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A review by samlo_books
Where Are the Children Now? by Mary Higgins Clark, Alafair Burke
5.0
Initially, I was a little skeptical about where they could take the plot from Where Are the Children? However, I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly it dug its hooks into me and never let go. Mary Higgins Clark wrote over 50 novels in her lifetime. Where Are The Children Now? is the sequel to Where Are The Children? which was Mary Higgins Clark's debut novel originally released in 1975. Almost 50 years later, Mary Higgins Clark with the assistance of Alafair Burke, revisits these beloved characters and sends them on a new adventure.
When Missy and Mike were children, they were abducted and subjected to abuse at the hands of Nancy's ex-husband. Nancy was able to rescue her children then. However, their past has a way of influencing their present. Missy is determined to leave the past in the past, while Mike is concerned about what she is repressing. Missy is a well-respected lawyer turned podcaster whose primary focus is on injustice in the criminal justice system. After she successfully helps a client overturn their conviction, Missy is skyrocketed into fame. Fame comes with its own problems, especially in the form of internet trolls.
Missy is set to get married to Charlie, whom she met in grief counseling after her father passed away. They haven't known each other long and Charlie has a young daughter named Riley. Everyone is concerned about Missy but she seems to be happy. After the wedding, Missy and Mike help Nancy pack up and move to Long Island to be closer to Missy. The move goes smoothly, but one day Missy takes Riley, her new stepdaughter, to the park. At the park, she is verbally attacked by a stranger. Missy and Riley head back to Nancy's new cottage and take a nap. However, it will be a decision Missy comes to regret as she is forcefully shaken awake by her brother Mike asking where Riley is. Missy is soon prime suspect number one, and Charlie has cut off communication with her.
As Missy struggles to prove her innocence she quickly starts to realize something isn't right. Not everyone is who they say they are. Could she have accidentally hurt her stepdaughter due to her struggles with insomnia? Or is someone else trying to frame her? If so, who, and more importantly why? Missy refuses to back down and puts herself in danger to find the truth. In the end, her main priority is her stepdaughter, and preventing her from suffering the same abuse she faced as a child.
What I loved:
+Revisiting old characters in new stages of their lives.
+Fast-paced, on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller.
+True crime podcast angle
What I didn't love:
-Not enough fleshing out of the criminal character's change in identity
-Missy's blind trust in a stranger seems to be in direct contradiction with her personality and past trauma
Part of the reason I was skeptical about reading this sequel, is that Mary Higgins Clark passed in 2020 and isn't around to help write these books anymore. However, I do believe the introduction mentions that she helped flesh out the idea for the story prior to her passing. Where Are The Children Now? very much reads like a classic Mary Higgins Clark novel. There are so many threads to follow, breadcrumb trails, and red herrings to avoid. Just when I thought I might have figured it out, there would be another twist to keep me on my toes.
Bottom line: I absolutely loved Where Are The Children Now? Mary Higgins Clark is a comfort author to me. I know what to expect when I sit down with one of her novels. This one did not disappoint. Be sure to read Where Are The Children? before you read Where Are The Children Now? to truly understand the trauma Nancy, Missy, and Mike are battling with.
Details:
Publication date: 4/18/23
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Page count: 284
Thank you to NetGalley for the free advanced reader's copy of Where Are The Children Now?
When Missy and Mike were children, they were abducted and subjected to abuse at the hands of Nancy's ex-husband. Nancy was able to rescue her children then. However, their past has a way of influencing their present. Missy is determined to leave the past in the past, while Mike is concerned about what she is repressing. Missy is a well-respected lawyer turned podcaster whose primary focus is on injustice in the criminal justice system. After she successfully helps a client overturn their conviction, Missy is skyrocketed into fame. Fame comes with its own problems, especially in the form of internet trolls.
Missy is set to get married to Charlie, whom she met in grief counseling after her father passed away. They haven't known each other long and Charlie has a young daughter named Riley. Everyone is concerned about Missy but she seems to be happy. After the wedding, Missy and Mike help Nancy pack up and move to Long Island to be closer to Missy. The move goes smoothly, but one day Missy takes Riley, her new stepdaughter, to the park. At the park, she is verbally attacked by a stranger. Missy and Riley head back to Nancy's new cottage and take a nap. However, it will be a decision Missy comes to regret as she is forcefully shaken awake by her brother Mike asking where Riley is. Missy is soon prime suspect number one, and Charlie has cut off communication with her.
As Missy struggles to prove her innocence she quickly starts to realize something isn't right. Not everyone is who they say they are. Could she have accidentally hurt her stepdaughter due to her struggles with insomnia? Or is someone else trying to frame her? If so, who, and more importantly why? Missy refuses to back down and puts herself in danger to find the truth. In the end, her main priority is her stepdaughter, and preventing her from suffering the same abuse she faced as a child.
What I loved:
+Revisiting old characters in new stages of their lives.
+Fast-paced, on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller.
+True crime podcast angle
What I didn't love:
-Not enough fleshing out of the criminal character's change in identity
-Missy's blind trust in a stranger seems to be in direct contradiction with her personality and past trauma
Part of the reason I was skeptical about reading this sequel, is that Mary Higgins Clark passed in 2020 and isn't around to help write these books anymore. However, I do believe the introduction mentions that she helped flesh out the idea for the story prior to her passing. Where Are The Children Now? very much reads like a classic Mary Higgins Clark novel. There are so many threads to follow, breadcrumb trails, and red herrings to avoid. Just when I thought I might have figured it out, there would be another twist to keep me on my toes.
Bottom line: I absolutely loved Where Are The Children Now? Mary Higgins Clark is a comfort author to me. I know what to expect when I sit down with one of her novels. This one did not disappoint. Be sure to read Where Are The Children? before you read Where Are The Children Now? to truly understand the trauma Nancy, Missy, and Mike are battling with.
Details:
Publication date: 4/18/23
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Page count: 284
Thank you to NetGalley for the free advanced reader's copy of Where Are The Children Now?