As you have already know, MHC was the main reason why I started to love reading books written in English. I’ve been in love with reading as a child but my reading horizons weren’t that wide compared to now. Back then, I’m only interested into Tagalog Romance until I came into an MHC book c/o my mom. To cut the story short, I instantly became her fan and from that day on, I’ve been targeting all her books that I could find in our local book store.
So for today’s post, I decided to share some recommended books from Mary Higgins Clark that you may want to add into your November reading list or in this case, your never ending TBR pile, *wink. Be warn, these books will definitely keep you on the edge of your sit while reading it.
Loves Music, Loves to Dance
First Published May 15th 1991 by Simon and Schuster Pocket Books
318 pages
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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The Story: A Dance of Death… Erin and Darcy aren’t the kind of girls who normally answer personal ads. Young, successful and thrilled with life in the big city, the best friends are ready to enjoy all the romance and glamour that New York has to offer. But when two women agree as a lark to answer personal ads to help a film-maker friend in her research, the glittering city turns deadly. Soon, Erin’s body is found on an abandoned pier-a mysterious high-heeled dancing slipper on one lifeless foot. Devastated by her friend’s tragic death, Darcy begins a treacherous dating game hoping to find Erin’s killer. What Darcy doesn’t know is that Erin wasn’t his first victim… and that now the killer has set his sights on her.
The Verdict: This was the book that started my obsession of MHC. The writing style was just exactly what I want and the plot was kind of clever. I enjoyed her who-dun-it part and I’ve been naming the wrong guy until the culprit was revealed. Suspense, thriller, mystery, humor and romance in one book.
First Published April 16th 2002 by Pocket Books
384 pages
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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The Story: The story circled around a happy family that was ruined by a terrible murder of one of its member. Ellie Cavanaugh, a 7 year old found her older sister Andrea, fifteen-year old, dead in the Westerfield’s garage which she and her friends would call the “hide-out”. The primary suspect was the young Westerfield, a 22 year old son of Westetfield Sr. which is according to Ellie, Andrea was afraid of him. Two days after the funeral, Rob was arrested and was charged with first degree murder. Twenty three years later, Ellie, now 30 years old who lives in Atlanta and works as an investigative journalist in Atlanta News decided to file a leave for the impending parole of Rob after almost 23 years in prison and she would do anything to stop it.
The Verdict: This book easily caught my attention for it talks about father-daughter relationship and how the “incident” destroyed her family. Unlike MHC’s other stories, this one will not let you guess who the killer is but to know whether the convicted killer was really the real killer or not. And I’ve been tearing my hair out everytime I change my mind about the killer lol. This one literally kept me guessing ’till the end. And speaking of end, I love the ending.
First Published January 1st 1982 by Pocket Books
352 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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The Story: Divorcee Jenny McPartland, mother of two girls, marries the handsome and elegant painter, Erich Krueger, and moves to his home in Minnesota, where she and her daughters are drawn into a world of grotesque terror.
The Verdict: I’ve read this story twice and this one still never disappoints. Unlike the first two books, this one was kind of creepy as Jenny realized that the man she married was not the man she thought he was. Her who-dun-it never failed me as I ended up suspecting almost all the characters in this story, lol. I also love how MHC combines mystery and romance together. This one’s definitely worth your time.
Published on April 1st 2014 by Simon Schuster
303 pages
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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The Story: When Laurie Moran’s husband was murdered, only 3-year-old Timmy saw the face of his father’s killer. Five years later his blue eyes still haunt Timmy’s dreams. Laurie is haunted by more – the killer’s threat to her son as he fled the scene: ‘tell your mother she’s next, then it’s your turn’. Now Laurie is dealing with murder again, this time as producer of a true-crime, cold-case TV show. The series will launch with the 20-year-old unsolved murder of Betsy Powell. Betsy was found suffocated in her bed after a gala celebrating the graduation of her daughter and three friends. The murder was news nationwide. Reopening the case in its lavish setting and with the cooperation of the surviving guests that night, Laurie is sure to have a hit on her hands. But when the estranged friends begin filming, it becomes clear each is hiding secrets … small and large. And a pair of blue eyes is watching events unfold, too …
The Verdict: Mary Higgins Clark’s story telling power never fades. I like how she put all her characters seem like the one who is guilty for the crime. Her who-dun-it style never fades and I would say that it becomes better with every book I’ve read from her, and this one didn’t disappoint at all. MHC is one of those who can get your attention without one filthy word or sex scene and can tell a story extremely well.
Published April 8th 2008 by Simon & Schuster
289 pages
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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The Story: It’s been 10 years since 21 year-old Charles MacKenzie, Jr., went missing. A Columbia University senior about to graduate, he walked out of his room and has never been seen again. But Mack’s sister realizes that neither she nor her mother will ever have closure until they find her brother.
The Verdict: This book is really a must read. Suspense, humor, a little romance(not the cheesy one) and ofcourse, my ever favorite happy ending all packed in this single book. It was just a short read so I can’t really believe how MHC managed to make them look like a long story to me. The revelation of the suspects came to me as a surprise and I can’t believe I was fooled again for naming the wrong guy lol.
First Published April 5th 2005 by Pocket Books
472 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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The Story: Little Liza Barton accidentally killed her mother at age 10 when her stepfather threw her mother at her as Liza was holding a gun. She was trying to protect her mother from harm but it went terribly wrong. She was acquitted of murder but was adopted, legally changed her name, and attempted to live a normal life. 24 years later, her husband buys her a home as a birthday present. This would be a great gift, if the house wasn’t her childhood home where she murdered her mother. Suddenly, people are dying in the town, and “Celia” is determined to figure out what is going on, all the while maintaining her secrecy on who she really is.
The Verdict: No Place Like Home is a book full of suspense, surprises and secrets that I admit I’d suspected most of the characters. This book’s ending was perhaps my favorite of all books that I’ve read from hers. I just love how MHC managed to blow your mind with the mystery and then make you feel better afterwards with its sweet ending.
First Published April 26th 1999 by Pocket Books
369 pages
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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The Story: This story was about Molly Lasch who was the prime suspect of the death of her husband, Dr. Gary Lasch. Because of the overwhelming evidence pointing at her, her lawyer Philip Matthew convinced her to plea-bargain to avoid murder conviction. She was supposed to be on jail for 10 years but was given a parole after 5 and a half years in prison. After getting out from the prison, she then asked her high school classmate, Fran, who’s an investigative reporter to work on with her case and found out what really happened that night when her husband was murdered in exchange of her full cooperation.
The Verdict: The idea of this story might not be foreign to me but the scenes, the twist and turns and how MHC connects all the characters together was just pure genius. I don’t know about the others, but I didn’t find any flaws in this story. And I believe We’ll Meet Again is by far one of the best MHC has ever written.
First Published 1980 by Pocket Books
314 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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The Story: A minor road accident landed county prosecutor Katie DeMaio in Westlake Hospital. That night, from her window, she thought she saw a man load a woman’s body into the trunk of a car…or was it just a sleeping pill induced nightmare? At work the next day, Katie began investigating a suicide that looked more like murder. Initial evidence pointed elsewhere, but medical examiner Richard Carroll saw a trail leading to Dr. Edgar Highley. He suspected that the famous doctor’s work “curing” infertile women was more than controversial — that it was deceitful, depraved, and often deadly. But before Richard could tell Katie his fears, she left the office for the weekend and an appointment for routine surgery…in Dr. Highley’s operating room.
The Verdict: The Cradle Will Fall is definitely one of those few stories that I will sure never forget even with how many books I read. You could say that the plot was crazily clever. Imagine an aborted fetus successfully moved into another woman? Crazy eh? Aside from that, her who-dun-it was amazing in this book as expected.
First Published April 18th 1996 by Pocket Books
352 pages
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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The Story: Newport, Rhode Island: a world of old money, old names, and sinister secrets. Maggie Holloway, a fashion photographer, goes to visit a woman who had once been her stepmother, but when she arrives, the woman is dead, the victim of a violent robbery. Maggie is stunned when she learns that she’s the beneficiary of the will – and even more stunned when she recognizes a pattern of murder in Newport society that will lead the killer straight to her.
The Verdict: The story’s plot was a little gross and creepy thus making it so good. Another thing, I’m a dialog reader but this one made me read every single word in this story because if I skip even a single word, I’ll miss something. It was a bit slow at first but the suspense and revelation alone will make you see it through the end, especially when it comes to the “buried alive” part.
First Published April 17th 2001 by Pocket Books
386 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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The Story: The horror once started a hundred years ago after the disappearance of three young beautiful girls. The cause of their disappearance was never discovered and even the slightest idea on what happened to them was never known. Emily Graham, an assistant prosecutor came to purchase a house in Spring Lake which was originally owned by her ancestors. Right after she moved in, a corpse of two people was found in her backyard after hauling for a planned swimming pool which was the original plan of the previous owners. They then find out that it was Martha Lawrence’s corpse, a girl who went missing 4 years ago, and Madeline Shapley, her great-great-grandaunt. And another pair of corpse was then found after the tip given by Emily who received a postcard containing the information. They all then arrived to a conclusion that a reincarnated killer was the one who did all the killings.
The Verdict: The thing I like about MHC is the extensive research she does with every books she writes and the variations she makes. For this book, it’ll make you believe in reincarnation even if you’re a non-believer. Full of suspense and will let you guess ’till the end.
First Published May 2nd 1994 by Pocket Books
304 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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The Story: The story centers on Menley Nichols, the wife of the high-profile defense attorney Adam Nichols. She is plagued by the unfortunate death of her two-year-old son Bobby, and suffers from Post-traumatic stress disorder. Hoping to mend their failing marriage, the couple move into Remember House on Cape Cod and try to start over with their little baby girl, Hannah. But the house itself contains haunting tales of its former owner, a captain who deserted his wife when he learned that his wife had been unfaithful.
The Verdict: What I like about this book is how MHC able to connect two different story from two different timeline so perfectly. This one’s different from her previous books because it contains a little horror story which I really really like. And the surprising turn of events in the ending was definitely a winner.
First Published 2000 by Simon Schuster
416 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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The Story: Nell McDermot is devastated when she hears the news about her husband’s death. Helped by a self-proclaimed psychic, Nell sets out to uncover the truth behind the tragedy. The closer she gets to finding answers, the more danger she puts herself in.
The Verdict: Mixing together politics, psychics, and architecture, the plot unfolds in a fast paced and entertaining fashion making it one of her stronger novels. And her who-dun-it part once again left me guessing ’till the end.
So far, these are my favorite books from Mary Higgins Clark and I’m pretty sure I’ll be adding new books soon, so please keep checking back.
About Mary Higgins Clark
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