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.

3: Where Are You Now? - Mary Higgins Clark

Mary Higgins Clark is one of the most popular writers in America. She writes about one new book a year, which always makes the bestseller list the moment it comes out. Out of most overly popular writers today, she's been a favorite of mine since I read Where Are The Children? over 15 years ago. Her books are very quick reads for me. They are well written, researched and always entertaining, even if they are slightly formulaic.

The formula is usually something like this:

• Woman with mystery or serious event involving death of someone that they loved that may or may not make them a suspect.
• Guy that usually has romantic interest in said woman tries to help.
• Auxiliary characters with something to hide, which usually leads to them being suspect to the reader.
• A series of twists near the end.
  

Her latest book, Where Are You Now?, focuses on a sister's desparate search for her brother, Charles MacKenzie. Mac, as he was called, disappeared into thin air 10 years ago at the age of 21. He still calls his mother every year on Mother's Day, speaking cryptically and with no information as to his whereabouts. During this year's call, Carolyn, his sister, vows to hunt for him, to do whatever it takes to find her brother. The following day, a note is found that states "Tell Carolyn she musn't look for me". Caroyln ignores the warning and plunges head on into a thorough investigation into the whereabouts of her long-lost brother, against the feverent protests of her mother.

There are many people with something to hide. Mac's college roomates; one a charming, sucessful club owner and the other a distant, yet wealthy real estate tycoon; both have plenty of secrets that they will protect. Neither of them are exactly helpful in the search for Mac. Could her brother be some sort of serial killer, as the police suspect when a young girl goes missing from a nightclub? The search for Mac leads Carloyn head long into a series of dangerous meeting and jeopardizes her own safety.

Like almost all of Ms. Clark's books, I enjoyed this one and found it to be a quick read. Her thillers are page-turning reads and probably some of the best popular fiction books to make the best seller list. The quality of her books has not faded over time and this one is just as enjoyable as some of her earlier works.