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It's up, up, and away with sleuth Regan Reilly in this whirlwind adventure from New York Times bestselling author Carol Higgins Clark


L.A.-based private detective Regan Reilly heads to Las Vegas to help out her old school chum Danny Madley. Danny is producing a reality TV show featuring three married couples who have all suffered the proverbial "Seven Year Itch," but are now vying for a chance to renew their vows in a wedding-cake-shaped hot air balloon -- and win one million dollars! But Danny has received an anonymous letter warning him to halt production, and "accidents" start happening on the set. It's up to Regan to find out what's lurking behind the scenes....After all, the show must go on!

Popped takes us from the kitschy glamour of the Las Vegas casinos and run-down hotels off the Strip to the world-famous Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta -- a funny, fast-paced romp!

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 23, 2003

160 people are currently reading
1218 people want to read

About the author

Carol Higgins Clark

68 books835 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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5 stars
665 (26%)
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762 (30%)
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768 (30%)
2 stars
235 (9%)
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82 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
Profile Image for Luffy Sempai.
783 reviews1,085 followers
February 2, 2020


Popped was exactly what I expected. It is a harmless, fun filled book. It's hard for me to describe the intricacies, but the plethora of characters shaped up the book for hilarity and manic disorder.

The book is about a reality television show. Regan Reilley, our main heroine, steps in to oversee the safety of the cast, and also conduct an investigation.

I thought the book was a hoot, and I found myself reading it for hours consecutively. I'm psyched for the following book. Who knows what will happen next in this series?
Profile Image for Vixxi.
118 reviews48 followers
May 27, 2018
i love the ending of this book so much because it was a very happy ending to the book. i can't wait to read the next book in this series . i love how sweet this book is and how the story was written . i love reading about the hot air balloons. and how much work goes into setting up and flying the hot air balloons . carol higgins clark is slowly becoming a great writer like her mother .
25 reviews9 followers
May 10, 2013
OK, 2nd try for Carol Higgins Clark, and this will be my last. Not much mystery, way too much silliness, horribly shallow characters. She learned how to manage a "formula" from her mother, but Mom's mystery recipe is more delicious by far.
2 reviews1 follower
July 7, 2008
I think I may have actually lost brain cells reading this book.
5 reviews
August 16, 2014
Absolute drivel. Some people have described it as 'fluff'. I wouldn't even call it 'lint'.
Profile Image for Cristina.
460 reviews16 followers
April 30, 2020
En realidad, 2´5 ⭐️.

Es una lectura entretenida pero, sin duda, no entraría entre mis libros recomendados.

De esta autora solamente había leído una novela que escribió junto a su madre, la famosa Mary Higgins Clark y, aunque tampoco fue gran cosa, me enganchó bastante más.

Para mí, uno de los principales obstáculos en esta lectura ha sido la cantidad de personajes. Tantos nombres han hecho que, en varias ocasiones, no supiese lo que estaba sucediendo. Aún, después de acabarla, tengo nombres claramente entremezclados.

La premisa parecía interesante y me atreví a augurar que tendría un toque de misterio. Sí que hay ciertos sucesos que no se sabe quién los comete, pero de ahí a misterio o suspense hay un gran trecho.

La prosa es sencilla y los diálogos son numerosos, lo que hace que se lea relativamente rápido. Un pero importante para mí es que hay algunos errores de transcripción, pocos, sí, pero los hay.

A su favor diré que el desenlace me ha resultado totalmente inesperado y que al final nada es lo que parece, o sí, depende del lector, claro.
809 reviews4 followers
February 8, 2024
Carol Higgins Clark was always fun to read--this one had no really bad happenings, but a lot of little stuff that was truly interesting and the ending was a complete surprise.
Profile Image for Michael.
1,297 reviews156 followers
June 18, 2008
More than anything else, it's the setting of Carol Higgins Clark's new mystery novel, "Popped" that will draw readers into it. The setting is on the set of a possible reality show about hot air ballooning--with the payoff coming at the Alburque Balloon festival. What will keep you turning the pages is the novel fast pace and quirky characters. And what will leave you feeling a bit let down by the story is an ending that just rings a bit hollow, with an odd twist that should have been better foreshadowed by the events that come before it. All in all, this is a fun novel to read, but it's not necessarily a great story. The central mystery is intriguing enough, though it lacks a really great twist and resolution to make it truly satisfying in the end. The novel also suffers from a bit of predictablity--especially in the final few pages.

Honestly, I wish this one had been a bit longer. The first two thirds of the book do a nice job of setting up the circustances and the quirky characters only for the second half of the book to rush to a resolution. It's a shame really because the book is a fun, fast paced read, but it does leave you hungering for something more once the final page has been turned.
Profile Image for Kristen.
2,094 reviews160 followers
January 2, 2015
In the 7th installment of Carol Higgins Clark's popular Regan Reilly PI series, Popped, Regan returned in this cozy caper. In this story, we've found Regan in Las Vegas to help out an old friend who was producing a reality show that would really take to the high skies. In a wedding-cake shaped hot air balloon, three married couples would renew their vows and win money for the prize. But someone threatened her friend to halt production of the show, when "accidents" have occurred on the set. Now it was up to Regan to find out who didn't want to show to go on as planned.
Profile Image for Camille.
334 reviews
January 16, 2021
Regan investigates weird happenings at Danny's reality show production. The camera disappears, people slipping, threatening letters etc.

This book is a short read; however, the organization is chaotic with multiple intersecting story lines that conclude perfectly. This was one of the worst ones. A weak mystery at best. There is something about Regan and Jack though that keeps me interested in the series...
Profile Image for Debbie.
920 reviews77 followers
October 21, 2016
What goes up must come down and come to an end. Hot air ballooning makes a great theme. This series is a fun, quick read and always fun.
Profile Image for Tracie Hall.
864 reviews10 followers
November 14, 2024
“Popped” by Carol Higgins Clark

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
PRINT:
© 2004, July 1; 9780743476652; Simon and Schuster; 368 pages; unabridged (Info from Simon and Schuster)
DIGITAL:
© 2003, September 23, 2003; ASIN: B000FC0SVY; Scribner; 368 pages; unabridged (Info from Amazon)
(this one)-AUDIO:
© 2010, February 19; ASIN: B003954SYW; Simon and Schuster Audio; 4 hours, 34 minutes; unabridged; 4 discs (info from Amazon)

FILM:
No

READING LEVEL (Accelerated Reader Scale)
IL [Interest Level]: UG; BL [Book Level]: 4.4
(UG= Upper grades (9-12), 4.4=4th month of 4th grade.)

WORD COUNT:
65320

SERIES:
Regan Reilley Mystery (Book 7 of 16)

CHARACTERS: (Not Comprehensive)
• Regan Reilly – An L.A. based private detective
• Danny Madley – An old school friend of Regan’s

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:

SELECTED:
It was available at the library and I thought I’d try it.

ABOUT:
Regan is needed in Las Vegas to help an old school friend, Danny Madley who has been warned off producing his reality TV show.

OVERALL OPINION:
Short and light with silly slapstick humor.

AUTHOR:
Carol Higgins Clark (Bowker Biography found in the PVLD library catalog.)
Carol Higgins Clark was born in New York City in 1956 to suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark. She received a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College before studying acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.
She is the author of the Regan Reilly mystery series. Her novel Decked was nominated for both an Agatha and Anthony Award for Best First Novel. She has also co-authored several books with her mother including Deck the Halls, The Christmas Thief, Santa Cruise, and Dashing through the Snow.
As an actress, she has appeared in numerous television, film, and theater productions, including A Cry in the Night, a 1992 television movie based on a novel written by her mother.

NARRATOR
Carol Higgins Clark (Wikipedia excerpt)
Carol Higgins Clark (July 28, 1956 – June 12, 2023) was an American mystery author and actress. She was the daughter of suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark, with whom she co-authored several Christmas novels, and the former sister-in-law of author Mary Jane Clark.

GENRE:
Fiction; Women Sleuth Mysteries; Humorous

SUBJECTS (Not comprehensive):
Hot air ballooning; Reality television; Actors; Columnists; Competition

LOCATION:
Las Vegas, Nevada; Albuquerque, New Mexico

TIME PERIOD:
2000’s

RATING:
2

STARTED-FINISHED
3/17/2008-3/29/2008
Profile Image for Sarahs bunte Welt.
683 reviews3 followers
January 8, 2024
Schreiben liegt in der Familie Higgins Clark, wie es mir scheint, denn von ihrer Mutter kannte ich schon das eine oder andere Buch. Von Carol war es das erste Buch für mich und leider auch das letzte Buch. Das eher schlichte Cover und der nicht wirklich passende Titel schreckten mich nicht ab, denn die Idee klang wirklich gut. Eine TV Show, die sabotiert werden soll und dazu noch spannend klingt. Da war es mir sogar egal, dass es schon der siebte Band der Reihe war.

Ich mag da vielleicht empfindlich sein, aber wenn ein Buch mich nicht auf den ersten Seiten abholt oder es dort etwas gibt, das mich sehr stört, dann ist des meist so, dass mich ein Buch nicht überzeugen kann. Hier hat es die Autorin wirklich geschafft, dass ich nach einem Kapitel schon wusste, das wird ein lange, langes Buch. Zum Verständnis nehme ich euch einmal mit in diese Szene. Ein Büro, welches schon seit Jahren abgerissen werden soll. Heruntergekommen, mit Sicherheit ein gemütlich schäbiges Exemplar, was für einen Detektiv sicher passend ist. Wenn man bedenkt das sie berühmt ist, fragt man sich schon, warum sie noch da ihr Büro hat. Jedenfalls ist es ein früher Montag und sie sitzt alleine in ihrem Büro. Genervt, gelangweilt, sie vermisst ihren Liebsten und wünschte es wäre schon Freitag, um es einmal grob auszudrücken. Das Telefon klingelt und wieder frage ich mich, warum hat eine berühmte Detektivin keine Sekretärin und muss selbst ans Telefon gehen. Doch was mich mehr störte war der erste Dialog. Der Unbekannte Anrufer fragt direkt, ob bei ihr was klingelt, ob sie ihn kennt. Er nennt keinen Namen und geht alleine von der Stimme aus. Die Person am anderen Ende kennt sie aus der Schulzeit. Sorry, aber das ist einfach nur total lahm und hat mich total gestört. Eine dieser Szenen, wo ich mich frage, was hat sich ein Autor und sein Lektor dabei gedacht. Sie hat absolut keinen Sinn und ist auch nicht komisch. Der Name und klingelt es da, wäre da deutlich besser gewesen.

Leider wird es dann auch nicht besser. Ich springe zwischen den Serien, die konkurrieren, hin und her. Es ist keine spannende Ermittlung, sondern irgendwie steht der Fokus in den Serien und der Rest ist am Rande fix abgearbeitet. Dazu ein Schluss der konstruiert reingeworfen wurde. Nein, das ist kein Lesegenuss gewesen. Für einen Krimi einfach zu wenig.
Profile Image for Rachel N..
1,406 reviews
October 21, 2025
Regan Reilly is asked by a childhood friend, Danny, to come to Vegas where he is producing a reality show. The show is competing with a sitcom to be aired on the Balloon Network. Danny's show focuses on 3 couples who are on the rocks. One will get to renew their vows and win a million dollars. Danny thinks someone is trying to sabotage his show. The "sabotage" consists of a camera and some mail being stolen, two rather silly threatening notes and someone slipping on some oil on the floor, that's it. Hardly a need for a PI. I do like this series but this entry was not good. There really was no mystery. There's way too many characters: all the people working on both shows, Regan's parents, Danny's parents, the guy who owns the cable network and his employees and more. There was also random facts about hot air balloons scattered through the book for no reason. I didn't find any of the "antics" funny.
Profile Image for Linda Munro.
1,934 reviews26 followers
December 13, 2019
Regan Reilly receives a call for help from a grammar school friend, Danny Madley who is presently filming a reality show in Las Vegas. His show is basically scripted, the cast chosen by the owner of a local cable channel, who has pitted Danny’s team against another team who is working to produce a sit-com. One team will have their week long show expanded to be carried on the cable channel. When strange things immediately start occurring, he calls Regan to see if she will help determine if someone is sabotaging his production.

It’s a weird reality show and a weirder sit-com. Both sides appear to be receiving threats, it’s almost as if the man in charge of this contest is out to get them both!

So, will the show go on or will life in reality television be stopped before it starts?
Profile Image for Sandra Lopez.
Author 3 books348 followers
February 4, 2024
Was the pilot for a reality TV show being sabotaged? It was up to Regan Reilly to find out.

Let’s see: we had a threatening note and a contestant that fell and broke his arm. Mmm, interesting…but not interesting enough.

Fleeced was way better since it had 2 dead bodies right from the start. The pace was too slow with not much happening—nothing exciting anyways. It’s really more exciting when there’s a dead body. Geez, we’re 13 chapters in and all we’ve gotten were menial character activities revolving around a TV studio production. Where was the excitement, the mystery, and the supposed humor?

Carol definitely doesn’t have her mother’s suspenseful style. That’s really why I picked up her book at all. Now I know I won’t be getting anymore.
Profile Image for Ann Stoudt.
99 reviews1 follower
Read
January 10, 2023
L.A.-based private detective Regan Reilly heads to Las Vegas to help out her old school chum Danny Madley. Danny is producing a reality TV show featuring three married couples who have all suffered the proverbial "Seven Year Itch," but are now vying for a chance to renew their vows in a wedding-cake-shaped hot air balloon -- and win one million dollars! But Danny has received an anonymous letter warning him to halt production, and "accidents" start happening on the set. It's up to Regan to find out what's lurking behind the scenes
354 reviews2 followers
December 21, 2025
I have started reading some of Carol Higgins Clark's books. I have liked most of them. This one, however, is a mess. Trying to keep up with all the characters, who is with which show and who is married to whom... Plus the plot is ridiculous. I almost stopped reading but once I start a book, I usually will read it to the end, like it or not. This was definitely time that could have been spent reading a good book!!! I have other books by Ms. Higgins Clark, and now I don't know if I want to continue reading the series. She is definitely not the author her mother was!!
384 reviews1 follower
Read
September 1, 2025
Regan is called to Vegas to help an old school friend. He is trying to get a reality show on a small cable network. There have been several problems. Regan picks up a lot of clues. Then the friend's parents arrive & there are more problems! The show ends with a balloon ride in Albuquerque. There is an attack that is almost fatal. Regan can't wait for Jack to return. Her parents get him to come as soon as he can. He meets her when the balloon lands!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Patti.
625 reviews2 followers
September 30, 2025
Regan Reilly, Private Investigator, is asked by an old friend, a producer, to help him figure out what or who is causing trouble on the set of his new reality TV show. His show is competing with a sitcom and the prize will be getting on TV. So can Regan find out who is sabotaging the reality show before someone gets hurt? The characters are quirky and wacky, with a not so expected ending. Was a quick read and entertaining.
Profile Image for ☺Trish.
1,407 reviews
October 8, 2020
Who is trying to sabotage the production of a reality television show about marriages in trouble featuring a renewal of vows, a romantic hot-air balloon ride, and a million dollars for the winning couple?
Intrepid private investigator Regan Reilly goes undercover to find, and stop, the culprit.
Cute cozy mystery minus the murder.
135 reviews
July 4, 2024
This book was difficult to read. The characters were undeveloped, which made it hard to care about any of them. The plot wasn't really a plot, which made it boring to read. Very disappointed after having enjoyed many of her mother's books in my younger years. I don't think Carol Higgins Clark has the same writing talent as Mary Higgins Clark.
106 reviews
October 7, 2024
This book had its good aspects. I quite liked all the characters and was quite surprised by the ending. Would I recommend it? I would recommend so many other books before this one. I just like most of Ms Clark's books. This one was sitting in our free library where I live and though sure let's try it. I do think I will get the next one set in Hawaii though.
540 reviews2 followers
December 29, 2024
This was a quick and fun read by Carol Higgins Clark from her Reagan Reilly mystery series.
I enjoyed the hot air balloon concept and the mystery was a complicated but solvable one.
Her characters are usually likeable , even the villians! The setting of Las Vegas also added an element of fun to the story.
A great cozy mystery!
Profile Image for Jayla Imanverdi.
8 reviews
June 26, 2025
I wish I could say the cute ending saved this book, but the plot was just way too slow and uneventful for me to say so. Wish there was more than little “accidents” here and there, maybe a death would’ve helped. I can appreciate that this book was meant to be silly and lighthearted, but there was practically no character development and the book just felt very shallow.
Profile Image for Susana.
8 reviews1 follower
August 13, 2025
no sé si decir que ha sido un poco aburrido y que la resolución final es como una forma fácil de rematar el libro o si solo es una historia simple que no deja ningún lugar a la reflexión. No suelo leer thriller pero no considero que esto pueda serlo, es más bien un libro de telerrealidad que no consigue mantener un ritmo constante de misterio pese a intentarlo constantemente.
540 reviews2 followers
August 22, 2017
This book was a disappointment . This book had so many characters but very little character . It wasn't suspenseful nor did I feel the excitement of reading a CHC book . Maybe the next one
Profile Image for Lia Rowland.
253 reviews7 followers
October 31, 2018
The premise of this book was really stupid. I have tried several of her books (5 in total) and I only liked 1. She is just not that great of a writer. Maybe if you like light-cotton-candy type mysteries??
2 reviews
December 10, 2018
Dull and repetitive not like her other books

I have read other books by this author. This one was Dull s slow read. I could not wait to finish the book. I only kept reading as I expected it to get better.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews

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