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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
After reading another in the Alvirah and Willy series, I really should've known I wasn't going to enjoy this story. When writing with another author (The "Under Suspicion" series), I really enjoy MHC books, but when writing solo, I just cannot get on board.
Her writing is clunky and there's never a nice flow to it. And the same criticism I had for another in the Alvirah and Willy series, why does she use character names when talking so dang much?! It's unnatural! I don't know anybody who starts almost every sentence with the other person's name when they're only talking to them.
There's not much to say, the plot was boring and predictable. I knew from almost the beginning who the mother would be, and the sudden appearance of a key witness in the trial just seemed like a cop out.
I'm hoping I don't have any other MHC books in the pile I borrowed from the library, because I'm not interested in reading another solo-written book. I will happily continue to read the "Under Suspicion" series though.
Her writing is clunky and there's never a nice flow to it. And the same criticism I had for another in the Alvirah and Willy series, why does she use character names when talking so dang much?! It's unnatural! I don't know anybody who starts almost every sentence with the other person's name when they're only talking to them.
There's not much to say, the plot was boring and predictable. I knew from almost the beginning who the mother would be, and the sudden appearance of a key witness in the trial just seemed like a cop out.
I'm hoping I don't have any other MHC books in the pile I borrowed from the library, because I'm not interested in reading another solo-written book. I will happily continue to read the "Under Suspicion" series though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Abortion
Another solid book by Mary Higgins Clark. There were a lot of people to keep track of and a lot of moving parts but it did keep me guessing until the end.
Not terrible, but not exactly great either. As Time Goes By had a couple of minor twists, but everything was telegraphed clearly within the first few chapters so I wasn't surprised by any of them. The majority of the dialogue between the characters was unrealistic and even irritating to read. I probably won't bother reading any other books by this author.
I think I was harsh on this book because I expect a lot from her. Normally I really enjoy Mary Higgins Clark, she can spin a great thriller. This book was however was anything but a thriller. A mystery yes, a thriller not even close. It is set mainly in a court room. I would have loved this story and rated it higher if it was written by any other author.
Would I recommend this book, maybe, but with a disclaimer about what to expect.
Spoiler
Another problem I had was that I figured out the Betsy was Delaney's mother on page 53. Whether the author meant to use Betsy's last name I am not sure, but it implied heavily that she was the young mother in the first chapter. The other question, about who was the murderer, was easily guessed. I would have been more impressed if it was male reporter that Delaney was seeing.Would I recommend this book, maybe, but with a disclaimer about what to expect.
This is exactly what I have come to expect from Mary Higgins Clark; a good solid read with twists both expected and unexpected.
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
The writing style is not really 5-star. But... the quick descriptions of people and actions makes for a very fast-paced story. And the story was full and intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed zipping through this. I'm interested to go through the series to see the story of the couple who did the detective work for the main character. They were lovable and interesting.
In this book, Mary Higgins Clark returns to her beloved amateur detective lottery winners Alvirah and Willy. They get back into the detective business when a young friend of theirs, Delaney Wright confides in them about her desire to find her birth mother. Delaney is a rising star in television news. She is currently covering the murder trial of Betsy Grant, the wife of a prominent doctor who was murdered. As the story progresses, there are actually three different mysteries going on here and they all converge at the end. I really liked this story because I thought I knew who the killer was, but wasn't sure of the motive until the very end. It was a good mystery that was hard to put down.
For readability, I'd give it a 4--it is quick, interesting, clean, and fun to read. But it is not terribly deep and rather predictable, so comparing it to other murder mysteries, I'd have to stick with 3 stars. Worth reading, but don't expect too much depth or many surprising plot twists.