Hell for the Holidays

Christopher Miller Holiday Thrillers #2

by Chris Grabenstein

A sequel to Slay Ride finds FBI agent Christopher Miller tackling a band of domestic terrorists who are copying the tactics of Al Qaeda throughout a plot to crash an African airliner leaving JFK airport during a busy holiday season. By the author of Tilt-a-Whirl. Simultaneous.

Genres: Mystery, Holiday, Fiction, Thriller

396 pages, Hardcover

First published November 29, 2007

About the author

CHRIS GRABENSTEIN is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His books include the LEMONCELLO, WONDERLAND, HAUNTED MYSTERY, DOG SQUAD, and SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE series, and many fun and funny page-turners co-authored with James Patterson. You can visit Chris at ChrisGrabenstein.com.

Reviews

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's nothing like a murder mystery set around Halloween and Thanksgiving to get the blood flowing. This fast paced thriller keeps you guessing from beginning to end. Highly recommended.

[Elaine Lucky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher is back! On the case investigating home grown terrorist white supremacists that are planning something big. His boss won't believe him or help him but he connects with Special Agent Andrew Jackson who is helping put together seemingly unrelated murders that cross with Chris's investigation into kidnapping and US Customs. Gathering information they find dead bodies as the brotherhood is eliminating people in their cells. After performance they are taken out by the next person. Chris follows leads and finally comes face to face with the terrorist group on a jam packed Thanksgiving weekend. Trying to focus on his job, the suspects, and preventing a catastrophe he has to balance his job along with his family who is in harm's way. His precious daughter is still having nightmares from last Christmas's horror and Chris has to decide if he's still going to be in the FBI or take care of his family

[Paul Jacques · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher Miller's character grows along with all the other folks we love and love to hate in the sequel to "Slay Ride." Chris Grabenstein grabs you from the first paragraph and pulls you inside of his character's worlds. You really care about these people. Very accurate descriptions of New York. You feel what it's like to be there around the holidays. So much to love about his writing, the story, the pace, the humor, the suspense. I'm a huge fan!

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner by Chris Grabenstein. I sure hope there are more Holiday Thrillers.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pleasant read while relaxing by the pool and looking forward to Halloween and the start of the holiday season.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell For The Holidays – 5 Paws
Chris Grabenstein
Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2007, 400 pps.
ISBN No. 13-978-0-78672-060-6


Saint Christopher is back- stronger and better than ever. Slay Ride introduced Christopher Miller, FBI Legend, and father and husband extraordinaire.
A kidnapping victim that Chris saved presented him with a medal that says “Saint Christopher protect us.” The nickname of Saint Christopher has stayed with Chris ever since.

On Halloween night a child is kidnapped. It is a very mysterious kidnapping in that no ransom is asked and the child is returned to his parents unhurt. But that kidnapping begins a rein of terror that will follow Chris and his family and the country all the way through the Macy’s day parade on Thanksgiving.

A White Supremacist Hate Group is at work and Chris is in a race to halt their activities. Chris is stalled almost every step of the way. It seems that the government is interested in only foreign terrorists and Chris is given very little help in his quest to stop this group. The leader of the group has turned lose a sharp shooter and given him a stinger missile. The sharp shooter is called The Eagle and is mentally unbalanced to say the least.

The leader of the group has his own private agenda and when some of his followers begin actions of their own things really get in a mess.

Chris is trying to deal with his daughter’s post-traumatic stress resulting from an ordeal at Christmas time last year. He is trying to juggle too many balls with very little help. Hell For The Holidays is an exciting book that I would recommend highly. The characters seem real and Chris Miller is someone I won’t tire of soon.

[Corinne]

As a fan of Grabenstein's novels, I enjoyed the mystery in Hell for the holidays, but this one was a little more difficult to read. Christopher Miller struggles with helping his daughter heal from the last book, while trying to figure out the connection between seemingly unrelated events. The connection is domestic terrorism grounded in racial hate. The language and vernacular certainly convey the emotions of hate and contempt, and while it was hard to accept the reality of prejudice, Grabenstein creates villains readers could just as easily hate. The ending satisfies, however, and gives a glimpse into terrorism based on a set of beliefs for the terrorist, albeit fictional and/or misguided.

[Joanne Kilroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This follow up to Slay Ride is about a super frightening domestic terrorist plot aimed at Thanksgiving. FBI agent Chris Miller aka Saint Christopher is back to save his family and all of us from the bad guy. Chris Grabenstein tells a story so frightening about a possible domestic terror attack on a holiday event that I will find it hard to feel safe at any crowded event for a long time! You do not need to have read Slay Ride to enjoy the suspense of Hell For The Holidays, but that was also a great book and they go well together.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book 3.5 stars, mostly because I read the sequel before the first book, and also because though an easy read, it was a bit more intense than the Stephanie Plum-like book i was going for (I realize that this probably doesn't need to count against the book rating, but hey, it's my review!). think I would read the first book in the series, and follow other stories thereafter. A quick read.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a neighbor's child is kidnapped on Halloween, it starts FBI agent Chris Miller on the trail of a terrorist attack planned for Thanksgiving. I got really caught up in this excellent thriller and had a hard time putting it down. The only warning here is the epithets used by the villains.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

#2 in the Christopher Miller series. (As of March 2015, there is no #3 in the series after this 2007 entry).

Christopher Miller, FBI agent in Jersey City, helps find neighbor's boy kidnapped on Halloween. Eventually it is deduced that the kidnapping was to divert the boys father from his Customs job. As with prior series entry, coincidences abound until the white supremicist terrorism plot climaxes at the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. Readable in spite of plot holes.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great thriller by Chris Grabenstein. Like the first book in the Christopher Miller Series “Hell for the Holidays” is a hard violent and no holds bars thriller. Not for the faint of heart the author provides the reader with a non-stop thriller that is violent and dark. If you’re looking for something that will keep you on the edge of the seat with a splash of Thanksgiving mixed in. Grab this book and hold on.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent book by Chris Grabenstein!! I really enjoyed reading this onee A well-paced thriller, kept me wondering and waiting, anxious for the end but not so much so that I got annoyed and just wanted it to be over, which is often the case. I really enjoy Grabenstein's style of writing and often recommend his books to people. I would definitely recommend this one!

[Stitchywoman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off slow for me because it was hard to tell where the story was going. The trauma the daughter had in the first book carried over into this book, more so at the beginning, which I found disturbing and distracting. However, the story did pick up and ultimately became suspenseful and as engrossing as Mr. Grabenstein's other books.

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would happen if a group of white racist domestic terrorists obtained a stinger missile? FBI Agent Chris Miller, whose daughter had been a victim the previous Christmas, tries to track down the terrorists, while trying to assure his daughter that the holidays are not to be feared. Fans of James Patterson’s Alex Cross series should give this a try.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

White supremists plan to take down an African Airlines plane in NY the day before Thanksgiving.

Their leader negotiates a 200 million settlement and sells out his troops.

Good second in the series.

[Meghan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am having a really tough time finishing this book. To me, it is very dark. It is based on a FBI agent who has to track down a white supremesist group. I find a lot of the content to be disturbing and have recently put it down to pick up something that is more light hearted.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the suspense of this book. While this series is more violent than the author's John Ceepak series, I enjoy the characters and the suspense.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a bigger Ceepak fan, but I enjoy Miller as well. I'll definitely read the next one.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great thriller, quite a ride.

[Kat Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of action. Reminiscent of Carl Hiaasen, but lacking the humor.