Deck the halls - Mary Higgins Clark

Three days before Christmas, Alvirah Meehan, the famous lottery winner and amateur detective, meets Regan Reilly in a New Jersey dentist's office. Regan is there in search of her busy father, who is scheduled for a routine visit. However, it is soon apparent that Luke Reilly is not going to keep his appointment.
But Regan's worry turns to panic when a call comes through on her cell phone telling her that her father and his driver, Rosita Gonzalez, are being held for $1,000,000 ransom. She turns to Alvirah, because although Regan is a licensed detective in L.A., it is Alvirah who has the valuable contacts amongst the ranks of New York's law enforcement community.
As Regan and Alvirah desperately try to meet the harsh demands and tough deadline of the kidnappers, Luke and Rosita, held captive on a decrepit houseboat moored in the Hudson River, are becoming increasingly terrified. And to make matters worse, a winter storm is gathering, putting their lives in even greater danger....
DECK THE HALLS is filled with twists and turns, intrigue and danger, as well as a hearty dose of holiday cheer. Mary and Carol Higgins Clark have created a breathless, yet heart-warming story of suspense in their first collaboration - a Christmas classic for many holiday seasons to come.