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    Dashing Through the Snow
    Dashing Through the Snow
    Dashing Through the Snow
    Ebook269 pages4 hours

    Dashing Through the Snow

    By Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    From beloved mother-daughter duo Mary Higgins Clark, America's Queen of Suspense, and Carol Higgins Clark, author of the hugely popular Regan Reilly mystery series, comes Dashing Through the Snow, a holiday treat you won't want to miss.

    In the picturesque village of Branscombe, New Hampshire, the townsfolk are all pitching in to prepare for the first (and many hope annual) Festival of Joy. The night before the festival begins, a group of employees at the local market learn that they have won $160 million in the lottery. One of their co-workers, Duncan, decided at the last minute, on the advice of a pair of crooks masquerading as financial advisers, not to play. Then he goes missing. A second winning lottery ticket was purchased in the next town, but the winner hasn't come forward. Could Duncan have secretly bought it?

    The Clarks' endearing heroes -- Alvirah Meehan, the amateur sleuth, and private investigator Regan Reilly -- have arrived in Branscombe for the festival. They are just the people to find out what is amiss. As they dig beneath the surface, they find that life in Branscombe is not as tranquil as it appears. So much for an old-fashioned weekend in the country. This fast-paced holiday caper will keep you dashing through the pages!
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateNov 18, 2008
    ISBN9781439146972
    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 Dashing Through the Snow

    3.5/5

    123 ratings15 reviews

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    • 2/5
      A bunch of small-town store employees win the lottery, and one of them gets snared in a con gone wrong.While reading this book, I kept being reminded of Sweet Valley High with its 1-sentence character intros: "Elizabeth was the sensible, intellectual twin who tied her long blond hair up in ponytail, and secretly wanted to be more like Jessica, the free-spirited twin who wore her hair long and parted on the side." I suppose there has to be some of that in any series, since your regular readers aren't going to want to read through many pages of character development of people they already know. Perhaps I should have started with the first book, instead of picking up the first Christmas-themed book I ran across at the library.I sort of knew what I was getting into with this one, but I'm still giving it two stars for not exceeding my fairly low expectations.
    • 3/5
      This is the 5th Christmas story co-authored by mother/daughter team Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark. They are short, cute mysteries that are easy to read.

      In the picturesque village of Branscombe, New Hampshire, it’s time for the Festival of Joy. The town are all working together to prepare for this first, hopefully, annual festival. When the hard-working, long-time employees of Conklins do not get the expected Christmas bonus, they leave the store disgruntled. When it turns out that the same night their lottery numbers are drawn as the winners in the Mega mega lottery, their anger turns to joy. Unfortunately, one the their regular group did not play that week on the advice of his financial advisors. When he finds out that they are swindlers who also played the same numbers, he had told them what numbers they usually played, he steals their lottery ticket and bad luck befalls him. Regan Reilly, her husband Jack, her paretns as well as Willy and Alvirah Meehan had all travelled to Branscombe for the festival, so they all get involved in the mystery. The action is fast-paced in this clever story, with just enough twists to keep you interested. A cute Christmas mystery, which I read by the pool in Florida and enjoyed just as much as if I had read it over the Christmas holidays.
    • 3/5
      I bought this book during the holidays a few years ago at the local Friends of the Library store. I don't think I have ever read a Higgins Clark book, so I had no idea what to expect. What a fun cozy mystery this was! It was fast-paced, had likable characters and stood alone nicely, even though it's the fifth in a series.

      There is just enough intensity to cause a little "reader stress" and a lot of levity to balance it. This was a delightful book, and recommended.
    • 2/5
      A bunch of small-town store employees win the lottery, and one of them gets snared in a con gone wrong.While reading this book, I kept being reminded of Sweet Valley High with its 1-sentence character intros: "Elizabeth was the sensible, intellectual twin who tied her long blond hair up in ponytail, and secretly wanted to be more like Jessica, the free-spirited twin who wore her hair long and parted on the side." I suppose there has to be some of that in any series, since your regular readers aren't going to want to read through many pages of character development of people they already know. Perhaps I should have started with the first book, instead of picking up the first Christmas-themed book I ran across at the library.I sort of knew what I was getting into with this one, but I'm still giving it two stars for not exceeding my fairly low expectations.
    • 3/5
      A group of co-workers win the lottery just before the Christmas 'Festival of Joy' but one, who decided not to take part that week, mysteriously goes missing. Did he buy the other winning ticket? What about his dodgy financial advisers? Or his missing girlfriend?

      Another read-before-wrapping Christmas present!

      Good fun, even if some of the story is a little bit farfetched!
    • 4/5
      It’s time for the Festival of Joy, but joy seems hard to come by. The hard-working employees at the local market don’t get the Christmas bonus they’ve come to expect. Instead, the new bride of the owner talks her husband into giving framed pictures of their wedding. Needless to say, the employees are more than a little disappointed. But that feeling doesn’t last when they discover they have won the lottery. That is, all but one of the regular players who backed out at the last moment. Things go from bad to worse for Duncan. There is much speculation among the townspeople as to where Duncan is and what really is happening. It will take someone with some deducting skill to sort things out. Enter Alvirah Meehan, amateur sleuth. The action is fast-paced in this clever Christmas tale, with just enough twists to keep you turning the pages. A good read anytime, but especially at Christmas.
    • 3/5
      While waiting for my next book club book to come in from the library, I grabbed this book. Mary Higgins Clark's Alvirah Meehan and some other characters work to find and help a missing lottery winner and his girlfriend during a small town Christmas Festival. A good quick, brainless read.
    • 4/5
      When a group of workers at a small town grocery win the lottery their joy is overshadowed by the sudden disappearance of one of their co-workers. The amateur sleuth Alvirah Meehan and her friend Reagan Reilly, a private investigator, jump in to unravel a mystery so big that it takes the whole town on a wild ride. I liked this little book. It was worth the quick read and written in the classic Clark style. Great characters, wonderful story, and just when you thought you knew exactly what was going on, they throw in a curve you never would have expected. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a comfort book to curl up with by the Christmas tree.
    • 2/5
      This was my first Mary Higgins Clark book that i've picked up to read, I have quite a few on my shelves but just haven't gotten to them yet. I was actually super disapointed in this book. I was hoping for a nice christmas related mystery book, considering this is the book I picked as my christmas book of the year. Other then the title and cover of this book this had nothing to do with christmas at all. In fact I have no idea what the title had to do with this actual storyline at all. The employees of a grocery store in a small town in New Hampshire have been playing the lottery weekly, so when they hit big, and one employee Duncan decided that week not to play,but then goes missing. Where did he go? and did he play the lottery on his own, win the other half and decide to go into hiding to not admit it to his co-workers? This story to me was predictable and the level of suspense was seriously lacking, I never felt compelled to read on and see what was happening which is what I want to feel when im reading a mystery novel. I still will give Mary Higgins Clark another try, but maybe just not paired with her Daughter, because honestly this book was a huge flop in my opinion.
    • 2/5
      Substance: A holiday treat for fans of the series detectives (6 in one story is over-indulgent). Cute romantic comedy idea, especially for a movie, but not much in the suspense-mystery department, solutions owing more to general development of the situation than to sleuthing.Style: For adults at the junior-high-school comprehension level.
    • 3/5
      This was a quick and easy book to read... read it in an afternoon! The story line wandered around but in the end a lot of unexpected loose ends where tied. I enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      In this story the usual crew , Alvirah, Willy and all of the Rielly's head to a small town in New Hampshire. Where the town is having the 1st annual Christmas festival on the eve of the start of the festival a group of employees win the lottery ... when one of the group who did not play this time is missing the search is on and of course the crew is helping look for the man when he is found , and they discover his girlfriend has come from California to surprise him and she is now missing .. a good but .. but i found it a slow starter
    • 3/5
      This was my first Mary Higgins Clark - and reading it in July might have been a little strange - but I rather enjoyed it! It was one of those books that is best described as 'nice'. It doesn't have a particularly gripping plot or particularly memorable characters, nor does anything particularly dreadful happen. It's just nice. But I should explain! It's a festive offering which opens with a group of local market workers winning an enormous amount of money in the lottery, just in time for the town's new Christmas Festival of Joy. But the celebrations soon lose their sparkle when their fifth coworker, Duncan, who decided not to chip in that week on the advice of two dodgy financial investors, goes missing. Has he bought the second winning ticket without telling them and gone into hiding? Or has something terrible happened to him? When his girlfriend Flower flies in to surprise him and promptly disappears herself, it will take the combined efforts of stylish sleuths Alvirah Meehan and Regan Reilly to solve the mystery...It was definitely a cozy tale - ladies of a certain age running around solving crimes amidst bucketloads of community spirit - but it was good fun! Kind of like 'Murder, She Wrote' in book form. There were some amazing 'coincidences' and rather a lot of conveniently rich people tumbling around the town of Branscombe, and the mystery just sort of bumbled its way to the happy ending... but it was a sweet little read and provided exactly the kind of gentle, warm froth I was looking for. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy one of these, but if another one happened to come into our bookshop I'd definitely be tempted to take it home, put the kettle on and settle in for a few hours' mental candy floss!
    • 3/5
      I read this in one sitting, about 2 1/2 hours. Short on thrills, mystery, or believability, I'd only recommend this book if you have some time to kill and nothing else to read. The fact that it is the annual Christmas story published by the authors is a dead give-away that only happy endings are allowed.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed it and it's a fast read. Mary and Carol Higgins Clark always come through with a neat Christmas story that involves some suspense but nothing "violent" and there's always a happy ending. It's a good one to add to anyone's Christmas book reading or for someone who likes to read books that have Christmas as the theme.

    Book preview

    Dashing Through the Snow - Mary Higgins Clark

    1

    Thursday, December 11th

    In the picturesque town of Branscombe, in the heart of the Granite State of New Hampshire, lights and banners were being strung to herald the first, and many hoped annual, Festival of Joy. It was the second week of December, and the town was buzzing. Volunteers, their faces glowing with good will, were helping to transform the village green into a holiday wonderland. The weather was even cooperating. As if on cue, a light snow was falling. The pond was frozen solid, ready for the ice-skating events planned for the weekend. Most everyone in Branscombe grew up on ice skates.

    Learning of the Festival and its purpose to promote the wholesome lifestyle of a small town and the true meaning of the holiday season, a major cable network, BUZ, had decided to cover the event. They had big plans for a warm-hearted special that would air on Christmas Eve.

    Muffy Patton, the thirty-year-old wife of the newly elected mayor, had suggested the concept of the Festival at a summer meeting of the town council. It’s time for us to do something special for this town. Other towns in our state are famous for their sled races and bike weeks. Branscombe has been ignored for too long. We should celebrate the fact that Branscombe is a simple hamlet, full of people with good old-fashioned values. There’s no better place to raise a family.

    Her husband, Steve, had agreed heartily. The third-generation owner of a real estate business, he was all for promoting the land values in the area. His firm had houses listed for sale that would be perfect as a country retreat for people living in Boston. A persuasive and spirited idea man, Steve had helped Muffy generate rousing enthusiasm for the Festival.

    In so many places the spirit of Christmas isn’t what it used to be, he opined. It’s all about shopping days and sales. Artificial Christmas trees jamming the stores before the Halloween pumpkins have disappeared. My city friends tell me they all get short-tempered and sulky with the stress of the season. Let’s have ourselves a down-home weekend, with caroling in the town square, a new set of lights for the big tree, and lots of fun stuff to do all weekend. We’ll set the example that Christmas ’tis the season to be jolly and joyful.

    What about food? one of the council members asked practically.

    We’ll get Conklin’s to cater the whole works. We’ll price tickets just to cover our costs. We’re so lucky to have a family-owned store like that in this town—it’s an institution.

    They had all nodded, thinking of how soothing it felt to just walk into Conklin’s. The scents of roasting turkeys, baking hams, simmering pasta sauces, and bubbling chocolate chip cookies were a treat to inhale. Food fit for a king, and a few aisles down you’d find wrenches and garden hoses and even clothespins. People in Branscombe liked their sheets and towels to smell of fresh, cold air.

    star

    By the end of the meeting, the enthusiasm had spread to a fever pitch. Now, three months later, the Festival would begin the next day. The opening ceremony was scheduled for Friday at 5 P.M. in the town square. Branscombe’s huge Christmas tree had already been lit. All the other trees along Main Street and around the Bowling Green would go on at exactly the same moment as Santa arrived on his horse-drawn sleigh. Candles were to be distributed, and the church choir would lead the crowd in singing Christmas carols. A buffet supper in the church basement would be followed by the first of many screenings of It’s a Wonderful Life.

    On Saturday, Nora Regan Reilly, whose son-in-law was a close college friend of the mayor, would be signing her just-published book during the holiday bazaar. She had also agreed to hold a story hour with the children. Outside, there would be hay rides and sleigh rides, and ice skaters would be serenaded by recordings of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra singing everyone’s favorite Christmas music. Saturday night another buffet supper would be followed by a staging of A Christmas Carol, performed by the amateur Branscombe thespian group. Sunday morning the festivities would wrap up with a pancake breakfast, yet another meal to be held in the church basement.

    So far all the plans were running smoothly.

    star

    Over at Conklin’s Market, the employees were working nonstop to prepare for the weekend. The Festival had been a great idea for the town and for Conklin’s business, but the workers were worn out. The holiday season, from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, was always busy, but this year things were crazed. And thanks to the television coverage, more and more people from the surrounding towns were expected to join in the activities. The workers at Conklin’s had to be ready to supply extra food at a moment’s notice. They knew they wouldn’t be able to enjoy a single minute of the festivities themselves, but they were sure that Mr. Conklin would reward them with a bigger bonus than usual, a bonus that traditionally had been handed out by now. Some of the staff had even been grumbling that they hadn’t received it yet.

    Tonight the 8:00 closing hour couldn’t come fast enough for any of them. At ten of eight, Glenda, the head cashier, was locking up one of the registers when the front door flew open and Mr. Conklin’s bossy new wife, Rhoda, marched in, followed by her increasingly sheepish husband, Sam, whom she now referred to as Samuel. In her late fifties, Rhoda and old man Conklin had met at a senior singles dance in Boston, when he was visiting his son for the weekend. It didn’t take Rhoda long to realize that Sam was ripe for the picking. A recent widower, he didn’t know what hit him until one day he found himself in his best blue suit, a flower in his lapel, and the sight of Rhoda in a glittery cocktail dress, marching down the aisle toward him. Since then life at Conklin’s Market had not been the same. Rhoda was trying to put her stamp on a forty-year-old business that had run just fine without her.

    She told Ralph the butcher, whose roasted turkeys were legendary, that he was using too much butter when he basted them. Her attempt to convince the sweet-faced, seventy-five-year-old Marion, who had run the bakery department since Day One, to use canned fillers for her cakes and pies, was not well received. Tommy, a burly, ruggedly handsome young man in his twenties, who had a magical way with salads and sandwiches, was told to cut down on the generous portions of cold cuts he allotted to the submarine sandwiches. Duncan, the head of produce, was mortally offended when Rhoda retrieved a bruised apple he’d tossed out and put it back in the bin.

    And then there was Glenda. Glenda knew, because she handled the cold, hard cash, that whenever Rhoda was around she was being watched like a hawk. This offended Glenda to the core. She had worked at Conklin’s since high school, and in the sixteen years following there’d never been a dime missing on her watch, nor would there ever be. Now the sight of the new Mrs. Conklin made Glenda’s stomach churn. While the employees had all been working themselves to death, Rhoda had obviously been out having her hair done. The broad white streak that ran from her forehead to the back of her midnight black hair looked freshly oiled. Thanks to Glenda’s referring to that dye job as reskunked, Rhoda was now known to the employees of Conklin’s as The Skunk.

    star

    Rhoda darted over to Glenda. Wait till you see the surprise we have for our five key employees! Samuel and I would like you, Ralph, Marion, Duncan, and Tommy to come to the office as soon as you’re finished closing up.

    Sure, Glenda answered, as she suspiciously eyed the two heavy shopping bags with the logo of the local frame shop that Mr. Conklin was carrying. What could be in them?

    Ten minutes later she found out. The group stood together as Rhoda made her little speech about how the Festival of Joy was really bringing home the true meaning of the holidays. Samuel and I are so pleased that the town of Branscombe is being celebrated for its emphasis on people, rather than things. Spirituality. Good neighbors. That’s why we’ve decided, in lieu of a cash bonus, which is so mercenary, to give you something else. Diving into the bags, she began to hand each of them a gift-wrapped package. Open them all at once so it doesn’t ruin the surprise for any of you.

    A dead silence fell over the room as the senior employees of Conklin’s, after yanking the string and paper off the boxes, found themselves staring at the group picture of the five of them taken with the bride and groom six months ago on the porch of the Branscombe Inn. The frames were engraved with the words, In appreciation of your long and faithful service. Joyous holidays to you! Samuel and Rhoda Conklin.

    Glenda was appalled. Every one of us needs a cash bonus and was counting on it, she thought angrily. Duncan had gotten so thrifty he didn’t even go in our group lottery tickets today. She was planning to use her bonus to pay off the cash advance she’d taken on her credit card. She’d needed the money to reimburse her ex-husband, Harvey, for his clothes that were maliciously ruined when she left them out in two garbage bags on the driveway, just as an unexpected storm made its appearance. Violent winds had blown the bags into the street just as a delivery truck rumbled through. Five minutes late, Harvey found his clothes scattered all over the street, soaked and squashed.

    If I hadn’t left them out at the appointed time, Glenda had protested, he’d be complaining I was in contempt of court.

    The judge didn’t buy it and ordered her to pay the replacement value of the tacky getups Harvey favored. The bonus would have meant she could have paid him off and be rid of him and his cheating ways forever.

    You don’t have to thank us, Rhoda chirped, as they all held the pictures in their hands. Come along, Samuel. We need to get a good night’s rest. It’s going to be a busy weekend.

    Mr. Conklin followed her out the door without making eye contact with any of his workers.

    Glenda saw that Marion was blinking back tears. I promised my grandson a nice wedding present, she said. But after paying for the flight to California, now I don’t know what I’ll be able to afford . . .

    Ralph moaned, Judy and I were planning to take a cruise this winter to give ourselves a break. With both girls in college, we’re always stretched to the limit. Even tonight Judy is babysitting to pick up some extra cash.

    Tommy looked as though steam was about to come out of his ears. Glenda knew that he still lived with his elderly parents because they needed his help financially. A good skier, he’d been planning to take a long overdue trip out west with some of his pals.

    Tall, thin, quiet Duncan, who at almost thirty-two was just a couple of years younger than Glenda, grabbed his coat and thrust his arms into it. As he pulled up the hood, his sandy hair fell forward on his forehead. His face was flushed. Glenda had always had an almost maternal feeling for him. He was so methodical, so orderly, his produce section of Conklin’s was always so inviting, that it was out of character for him to be visibly upset. I’m out of here, he said, his voice shaking.

    Glenda caught his arm. Wait a minute, she urged. Why don’t we all go down to Salty’s Tavern and get a bite to eat?

    Duncan looked at her as though she was nuts. And spend more money that we don’t have? he asked, his voice rising with every word. The financial planning course I’ve been taking emphasizes that eating out when you can just as easily fix something at home is one of the primary reasons so many people are in debt.

    Then go home and make yourself a peanut butter sandwich, Glenda snapped. Don’t you think we’re all upset? Sometimes after a blow like this it’s good to get out with friends and relax.

    But Duncan was gone before she could finish.

    "Some misery loves company, Ralph shrugged with an attempt at a smile. Let’s go."

    I’m with you, Marion cried. I almost never touch the stuff, but right now I could use a stiff drink.

    star

    Two hours later, Glenda, Tommy, Ralph, and Marion, feeling somewhat better, and even able to joke about The Skunk, were about to leave Salty’s Tavern when Tommy pointed to the television over the bar.

    They all watched as the local announcer, his voice excited, cried, There are two winners in the mega-mega multistate lottery tonight. Two winners who will share 360 million dollars, and what is so incredible is that both tickets were bought within ten miles of one another in New Hampshire!

    As one, their bodies froze. Could they even dare hope that their group could possibly have one of the winning tickets? For every drawing, they each threw in a dollar and purchased five tickets. They played the same five numbers on each ticket and the same separate Powerball numbers on four of them, but the fifth Powerball number they took turns choosing.

    The announcer read the first five numbers. They’re ours! Marion shrieked.

    And the Powerball number is . . . 32!

    Tommy and Ralph pounded the table. No! they cried. 32 isn’t one of our regular Powerball numbers.

    What about the extra number this week? Marion cried. It was Duncan’s turn, but he decided not to play.

    Glenda was digging in her purse. Her hands were trembling. Sweat popped out on her forehead. She pulled out her wallet and unzipped the special compartment where she kept the tickets.

    Duncan told me the Powerball number he had chosen. He was about to hand me his dollar, then put it back in his wallet. I was so used to buying five tickets that when I got to the convenience store and pulled out a five dollar bill, I thought what the heck? I bought the extra ticket and used Duncan’s Powerball number . . . I’m sure it was in the 30s.

    I can’t take it, Marion cried. What was it? Hurry up Glenda! she croaked.

    Glenda dealt out the tickets like a deck of cards. Let’s all take a look.

    In the dim light of the votive candle, the tickets were hard to read. Marion bent over, straining to decipher the Powerball number on the ticket in front of her. An otherworldly grunting sound emanated from the depths of her being. Oh, my God! she finally screamed as she jumped up, waving the ticket. WE WON! WE WON!

    Are you SURE it’s 32? Glenda shouted.

    Marion’s hand was shaking so much the ticket fluttered to the floor. Tommy reached down and grabbed it. It’s got the number 32! he boomed. It’s 32!

    By now, everyone in the tavern was on his feet.

    The four of us get to split 180 million bucks! he shouted as he lifted the diminutive Marion off her feet and spun her around.

    Wait till Harvey hears about this, Glenda thought wildly as she and Ralph hugged.

    How about one of those group hugs? Marion cried as the four of them put their arms around each other, laughing, crying, and still not believing.

    This can’t be true, Glenda thought. How can it possibly be true? Our lives have changed forever.

    Drinks for everyone, the bartender cried. But you guys are paying!

    The foursome fell back into their chairs and just looked at each other.

    Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Marion asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

    Glenda nodded. Duncan.

    It was his Powerball number, Ralph said.

    Yes, it was, Glenda confirmed. I would never have picked 32. But I decided to throw in the extra dollar. So you all owe me a quarter!

    I’ll even pay you interest, Tommy promised.

    They all laughed, but immediately their expressions turned serious. We should share this with Duncan, Glenda said. The poor guy. He wouldn’t even treat himself to a burger tonight. And without his number, we wouldn’t have won.

    And we wouldn’t have won if you hadn’t thrown in that extra dollar, Marion said. How can we all ever thank you?

    Glenda smiled. We’ve been in this together for years, and now we’ve been blessed. Let’s start our own Festival of Joy. I can’t wait to hear Duncan’s reaction. She pulled out her cell phone. Duncan’s numbers were in her list of contacts. She tried his home phone and his cell, but he didn’t pick up either one. She left a message for him to call immediately, no matter what time it was. That’s strange, she said when she hung up. He certainly sounded as if he were going straight home. I wonder if he knows yet that our numbers won and thinks he’s not part of it.

    He might think that you just played our four dollars and we lost out, Tommy said.

    At that moment the bartender came over, uncorked a bottle of champagne, and started to pour it into four glasses. Time to celebrate. I’m sure none of you are planning to go to work in the morning.

    You bet we’re not, Marion said. "This is the new Mrs. Conklin’s big chance to run the whole show.

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