DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW
Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark
Simon & Schuster
Mystery
ISBN: 9781439129173
Jack Reilly, head of the Major Case Squad with the NYPD, and his wife, Regan Reilly, a private investigator, are headed to Branscombe, New Hampshire for the folksy Christmas celebration, the Festival of Joy. Joining them are Nora Regan Reilly, an author and Regan's mom; Luke Reilly, Regan's dad; and good friends and lottery winners Willy and Alvirah Meehan. As usual, crime follows Jack and Regan like numbers follow a dollar sign. They barely arrive in Branscombe when they are drawn into a mystery involving a missing lottery winner.
Four employees of Conklin's Market have just won the lottery. Usually there are five players in the pool, but Duncan Graham, at the advice of his financial advisors, chose that very week to bail on joining the group in the purchase of their tickets. Not to worry, though. Duncan’s fellow co-workers won with his powerball number and decide to include him in their winnings. There’s just one problem --- Duncan has gone missing.
As more time passes, people begin to wonder if perhaps Duncan played his numbers himself and skipped town as there were two winning tickets sold in and near Branscombe. Duncan, however, is not headed out of town, as he has his own problems to contend with. He has stumbled onto the shysters who took him for his life savings and stole his winning lottery numbers.
Duncan is not the only one in town with issues. His girlfriend, Flower, has shown up to surprise him, but when she hears he has won the lottery and that he is nowhere to be found, she sinks into despair. Has the man of her dreams turned out to be a nightmare instead?
The lottery money has affected more than just the four official winners. They all happen to be employed by Conklin's Market, the company that is doing the catering for the Festival of Joy. When Mr. Conklin neglected to give them their usual Christmas bonus and they found out they won the lottery, they promptly quit their jobs. Now the food for the gaiety may not happen.
When Duncan turns up, all is well but only for a moment because now Flower has gone missing. The Reillys and the Meehans try to figure out what happened to the her, how to apprehend the crooked financial advisors and even solve the mystery of a unique ring that has found its way from New York City to the little burg of Branscombe. Will they be able to get to the bottom of everything in time to salvage the Festival of Joy, or will this festival be remembered as more of a fiasco?
DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW is the fifth holiday novel featuring the Reillys penned by the famed mother/daughter mystery writing team of Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark. This is a fun read, and fans will enjoy reuniting with favorite characters and old friends. The picturesque town of Branscombe and the Festival of Joy will soon put even the grinchiest reader in the holiday spirit.
--- Reviewed by Amie Taylor
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