Let's face it. This time of year, we are all in danger of overdosing on sweets. And that doesn't just go for the eggnog, Christmas cookies and candy canes tempting us at every turn.

It goes for our reading material, too.

This year, as always, publishers offer a host of sentimental stories aimed at plucking reader's heartstrings - with one twist: An unusual number are written by established authors, many of best-seller status.

Have these veteran writers transcended the genre to create stories that will nourish us in years to come? Or, like other authors this time of year, do they pour on the syrup too thick?

Today, our critics offer their opinions - no sugarcoating allowed.

Christmas, Present

• By Jacquelyn Mitchard (HarperCollins, 144 pages, $14.95).

Author best known for: The Oprah Book Club pick, Deep End of the Ocean.

Plot in a nutshell: Laura, mother of three girls ages 3 to 13, is heading home on Dec. 23 from a joyful 14th wedding anniversary celebration when she becomes stricken by a severe headache during a car breakdown in Boston's Big Dig highway project (which is strikingly akin to Denver's T-Rex roadwork). Whisked to the hospital by ambulance, she and her husband, Elliott, learn from an extremely kind doctor that she has suffered an inoperable brain aneurysm and will not live to see Christmas morning.

Darkest moment: Imagine your car breaking down in T-Rex while suffering the worst headache of your life.

Moment when you realize there will be a happy ending: On page 132 of the 144-page story, Elliott, three years after his wife's death, is atop the Eiffel Tower with his daughters and his wife's ashes. He is finally bringing her to Paris as promised - a dream trip never taken - and it's clear good things are about to develop.

Character most like Santa Claus: With deathbed instructions from Laura and her credit cards in his pocket, Laura's brother Stephen heads out on Christmas Eve to buy special gifts for the children. "Then scatter it all under the tree. Everywhere," Laura implores. "And take the price tags off. Please take the price tags off. I ask you this with all my heart."

Snippet of prose most deserving of a candy cane: Describing the couple's 14-year marriage, Mitchard writes: "Somehow to have survived in relative peace and periodic delight for a decade and a half - through the arid, sandy-eyed numbness of sleep deprivation after the girls' births, the unexpected and brutal death of his mother, the long, anxious week waiting for the results of the withdrawal of a microscopic bite of tissue from Laura's breast, Annie's meningitis (10 days during which neither of them finished a single meal, together or separately) - seemed to confer a certain status on their marriage. A marriage of substance, which few of their friends could boast."

Snippet of prose most deserving of a lump of coal: Mitchard's description of Laura's last moments seem like a contrived screenplay; plus, Laura is too down-to-earth to imagine herself as Cleopatra: "Laura imagined she lay in a bed made for a Cleopatra, padded in silver and rose, her mother standing at her feet, wearing a black mantilla and the highest heels, the image of the older Jackie Kennedy, her bobbed hair black with violet undertones. . . . She would hear the nurses singing 'Silent night, holy night,' for long moments after Dr. Campanile pronounced aloud the time on the clock."

Sentiment factor (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most saccharine): 4. Perhaps I was in emotional overdrive - I was listening to the late George Harrison's All Things Must Pass CD while reading Mitchard's story - but by page 30 I was gently weeping and by page 90 sobbing loud enough to jar the dog.

Overall rating: B - for brevity, which, unfortunately, makes for weak character development.

-Lynn Bronikowski

Shepherds Abiding

• By Jan Karon (Viking, 288 pages, $24.95).

Author best known for: Her popular Mitford Years series.

Plot in a nutshell: In the latest installment of Karon's Mitford series, Father Tim finds a battered but beautiful nativity scene. He races to repair it in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, a large cast of supporting players faces its own dilemmas - everything from how to overcome the loneliness of the holidays (buy a new TV and VCR) to what to get the batty old wife for Christmas (a handmade jewelry tray featuring the drawer pulls from her own kitchen). Not so surprisingly, everyone manages to muddle through, thanks to a heavy dose of scripture.

Darkest moment: It's a toss-up between Father Tim's bout with the flu and the day he shatters an angel from the nativity scene. Based on the melodrama, though, the award goes to the angel. See for yourself: "It was the way he stood up, he remembered afterward - the way his leg had somehow twisted, causing him to lose his balance. As he grabbed for the sink with his left hand, he saw the angel tumble from his right; it seemed to take a very long time to fall. He heard a terrible sound escape his throat, something between a shout and a moan, as the figure crashed onto the slate floor. Finding his balance, he looked down in horror. The angel was shattered. He was shattered."

Moment when you realize this will all have a happy ending: Even though it occurs before the angel's death scene, Karon is so predictable you know everything is going to be all right when she writes of Father Tim repairing a nativity scene: He "was throwing caution to the winds, he was picking up speed, he was flying. I can do this! he thought, astonished. I can do this!"

Character most like Santa Claus in the story: The mystery person who makes a stable for Father Tim's nativity scene and leaves it for him on Christmas Eve.

Snippet of prose most deserving of a candy cane: Despite the book's standing on best-seller lists, there's not much prose worth praising here. The most memorable writing seems to be in this passage when, dining with his friend Mule, Father Tim asks:

"If you could have anything you want, what would you like for Christmas?"

"Anything I want? Price no object?"

"Right."

"A Rolodex watch!"

Of course, just because it's memorable doesn't make it good, which is why it only gets a broken candy cane leftover from Christmas 2000.

Snippet of prose most deserving of a lump of coal: There's more to writing dialect than just leaving off a few letters here and there. Too bad Karon hasn't learned that. For example, she writes: "A man went down th' street to Dora Pugh's an' got 'im a mite of lumber an' nails an' what all, an' toted it home and build a fine birdhouse an' painted th' roof an' all, an' put a little peg under th' hole so th' bird would have a place to set an' all, and what happens? Hit rots! They was no use to th' whole dadjing business."

Sentiment factor: 4 ½ Shepherds Abiding probably won't send you into a diabetic coma, but have some insulin ready just in case.

Overall grade: In the spirit of Christmas, Shepherds Abiding gets a C. We considered giving it a D for the Day after Christmas, when all the holiday trash hits the trash bin, but we'd rather not get coal in our stockings again this year.

-Karen Algeo Krizman

Mr. Timothy

• By Louis Bayard (HarperCollins, 384 pages, $24.95).

Author best known for: Critically acclaimed novels Fool's Paradise; Endangered Species.

Plot in a nutshell: This thriller continues the story of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, beginning six months after Timothy Cratchit's father has died. Tiny Tim is all grown up, living in a brothel, paying the rent by teaching the house madam to read - and trolling the Thames River nightly looking for dead bodies to strip of their riches. This sounds worse than it is: Tiny Tim is a good man, just down on his luck.

To find his life's direction, he tries to distance himself from what little family he has left, which includes his charitable "Uncle" Neezer. What troubles him most, though, are his close encounters with a serial killer targeting young girls. After stumbling across two victims, Timothy finds another girl who has managed to escape the killer and takes it upon himself to keep her safe while tracking down the murderer.

Darkest moment: Timothy discovers that the murder victims and the girl he is protecting are part of a perverse scheme. The darkest revelation comes when Timothy realizes the scandal hits close to home.

Moment when you realize the plot will have a happy ending: Three pages from "The End." The twists and turns don't let up, keeping readers guessing as to whether young Timothy will come out alive.

Character most like Santa Claus: Captain Gully, a jovial older man with whom Timothy sails the River Thames. When Timothy finds himself in a lurch, Gully helps him out while risking his own life.

Snippet of prose most deserving of a candy cane: Few authors could describe prostitutes with such good cheer. "How long then?" he writes, "How long before Philomela joins the troop of rouged dollymops catching soldiers' eyes outside Knightsbridge Music Hall, soliciting teen-age boys in Grosvenor Place?"

Snippet of prose most deserving of a lump of coal: While Bayard's descriptions are often lyrical, sometimes he goes overboard. "It was a warm evening in June, and all the windows were open and blazing with candles, and the day's last expirations filled the toile curtains and gave them a quicksilver human shape, a teasing, dancing odalisque motion." They're just curtains, after all.

Sentiment factor: 3. No toothaches from this tale. With murder, prostitution, rape and extortion permeating throughout, any sweeter moments come with a welcome edge.

Overall rating: B+. This is an action-packed, unlikely thriller for the holidays. It just goes on a bit too long - kind of like the holidays themselves.

-Kim Castleberry

Naughty or Nice

• By Eric Jerome Dickey (Dutton, 240 pages, $17.95).

Author best known for: His best sellers Thieves' Paradise; Between Lovers; Liar's Game.

Plot in a nutshell: The McBroom sisters, Livvy, Frankie and Tommie, are proud black women. Each woman struggles to find some peace with the men in her life, as well as some good, hot lovin'. Most of the story revolves around Livvy trying to deal with her cheating husband. On the sidelines, Frankie is scouring the 'Net, trying to find a decent man to date (after divorcing and getting buff). And Tommie is recovering from past mistakes and is almost ready to come out of her shell with her hunky neighbor. No matter what, the three have each other.

Darkest moment: When Livvy finds out her husband has been cheating on her. An agent serves him papers for a paternity suit during a well-attended dinner party at their home.

Moment when you realize this will have a happy ending: Ironically, this moment comes just after Livvy visits her parents' grave. She recalls some wise words from her mother, and now they make sense.

Character most like Santa Claus in the story: Mystery man with the Internet screen name "Carpe Diem 0707." When they meet, he showers Livvy with luxury gifts and, ahem, everything else she needs. But it is hard to tell if he is more akin to a phony department store Santa than the real one.

Snippet of prose most deserving of a candy cane:

(Livvy narrating): "We shopped and talked for hours, until we were dead on our feet, then rode Sunset (Boulevard) and cruised through ritzy neighborhoods looking to see who had the best lights. We always went by this one house in Hollywood Hills that had a live nativity scene. They hired out-of-work actors to dress up like Mary, Joseph, the three wise men, and perform in their front yard once a week.

"Frankie said, 'These people are half a brain cell from being retarded.'

"I said, 'Don't say retarded. Say Algernon. It's literary and people'll think you're smart.' "

(Frankie replies):

"Then shut up, Algernon."

Snippet of prose most deserving of a lump of coal: (Frankie narrating): "And the white men, they e-mailed in droves. Sent all kinds of virtual cards, called me two hundred kinds of beautiful. Damn. But I had to update my profile to let them know that Willie Wonka wouldn't be getting into this chocolate factory." No doubt, this is the sort of thing his character Frankie would say. But Dickey delivers this line with all the grace and tact of an Oompa Loompa.

Sentiment factor: 4. While the near-pornography in the "love" scenes diminishes any sense of the sentimental, the full-tilt overdramatization the sisters express in their lives tips the holiday cheese log over the middle mark.

Overall rating: C. Sisters dishing about men and getting into sexual comedies of error can be funny. However, Dickey's humor is often corny and substandard, and his themes and writing style are derivative of better writers, such as Terry McMillan.

-Eric J. Blommel

The Boat of Dreams: A Christmas Story

• By Richard Preston (Simon & Schuster, 108 pages, $15).

Author best known for: His true-life Ebola thriller The Hot Zone

Plot in a nutshell: The story takes place in 1969. William T. Foster Sr., a Maine lobster fisherman, husband and father of two, is lost in Vietnam during his service as an Army reserve soldier and is presumed dead. His beloved wife, Sarah Ann, son, William Jr., and daughter, Lila, struggle to keep their home and their boat, the Sarah Ann - William Sr.'s most significant legacy. The broken-down boat is all they have left of William, and they refuse to part with it.

Darkest moment: Bob Thacker, a "real estate man," threatens to evict the family because of past-due rent and also because of the boat, which he considers an "eyesore." But he has another reason near and dear to his heart: "This is a valuable property with ocean views." Thacker has dollar signs, not charity, in his heart.

Moment when you realize this will all have a happy ending: When an ill-mannered, boisterous, mysterious visitor takes the children on a journey. While traveling, the children generously contribute to the Christmas wishes of people around the world. During their adventures, William Jr. and Lila learn that no matter what happens, love will help their family survive.

Character most like Santa Claus in the story: Dexter, a ghost who belches, passes gas and smells bad. However, he has enough love in his translucent heart to guide the children through their pain.

Snippet of prose most deserving of a candy cane: Preston can make the darkest moment seem blessed: "She kept saying his name, as if she were calling for him across the infinite emptiness of time and space and of his not being with us now or forever again. I remember her face so shining with tears that her grief seemed to fill our trailer with light."

Snippet of prose most deserving of a lump of coal: Preston often describes Lila's sobbing as "Boo-hoo-hoo! Baw!" when "sniffled," "cried" or "wept" would have sufficed.

Sentiment factor: 3. Although Preston wrote the book for a lifelong friend who was dying of breast cancer, he keeps his prose straightforward, rather than sappy and forlorn.

Overall rating: B. Preston could have combined the two very different sections of his book with smoother transitions. Otherwise, this is a sweet holiday story and a lovely tribute to his friend.

-C.M. Guerrero

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