5. I Heard That Song Before - Mary Higgins Clark

I have reviewed Mary Higgins Clark before, so I will leave out some basics about her work. It's consistently well-paced and plotted. The book reviewed here, I Heard That Song Before, wasn't as enjoyable as the book I reviewed previously. It was still a good, fast read, but there were some elements of the plot that I did not enjoy.

Kay Lansing, at the age of 6, overheard a heated conversation between two people when she snuck into the chapel of her father's employer, the Carrington's. Her father was the groundskeeper who was helping to prepare for a party that evening at the Carrington family estate. Kay overheard a woman angrily state "I heard that song before". That evening at the dinner party, the Carrington heir, Peter, gave a young woman, Susan Althorp, a ride home. Susan was not seen again.

Flash forward 22 years, Kay is a librarian who is working on charity event and asks to use the Carrington home to host. This business meeting leads to expedient courtship and marriage between Peter and Kay. Shortly after this, Peter is arrested for disappearance of Susan. Peter has long been a suspect in the disappearance of Susan, along with the mysterious death of his first wife, Grace. Kay remains convinced that her new spouse is innocent. That is, until she discovers his odd habit of sleepwalking near the site of Grace's death. Could it be that Peter was quilty and killed while sleepwalking? Is Peter the unwitting victim of an elaborate setup? Kay sets out to discover the truth and proclaim her husband's innocence at the cost of her own safety.

This was not a personal favorite of Ms. Clark's books. The other I reviewed was far better. I did not like the usage of sleepwalking as plot device. I also found Kay to be slightly annoying. It was still a decent book and a fast, efficient read.