Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Gypped (Regan Reilly Mystery, #15)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Gypped

(Regan Reilly Mysteries #15)

Carol Higgins Clark

3.54 · Rating details · 2,374 ratings · 309 reviews

Private Investigator Regan Reilly is back in another “fun, delightful, and entertaining mystery, enhanced by quirky endearing characters” (WashingtonTimes.com).

When Regan Reilly returned to the West Coast, where she began her career as a PI, she never imagined that her unsuccessful appearance on a game show seven years earlier would throw her trip totally off course! Private Investigator Regan Reilly is back in another “fun, delightful, and entertaining mystery, enhanced by quirky endearing characters” (WashingtonTimes.com).

When Regan Reilly returned to the West Coast, where she began her career as a PI, she never imagined that her unsuccessful appearance on a game show seven years earlier would throw her trip totally off course!

REGAN REILLY is in Los Angeles with her husband, Jack, head of the NYPD Major Case Squad. After Jack finishes his meetings with the LAPD, the couple may head north to the wine country, or may head south to Baja. Their only plan is to see which way the wind blows.

The first day back, Regan goes shopping at an upscale new mall in West Hollywood. To her surprise, she runs into Zelda, a woman she’d become friendly with seven years before at a television studio in Burbank, when they were waiting to appear on the game show Puzzling Words. They haven’t seen each other since.

Zelda and Regan didn’t win much money, but Zelda made up for it! A year ago an elderly neighbor she barely knew left Zelda eight million dollars. She has been enjoying her newfound wealth but is aware of the need to give back. At a recent fundraiser, she bid on a week’s stay in an old Hollywood Hills estate and was the lucky winner. She’s currently in residence there and invites Regan to a party at the mansion.

While Jack attends a business dinner, Regan goes to Zelda’s by herself, unaware that she is being followed. Regan is more than surprised at the run-down condition of the house and grounds. People should be paid to stay here, she thinks. Zelda introduces Regan to a colorful cast of characters, including her old neighbors, friends from her yoga class, a filmmaker, Zelda’s financial adviser, her bookkeeper, and her personal assistant. It’s all good fun. As the guests are leaving, Zelda asks Regan to stay for a cup of tea. They’ve barely sat down to chat when Zelda falls ill. A worried Regan doesn’t want to leave Zelda alone and decides to spend the night at the isolated, aging estate. It’s not long before Zelda asks Regan to investigate people in her life, starting with her father’s new wife, Bobby Jo. The couple said “I do” in the back of a cab at a drive-through chapel in Las Vegas after only three months of togetherness.

Has Zelda’s windfall put her in danger? Regan is determined to find out, not knowing that she’s a target herself! ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 224 pages

Published April 3rd 2012 by Scribner

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Gypped, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Gypped

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.54 ·

Rating details

· 2,374 ratings · 309 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Gypped (Regan Reilly Mystery, #15)

May 29, 2012 Grace rated it did not like it

When I go to the beach, I often hoard junk books. Light things that I can read in the hammock, mostly. Mary Higgins Clark was always stocked in the local library, and hers were go-to beach books, so I THOUGHT I picked another one up for Memorial Day Weekend. Turns out, the library had taped the shelving label right over the word "Carol". Key, key difference.

This was a bloody awful book. I'm not saying that MHC is any sort of master writer, but this must be nepotism of the highest order, because When I go to the beach, I often hoard junk books. Light things that I can read in the hammock, mostly. Mary Higgins Clark was always stocked in the local library, and hers were go-to beach books, so I THOUGHT I picked another one up for Memorial Day Weekend. Turns out, the library had taped the shelving label right over the word "Carol". Key, key difference.

This was a bloody awful book. I'm not saying that MHC is any sort of master writer, but this must be nepotism of the highest order, because the only thing passed down to her daughter is the ability to put words on a page and some sort of general grasp of plot structure wherein you follow three or four apparently separate groups, only to have them intersect in the final chapters. The characters are two-dimensional, with absolutely painful dialogue of the "tell-not-show" tradition. You could get whiplash trying to track some of these conversations - they're either exposition or dutifully shoving the plot forward, and CHC doesn't seem to care much for consistency. There's a character named Turquoise in the first few pages, who is written with the same depth as characters we stick with the rest of the book - this is not a compliment. Criminals leap from petty, white-collar crime to federal cases with NO LOGIC AT ALL. There is no suspense here. This book is apparently a plodding account of a woman who inherited money and is too stupid to live. They're all too stupid to live, frankly.

Spoilers? Yes, spoilers. So don't click if you don't want a terrifying trip into the totally mundane:

Did you know...

- a life coach can buy her non-paying clients material goods without violating ethical standards?
- that it's much easier to leave a shiny new butcher's knife at the site of your failed attack, rather than risk carrying it back to your car, even though it's dawn on an abandoned road? (On a side note, I at one point carried a large Global cleaver through a suburban mall. First in a purse, then wrapped in a shirt. Unless you are totally naked, knives are really quite simple to conceal.)(I got the knife as a present and then the box was thrown away in the restaurant. I don't actually wander malls with knives just because.)
- this book's protagonist has a mother who is a celebrated mystery novelist? And she's a key, smug part of the plot?
- that a man who tries to open multiple cars in the garage has not lost his rental, but is actually a brigand of some sort?
- a ten year old televised gameshow appearance is remembered by the majority of the book's characters?
- that a petty criminal will try to kill you AT LENGTH if you report him to the bored parking attendants for essentially "looking kinda shifty"?
- that everything will be tied up with a big bow BY FORCE OF WILL at the end of this book?
- that Jack might as well have stayed home for all he does in this book, but then who would have provided delusional lovestruck asides about Regan?

Honestly, this book was shockingly bad. Like middle schoolers putting on a badly-blocked play. You know, where crossing to the table to put down a book is not natural at all, and is instead so weirdly emphatic that you know the precision means someone's going to have to pick up that book in the next act. This book was a relay race of morons. And they speak to each other like robots.

I just picked this up off the shelf and it's apparently one of a series, and this one's later in the series. Whatever. I refuse to believe that I'm missing anything redeeming, given Regan rehashes her life story extensively in the first half of the book. There's no mystery, no suspense, no romance, no nothing, just the slow unveiling of factual things. Early on in the book you think to yourself "hunh, this is probably what's happening" and lo and behold, you're right. Except for the bit that is so totally left-field that it's making a cameo from another, more interesting book about degenerative mental disorders, because there is no other way to explain that character otherwise.

I actually went back to the library and took out a few MHC books to make sure I wasn't imagining things. I'm not, MHC is acceptable beach reading. CHC is not. Boring, dim and absolutely awful writing. Save yourself. ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Apr 07, 2013 Ben rated it did not like it

Mary Higgins Clark books are a guilty pleasure. Read aloud with my significant other, they are a laugh riot. The short chapters, predictable events, stereotypical characters, and mild suspense make for a handful of fun evenings.
Gypped was the first Carol Higgins Clark book we read together. Judging by this book alone, it seems Carol does not share her mother's talents.
We bought this book because the title is so obnoxiously offensive. "Gypped" here refers to exactly the stereotypically racist act ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2014 Glenda rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This book met my primary criteria for a road trip audio book - six hours long and no graphic sex and violence. I wanted a bigger pay off from the scenes where the PI is driving around LA in a rental car having forgotten that she has a big butcher knife in her trunk that she meant to surrender to the local police .... but she just remembered the knife and turned it in.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 19, 2012 Rosa St.Claire rated it it was amazing

Carol Higgins Clark's latest book, Gypped,starting her popular character, Regan Reilley, is another mystery to thrill her legion of readers. Gypped is full of surprises and suspense. In the beginning, Regan is with Jack, her husband, the head of the NYPD Major Case Squad, who has to attend some important conferences in LA for his department. While Jack is full of meetings to go to,Regan goes shopping on her first day back to the west coast. Lucky to find a perfect pair of jeans, she heads out o ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 02, 2012 Mike McAdam rated it it was ok

* I received this book free through a goodreads giveaway *

I was fully prepared to give this book 3 stars until I got to the last few pages which were full of such unrealistic moments. I don't know how many times I thought, "That would never happen" or "That doesn't even make sense" or "Nobody would react like that or say that." Too many. There were some truely suspenseful moments but that isn't enough to make up for all the shortcomings. For a 200 page book, one would want to set up the mystery ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 19, 2021 Maryann Forbes rated it really liked it

Carol Higgins Clark comes by her writing skills naturally as she is the daughter of the great Mary Higgins Clark. I enjoyed Gypped, a Regan Reilly Mystery. I was in the mood for something light and breezy, yet still offering a mystery that would capture my attention. Gypped did just that. It is a fun read, fast-paced with an eclectic cast of characters, including Regan’s Mother, Nora Regan Reilly, a well-known mystery writer. For those who enjoy Cozy mysteries, Gypped is a great choice.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2017 Cynthia rated it really liked it

Quick and easy to finish. Entertaining.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 21, 2012 Doris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Only 4 out of 5 stars, because even though I enjoyed it, there were several points that I took issue with.

I picked this audio book from the library shelves because I can always count on Carol Higgins Clark's "Reilly" stories for a feel-good read, with a light mystery and a satisfying ending.

This book delivered all of the above.

I did have a few quibbles (issues), in areas which detracted from the story somewhat.
1) at one point Regan Reilly puts her car in drive then engages the parking brake be ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 21, 2017 Spencer rated it it was ok

Shelves: mystery

2020
These books are just so cringe-worthy.

"Little Red Riding Hood," he whispered. "That's who you'll be. And I'm the Big Bad Wolf." - there is a scene with a guy sitting in his car, handling a knife and that's his big "scary" line. It's so cringey that it hurts. Aside from that, I'm fairly sure that she's used that in one of her Regan Reilly mysteries in the past. So, apparently, a bunch of bad guys think that little red riding hood in the tops of scary things they can say.

I'm not a huge fan ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 24, 2012 Kathy rated it it was amazing

Most of Ms. Clark's books are easy reading mysteries, and this one is as good as the rest. Regan Reilly bumps into an old friend while traveling with her husband, who has come to LA for a conference. She attends an evening party, and stays afterward because the friend gets sick. The rest is the story. I found this book a well written, fast reading light mystery, with characters who endear themselves to the reader from the get-go. None of the characters, including the main one, Regan, is overpowe ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2012 Kay rated it it was ok

Shelves: fluff

Her books are quick reads and perfect for the plane ride [only a short trip] or the doctor's waiting room. However, her plots seem to get even more simple and the book shorter. It was 202 pages of fairly large type with a lot of blank pages between sections and chapters to account for the $25 price tag!!! Good thing I check her books out of the library because I certainly couldn't justify the cost. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 27, 2012 Linda rated it it was amazing

Great!! book ... loved it. Read the whole book in one day!! :D Can't wait for another one of her books to come out .... ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 22, 2012 Ryan Swan rated it did not like it

I feel Gypped having wasted my time on this awful, boring, not even funny book!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 20, 2020 Joan rated it it was ok

Private investigator Regan Reilly and her husband, Jack, are in Los Angeles where Regan began her private investigator career. Jack, head of the New York Police Department’s major case squad, has come here to attend a series of meetings. After the meetings conclude, the couple plans to spend a few days traveling in the area.

Regan bumps into Zelda, a friend from some seven years ago when they both appeared on the television game show “Puzzling Words.” Zelda invites Regan to a party at a Hollywood ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 06, 2019 Barbara rated it liked it

On a scale of cotton candy to Brussels sprouts, Gypped by Carol Higgins Clark is a Chips Ahoy! Cinnamon Sugar Thin cookie. Crunchy with a kick of cinnamon, each bite requires a sip of milk.

Regan Reilly is on a weekend trip while her husband has work training. While out shopping, she runs into her old friend, Zelda. Push comes to shove, and it seems like Zelda is the focus of some nasty business.

A book recommendation from a friend, Gypped offered an easy reading experience. This light mystery kep ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 26, 2019 Ronell Warren 'Brooklyn' Alman rated it it was amazing

Another book from the Regan Reilly series. Private investigator Regan Reilly goes to Los Angeles with her husband Jack. While Regan was in West Hollywood, she manages to run into an old friend that she had not seen in years. The friend's name is Zelda. The two appeared on a game show together. Neither lady won that much money. While at a mansion a party was held. Zelda invites Regan to the party. Several characters appear at the party from her filmmaker, business advisor, and others. An investig ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 28, 2018 Kristie J. rated it liked it

Shelves: at-public-library

Great writing this isn't, but it's a light, easy-to-read book that is good for vacations. A lot of the dialogue tends to be short, choppy simple sentences and the story gets wrapped up way too neatly at the end. Regan is supposed to be a private detective, but her investigative skills seem to be limited to searching the internet and asking her police chief husband to ask his staff to do background checks for her. At the end, one of the police officer's wives did a more thorough internet search a ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 03, 2018 Mililani rated it it was ok

I know that Carol Higgins Clark has written a whole slew of mystery novels. I have not been a follower of her work for no reason in particular. I read Gypped just by chance as it was on the new book list at the library. It was a mystery but I would not say it was stunning, spectacular, or fabulous. It was a Whodunit. It did not have the intrigue of some of Daniel Silva's books or the medical background of Gerritsen's books or the cultural intrigue of Joh Rowland's books. Some people may consider ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 01, 2020 Barb rated it liked it

Regan Reilly and husband Jack are off to LA on a work gig for him, so she is enjoying herself in the city when she encounters Zelda, a friend with whom she’d been on a game show years before who had inherited millions which are causing a serious life change. Clearly there are people out after her money. Regan helps her maneuver some of these issues over a short weekend. Clark ties together multiple bits of the plot ingeniously. What an adventure! It was hard to know who some of the culprits are ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 27, 2017 Cathy rated it liked it

It was a nice short read. Apparently it was part of a series. I didn't really need to know the history because part of it was provided. Reagan is back in L.A. with her husband Jack and she falls into a situation with an old friend being scammed after receiving 8 million dollars. Reagan a private investigator jumps in and helps her friend who is still adjusting to being so wealthy and saves her from being ripped off by her money manager. ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 16, 2018 Kim rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-star

Another typical Higgins Clark book. I like them because you know the formula will leave you with a happy ending, and all of the plot lines intertwine. It's usually a very quick read (300 pages that read like 200) that makes me laugh like a Scooby Doo episode.

I definitely reccomend these for a single day read, or a beach or travel read. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 21, 2018 Mac Daly rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, regan-riley

If you're headed for the beach and looking for something that will amuse and not be too deep, pick up a Regan Riley mystery. You may have to suspend your disbelief with all the coincidences and neat endings, but it is fun to and unstressful to solve the mystery of who on earth would want to harm a recent millionaire, coincidentally, a friend of the famous detective Regan Reilly. ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 26, 2020 Camille rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag Like · see review

Aug 24, 2018 Julie Franckowiak rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Another audio book. The story built very slowly and then was over too quickly. This was the first story I heard by the author so maybe I just don’t enjoy her writing? The ending was satisfying at least.

flag Like · see review

Nov 01, 2018 Claire rated it liked it

This was just about what I wanted. Easy, quick, and fun.

The writing style is painful and sloppy. I kept wondering how an editor let those things go. Weird thoughts. Weird texts. Just so weird. A ton of dialogue.

But it's fun and I'll read more when I need a break. ...more

flag Like · see review

May 14, 2019 Jamie rated it liked it

I think of the Regan Reilly Mystery books as quick and easy reads. I've enjoyed most of them in the form of audiobooks. Fast paced and exciting. Very convenient that these novels can be read out of order! ...more

flag Like · see review

May 09, 2020 Joe Keefhaver rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I think this is the first book I have read by Carol Higgins Clark. While it wasn't life changing, it was a fun little mystery. It took a long time for the author to set the stage -- essentially half the book -- but then things started happening very quickly. ...more

flag Like · see review

May 31, 2020 Claudiu rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: english, fast-paced

This book is exactly what you expect it to be: a light read with a light mistery and a very light vocabulary. Otherwise, it's a quick beach read or something that can help you get out of a reading slump. ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 02, 2020 Lisa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books

These books are so cheesy but I can't stay away -- hope the series wraps up soon, surely a baby is coming soon! The audio voice does not portray the description of Regan and I'm often confused who is talking. ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 28, 2020 Stéphanie rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This is my third novel by C. Higgins Clark and what a disappointment: I have rarely read such a poorly written (and translated!) book! It reminded me of a bad movie, with stock characters and a dull screenplay.

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Madison Mega-Mara...: Gypped	1	4	Dec 30, 2012 06:54AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Mystery

68 users

Fiction

13 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

8 users

Adult Fiction

7 users

Thriller

6 users

Mystery > Cozy Mystery

5 users

Adult

3 users

Novels

2 users

Audiobook

2 users

Contemporary

2 users

See top shelves…

About Carol Higgins Clark

Carol Higgins Clark

672 followers

Carol Higgins Clark is a USAmerican mystery author. She is also the daughter of author Mary Higgins Clark , with whom she has 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 is the author of the Regan Reilly mystery series. She has ...more