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Regan Reilly Mysteries # 7.5
The Christmas Thief
Alvirah Meehan, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth, teams up with private investigator Regan Reilly to solve another Christmas mystery. In Deck the Halls, they rescued Regan's kidnapped father.
This time they get in the middle of a case involving a beautiful eighty-foot blue spruce that has been chosen to spend the holidays as Rockefeller Center's famous Christmas tree. The folks who picked the tree don't have a clue that attached to one of its branches is a flask chock-full of priceless diamonds that Packy Noonan, a scam artist just released from prison, had hidden there over twelve years ago. An excited Packy breaks his parole and heads to Stowe, Vermont, to reclaim his loot. Once there, he is horrified to discover that his special tree will be heading to New York City the next morning. With a bumbling crew consisting of Jo-Jo, Benny, and an unsuccessful poet, Milo, he knows he has to act fast. What Packy does not know is that Alvirah and Regan are on a weekend trip to stowe with Alvirah's husband, Willy; Regan's fiance, Jack; Regan's parents, Luke and Nora; and Alvirah's friend Opal, a lottery winner who lost all her winnings in Packy's scam. On Monday morning when they're suppose to head home, they learn that the tree is missing, Packy Noonan may be in the vicinity, and Opal has disappeared.
This time they get in the middle of a case involving a beautiful eighty-foot blue spruce that has been chosen to spend the holidays as Rockefeller Center's famous Christmas tree. The folks who picked the tree don't have a clue that attached to one of its branches is a flask chock-full of priceless diamonds that Packy Noonan, a scam artist just released from prison, had hidden there over twelve years ago. An excited Packy breaks his parole and heads to Stowe, Vermont, to reclaim his loot. Once there, he is horrified to discover that his special tree will be heading to New York City the next morning. With a bumbling crew consisting of Jo-Jo, Benny, and an unsuccessful poet, Milo, he knows he has to act fast. What Packy does not know is that Alvirah and Regan are on a weekend trip to stowe with Alvirah's husband, Willy; Regan's fiance, Jack; Regan's parents, Luke and Nora; and Alvirah's friend Opal, a lottery winner who lost all her winnings in Packy's scam. On Monday morning when they're suppose to head home, they learn that the tree is missing, Packy Noonan may be in the vicinity, and Opal has disappeared.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 9, 2004
760 people are currently reading
3688 people want to read
About the author
Mary Higgins Clark
630 books13.5k followersThe #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark has written thirty-eight 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. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels. Her sister-in-law is the also author Mary Jane Clark.
Clark’s books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. Her books are beloved around the world and made her an international bestseller many times over.
Clark’s books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. Her books are beloved around the world and made her an international bestseller many times over.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 626 reviews
December 23, 2025
5 Stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A riveting Christmas saga employed with theft and suspense. Our story takes place in Stowe, Vermont and the setting is The Trapp Family Lodge and the neighboring properties. Here is a special majestic tree that will be cut down for Christmas and displayed in New York City at Rockefeller Center. But wait! HOW does an eighty foot tree go missing?
This is a short, easy read with a large cast of characters. A couple of lottery winners, a private investigator, a NYPD squad guy, a reporter, a writer, amateur detective, a prison convict, a scam artist…Lots of interesting characters that are part of the mayhem of a tree gone missing.
It was an honor for Viddy and Lemuel Pickens to have their eighty foot pine tree selected for the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. It was a Blue Spruce that they planted on their property in Stowe, over fifty years ago when they were a young couple, and it was a beauty. They had loved on their tree and cared for it, as one would a child. Now it was time to say goodbye and let others enjoy it in New York City. Unbeknownst to Viddy and Lemuel there were diamonds hidden in a flask in their Blue Spruce tree. I guess stranger things could happen…
As the story plunges forward, a convict by the name of Packy Noonan is released from prison after twelve years, and he is on the move looking for his stash. A quick stop to claim seventy million dollars of diamond and Packy is out of here on the way to Brazil! …..things never work out the way they are planned to, do they? Best description of book: A Comedy of Errors.
The story builds with some suspense and drama and I felt the story was well crafted with a nice ending. Not a lot of mystery to it, but cute.
This story had a special meaning to me because we just visited the Trapp Family Lodge two months ago. As the story unfolded the lodge and area was described so perfectly. I feel like someone who wrote this has spent some personal time in the lodge, villas, sports shop, grounds, and restaurant, as we have. It made it personal to me because it is such a lovely place. I was bias on the ratings because of my own visit to Stowe and I was revisiting Vermont in my mind. Otherwise the rating would have been lower. Probably 4 stars.
A riveting Christmas saga employed with theft and suspense. Our story takes place in Stowe, Vermont and the setting is The Trapp Family Lodge and the neighboring properties. Here is a special majestic tree that will be cut down for Christmas and displayed in New York City at Rockefeller Center. But wait! HOW does an eighty foot tree go missing?
This is a short, easy read with a large cast of characters. A couple of lottery winners, a private investigator, a NYPD squad guy, a reporter, a writer, amateur detective, a prison convict, a scam artist…Lots of interesting characters that are part of the mayhem of a tree gone missing.
It was an honor for Viddy and Lemuel Pickens to have their eighty foot pine tree selected for the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. It was a Blue Spruce that they planted on their property in Stowe, over fifty years ago when they were a young couple, and it was a beauty. They had loved on their tree and cared for it, as one would a child. Now it was time to say goodbye and let others enjoy it in New York City. Unbeknownst to Viddy and Lemuel there were diamonds hidden in a flask in their Blue Spruce tree. I guess stranger things could happen…
As the story plunges forward, a convict by the name of Packy Noonan is released from prison after twelve years, and he is on the move looking for his stash. A quick stop to claim seventy million dollars of diamond and Packy is out of here on the way to Brazil! …..things never work out the way they are planned to, do they? Best description of book: A Comedy of Errors.
The story builds with some suspense and drama and I felt the story was well crafted with a nice ending. Not a lot of mystery to it, but cute.
This story had a special meaning to me because we just visited the Trapp Family Lodge two months ago. As the story unfolded the lodge and area was described so perfectly. I feel like someone who wrote this has spent some personal time in the lodge, villas, sports shop, grounds, and restaurant, as we have. It made it personal to me because it is such a lovely place. I was bias on the ratings because of my own visit to Stowe and I was revisiting Vermont in my mind. Otherwise the rating would have been lower. Probably 4 stars.
February 4, 2010
This was a simple, quick read. It took me a couple of hours, and I was able to finish it in one sitting. The story and plot was not complex, which was a bit disappointing. When you pick up a mystery novel, you want to spend time figuring out the clues and putting the pieces of the puzzle together. There were no mysterious details for the reader to discover. The thief was known from the start of the novel. Packy, the villain, was easy to dislike as well as the next door neighbor, Wayne. Overall, there were too many characters and no individual to get attached to. The best thing about the book was its happy ending, a must for any Christmas novel. However, the ending moved too fast for the slow pace of the story and plot.
August 31, 2019
Definitivamente esta serie ni me atrapa, no tiene el misterio, la intriga y la complejidad de los personajes que caracterizan a la autora.
December 15, 2022
This is a new found series for me which I quite enjoy. The main character Alvirah and her husband won the lottery and she is now an amateur detective when the occasion arises. In this Christmas mystery her, her husband and friends decide to venture upstate to spend a weekend at a lodge in the woods. Meanwhile Packy Noonan has done his time in prison for swindling several people out of their hard earned money. He hid his loot (diamonds) on the branch of an evergreen which is on a farm where he worked as a teenager. Little does he know that particular tree has been chosen for the Rockefeller Christmas tree. In a comedy of errors this thief and his cronies attempt to recoup the diamonds with Alvirah hot on his heels.
August 4, 2021
Como thriller policial no es de los mejores libros que he leído, ni cerca. Sin embargo, el trio de ladrones me hizo morir de risa, además de toda la situación del árbol navideño. Gana estrellas por el tiempo de risas que tuve.
December 2, 2020
This was really disappointing Christmas mystery short stories. None of the story was enjoyable or entertaining. Was hoping for a cozy light non dramatic mysteries in a Christmas setting and this collection just missed the mark, didn't get my in holiday mood at all
December 12, 2025
Yet again, had a lot of fun with this one.
November 17, 2015
This story reads like a Nancy Drew novel; everyone is two dimensional, there is no real mystery, and you don't particularly care for any of the characters. Also there was an unnecessary amount of characters in this short story, honestly most of them contributed nothing to the plot other than tripping me up on who was who. It's a brainless little mystery, set in November so it's not even all that holiday related. There is a Christmas tree but that's about it. I like the occasional brainless holiday or mystery novel but this satisfied neither of those requirements. I'd never read Mary Higgins Clark before and if this is representative of her other mysteries then I certainly have no desire to try out any others. Ugh.
December 12, 2019
3.5-5 stars. This is what I like to call a “mild” mystery. Not a whole lot of suspense or action. More of a cozy-ish mystery with a feel good ending. It’s a good, short read, just not my cup of tea.
December 23, 2022
It was cute, short, and full of characters, none of which fully developed.
December 21, 2020
Christmas setting, crime, love, comedy, nice setting. Enjoyable read
November 20, 2012
Mary and Carol Higgins Clark do it again! Alvirah and the gang are back in this funny and heartwarming Christmas mystery.
"Packy " Noonan, a con man that swindled Alvirah and Wally's friend Opal out of her lottery winnings, has been released from prison. Packy has hidden a stash of diamonds in a tree chosen to grace the Rockefeller Center this year. Now Packy has to hurry to get to his tree before it gets taken to New York.
It just so happens that Alvirah and the gang are headed to Vermont on a little vacation. Naturally, they find themselves involved in this wacky caper.
Packy and his two hapless cohorts were hilarious. They couldn't do anything right. There are some really funny moments reading about these inept criminals.
The history of the tree was a sweet heartwarming story.
A light Christmas "cozy " mystery suitable for everyone. I give it an A.
"Packy " Noonan, a con man that swindled Alvirah and Wally's friend Opal out of her lottery winnings, has been released from prison. Packy has hidden a stash of diamonds in a tree chosen to grace the Rockefeller Center this year. Now Packy has to hurry to get to his tree before it gets taken to New York.
It just so happens that Alvirah and the gang are headed to Vermont on a little vacation. Naturally, they find themselves involved in this wacky caper.
Packy and his two hapless cohorts were hilarious. They couldn't do anything right. There are some really funny moments reading about these inept criminals.
The history of the tree was a sweet heartwarming story.
A light Christmas "cozy " mystery suitable for everyone. I give it an A.
December 25, 2014
It is really hard to like characters who have won the lottery and are complaining about normal life problems. I didn't connect with any of them at all. Characterization was lacking, with no real differentiation between personalities. The biggest difference was that Opal found every way to complain about losing her money as fast as she won it.
I'm also confused as to who we should be siding with here. We get a good look at the antagonist but he is made so likeable that it doesn't seem right. The protagonists were annoying and shallow.
Finally I still don't get the reason why they had to cut the tree down. It might have made more sense to check the tree first and none of this would have happened.
I'm also confused as to who we should be siding with here. We get a good look at the antagonist but he is made so likeable that it doesn't seem right. The protagonists were annoying and shallow.
Finally I still don't get the reason why they had to cut the tree down. It might have made more sense to check the tree first and none of this would have happened.
December 5, 2017
A bit silly without intending to be. It's been probably 25 years since I've read an Alvirah mystery, so it was fun to revisit the character, but the book is less a mystery than a reunion of beloved characters who accidentally catch some incompetent criminals.
October 13, 2008
Another Christmas mystery with the characters Regan & Alvirah. This was a good story, but I did not find it as interesting as some of the earlier Christmas capers with these two characters.
December 26, 2023
This was a quick, easy to read, cozy mystery. It wasn't as detailed or had the depth that most Mary Higgins and Carol Higgins Clark books have, but still enjoyed it.
December 29, 2023
A nice little caper for the Christmas season.
December 7, 2023
No es la historia del año cabe indicar SIN EMBARGO, leerla tiene muchas cosas positivas. Por qué?
1. Historia corta y entretenida
2. Trama en dónde se mezcla un robo, pasar las vacaciones entre amigos, belleza de paisajes de invierno, rescata la tradición del encendido del árbol en el centro Rockefeler, uno de los más famosos en América.
3. Es perfecta para leerla en una tarde junto a un café o.chocolate y una mantita.
4. Usa un lenguaje ágil, animado y las ocurrencias de los personajes te sacan una sonrisa.
1. Historia corta y entretenida
2. Trama en dónde se mezcla un robo, pasar las vacaciones entre amigos, belleza de paisajes de invierno, rescata la tradición del encendido del árbol en el centro Rockefeler, uno de los más famosos en América.
3. Es perfecta para leerla en una tarde junto a un café o.chocolate y una mantita.
4. Usa un lenguaje ágil, animado y las ocurrencias de los personajes te sacan una sonrisa.
January 21, 2022
Cute story!
December 14, 2025
Short but not very good.
January 1, 2020
A quick, fun read that's just perfect for the holidays.
December 28, 2014
2,5 stars
The book could have been a lot better, honestly. There was no real mystery involved, there wasn't any thrill derived from unraveling secrets so the story fell short for me but it had its moments.
The book could have been a lot better, honestly. There was no real mystery involved, there wasn't any thrill derived from unraveling secrets so the story fell short for me but it had its moments.
December 3, 2024
What did I just read? I can't even be bothered to write a review because it's such a silly book that involves a lot of people (who others might know from Clark's other series) who bumble around for 200 pages.
February 6, 2017
Cheesy and stupid. But at least a quick, easy read.
May 19, 2023
My goodness, Mary. So contrived with so many unnecessary "coincidences." And so many characters who didn't aid in plot development at all.
December 20, 2024
Twelve years ago a conman named Packy Noonan was sent to prison after a scheme that robbed investors of $100 million. What the victims never learned, however, is that Packy had hid the loot, get this, twenty feet up a fir tree in the woods of Vermont on the famous Von Trapp family ski resort. That tree, now twelve years later, has been selected to be chopped down for use as the New York City Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center.
I wanted to try a Mary Higgins Clark mystery but probably shouldn't have selected "The Christmas Thief" (2004). It has a lively-enough wholesome Christmas mystery and caper to it but is part of a larger series of stories starring a PI named Regan Reilly and her close mix of friends and family that I am unfamiliar with and this read suffers if you lack prior experience with those folks like I do.
If you bear with me, one illustrative example: Regan Reilly has a fiance named Jack. Early in the book these two names are being tossed about among others as they banter and discuss plans and such, and I saw one named Jack Reilly, wondering if that was a typo meaning some other character named Jack. Does Regan also have a brother named Jack in this mystery and he's a different character than the fiance named Jack? If not, why would Jack and Regan be fiances if they're already married? Then later in the book he's referred to as "Jack 'no relation' Reilly" and I finally understood the inside joke - Regan and Jack are getting married and coincidentally already have the same last name. The brain power a mid-series entrant like me spends trying to decipher context like that is likely one of the reasons why my understanding wife says I should only read a series book if I've read the predecessor.
Verdict: "The Christmas Thief"s plot has its funny moments and is kind of predictable at times. It also has some head-scratching character narratives that might just be because I'm not familiar with the Reilly series. I don't recommend jumping into the middle of this series at this point even though "Thief" is a stand-alone crime caper.
Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG
I wanted to try a Mary Higgins Clark mystery but probably shouldn't have selected "The Christmas Thief" (2004). It has a lively-enough wholesome Christmas mystery and caper to it but is part of a larger series of stories starring a PI named Regan Reilly and her close mix of friends and family that I am unfamiliar with and this read suffers if you lack prior experience with those folks like I do.
If you bear with me, one illustrative example: Regan Reilly has a fiance named Jack. Early in the book these two names are being tossed about among others as they banter and discuss plans and such, and I saw one named Jack Reilly, wondering if that was a typo meaning some other character named Jack. Does Regan also have a brother named Jack in this mystery and he's a different character than the fiance named Jack? If not, why would Jack and Regan be fiances if they're already married? Then later in the book he's referred to as "Jack 'no relation' Reilly" and I finally understood the inside joke - Regan and Jack are getting married and coincidentally already have the same last name. The brain power a mid-series entrant like me spends trying to decipher context like that is likely one of the reasons why my understanding wife says I should only read a series book if I've read the predecessor.
Verdict: "The Christmas Thief"s plot has its funny moments and is kind of predictable at times. It also has some head-scratching character narratives that might just be because I'm not familiar with the Reilly series. I don't recommend jumping into the middle of this series at this point even though "Thief" is a stand-alone crime caper.
Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG
December 23, 2020
There's something about being on vacation that prompts me to reach for America's Queen of Suspense. This one (an Alvirah and Willy story; in case you're unfamiliar they are an older married duo who used to clean houses until they won the lottery; now they solve crimes) is about someone who steals the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Can you see now why I couldn't resist? If you're not yet convinced of its literary merit allow me to quote a few lines:
"To others, beautiful raven-haired Regan might be a superb private investigator, but to Nora, her thirty-one-year-old daughter was still the little girl she would give her life to protect."
"His lanky six-foot-five frame was encased in a midnight blue suit, white shirt, and black tie, one of the half-dozen such outfits in his possession. Luke was the owner of three funeral homes in northern New Jersey, which was the reason for his need for subdued clothing."
"He not only caught the kidnappers and retrieved the ransom, but in the process had captured Regan's heart."
And those are all on one page. I'm not making this up.
The reader’s mission, should you choose to accept, is to find out what Patrick "Packy" Noonan is up to (he's the one who's stealing the tree, because 11 years ago before he went to prison for investment fraud he hid $80 million worth of diamonds in the topmost branches. This, naturally, was when the tree was still in a forest in Vermont).
"To others, beautiful raven-haired Regan might be a superb private investigator, but to Nora, her thirty-one-year-old daughter was still the little girl she would give her life to protect."
"His lanky six-foot-five frame was encased in a midnight blue suit, white shirt, and black tie, one of the half-dozen such outfits in his possession. Luke was the owner of three funeral homes in northern New Jersey, which was the reason for his need for subdued clothing."
"He not only caught the kidnappers and retrieved the ransom, but in the process had captured Regan's heart."
And those are all on one page. I'm not making this up.
The reader’s mission, should you choose to accept, is to find out what Patrick "Packy" Noonan is up to (he's the one who's stealing the tree, because 11 years ago before he went to prison for investment fraud he hid $80 million worth of diamonds in the topmost branches. This, naturally, was when the tree was still in a forest in Vermont).
December 28, 2020
Packy’s served his time in the can, now it’s time for some delayed gratification: the trickster swindled millions off his gullible victims and managed to stash the money away before he was caught and put on trial. Shortly after his release, his two former accomplices are expecting him in the halfway-house, taking him straight to a derelict farm in Vermont. Everything’s prepared for a quick money retrieval and ensuing escape to Brazil, the three men only have to find the biggest, most beautiful tree nearby, where Packy left the money. But to their dismay the tree has been chosen as the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and is due to be cut down soon. A crazy race against the clock begins, sped up by the local crook as well as annoyingly nosy tourists …
Despite the title THE CHRISTMAS THIEF falls a little short in the Christmas-department - the story is set before Thanksgiving and other than a Christmas tree being cut, it has hardly anything to do with the “festive period”, ha. Overall an okay read, fast-paced and fun. If anything, it made me want to see one of these famous Rockefeller trees live one day ...
Despite the title THE CHRISTMAS THIEF falls a little short in the Christmas-department - the story is set before Thanksgiving and other than a Christmas tree being cut, it has hardly anything to do with the “festive period”, ha. Overall an okay read, fast-paced and fun. If anything, it made me want to see one of these famous Rockefeller trees live one day ...
December 25, 2019
Si la tengo que definir de alguna manera diría que es diferente, pero ideal para esta época.
Se trata de una novela de misterio con ciertos rasgos que la hacen original y fuera de las clásicas novelas de misterio. En este caso no hay signos de violencia ni muertes, aquí la principal desaparición es la del árbol que estaba destinado a ser expuesto en el Rockefeller Center de Nueva York. Aunque también desaparece una mujer, este acontecimiento no es el hilo conductor de la trama.
En cuanto a los personajes, en este libro encontramos una gran variedad de rasgos y de personalidades. Así, algunos me han parecido divertidos y torpes, y se alejan del tradicional patrón que suelen tener los ladrones o los secuestradores. Otros encajan a la perfección con personas curiosas que, por habilidad o casualidad, acaban resolviendo misterios.
La novela está estructurada en 39 capítulos y un epílogo, todos ellos muy breves. Además, está escrita de forma sencilla y no utiliza para nada un lenguaje enrevesado, lo que hace que se lea con mucha agilidad y que te sientas como un testigo directo de los hechos.
En general, diría que es una novela ideal para esta época, pero que tiene un argumento muy ligero y de la que no se pueden esperar grandes giros ni un halo de misterio.
Se trata de una novela de misterio con ciertos rasgos que la hacen original y fuera de las clásicas novelas de misterio. En este caso no hay signos de violencia ni muertes, aquí la principal desaparición es la del árbol que estaba destinado a ser expuesto en el Rockefeller Center de Nueva York. Aunque también desaparece una mujer, este acontecimiento no es el hilo conductor de la trama.
En cuanto a los personajes, en este libro encontramos una gran variedad de rasgos y de personalidades. Así, algunos me han parecido divertidos y torpes, y se alejan del tradicional patrón que suelen tener los ladrones o los secuestradores. Otros encajan a la perfección con personas curiosas que, por habilidad o casualidad, acaban resolviendo misterios.
La novela está estructurada en 39 capítulos y un epílogo, todos ellos muy breves. Además, está escrita de forma sencilla y no utiliza para nada un lenguaje enrevesado, lo que hace que se lea con mucha agilidad y que te sientas como un testigo directo de los hechos.
En general, diría que es una novela ideal para esta época, pero que tiene un argumento muy ligero y de la que no se pueden esperar grandes giros ni un halo de misterio.
November 23, 2020
¿Acaso existe un lugar mejor que el hermoso y acogedor Stowe, en Vermont, para disfrutar de la nieve antes de las fiestas? No, desde luego. Sobre todo si te ha tocado el primer premio de la lotería. Y el hecho de que los responsables del Rockefeller Center esten allí para escoger el árbol que es, desde hace tiempo, el símbolo tradicional de la Navidad neoyorquina, lo convierte en un lugar doblemente ideal. Por eso Alvirah Meehan y su amiga Regan Reilly, con sus respectivas familias y Opal, una amiga de Alvirah, han decidido pasar allí el fin de semana.
Packy Noonan, un artista del timo en prisión desde hace doce años, está disfrutando de un permiso de fin de semana y ha decidido no regresar a la cárcel. Tiene que recuperar el botín -un termo lleno de diamantes que escondió bajo un hermoso árbol. Pero al llegar allí descubre horrorizado que su árbol ha sido vendido al Rockefeller Center y será transportado a Nueva York a la mañana siguiente. Packy tiene que actuar.
🌟Una historia divertida y corta, linda para leer en un día.
Packy Noonan, un artista del timo en prisión desde hace doce años, está disfrutando de un permiso de fin de semana y ha decidido no regresar a la cárcel. Tiene que recuperar el botín -un termo lleno de diamantes que escondió bajo un hermoso árbol. Pero al llegar allí descubre horrorizado que su árbol ha sido vendido al Rockefeller Center y será transportado a Nueva York a la mañana siguiente. Packy tiene que actuar.
🌟Una historia divertida y corta, linda para leer en un día.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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