Mary Higgins Clark sends chills down readers' spines with the story of Lacey Farrell, a rising star on the Manhattan real estate scene. One day, while showing a luxurious skyline co-op, Lacey is witness to a murder -- and to the dying words of the victim.... The dying woman is convinced that the attacker was after her dead daughter's journal -- which Lacey gives to the police, but not before making a copy for herself. It's an impulse that later proves nearly fatal.
Placed in the witness protection program and sent to live in the Minneapolis area, Lacey must assume a fake identity, at least until the killer can be brought to trial. There she meets Tom Lynch, a radio talk-show host whom she tentatively begins to date -- until the strain of deception makes her break it off. Then she discovers the killer has traced her to Minneapolis. Armed with nothing more than her own courage and clues from the journal, Lacey heads back to New York, determined to uncover who's behind the deaths of the two women -- before she's the next casualty.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
I'm confused..., July 20, 2007
By
Hinkle Goldfarb (R.R. 1 Highway 162, Butte City, California)
Overall, a readable book, short and to the point, it doesn't drag in any particular one spot. But I'm confused about something.
SPOILER ALERT. What was it that Isabella Waring supposedly saw in Heather's journal that was so obvious that it caused her to take such extraordinary measures to see that the journal got to her ex? Lacey Farrell only connects the dots in the journal herself after noting a change in tone in the writing in the journal after the journal mentions a lunch date with Max Hoffman, but only learns that Heather had fallen for the mobbed-up Steve Abbott after talking to Max's widow. There's no way Ms Waring could have known that information from just the journal itself or known the importance of talking to Max Hoffman.
Best of Her Recent Books!, June 18, 2007
By
Virginia Allain (Poinciana, FL)
It feels like Mary Higgins Clark put a lot of herself into Lacey, the main character. She's created a multi-dimensional heroine driven from her beloved Manhattan after witnessing a murder. Lacey is someone I would like and it's easy to get caught up in her fear and frustration.
The side characters provide plenty of suspects as the possible mastermind who hired the hitman. The story deftly slips from Lacey's efforts to figure out why this is all happening and into the thoughts of the hitman as he closes in on her. Additonal dimension is added through the thoughts of her mother, Tom (a romantic prospect), and other key characters. All fit into the puzzle somewhere and the reader struggles to work it out.
This is the best MHC that I've read in recent years. I don't know how I missed it when it came out in 1997 as I try to catch all her books for immediate reading. Pick this up for a good dose of suspense.
KEPT ME IN SUSPENCE!!, September 18, 2006
By
Lorena Merino (Lima, Peru)
THis is definitly one of the best novels ive read from mary higgins clark it was very easy to read, but it had too many characters as usual and dificult to remember LOL but i loved it i was so happy with the ending and it kept me in suspence at all times!!!
Amateurish effort., September 11, 2006
By
Jennifer Terry (Columbus, Ohio United States)
This was a quick, easy read. Unfortunately, Clark seems to have no faith in her readers, feeling the need to smack us in the face with the clues. This was a very predictable book - predictable plot, predictable addition of characters and their actions, predictable outcome. Because of her hamhanded treatment of the clues and red herrings I knew immediately what would happen. A bit more finesse might have kept me guessing until the end. She never even explained how and why the conveniently placed villains (police dept, restaurant) reported to each other. I was disappointed she never tied up loose ends. Other novels of hers are better, but perhaps try another author!
She's done better, May 9, 2006
By
Brian J. Oneill'Pretend You Don't See Her' didn't have the wallop of some of Mary Higgins Clark's other books(particularly the older 'Stillwatch' or the more recent 'Daddy's Little Girl' or 'Night Time Is My Time'). This one seems to have just sort of fallen together, as we're quickly told a few things about Lacey, and almost too much about the supporting characters. The journal that's supposed to tie everything together only muddles things even more. The stereotypical 'Italian mobster' bad guys, and the sometimes stilted and outdated dialogue, seem out of place for a mid-90s book. The tension is drawn-out and forced, and can't over come the predictability of what's going to happen(or actually, what's not going to happen; the major flaw of the book is that it makes a point of suspense out of something the reader knows isn't going to happen, anyway).
Sure, it has a happy ending...it's the beginning and middle that need help.
