Dr. Henry Jekyll. Reilly's history of having been an abused child is mentioned as part of the reason why Mary has this crush; like her master, Mary has a horrible, hidden wound that drives her apart from the rest of society.

It's the classic Gothic set-up, enshrined in literature at least since "Jane Eyre." Mary Reilly is a bright, principled, and spunky girl consigned by fate to a lowly life, that of serving her "Master."

Her Master, of course, is intense, mysterious and unconventionly attractive.

Like his spunky young servant, he does not fit into society's pre-ordained classifications.

And he pays an inordinate amount of attention to his servant.

He doesn't make clumsy or lewd passes at her; rather, he watches her, converses with her, confides in her, conspires with her in a way that breaks social expectations, and expresses frank admiration of her intelligence and spirit.

As is traditional in Gothic romance literature, Mary and Master's flirtation consists mostly of muted and aborted conversations. They have to be aborted -- for this upper class doctor and his serving girl to converse is against the rules.

Again, if you've read "Jane Eyre" or the thousand other Gothic romances modeled on it, you've read all this before.

If you enjoyed it in "Jane Eyre," you'll enjoy it here. This reader certainly did.

I did yearn for, and did not encounter, something more, though. This book is more of a novella than a novel; Mary has little to no life outside of her truncated encounters with her Master, and the novel has little to no other plot. This singleness of narrative strand makes the book a quick and easy read, but also something of a lighter read than I wanted it to be.

There is one extra feature here that Martin could have done more with, but she did not. The taboo intimacies between Jekyll and Mary reek of the power abuse of an older, established man of a young and vulnerable woman.

Dr. Jekyll is obviously arousing expectations in Mary that he will never satisfy. He uses her, on her day off, to do some truly vile tasks for him.

How does Martin feel about this? How does the novel want the reader to feel?

Most importantly -- Martin did such a fine job of depicting a believably perceptive, articulate, courageous, spunky, integral creature in Reilly that I never really believed the scenes in which Reilly lets Master walk all over her. I wanted Reilly to at least acknowledge that she knew that she was being used by someone who would probably only hurt her.

Too, Mary was as fetching to me as she was to Dr. Jekyll, and, so, I wanted to spend more time with her, and observe her inhabiting a richer world.

At a certain part in the novel it began to drag, for me; I felt that I'd gotten the point of all these hushed, rushed conversations between Mary, usually on her knees, with her skirts tied up, scrubbing something, and her Master, standing Masterfully over her, observing her carefully, complimenting her, finding some excuse to touch her hand, etc.

And I wanted to something else to happen.

When something else did happen, I was disappointed by that something else. Without revealing the ending, I can say that Mary behaved in a way that went against her every act so far, and that, I felt, betrayed both the spirit of the book, and of the genre.

Part of the point of "Jane Eyre," a book that this book bases itself on as much as on "Dr. Jekyll," is that Jane had so much self-respect that she was not, ultimately, willing to destroy herself to have the man she loved.

Again, I'd still recommend this book. I liked 99% of it so much that I've already "rescued" it by inventing an alternative ending to it, one in which the final Mary we see is more like the Mary of the rest of the book.

Mary Reilly's Emotional Appeal.......2004-12-09

K. Gordon
Dr. Laurie Leach
WRI1150H
8 December 2004

Mary Reilly's Emotional Appeal

Mary Reilly was written in 1990 by Valerie Martin to provide another perspective to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which was written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886. Overall, I thought the book was successful in answering some of the questions I had about what it was like to work as Dr. Jekyll's servant. Although reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde prior to reading Mary Reilly provided a more broad perspective on the several murders that took place, Mary Reilly was far more pleasurable to read as it appeals to more emotions.

The story began with Mary's journal entry about having been locked up in the closet and clawed by a massive rat picked off the street. It was horrifying and infuriating at the same time. I couldn't believe that a father could do such a thing to his daughter. Her hands became scarred and horrendous-looking. I can't even imagine what it was like for her growing up being the kid in school that no one wants to come by because of the appearance of her hands. It wasn't her fault that her dad took pleasure in torturing her. Her mother couldn't even help her out because she was too afraid. Luckily, Mary was able to leave her father and started working for Dr. Jekyll.

Mary Reilly was told through journal entries, which were easier to follow than the character perspective jumping seen in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Every day, she worked on her hands and knees serving Dr. Jekyll. Once every week, she'd have a half-day to herself. Back in primitive society, women didn't have that much freedom. This whole novel made me grateful that the ways of society have changed and for the better, if I should say. Although Dr. Jekyll wasn't a very demanding individual and really looked after his servants better than most other elite individuals, just the thought of not being able to do as you please was suffocating.

What made this novel appealing was the developing friendship or companionship between Mary and Dr. Jekyll. This was definitely taboo back in the days where servants were not allowed to have any special relationship with their masters. As I read about their conversations with each other, I couldn't help but hope that they'd defy the standards of having no real relation between master and servant. I hoped that they'd somehow end up together. Of course, romance novels were always interesting to read. Readers often get caught up in finding out what'll happen next and if the lovers will finally do what they desire. That's what happened in this novel. A little romance made Mary Reilly all the more irresistible to put down.

Mary Reilly differed from the other novel with this insinuating romance along with more suspenseful events. I thought reading Mary Reilly was far more horrifying than reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The moments when Mary would say that she felt something strange in the room, I would think that it was Mr. Hyde. Whenever I thought about Mr. Hyde lingering around in the room somewhere, I remember a movie character that scared the living daylights out of me as a child. It still does to this day. This character was a stubby but gory-looking leprechaun that went after some teenagers that stole his gold coins. Whenever Mary would be frightened to see Mr. Hyde, I would also get the chills thinking about the leprechaun. I didn't know when Mr. Hyde would come into view and that was what kept me on my toes.

Several of Mary's encounters with Mr. Hyde really made me cringe. There was this one part when he smears his bloody hands over her face. This gave me chicken skin and I had to take a moment to myself before reading on. I've never had that kind of reaction to reading a book before. There was also the time where Mr. Hyde sank his teeth into Mary's shoulder and held her in a presumably intimate way that made me overcome with this mixture or anger and sympathy for her. I thought "oh no! He's going to rape her! Fight back Mary!" Fortunately, Mr. Hyde stopped and I found myself extremely relieved. I thought "geeze, this book never fails to surprise me."

Another part of the novel that made me sorrowful was when Mary's mom had died. The poor mother couldn't read any of Mary's written letters to her. When she passed away, the landlord sold all her belongings and stored her body into some dingy hole in the basement. This woman definitely had a difficult life living in the shadow of her husband. Because Mary worked all the time and her half-day wasn't enough time for her to visit her mother, she probably had many regrets not being able to spend more time with her mother. If I was her, I would've regretted it so badly. Her mother's death encouraged me to live my life to the fullest, taking it with full stride so that when I die, I won't have anything to regret.

Mary Reilly was by far the most suspenseful novel I have ever read. The journal entry format of the novel created a more personal and intimate atmosphere. It made me feel as if I was Mary scrambling about the house cleaning this and that and talking to the doctor. This in turn, made it easier for me to take on Mary's emotions of fear and compassion for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde versus reading the story as if I was an onlooker. Because Mary Reilly was easier to follow with Mary's narration and because it had a more profound effect on my emotions than The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I'd have to say Mary Reilly was more enjoyable and entertaining to read.

Women's Hats of the 20th Century: For Designers and Collectors

Average customer rating:

Good Book But Beware of Values
Fabulous Book!

Women's Hats of the 20th Century: For Designers and Collectors
Maureen Reilly , and Mary Beth Detrich
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Textile & Costume | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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General | Beauty & Fashion | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Vintage Hats & Bonnets 1770-1970: Identification & Values
1,000 Hats
Hats: A History of Fashion in Headwear
Ladies' Vintage Accessories
Hats

Accessories:

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

ASIN: 0764302043

Book Description

Hats represent an art form that is opening up new vistas for the vintage clothing collector. For the authors hats are a visual treat, and they have crafted a book that is chuck-full of some of the sweetest you'll ever see. This carefully researched book profiles important American and European milliners, and lists the most desirable designer and salon labels. It offers special sections with tips on dating, valuation, and storing and decoration. 500 vivid photos are beautifully styled and enhanced by lively and informative captions. Many period advertisements and illustrations from popular magazines depict the styles and moods of the times.

Customer Reviews:

Good Book But Beware of Values .......2005-12-13

This is the most complete book of its kind on modern women's hats. A 256 page, hard cover, 11 ½ in. by 8 ½ in. book, it is full of information and photography. It also makes the bold step of attaching values to vintage hats. I say "bold" because in my experience this is a very immature and capricious market. Beware! Our second museum-style show at our Hillcrest, San Diego location was Women's Hats of the 20th Century where we presented a retrospective of vintage hats. Following the show, we had a silent auction and sale that had bids all over the place as compared to expectations.

Fabulous Book!.......1999-05-08

I have never seen this book in Canada and am delighted to find it at Amazon. Great photos, beautifully presented, interesting reading and very well researched. A must have for anyone with a strong interest in beautiful hats.

Average customer rating:

Mary Moon is Missing (Chapter, Puffin)
Patricia Reilly Giff
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0141308230

Book Description

From the creator of the best-selling Kids of the Polk Street School series comes The Adventures of Minnie and Max, a new series about a spunky female detective and her trusty feline sidekick, Max.

In Mary Moon Is Missing, Minnie and her cat Max are on the case when a valuable racing pigeon disappears. The Pigeon Prize Race is this Saturday, and time is running out. Can they rescue the stolen pigeon in time?

"Likable characters and briskly paced stories make for an engaging mystery series." --The Horn Book

"The well-crafted mystery . . . and funny misadventures will have readers clamoring for more." --Kirkus Reviews

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A Good Taste of Mexico

Mexico (Cultures of the World)
Leslie Jermyn , and Mary-Jo Reilly
Manufacturer: Benchmark Books (NY)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0761413634

Customer Reviews:

A Good Taste of Mexico.......2004-08-15

In the book "Cultures of the World Mexico", authors Mary Jo Reilly and Leslie Jermyn provide a very good taste of Mexico; its society and culture. This book is part of the series "Cultures of the World" which summarize the highlights of societies and cultures for the majority of countries around the world. After a successful first edition this book is one of the early books in the second edition, which has been revised and expanded. Various political changes such as the North American Free Trade Agreement are noted and related to those aspects of society and culture that they affect or influence. The book also contains many vivid colour photos which help increase awareness of the flavour of Mexico.
One technique which the authors use particularly well is to take time to explain things that many readers might bypass as obvious. In the Environment Chapter, new to the second edition, they note that air pollution in Mexico City area has not decreased even though the Mexican Government has designated 'No Driving Days by license plate numbers to restrict vehicle use.
How can this be? Simply because the vast majority of Mexican drivers are wealthy, rather than middle class, so they purchase a second vehicle to circumvent the restrictions, something that many readers might overlook.
Although the book "Mexico" and the series "Cultures of the World' are officially listed as 'juvenile literature' that should not scare others away. This book, unlike some juvenile literature, does not talk down to the reader. While it does not delve into depths of Mexican philosophy or ideology, such topics are quite different requiring quite different kinds of books. Aside from secondary school students, the book can be useful to travellers, both pleasure and business, as well as enjoyable to anyone seeking an overview of Mexico.
Perhaps the authors could have expanded discussion of Mexico's pre-Columbian civilizations somewhat including notation that several different cultures had written languages as discussed by Andrew Robinson in the book "Lost Languages" but unknown to many.
The only substantial suggestion I could offer concerns the large size and somewhat high price of the book. If the publishers produced a smaller size paperbook edition, many more readers could buy the book, carry it with them, and appreciate it

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A response to conscience
The earlier "Unveiled"....

Sisters: Lives of Devotion and Defiance
Julia Lieblich
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

A response to conscience.......2005-12-31

When I began reading this book, I knew I'd encounter strong women, the biblical kind who manage to work within a strongly patriarchal Church to live lives of spirit and justice. Women who live in accord with the tenets of the gospel and in fidelity to the voice of the spirit. Who because of this fidelity must sometimes respectfully defy both religious and governmental authority. What I didn't realize was how much I'd enjoy the voice of the woman who told their stories. Lieblich's approach is warm and personal. She weaves a perfect combination of humor and respect into the telling of the power of individual women to live in obedience to their conscience.

The earlier "Unveiled"...........2005-07-01

When I started reading this book, it immeaditely reminded me of the recent book "Unveiled: The Hidden Lives of Nuns" by Cheryl L. Reed. This book is a bit different - instead of focusing on orders, it focuses on four individual nuns from different orders. You'll be surprised how these four certainly don't fit the "nun" stereotype - from going against the Church's stance on abortion and birth control or the heirarchy of the Church. One even goes against the US government by sneaking in refugees. The chapters about the Sisters are honest and compelling. I recommend this for anyone who wants to find out about nuns today.

Mary Moon Is Missing with Paperback Book(s) (Live Oak Mysteries)

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Mary Moon Is Missing with Paperback Book(s) (Live Oak Mysteries)
Patricia Reilly Giff
Manufacturer: Live Oak Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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It's Time for Music
Lynn Olson , and Mary Reilly
Manufacturer: Alfred Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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