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A Week in The Hamptons can be Murder Sleuth Regan Reilly is hired as a bodyguard for singer Brigid O'Neill, a rising country star who has been receiving threatening "love notes." Brigid also possesses a "magical" Irish fiddle said to be cursed-whoever takes it out of Ireland will have an accident or face death. Still, Brigid brings it to the Hamptons, where her band will perform at a Fourth of July concert. Chappy Tinka, heir to a thumbtack fortune, and his ditzy wife, Bettina, are their hosts. Regan joins them at "Chappy's Compound," an oceanfront estate where they encounter Bettina's guru Peace Man, Chappy's bumbling sidekick Duke, a feng shui specialist obsessed with rearranging furniture-and a party guest found floating face-down in the pool. Is the curse of the fiddle real? Is there a murderer in the house? As the concert nears, the menace to Brigid grows, and Regan must discover the truth before it's too late...

326 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 1998

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About the author

Carol Higgins Clark

68 books834 followers
Carol Higgins Clark was an American mystery author. She was the daughter of author Mary Higgins Clark , with whom she co-authored novels, and the former sister-in-law of author Mary Jane Clark.

Born in New York City, Clark received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in 1978 and then studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. She was the author of the Regan Reilly mystery series. She also acted in several films.

Clark's New York apartment building, The Belaire, was hit by a small plane flown by New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle on October 11, 2006. Her 38th floor condominium was just a floor below the main impact zone. She was not injured in the accident.

She appeared on the game show, To Tell The Truth.

Carol died at the age of 66 on June 12, 2023 of appendix cancer.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
Profile Image for Luffy Sempai.
783 reviews1,088 followers
April 5, 2018
This was fun. Reading this book was quite an experience. I thought that the book covered a lot of ground in so few pages. There is a villain of sorts, but in this walled garden, there is no real serpent, only misguided spirits.

Twanged is the story of a fiddle that is cursed because it has been removed from its native soil, Ireland. Indeed, the heroine, is the musician, that is exposed to many acts of violence, all because of a curse.

I thought that there was one too many intrigue going on, but apart from that, I have nothing to complain. The comic timing of the book is spot on, and yet again I feel aggrieved at how obscure this title was. The author deserves more exposure.
Profile Image for Jenny Darden.
Author 3 books1 follower
July 25, 2013
I received this one in a stack of used books from a relative. The description on the back of the book sounded so ridiculous and contrived that I felt compelled to read it, just to see if the author had managed to pull off a win. The answer is a resounding hell, no. The whole thing is ridiculous. The elements of the plot seem totally thrown together, and the characters are completely lacking in emotional depth. The author repeatedly has characters making inane comments that are supposed to sum up their motivations. Why is this device even necessary when the plot is already in third person omniscient????!!!!! My boyfriend picked it up one day, read the back cover, and said, "I can't believe you're actually reading this!" I replied, "I can't believe it either." The only light at the end of the tunnel is that at least it wasn't yet another overly graphic so-called suspense novel about some serial killer raping girls and hacking up their bodies. Yeah, at least there's that.
Profile Image for Vixxi.
117 reviews48 followers
April 16, 2018
this was a ok book to read because it took a long time for any action to happen in the book . i will try to read the next book in the series . i wish this book had more action i kept waiting for more action to in the book. this was a hard book for me to finish because i find that it was dull and boring storyline . i hope that the next book will be better and it will have more action and mystery to it . i like this writer and i want to give a chance but i can't help but feel like i am wasting my time trying to finish the book series .
Profile Image for Happy Reader.
434 reviews14 followers
January 6, 2008
This is probably the wordt mystery novel I've ever read
Profile Image for Christyn.
587 reviews23 followers
November 25, 2013
Twanged is the fourth in the Regan Reilly series and though it has improved slightly it's still not the best I've read. It was a passably entertaining mystery but it still suffers from the same pitfalls of it's predecessors - too many unnecessary POVs, mistakes on Regan's part that you don't expect from an experienced P.I. and of course the fact that Regan seems to be constantly on vacation (which isn't so much a pitfall as it is a slight annoyance for me personally). In this particular mystery we find Regan (on vacation, again) playing bodyguard to an up-and-coming singer with a blessed/cursed fiddle, mix in an obsessed fan with a craving for eggs, a wealthy actor/singer wannabe coveting the fiddle, and a whole slew of kooky characters and malicious mischief and you have Twanged.

There were just too many POV's some of which had really nothing to do with furthering the plot of the story or revealing anything relevant. Regan's mistakes are the type of mistakes you'd expect from someone who isn't experienced - like leaving the charge she's supposed to be guarding. Don't get me wrong she does some investigating but honestly the real big clues are often simply handed to her without much effort on her part. I would like to see her actually working at her place/state of business instead of all these cases that she has while on "vacation" often with her parents and her best friend, Kit. It's not that I'm not happy to see them, I just wonder why on earth she's taking so many vacations (and so many of them with her parents) I guess it just makes her seem more juvenile to me (like she's a high school/college student or something). Four books into the series and I just haven't really bonded with her - we don't spend enough time with her and honestly I wonder sometimes if she's just incredibly lucky.

What really knocked this one down for me was the ending. It's a fairly evenly paced book until the end where everything starts happening in a rush. Especially the confrontations. One paragraph is the extent of one confrontation - blink and you'll miss it. Seriously. And that confrontation is so fast you're head will be spinning trying to fill in the gaps. Not to mention the lack of realism, I mean seriously? Brigid was being suffocated (and she presumably stopped breathing) then went on to perform in the concert in a matter of minutes (hour or two at the most) of this happening (Lets not forget just prior to the suffocation attempt she was almost kidnapped and had her head smacked against a steering wheel)? Pushing even the boundaries of my ability to suspend disbelief.

Oh and there's the other baddies. There are a whole host of them, some mildly amusing and annoying, one rather pitiful and two that were more "able" criminals and one that was clearly manipulative and psychotic and really bad. I figured out who had it out for Brigid about halfway through - it was the only person that made sense because they had reason and opportunity. Three were revealed early on because they had their own perspective's included - two of these three are the kind you expect to end up on some kind of stupidest criminals show. The other two, I didn't know about - I figured something was off about the two of them but didn't know what, but it wasn't surprising what they were up too. What was surprising was how quick they gave up on their plot - this confrontation was also extremely rushed.

But I wasn't hating on the whole story. I liked Louisa Washburn, Brad and Chad from the radio station and uh…Tootsie (the dog). Brad and Chad had more personality in them then I've seen in Regan. Regan is still a skeleton to me - we have the basic structure down but we don't know of any of the flesh or scars ( the things that make her interesting - characteristics, likes/dislikes, etc). I don't mind slowly getting to know a character in a series but this is really slow. However, Regan did show some better investigative skills, and common sense than in previous books (though there were some times…). Their were definitely some quirky characters, some more interesting than others and the setting was well done. Most of the book was also well paced (until we came to the end).

It was an okay, relatively pleasant and easy read but nothing outstanding. 2.5 stars.
Profile Image for Spencer.
1,569 reviews19 followers
September 17, 2020
2020
Why do authors feel like we need 70,000 points-of-view? Seriously, I am fine with just one. Maybe two or three, if necessary. But literally everyone had points-of-view. People who weren't even necessary to the story had points-of-view. Why did the waitress we only saw like twice have a point-of-view? We didn't need it. Hell, we didn't even really need her scenes at all. There was a lot of that going on, though. Like the two kids from Nebraska. What was the point of them even being there? Just adding more "bad" guys into the mix. There were bad guys around every corner. Although, most of them were useless and dumb. There were subplots into subplots into subplots. People were out to get Brigid. People were out to steal the fiddle.

Regan, of course, was right in the middle of it all (since she was supposed to be guarding Brigid). But she doesn't seem to catch on to all the weird things that were happening around her. Unless someone shoved a broken doll into a box she seemed pretty oblivious to the whole thing. I think she's supposed to be older, too (like early 30's) but she seems almost like a teenager to me. She's always taking vacations with her parents. She's constantly on a manhunt for a boyfriend. The way she talks and acts just makes her seem more like a teenager to me. Nancy Drew-esque (except less likable, IMO).

I also struggled with connecting the book to being more realistic. Brigid almost gets strangled, but then she's performing for a large crowd on the next page. She doesn't need any time to recover. There isn't any police visit with her giving a statement. She isn't struggling with the fact that she almost died. She's just up on stage like it's no big deal. And maybe it wasn't such a big deal to her, I mean the hour before she was almost kidnapped, so maybe this is an every hour occurrence now. Maybe the police just walk behind her and film the wacky situations she gets herself into so they don't have to conduct any investigations or anything. Maybe that's why she's so unfazed about nearly dying.

I was annoyed with the way the book ended, too. Everything seemed to happen all at once. All of the dasterdly plots we'd been reading about came to a conclusion all at the same time. Overlapping into each other. Plots being revealed to other bad guys in the midst of their plots. Regan stumbling into the middle of it all, almost entirely on accident. Bad guys giving up without a thought or struggle. Just a simple shrug of the shoulders, "oh you got me. I have a gun but I'm not going to try and fight my way out of this or anything. I'll just roll over on the floor, cause you've definitely defeated me by just stumbling into the room and telling me that I've been a very bad boy."

Also, I got very annoyed by reading, "HNNNN" every other page.
Literally, hearing that sound in my head was giving me anxiety from how annoying it was.
Profile Image for Brenda.
865 reviews10 followers
April 21, 2019
This is the 4th book in the series and as with the other books I have read, it's not something I am enjoying. So I am done trying, taking the books back to the library and removing this author from my list of authors to try. I actually went 3 days without reading, trust me, that never happens!! I truly hated reading this book and this series.
Profile Image for Linda Munro.
1,934 reviews26 followers
November 6, 2020
I was in need of some quick, fun reads; and, this fit the bill!

Upon returning to the U.S. from a vacation in Ireland; Regan Reilly is charged with acting as body guard for her new friend Brigid O'Neill, a rising country star whose notoriety has brought threatening 'love' letters.

If that isn't enough; Brigid is in possession of a 'cursed' fiddle. It is said that anyone who takes it out of Ireland will have an accident or face death.

Still, Brigid and her band arrive in the Hamptons ready to play at the BIG Fourth of July concert.

She will be staying at the Chappy's Compound, where the King of Thumbtacks, Chappy Tinka and his Ditzy wife, Bettina will act as hosts. The rest of the crew will be Bettina's strange guru, Peace Man; Chappy's bumbling sidekick, Duke; a feng shui expert who is obsessed with the lay out of everything within the compound, especially furniture; and finally a party-goer who ends up face down in Chappy's pool!

Ragen wonders if there is a murderer on the compound, especially when the menacing of Brigid is amped up....
Profile Image for Bree Janelle.
317 reviews
March 7, 2025
March 7, 2025 (library book and kindle ebook)

This was kinda perfect to read in March since St. Patrick’s day is coming up and this book had an Irish theme. It wasn’t my favorite CHC book that I’ve read so far. But it was definitely entertaining. Solid four stars.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jeanine De Gagne Piche.
18 reviews
April 24, 2020
I just loved all the twists and turns! Although part of it you could predict as it was very obvious and apparent but there were many other underlying things that appeared toward the end of the book that were NOT expected! Well done Carol! I really enjoyed this read.
Profile Image for Brian Howard.
193 reviews
July 17, 2016
I only got a few pages in before pulling the plug; I don't do anything smacking of the occult or paranormal, and it looked like some Irish crapola was coming up. Violin with a curse! Screw that! Plenty of other good stuff to read.
Profile Image for Joyce.
1,665 reviews9 followers
October 7, 2014
Regan was hired as bodyguard to a up & coming country singer who had an Irish fiddle which was cursed!
Profile Image for Debbie.
920 reviews77 followers
February 29, 2016
This is such a fun series. I love the short chapters and quick characters. I'm ready to move right along.
Profile Image for Leah.
1,232 reviews1 follower
September 5, 2020
This book was boring. The characters were disappointing and it was difficult to get into. Definitely worse than Iced which is saying A LOT.
17 reviews
July 7, 2022
This is a fairly standard Regan Reilly adventure. A screw ball comedy adventure with risks of murder, chases, and stalkers but delivered in a light and breezy manner. Several interesting and silly characters and some good plot points.

I don't think the ending came together as well as the story could have as the several, five by my count, plot lines had to resolve in under ten pages. While it is interesting to have five different malefactor plots impeding each other and it adds to the screw ball effect I think the story needed a little more time to resolve the plot lines with a little more grace. Considering how the book takes so much time to detail the vacations of the various characters this did feel like the pacing was a bit off.

Still I had fun with this one and it is a good little adventure.
139 reviews2 followers
June 22, 2022
I like the Regan Reilly series. This story had more than one plot line to follow. Two of them were easy to follow since the book told you exactly what was going on. I was able to guess the person sending the nasty notes and letters to Brigid before I got to the end. I have to ask though, do these publishing companies not employ proof readers? I had to read one sentence 5 times to figure out what it was supposed to say. There was only one other problem and it kept me from giving this more than 3 stars. I didn't think it was necessary to tell me what everyone was wearing, every day, to every event right down to their shoes. This always makes me think the author had a word quota and this is what they used to reach it.
Profile Image for Tuffy.
173 reviews
May 20, 2025
Here are my thoughts:

1. The storyline didn’t capture my interest.

2. The plot was simple. I was looking for a twist but didn’t get one.

3. I knew the stalker didn’t have to do with the “accidents”. Ge was just obsessed with Brigid.

4. Chapi and Duke were like a part of the Three Stooges.

5. It was like reading Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine instead of a Mystery Novel.

6. I knew Peace Man is a fraud. Being Bettina’s husband and plotting to kill Chapi to get his fortune was for me the highlight of the book but still weak.

7. Pammy’s character too was sketchy but I didn’t expect she’s a murderer. But same with item #6, still fell short.

Overall, it was okay for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Carole.
1,626 reviews
November 9, 2017
Private detective Regan Reilly lives in California and is coming to visit her parents and her best friend Kit in the Hamptons. Her plans are changed though because a rising country music star, Brigid O'Neill, has been receiving frightening "love notes" and needs a body guard. Brigid is performing in the Hamptons so Regan can do both, see her parents, Kit, and help Brigid. Mysterious things continue to happen, and Regan tries to figure out just why and who is doing these things. One clue is a very old and precious fiddle that was originally a most prized possession of Ireland.
Profile Image for Audrey.
186 reviews1 follower
September 11, 2022
This book was just OK; 3 stars is being generous. Very light reading and not much of a mystery. The real mystery is how someone as incompetent as our main character, Regan Reilly, is in this story could be a private investigator. Too many minor characters were thrown into the plot, too many annoying characters (including one who yelled nearly all his words), too many instances of characters acting in thoughtless ways, plus too many typos.
Profile Image for Sue Shipley.
857 reviews3 followers
December 1, 2021
Good, zany and some suspense. The fairy fiddle of Ireland gives good luck to the one playing it. Bridgid wins contests and gets lots of attention, some from the wrong people, a mysterious stalker and Chappy the tack kind.
Regan Riley acts as body guard and detective and, of course, solves the case
379 reviews1 follower
Read
August 14, 2025
Regan is going to the Hamptons for 4th of July. She is hired to guard a young fiddle player. They stay at the property of the man trying to steal the fiddle. In the mean time, their is a stalker afer the fiddler. Also, a member of the band's friend is insanely jealous of the fiddler. Regan has her hands full!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ed Zirkwitz.
157 reviews3 followers
April 14, 2019
A well crafted mystery. Good on character and plot development,
with a good variety of sub-mysteries.
Suspense cursors throughout.
The reader knows who is behind the plans to commit the over arching crime
but other crimes occur.
Everything is neatly tied up at the end.
Profile Image for Angela.
86 reviews
June 30, 2020
This was such a good book and the way it made you feel for each character is something I always loved about reading. Even though I don't believe in luck, this was a cute read. A must have, especially if you have a hard time reading. It was an easy ready and kept you motivated!!
Profile Image for Sarah Elizabeth.
530 reviews1 follower
November 28, 2021
Brigid is an up and coming country music star with a fiddle from Ireland that is said to be both valuable and cursed. Brigid does not start believing in this curse until threatening letters begin to show up. In an over abundance of caution Brigid gets private detective Regan Reilly to be her bodyguard while she’s in the Hamptons for a music festival. This turns out to be a blessing after attempted robberies and attempted murder. Can Regan keep Brigid safe, or will her and her fiddle meet terrible ends?

This book was a little all over the place. The subject matter wasn’t that interesting to me and it took quite a while for things to start moving. With that being said the “villains” were rather entertaining and “cutesy”. Not my favorite of the book series, but I will continue reading the mysteries
267 reviews5 followers
June 14, 2024
Good story

but sure needs the help of a better proofreader! I do enjoy Carol Higgins Clarks books though, always a clever tale, yet no swearing, no sex. Kind of like a Nancy Drew for adults.
374 reviews
September 27, 2017
Slow but good ending
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Tina Marie Perkins.
2 reviews
October 1, 2017
Another villain bites the dust

I just love Carol Higgins Clark. Also love her mother's books too. I like Regan Rielly as her main character.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews

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