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    Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea
    Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea
    Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea
    Audiobook6 hours

    Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea

    Written by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

    Narrated by Carol Higgins Clark

    3/5

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    About this audiobook

    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, lottery winner turned amateur sleuth, and private investigator Regan Reilly are guests, along with their spouses, on the “Santa Cruise.” The cruise is a gift from Commodore Randolph Weed to a select group that “has made the world a better place.” His largesse is prompted by the desire to create a buzz about his new cruise ship, the Royal Mermaid, as she sets out on her maiden voyage.

    Alvirah, Regan, and her new husband Jack—head of the NYPD Major Case Squad—are joined as guests on the cruise by a mystery fan convention, celebrating “a ghost of honor,” as well as ten men who donated time playing Santa Claus, now hoping for a restful post-season. That tranquility vanishes when two Santa suits disappear from a locked room, a storm develops, and an attempt is made on a passenger’s life. As the Royal Mermaid sails through troubled waters, Alvirah, Regan, and Jack uncover clues that lead them to dangerous criminals not on the original guest list…
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateNov 14, 2006
    ISBN9780743562683
    Author

    Mary Higgins Clark

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark wrote over forty suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a his­torical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With bestselling author Alafair Burke she wrote the Under Suspicion series including The Cinderella Murder, All Dressed in White, The Sleeping Beauty Killer, Every Breath You Take, You Don’t Own Me, and Piece of My Heart. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she coauthored five suspense novels. More than one hundred million copies of her books are in print in the United States alone. Her books are international bestsellers.

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    Reviews for Santa Cruise

    3/5

    148 ratings12 reviews

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    • 2/5
      A mildly entertaining, predictable mystery set at sea aboard the Royal Mermaid, not surprisingly also known as the "Santa Cruise". Commodore Weed and his sidekick/cruise director, Dudley, offer to take the previous year's most notorious "do-gooders" on a free post-Christmas cruise as a prize for donating money or time to good causes, not to mention, a little free publicity for his new cruise line that he is hoping to launch in the new year. Unfortunately, his wayward nephew, Eric, uses this opportunity to make money for himself by stowing away two criminals on the lam to escape justice in the US by heading for the Bahamas. As expected, some rather banal "madness and mayhem" ends with the ever-lucky sleuth, Alvirah Meehan, figuring it all out just in the nick of time and saving the day for everyone, including the ashes of the Commodore's beloved mother. I have been reading and enjoying Mary Higgins Clark books for many years now, although over time I have not been able to help but notice how predictable her story-telling style is. I am usually able to figure out "who-dun-it" early on in her books, although, for adventure's sake, I always try and second guess myself up til the end in the (futile) hopes of an upset. In short, good for a little distraction, but won't require you to think at all.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      Subtitle: A Holiday Mystery at SeaThe 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.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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."
    • 1/5
      Fiction for idiots. There's a scene of mild peril.
    • 4/5
      This was a quick read over the holidays and kept me from wanting to put it down.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 1/5
      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.
    • 2/5
      This book was just OK. There really was no mystery to it.
    • 2/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      Typical holiday mystery with Alvirah Meehan and crew. A good, quick fluff read.