Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea

by Mary Higgins Clark

2007

Status

Available

Publication

Pocket Books (2007), Edition: Unabridged, 320 pages

Description

IN THE BESTSELLING TRADITION OF THE CHRISTMAS THIEF . . . A HOLIDAY MYSTERY AT SEA 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; recently "hitched" private detective Regan Reilly; and their husbands Willy and Jack, 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 doesn't know is that his ne'er-do-well nephew, Eric, has smuggled two escaping criminals on board. As the Royal Mermaid sails through troubled waters, Alvirah and Regan uncover clues that lead them to the dangerous men 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.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member bibliophile26

Typical holiday mystery with Alvirah Meehan and crew. A good, quick fluff read.

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LibraryThing member kellyoliva

This book was mediocre. I expected more out of Mary Higgins Clark, but her Alvirah Meehan series is not my favorite, so I should have known better.
The story follows a group of do-gooders who have been awarded a free cruise on the Royal Mermaid during her maiden voyage. Some criminal stowaways

negatively impact the trip, however, and several characters' lives end up at risk. I found the story somewhat patched together, and I felt the authors created details late in the story to serve the plot and create an effective climax. I'll stick to Mary Higgins Clark's books.

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LibraryThing member netsiren

This book was just OK. There really was no mystery to it.

LibraryThing member elysabeth42

I found that after a few chapters of being told who were the bad guys and probably why they were there made this a book not worth reading all the way through. I had high hopes since I have never read anything by either of these authors and felt because it was a "household name" that I would have

some enjoyable reading. I felt that the back and forth between the stowaways and the other characters was just a waste of pages. I don't want things spelled out for me in a mystery. I want to find out near the very end when the person solving the crime does. I like to be captured so I can't put the book down until the very end. Unfortunately this was not the case with this book. I truly felt ripped off with the few chapters I read.

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LibraryThing member TheBoltChick

This was a fun, light-hearted mystery. Nothing heavy, nothing graphic, just a quick, enjoyable who-dun-it. The story revolves around a free cruise taken by a lottery winner. On board are bumbling crooks trying to escape their fates. I read this book and visualized the comic mystery movies of the

40's and 50's. Silly, somewhat goofy, and far from believable, but a fun romp nonetheless.

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LibraryThing member askum

This was a quick read over the holidays and kept me from wanting to put it down.

LibraryThing member Lukerik

Fiction for idiots. There's a scene of mild peril.

LibraryThing member jguidry

This is not the gritty, suspenseful mystery one would expect from Mary Higgins Clark. It is a It is a farce-like caper mystery where you laughingly ask yourself what else could happen to these people. No matter how many times I asked myself that question, Mary and Carol Higgins Clark had an answer.

However, as funny as it got at times, the plotline never appeared dumbed down". It was humorous, but not absurdly ridiculous. I enjoyed the story very much and would gladly read another in this series.

I listened to the audio version of this story. I'm not normally a fan of authors narrating their own works. IMO, they tend to be too invested in the characters and the plotline and can't detach themselves from it to observe the audience's perspective. However, I thought Carol Higgins Clark did an excellent job narrating the story and could poke fun at her own characters to amuse the listener. I really enjoyed this story and its narrator."

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LibraryThing member nancynova

rabck from dvg; humorous light mystery. Of course the stowaways on the "santa cruise" were caught, but there was another passenger up to no good too. And a passenger sleuth, ala Jessica Fletcher is on board to wrap things up.

LibraryThing member BookConcierge

Subtitle: A Holiday Mystery at Sea

The mother/daughter writing team gives us a cozy mystery featuring retired maid and lottery winner Alvirah Meehan, her husband, Willy, and their friends on a holiday cruise.

The plot is suitably complicated, if somewhat outlandish. There’s no murder, though there

is an attack, some stolen Santa suits, several criminal types, more than one person with a secret identity, and the usual cast of eccentric bystanders and amateur sleuths. All told, it’s a fun, fast, cozy mystery with a satisfying conclusion.

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LibraryThing member readingover50

I enjoyed reading this book. It was quick and easy to read. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, and the narrative switched point of view often. Still, I felt it was easy to follow. For a relatively short book, there was a lot packed into it. 2 separate mysteries, lots of bad guys and

some pretty intricate plots, and it all gets wrapped up by the end.

I liked the Santa theme, even though it wasn't really necessary to the story. It was just a fun little touch. The two obnoxious little girls added some fun to the story too. Reading this has put me in the mood to head to the library and pick up some more books by this author.

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