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Two Little Girls in Blue
In a riveting thriller, worldwide bestselling suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark brilliantly weaves the mystery of twin telepathy into a mother's search for a kidnapped child, presumed dead. When Margaret and Steve Frawley come home to Connecticut from a black-tie dinner in New York, their three-year-old twins, Kathy and Kelly, are gone. The police found the babysitter unconscious, and a ransom note from the "Pied Piper" demands eight million dollars. Steve's global investment firm puts up the money, but when they go to retrieve the twins, only Kelly is in the car. The dead driver's suicide note says he inadvertently killed Kathy.
At the memorial, Kelly tugs Margaret's arm and says: "Mommy, Kathy is very scared of that lady. She wants to come home right now." At first, only Margaret believes that the twins are communicating and that Kathy is still alive. But as Kelly's warnings become increasingly specific and alarming, FBI agents set out on a desperate search.
At the memorial, Kelly tugs Margaret's arm and says: "Mommy, Kathy is very scared of that lady. She wants to come home right now." At first, only Margaret believes that the twins are communicating and that Kathy is still alive. But as Kelly's warnings become increasingly specific and alarming, FBI agents set out on a desperate search.
448 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2006
1613 people are currently reading
10587 people want to read
About the author
Mary Higgins Clark
632 books13.5k followersThe #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark has written thirty-eight suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a historical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With bestselling author Alafair Burke she wrote the Under Suspicion series. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels. Her sister-in-law is the also author Mary Jane Clark.
Clark’s books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. Her books are beloved around the world and made her an international bestseller many times over.
Clark’s books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. Her books are beloved around the world and made her an international bestseller many times over.
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November 30, 2015
Two Little Girls in Blue is by Mary Higgins Clark. I listened to the audio version of this book.
The adorable little twin girls, Kathy and Kelly Frawley have just turned three years old. These two girls are closer than close as twins often are. They are inseparable and have their own way of communicating known as twin talk. Their parents are now out for the evening and the girls are at home with a baby sitter. This night, though, ended in a way that is a parent’s nightmare. When they returned home, the baby sitter had been injured and the girls were gone. In their place was a ransom note for eight million dollars.
Margaret and Steve Frawley hadn’t lived long in their new home in Connecticut. Steve had only been at his new job for three months. Why would anyone think they could come up with eight million dollars? Every penny they had was tied up in their new house. The Frawleys next few days was a living nightmare as they and the police waited to be contacted by the kidnappers.
A donor comes forward to provide the ransom money and finally instructions for the drop are made. But something went horribly wrong. When it came time for them to pick up their girls, only one was in the car and the driver was dead. There was a note saying that the missing child, Kathy, was dead.
As Kelly gets settled back at home with her parents, she keeps telling her parents that Kathy is alive and that she wants to come home. No one really pays attention to her except her mother who believes that the girls really are connected. Kathy had become ill while the girls were being held by the kidnappers and now Kelly is exhibiting symptoms in tandem with her sister. A bruise suddenly appears on her arm like a pinch mark.
This is a true to form Mary Higgins Clark mystery. We know fairly early on who is holding the girls but we don’t find out until the very end who is the mastermind behind the whole thing. He calls himself the Pied Piper throughout the book. And the somewhat mystical connection some twins share is explored in this book. Do they really have telepathy? Could one show signs of an injury the other has suffered? It’s been forever since I have read a Mary Higgins book and I had forgotten how good they could be. The narration of this audio version was very enjoyable as well. So if you like fast paced mysteries that will keep you on the edge of your seat, then this book is for you.
The adorable little twin girls, Kathy and Kelly Frawley have just turned three years old. These two girls are closer than close as twins often are. They are inseparable and have their own way of communicating known as twin talk. Their parents are now out for the evening and the girls are at home with a baby sitter. This night, though, ended in a way that is a parent’s nightmare. When they returned home, the baby sitter had been injured and the girls were gone. In their place was a ransom note for eight million dollars.
Margaret and Steve Frawley hadn’t lived long in their new home in Connecticut. Steve had only been at his new job for three months. Why would anyone think they could come up with eight million dollars? Every penny they had was tied up in their new house. The Frawleys next few days was a living nightmare as they and the police waited to be contacted by the kidnappers.
A donor comes forward to provide the ransom money and finally instructions for the drop are made. But something went horribly wrong. When it came time for them to pick up their girls, only one was in the car and the driver was dead. There was a note saying that the missing child, Kathy, was dead.
As Kelly gets settled back at home with her parents, she keeps telling her parents that Kathy is alive and that she wants to come home. No one really pays attention to her except her mother who believes that the girls really are connected. Kathy had become ill while the girls were being held by the kidnappers and now Kelly is exhibiting symptoms in tandem with her sister. A bruise suddenly appears on her arm like a pinch mark.
This is a true to form Mary Higgins Clark mystery. We know fairly early on who is holding the girls but we don’t find out until the very end who is the mastermind behind the whole thing. He calls himself the Pied Piper throughout the book. And the somewhat mystical connection some twins share is explored in this book. Do they really have telepathy? Could one show signs of an injury the other has suffered? It’s been forever since I have read a Mary Higgins book and I had forgotten how good they could be. The narration of this audio version was very enjoyable as well. So if you like fast paced mysteries that will keep you on the edge of your seat, then this book is for you.
March 31, 2017
Great writing..suspenseful,riveting and very defined characters....(paperback!)
February 8, 2017
2.5 stars
This is the first book that I am reading by author Mary Higgins Clark. Talking about her writing style, it kind of reminded me of Sidney Sheldon books.
There are short stanzas each of few pages in different peoples perspective due to which this makes for a fast read. The constantly changing point of view in the story can be a problem for few people but I was not bothered by it.
The plot-line of the book is interesting. Identical 3 year old twins are kidnapped and there is a ransom demand.
"She looked across the room at the pictures of the twins that were on top of the piano. My two little girls in blue, she thought. Oh, God, please bring them home to me."
But only one of them is returned back to the parents-- This is not a spoiler as this is already mentioned in the blurb.
Now what comes next, you have got to take it with a pinch of salt if you are a non-believer in paranormal. It deals with the subject of twin telepathy.
I actually went and researched on google a bit on this topic and found some interesting articles where studies show that this actually happens in certain cases. But then logically if you grow up with someone wouldn't your thoughts match in lot of things and you will be able to guess each others thoughts? Well moving back to the book.
The good thing is that the mystery did not get solved because of the twin telepathy but through regular investigation methods and the telepathy is just something that happens in the background.
We know the kidnappers from the start but there is someone who is instructing the kidnappers and may be close to the actual family. Who is this guy is the real mystery and this was kind of a let down.
The other thing that was missing in the book was, it did not invoke any strong emotions in me, I was unable to connect to any of the characters. This had a good base to tug at readers heart but it just did not.
There are lot of characters involved and there are unnecessary descriptions of these characters like their physique, hair or the way they look... I was like, what has this got to do with the story?
There are some minor other cases that get intertwined along with this kidnapping case and is solved successfully. Overall this is an Ok one time read having it's pros and cons.
Is this a Happy Ending?
This is the first book that I am reading by author Mary Higgins Clark. Talking about her writing style, it kind of reminded me of Sidney Sheldon books.
There are short stanzas each of few pages in different peoples perspective due to which this makes for a fast read. The constantly changing point of view in the story can be a problem for few people but I was not bothered by it.
The plot-line of the book is interesting. Identical 3 year old twins are kidnapped and there is a ransom demand.
"She looked across the room at the pictures of the twins that were on top of the piano. My two little girls in blue, she thought. Oh, God, please bring them home to me."
But only one of them is returned back to the parents-- This is not a spoiler as this is already mentioned in the blurb.
Now what comes next, you have got to take it with a pinch of salt if you are a non-believer in paranormal. It deals with the subject of twin telepathy.
I actually went and researched on google a bit on this topic and found some interesting articles where studies show that this actually happens in certain cases. But then logically if you grow up with someone wouldn't your thoughts match in lot of things and you will be able to guess each others thoughts? Well moving back to the book.
The good thing is that the mystery did not get solved because of the twin telepathy but through regular investigation methods and the telepathy is just something that happens in the background.
We know the kidnappers from the start but there is someone who is instructing the kidnappers and may be close to the actual family. Who is this guy is the real mystery and this was kind of a let down.
The other thing that was missing in the book was, it did not invoke any strong emotions in me, I was unable to connect to any of the characters. This had a good base to tug at readers heart but it just did not.
There are lot of characters involved and there are unnecessary descriptions of these characters like their physique, hair or the way they look... I was like, what has this got to do with the story?
There are some minor other cases that get intertwined along with this kidnapping case and is solved successfully. Overall this is an Ok one time read having it's pros and cons.
Is this a Happy Ending?
August 27, 2014
Twins Kathy and Kelly have just celebrated their third birthday. Helping out with the celebrations is nineteen year old, Trish Logan. After the party, Trish stays back to babysit the girls as their parents have to attend a black-tie dinner party in New York. Knowing that the girls had such a big day, Trish knew once they were tucked up in bed she wouldn't hear a peep out of them.
Margaret and Steve Frawley return home from their dinner party only to find the police in their home. They are both in shock to find out that their beautiful girls, Kathy and Kelly have been kidnapped. The kidnappers left a ransom note demanding eight million dollars. As the investigation commences, Margaret and Steve try to think of a way to come up with the money seeing as they don't have anywhere near that amount of money. Trying to raise that amount of money takes time and that is one thing that they don't have a lot of. Who and why would someone do this is the big question and one that neither Margaret or Steve have any answers to. All they want is for Kathy and Kelly to be returned safely back to them, but the longer the investigation goes on there is less chance of this happening. Will Margaret and Steve Frawley ever see their girls again?
A quick and enjoyable read that will keep you guessing right to the end. Recommended.
Margaret and Steve Frawley return home from their dinner party only to find the police in their home. They are both in shock to find out that their beautiful girls, Kathy and Kelly have been kidnapped. The kidnappers left a ransom note demanding eight million dollars. As the investigation commences, Margaret and Steve try to think of a way to come up with the money seeing as they don't have anywhere near that amount of money. Trying to raise that amount of money takes time and that is one thing that they don't have a lot of. Who and why would someone do this is the big question and one that neither Margaret or Steve have any answers to. All they want is for Kathy and Kelly to be returned safely back to them, but the longer the investigation goes on there is less chance of this happening. Will Margaret and Steve Frawley ever see their girls again?
A quick and enjoyable read that will keep you guessing right to the end. Recommended.
January 5, 2015
I should have run screaming from this book for the title alone. What was I thinking? Cliched. Cloying. Mediocre. A real clinker. My opinion only, of course. Not sure that I have read anything else by this author, but I will be in no hurry to try another.
December 1, 2015
This author never fails to deliver. Great mystery about twins who are kidnapped. Made me want to hold my kids tighter.
January 5, 2019
When Margaret and Steve Frawley return home from a fancy dinner, they discover that their twin daughters, Kelly and Kathy, have been kidnapped. The kidnappers are demanding a ransom far too high for them to afford. This novel follows the kidnappers, the investigators, and the Frawley family in the events that follow.
*Please note, I am reviewing the abridged audiobook version. I wasn’t aware it was abridged until partway through!*
This is my first ever Mary Higgins Clark book, and I have to say that I was surprised. It wasn’t what I expected.
We know from the very beginning of the novel who the kidnappers are. The novel follows them and the investigators searching for them. While we know who the kidnappers are, we aren’t told who they’re working for. There’s still some mystery to it all. I really like this approach. We get to follow both sides of the investigation, while there’s still an unknown for the reader to try to guess.
A major issue that I had with the novel was the way the characters are portrayed. The kidnappers come across as quite stupid. They’re in it for the money, plain and simple. But it’s clear from the beginning that they’re not the masterminds behind this big scheme, and that someone else is pulling all the strings. My issue isn’t with the intelligence of the kidnappers. My issue is that they are simply not relatable. If the reader is going to follow the kidnappers, there has to be some sense of urgency, some sense of what is motivating them. We know that they’re in it for the money, they want to move away and live rich and never look back. I would have liked to have seen Clark delve deeper into that. That said, maybe she did in the unabridged book. Nevertheless, I would have preferred if their motives were relatable. We spend half the book following them, so it would have been nice to be invested in them. Maybe they knew they had made a mistake and wanted out. Maybe they regretted what they had done and were trying to figure out a way to get their money and get the girls back safely. One of the kidnappers, Mona, makes it clear that she wants to keep one of the little girls. This made the plot more exciting, although I would have appreciated if she had had a more interesting backstory behind why she wanted a child of her own.
I love how the book title is a song, and how the extremely creepy kidnapper Mona kept singing that song. Talk about foreboding. The audiobook reader’s voice was extremely creepy. I got chills!
I recommend this book (even the abridged audiobook edition) to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller. It's well-written with good pacing, but if you're hoping to relate to the bad guys, you're better off picking up another book.
*Please note, I am reviewing the abridged audiobook version. I wasn’t aware it was abridged until partway through!*
This is my first ever Mary Higgins Clark book, and I have to say that I was surprised. It wasn’t what I expected.
We know from the very beginning of the novel who the kidnappers are. The novel follows them and the investigators searching for them. While we know who the kidnappers are, we aren’t told who they’re working for. There’s still some mystery to it all. I really like this approach. We get to follow both sides of the investigation, while there’s still an unknown for the reader to try to guess.
A major issue that I had with the novel was the way the characters are portrayed. The kidnappers come across as quite stupid. They’re in it for the money, plain and simple. But it’s clear from the beginning that they’re not the masterminds behind this big scheme, and that someone else is pulling all the strings. My issue isn’t with the intelligence of the kidnappers. My issue is that they are simply not relatable. If the reader is going to follow the kidnappers, there has to be some sense of urgency, some sense of what is motivating them. We know that they’re in it for the money, they want to move away and live rich and never look back. I would have liked to have seen Clark delve deeper into that. That said, maybe she did in the unabridged book. Nevertheless, I would have preferred if their motives were relatable. We spend half the book following them, so it would have been nice to be invested in them. Maybe they knew they had made a mistake and wanted out. Maybe they regretted what they had done and were trying to figure out a way to get their money and get the girls back safely. One of the kidnappers, Mona, makes it clear that she wants to keep one of the little girls. This made the plot more exciting, although I would have appreciated if she had had a more interesting backstory behind why she wanted a child of her own.
I love how the book title is a song, and how the extremely creepy kidnapper Mona kept singing that song. Talk about foreboding. The audiobook reader’s voice was extremely creepy. I got chills!
I recommend this book (even the abridged audiobook edition) to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller. It's well-written with good pacing, but if you're hoping to relate to the bad guys, you're better off picking up another book.
November 5, 2020
This is my favorite Mary Higgins Clark's book. I love the characters and the plot holds you from start to finish.
July 2, 2018
This was a pretty good book. There were lots of characters that have background stories going on that added some to the plot in terms of interest. This is only like my third or fourth Mary Higgins Clark book but will add more to read to my library soon. Had this one for a while but cleaning off some of my bookshelf this year so grabbed it for a quick read.
My quick and simple overall: Not bad at all and the twin talk and telepathy was interesting to read about.
My quick and simple overall: Not bad at all and the twin talk and telepathy was interesting to read about.
June 12, 2017
Blah I need to take a break from MHC. Two Little Girls in Blue wasn't a mystery at all and it was super boring!
Two little twin girls in blue get kidnapped and are being held for ransom. Now it would of been an interesting plot, if the reader wasn't aware of everything about the kidnapper and their future actions. I found that there was no mystery since we knew who had the twins and it's Mary Higgins Clark, you know that there will be a happily ever after.
I also hated how many random characters were thrown in. I know we were suppose to be wondering about who the mystery guy was, but there was no reason to add in a bunch of subplots that added nothing to the kidnapping story line.
Two little twin girls in blue get kidnapped and are being held for ransom. Now it would of been an interesting plot, if the reader wasn't aware of everything about the kidnapper and their future actions. I found that there was no mystery since we knew who had the twins and it's Mary Higgins Clark, you know that there will be a happily ever after.
I also hated how many random characters were thrown in. I know we were suppose to be wondering about who the mystery guy was, but there was no reason to add in a bunch of subplots that added nothing to the kidnapping story line.
March 4, 2025
When I came across this hardcover copy in my neighborhood library kiosk, I borrowed it to be a new member of my “Bathroom Readers Collection”.
Written about 25 years ago, TWO LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE, is a low tech, kidnapping, not quite thriller, by Mary Higgins Clark. She writes in short sentences, short chapters but many characters. Clark did TikTok style long before it was a thing. Her prose in this story is clean from profanity and descriptive violence or sexual content.
Altho’ it’s not quite cozy, for lack of an humor element, there isn’t anything offensive. Hard core thriller and mystery readers will not be challenged. I figured out “who done it” shortly after meeting that character; very big bread crumbs. However, Clark does have a way to organize a story and make it readable, not stressing, I don’t want to say relaxing because the topic is despicable but compared to a kidnapping book written in 2025, this one is a picnic.
There’s something to be said for restraint📚
Written about 25 years ago, TWO LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE, is a low tech, kidnapping, not quite thriller, by Mary Higgins Clark. She writes in short sentences, short chapters but many characters. Clark did TikTok style long before it was a thing. Her prose in this story is clean from profanity and descriptive violence or sexual content.
Altho’ it’s not quite cozy, for lack of an humor element, there isn’t anything offensive. Hard core thriller and mystery readers will not be challenged. I figured out “who done it” shortly after meeting that character; very big bread crumbs. However, Clark does have a way to organize a story and make it readable, not stressing, I don’t want to say relaxing because the topic is despicable but compared to a kidnapping book written in 2025, this one is a picnic.
There’s something to be said for restraint📚
April 8, 2018
Sasvim korektna krimi priča.
June 24, 2021
terminé et beaucoup beaucoup aimé! ça faisait longtemps que je n’avais pas lu un bon policier!
January 26, 2013
This is not one of MHC's better books, in my opinion. It just dragged on...and on...and on...It was REALLY slow. Blech. The idea of the twins' telepathy being AS in depth and detailed as described was REALLLLLLY far fetched. Like...to the point of idiocy and laziness. This wasn't a fun mystery read even, because MHC left out SO many of the crucial details that you don't even get the opportunity to try to solve the mystery as you read, which is half of point of reading a mystery novel (at least, for me). When the author holds back all of the identifying information, though, until the VERY. LAST. CHAPTER. makes that impossible and insults the imagination. I find that her later works just aren't as good as her earlier stuff ("Loves Music, Loves to Dance," "On the Street Where You Live," "I'll Be Watching You," etc). It's a shame because I really liked her early work, but this later material is really putting me off. Blech.
October 23, 2008
This was the worst book I've read in a long, long time, and trust me, I've read some very bad books. Two little girls in blue, lad, two little girls in blue...
Not only were the characters flat, without any dimension or real character (imagine that, a character having character, who'd have thought!) but the story lacked a certain little something called depth. Everything I read was surface stuff, with no emotion or feeling. The whole thing sounded like you are being told what happened by a non-participating party who doesn't give a flying frog leap. Emotions are described as physical actions with very little insight into how the characters feel what they are feeling. You can tell how a person feels by describing their expression, but can you describe the actual feeling? Some writers can... this one can't.
The story-line is very blah. Babysitter gets knocked out, twins get kidnapped by bad guys, bad guys want ransom, chick taking care of stolen kids turns out to be a psycho, decides she wants one girl and returns the other eventually after the ransom is met. Ms. Clark does try to spice it up by making the girls twins and having them communicate after their separation via twin-telepathy, which is really the only interesting thing about this book. The ending wasn't even interesting. I found the entire thing to be very predictable, with no depth or emotion. It was a major let down of a book, and I didn't even expect that much out of it. It was, after all, written by Mary Higgins Clark.
Not only were the characters flat, without any dimension or real character (imagine that, a character having character, who'd have thought!) but the story lacked a certain little something called depth. Everything I read was surface stuff, with no emotion or feeling. The whole thing sounded like you are being told what happened by a non-participating party who doesn't give a flying frog leap. Emotions are described as physical actions with very little insight into how the characters feel what they are feeling. You can tell how a person feels by describing their expression, but can you describe the actual feeling? Some writers can... this one can't.
The story-line is very blah. Babysitter gets knocked out, twins get kidnapped by bad guys, bad guys want ransom, chick taking care of stolen kids turns out to be a psycho, decides she wants one girl and returns the other eventually after the ransom is met. Ms. Clark does try to spice it up by making the girls twins and having them communicate after their separation via twin-telepathy, which is really the only interesting thing about this book. The ending wasn't even interesting. I found the entire thing to be very predictable, with no depth or emotion. It was a major let down of a book, and I didn't even expect that much out of it. It was, after all, written by Mary Higgins Clark.
November 6, 2023
Intriguing Thiller involving the kidnapping of
twin girls.
An intense read.
twin girls.
An intense read.
June 28, 2014
Twin girls are kidnapped on the evening of their 3rd birthday from their parents home. A police investigation ensues. There is a request for 8 million dollars which the parents cannot afford to pay. The father's employer agrees to pay the ransom and they get back only one of their daughters believing that the other has died. We begin to see Twin telepathy as the one twin who remains with two of her kidnappers communicates with the rescued twin. The twin telepathy provide the police with clues as to where the girl is being hidden/kept. This could have been a much better book IMO. I believe the author had the twins using and communicating at a higher level of communication than a 3 y.o. would use. Yes there are children who do have extensive vocabularies at this age, but them speaking so clearly and communicating so effectively did not seem realistic to me. Also, the police believed the one girl was dead but then when the twins began using telepathy, they were too quick to believe that this was happening. Some aspects seemed too good to be true. Throughout the book, we did not know the identity of the pied piper but that is revealed in the end and the big reveal did not really pack a punch at least for me.
July 21, 2020
The story was good... but some of the characters needed to be a bit more believable...especially the kidnappers. They were a rag-tag group of morons who decide to kidnap twins in an effort to gain ransom and they were bumbling idiots. The "twin talk" the girls shared was fairly interesting. I know there has been some long-term studies done on this and the results are pretty amazing. It was in whole, a good mystery...but not great nor was it the best or the worse that I have read by this author. My suggestion would be that this would more than adequately fill the gap if you just need a slow and easy break from hard core mystery & suspense.
January 10, 2018
Three year old twins Kathy and Kelly were missing after their babysitter was found unconscious the evening of their birthday party
Kelly and Kathy had telepathy between them.
When the ransom was met Kelly was returned home, but not Kathy. Kelly could feel all of the pain that Kathy endured. She knew exactly were Kathy was.
Kelly and Kathy had telepathy between them.
When the ransom was met Kelly was returned home, but not Kathy. Kelly could feel all of the pain that Kathy endured. She knew exactly were Kathy was.
April 21, 2011
Your average mystery/crime novel. I didn't find this to be thrilling, but it kept my attention well enough. I thought the idea of the telepathy to be the most interesting piece of the book. I found the author to be a bit disconnected from the characters - there was a lack of strength in the emotions that'd be associated with a crime such as abduction. I've seen lots of Higgins-Clark's books around and so I thought I'd give one a go but although I found this to be a decent enough read, I don't have much desire to read any more of this author's work.
August 20, 2016
اسلوب الروائية دائماً جميل وممتع
لكن في هذه الرواية كان ممل لا يشد إلى انهائها
للأسف ليست رائعة كروايتها لقد سمعت هذه الأغنية من قبل
لكن في هذه الرواية كان ممل لا يشد إلى انهائها
للأسف ليست رائعة كروايتها لقد سمعت هذه الأغنية من قبل
May 4, 2019
En lineas generales, es un libro que disfrute mucho. Sobre todo de la mitad en adelante. Interesante resolucion del conflicto, creible.
April 22, 2019
Very rarely do I get the chance to read a novel like this one and am I glad that I finally found it. The author, as she has done some many times before, shows us that she is the best in the business.
Two three-year-old girls are kidnapped. The kidnappers’ ask for a huge ramson, which, at the end they get it. Nothing should really go wrong at this point, but some has to give for the story to move along: one of the kidnapers, a bitter old lady who suffers from a severe mental disorder and can’t have children of her own, decides to keep one of the girls and things get interested. The kidnappers make one mistake after another - as most humans would do under certain circumstances - which brings them to exposure. Besides, the surprise element in this story is the fact that the girls can communicate with each other, even when they’re miles apart from one another.
This is one of those stories where the reader knows what’s going to happen - we even know, up to a point, who’s done it - but the story isn’t about why, or how the crime happened, what the writer chooses to do is to show us with words - rather sharp and carefully selected words - how things unfold. It is a treat for us, the readers.
The criticism of the novel is that, given the subject matter, there isn’t much suspense or rather, that the novel isn’t as mortifying as it should be. However, in the author’s defense, the novel is beautifully written, it is short, sharp, up to the point and a treat to read.
Besides, as the author herself has said before, there should always be an element hope in every story. The book is one hundred percent recommended.
To read full review on Medium, click on the link below:
https://medium.com/@michel.narvaez.08...
Two three-year-old girls are kidnapped. The kidnappers’ ask for a huge ramson, which, at the end they get it. Nothing should really go wrong at this point, but some has to give for the story to move along: one of the kidnapers, a bitter old lady who suffers from a severe mental disorder and can’t have children of her own, decides to keep one of the girls and things get interested. The kidnappers make one mistake after another - as most humans would do under certain circumstances - which brings them to exposure. Besides, the surprise element in this story is the fact that the girls can communicate with each other, even when they’re miles apart from one another.
This is one of those stories where the reader knows what’s going to happen - we even know, up to a point, who’s done it - but the story isn’t about why, or how the crime happened, what the writer chooses to do is to show us with words - rather sharp and carefully selected words - how things unfold. It is a treat for us, the readers.
The criticism of the novel is that, given the subject matter, there isn’t much suspense or rather, that the novel isn’t as mortifying as it should be. However, in the author’s defense, the novel is beautifully written, it is short, sharp, up to the point and a treat to read.
Besides, as the author herself has said before, there should always be an element hope in every story. The book is one hundred percent recommended.
To read full review on Medium, click on the link below:
https://medium.com/@michel.narvaez.08...
July 6, 2022
I was listening to a true crime podcast back in spring or summer of 2020 when the hosts referred to Mary Higgins Clark as something like the queen of suspense. That same title is featured on the cover of this book. I don’t remember what podcast it was, but I think it was one of the ones I’ve since stopped listening to. But at the time I had never heard of Mary Higgins Clark and thought I should give her a try since I love suspense (though I’d thought that the title of queen belonged to Agatha Christie, if anyone).
Eventually I bought this book in a drug store; I like to encourage all and any stores to sell books. And this summer I needed a quick and easy and fun book to read so I thought this would be perfect.
But this book? Is not fun. I don’t know if this is considered one of her better books, though I do believe it’s the exact one the podcast referenced, but I really expected something better from the queen. The writing is SO BAD I kept comparing it to the writing of a child and then correcting myself because children write better than this. It was not suspenseful though it was kind of shocking; just not in the way that was intended.
Eventually I bought this book in a drug store; I like to encourage all and any stores to sell books. And this summer I needed a quick and easy and fun book to read so I thought this would be perfect.
But this book? Is not fun. I don’t know if this is considered one of her better books, though I do believe it’s the exact one the podcast referenced, but I really expected something better from the queen. The writing is SO BAD I kept comparing it to the writing of a child and then correcting myself because children write better than this. It was not suspenseful though it was kind of shocking; just not in the way that was intended.
January 8, 2015
Full review/Цялото ревю - click, click
Следпрочитно:
Ами... очаквах нещо повече. Чувала съм само хубави неща за тази авторка, сюжетът изглеждаше обещаващ, а най-много ме привлече детайлът за феномена на връзка между близнаците. Обичам твърдо реалистичните истории, обичам и откровеното фентъзи, но в читателския ми свят винаги ще има специално място и за онези истории, които балансират на между познатото, непознатото и непознаваемото. Нещата тук обаче ми се сториха твърде повърхностни, във всяко отношение. Нито един от персонажите не остави следа и сега трябваше да си ги припомня, въпреки че четох книгата преди по-малко от два месеца и обикновено имам някакъв спомен. Но тук двуизмерните герои излязоха на сцената, изиграха ролята си и зачезнаха нанякъде. Самото разследване също ми се видя малко претупано, особено както се опитаха да вкарат втори криминален случай, на изчезвалата преди години съпруга на един от заподозрените. Уж нещата трябваше да се заплетат и да образуват сложна картина, но си останаха по-скоро като щрихи.
Връзката между близнаците несъмнено беше това, което бе най-интригуващо в книгата, но и то не ми беше достатъчно. Може би защото дечицата бяха твърде малки - ако бяха по-големи и с повече осъзнаване за случващото се, щеше да е по-интересно.
И така. От това, което чувам, това не се нарежда сред най-добрите произведения на Мери Хигинс Кларк, така че сигурно ще ѝ дам и повторен шанс някой път.
~~~
After-read thoughts:
Oh well.... I was up for something more. I've heard only good things for this author, and the premise sounded more than nice, especially with the twins phenomenon. I do like stories that are straight to reality, and those that are upmost fantasy, but in my reading love world there is also a special place for stories that tread on the border of known, unknown and unknowable.
Here however... everything felt superficial. Now I remember nothing of the characters, even if I read the novel less than two months ago, and knowing myself, I ought to recall something. But not. The two-dimensional characters seemd just to pop on the scene, play their role and then exit and be forgotten by me. The investigation itself wasn't the best I've read either. With random details about every suspect, it was supposed to form an intricate pattern, but it felt barely outlined.
No doubt, the connection between the twins was the most intriguing thing in the book, and yet I wanted more. Maybe if the girls were a bit older and had more realisation of what is going on and in between them, it'd been more interesting.
And so this is. From what I read, this is not one of Mary Higgins Clark's best novel, so I'll be willing to give her a second try sometimes. But for now I give this book 3 stars.
Следпрочитно:
Ами... очаквах нещо повече. Чувала съм само хубави неща за тази авторка, сюжетът изглеждаше обещаващ, а най-много ме привлече детайлът за феномена на връзка между близнаците. Обичам твърдо реалистичните истории, обичам и откровеното фентъзи, но в читателския ми свят винаги ще има специално място и за онези истории, които балансират на между познатото, непознатото и непознаваемото. Нещата тук обаче ми се сториха твърде повърхностни, във всяко отношение. Нито един от персонажите не остави следа и сега трябваше да си ги припомня, въпреки че четох книгата преди по-малко от два месеца и обикновено имам някакъв спомен. Но тук двуизмерните герои излязоха на сцената, изиграха ролята си и зачезнаха нанякъде. Самото разследване също ми се видя малко претупано, особено както се опитаха да вкарат втори криминален случай, на изчезвалата преди години съпруга на един от заподозрените. Уж нещата трябваше да се заплетат и да образуват сложна картина, но си останаха по-скоро като щрихи.
Връзката между близнаците несъмнено беше това, което бе най-интригуващо в книгата, но и то не ми беше достатъчно. Може би защото дечицата бяха твърде малки - ако бяха по-големи и с повече осъзнаване за случващото се, щеше да е по-интересно.
И така. От това, което чувам, това не се нарежда сред най-добрите произведения на Мери Хигинс Кларк, така че сигурно ще ѝ дам и повторен шанс някой път.
~~~
After-read thoughts:
Oh well.... I was up for something more. I've heard only good things for this author, and the premise sounded more than nice, especially with the twins phenomenon. I do like stories that are straight to reality, and those that are upmost fantasy, but in my reading love world there is also a special place for stories that tread on the border of known, unknown and unknowable.
Here however... everything felt superficial. Now I remember nothing of the characters, even if I read the novel less than two months ago, and knowing myself, I ought to recall something. But not. The two-dimensional characters seemd just to pop on the scene, play their role and then exit and be forgotten by me. The investigation itself wasn't the best I've read either. With random details about every suspect, it was supposed to form an intricate pattern, but it felt barely outlined.
No doubt, the connection between the twins was the most intriguing thing in the book, and yet I wanted more. Maybe if the girls were a bit older and had more realisation of what is going on and in between them, it'd been more interesting.
And so this is. From what I read, this is not one of Mary Higgins Clark's best novel, so I'll be willing to give her a second try sometimes. But for now I give this book 3 stars.
August 27, 2021
At first, I really liked this book but as it went on (and on and on..) I liked it less and less. Let's get into it.
The short chapters were great, it made me want to keep reading but it was so repetitive, it was annoying.
I didnt like that every couple chapters a new, pointless character was introduced. After a while, it got hard to keep track of who all these randoms were. We had 3 different sales clerks from the clothing store, the cop at the mall, the McDonald's "waitress", her granddaughter, I lost of track of how many cops and hotel employees and FBI agents, neighbors, Steve's brother, his mother, his coworkers, blah blah blah. Plus, the chapters would start with the character out of nowhere and then half way down the page it would reveal that this random person was a mall employee or hotel employee or some other pointless character that didnt need to be included.
The part that bothered me the most was that the twins were supposed to be 3 years old. 3. I dont know any 3 year olds that talk in complete sentences like these two did. Most 3 year olds babble and only their parents can understand them. These babies were masterful at talking and strategizing. It was dumb. Might be a tad more believable if they were 5 or 6, but 3? Give me a break.
Aside from that, it took like 50 chapters to tell a basic plot that could have been shortened to maybe 10 chapters. I was getting frustrated thinking, okay can we get on with it now?
I read this book without ever reading the back cover or knowing what it was about, but I could tell from the acknowledgments at the front of the book that the twins were going to be kidnapped and somehow separated because it mentioned twin telepathy. I figured they would lead different lives and then accidentally cross paths again later in life and reunite. Like the movie Big Business with Bett Midler.
Nope.
This was 110 chapters and all that happened was they got kidnapped, got separated, mentioned twin telepathy and their stupid blue pajamas and old Cape Cod about a gazillion times and then were reunited and that was it. No twists. Just a long, drawn out story about a kidnapping. It took me ages to finish this because it was so frustrating to read.
The short chapters were great, it made me want to keep reading but it was so repetitive, it was annoying.
I didnt like that every couple chapters a new, pointless character was introduced. After a while, it got hard to keep track of who all these randoms were. We had 3 different sales clerks from the clothing store, the cop at the mall, the McDonald's "waitress", her granddaughter, I lost of track of how many cops and hotel employees and FBI agents, neighbors, Steve's brother, his mother, his coworkers, blah blah blah. Plus, the chapters would start with the character out of nowhere and then half way down the page it would reveal that this random person was a mall employee or hotel employee or some other pointless character that didnt need to be included.
The part that bothered me the most was that the twins were supposed to be 3 years old. 3. I dont know any 3 year olds that talk in complete sentences like these two did. Most 3 year olds babble and only their parents can understand them. These babies were masterful at talking and strategizing. It was dumb. Might be a tad more believable if they were 5 or 6, but 3? Give me a break.
Aside from that, it took like 50 chapters to tell a basic plot that could have been shortened to maybe 10 chapters. I was getting frustrated thinking, okay can we get on with it now?
I read this book without ever reading the back cover or knowing what it was about, but I could tell from the acknowledgments at the front of the book that the twins were going to be kidnapped and somehow separated because it mentioned twin telepathy. I figured they would lead different lives and then accidentally cross paths again later in life and reunite. Like the movie Big Business with Bett Midler.
Nope.
This was 110 chapters and all that happened was they got kidnapped, got separated, mentioned twin telepathy and their stupid blue pajamas and old Cape Cod about a gazillion times and then were reunited and that was it. No twists. Just a long, drawn out story about a kidnapping. It took me ages to finish this because it was so frustrating to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2018
Book on CD narrated by Jan Maxwell.
Three-year-old identical twins Kathy and Kelly are kidnapped while their parents are out for the evening, the babysitter left gagged and unconscious. An excessive ransom is demanded of this young, middle-class couple, and Steve’s employer agrees to put up the $8 million ransom as a gesture of goodwill (and to temper the bad press of some dicey business dealings). But things do not go as planned.
This is a fast-paced thriller with a building sense of suspense. The reader is always in on the crime, knowing the identity of the kidnappers and even the “secretive” Pied Piper long before the characters catch on. But the changing points of view, keeps the novel moving forward and helps maintain that sense of suspense.
My main problem with this book is how the twins are portrayed. I get that they have a sort of “twin telepathy” but I think Clark takes this to extremes. Also, their speech (although stated as advanced) seems just too complicated in both grammar and vocabulary for their age and experience.
Still it kept me interested and entertained, and certainly meets the standards of the genre.
Jan Maxwell does a fine job narrating the audiobook, though I did read the last half in text version. She sets a good pace and has sufficient skill as a voice artist to differentiate the many characters. I particularly liked the way she voiced Angie/Mona …. Really brought out her psychopathology.
Three-year-old identical twins Kathy and Kelly are kidnapped while their parents are out for the evening, the babysitter left gagged and unconscious. An excessive ransom is demanded of this young, middle-class couple, and Steve’s employer agrees to put up the $8 million ransom as a gesture of goodwill (and to temper the bad press of some dicey business dealings). But things do not go as planned.
This is a fast-paced thriller with a building sense of suspense. The reader is always in on the crime, knowing the identity of the kidnappers and even the “secretive” Pied Piper long before the characters catch on. But the changing points of view, keeps the novel moving forward and helps maintain that sense of suspense.
My main problem with this book is how the twins are portrayed. I get that they have a sort of “twin telepathy” but I think Clark takes this to extremes. Also, their speech (although stated as advanced) seems just too complicated in both grammar and vocabulary for their age and experience.
Still it kept me interested and entertained, and certainly meets the standards of the genre.
Jan Maxwell does a fine job narrating the audiobook, though I did read the last half in text version. She sets a good pace and has sufficient skill as a voice artist to differentiate the many characters. I particularly liked the way she voiced Angie/Mona …. Really brought out her psychopathology.
September 17, 2020
2019
Alright, so this isn't a terrible mystery but I struggled to finish reading it because it felt like it just kept dragging on. And there was a bunch of stuff that I didn't feel was necessary/ kept pulling me away from the original mystery - the kidnapping of the girls. For instance, what did it matter that Norman Bond killed his wife? Or that she was pregnant with twins at the time? It literally had no bearing on the kidnapping case at all. And then everyone, and I do mean everyone, kept forgetting significant information that would help locate the twins. Like, their mom forgot that there was another lady buying outfits for twins at the same place she was buying outfits for hers. And there was a McDonald's employee who was looking at a picture of the twins in the newspaper and conveniently forgot that the kid right in front of her was one of the twins.
Alright, so this isn't a terrible mystery but I struggled to finish reading it because it felt like it just kept dragging on. And there was a bunch of stuff that I didn't feel was necessary/ kept pulling me away from the original mystery - the kidnapping of the girls. For instance, what did it matter that Norman Bond killed his wife? Or that she was pregnant with twins at the time? It literally had no bearing on the kidnapping case at all. And then everyone, and I do mean everyone, kept forgetting significant information that would help locate the twins. Like, their mom forgot that there was another lady buying outfits for twins at the same place she was buying outfits for hers. And there was a McDonald's employee who was looking at a picture of the twins in the newspaper and conveniently forgot that the kid right in front of her was one of the twins.
February 10, 2009
If I could, I'd give this 3.5 stars - definitely interesting and well-written, but not uplifting since there are some super evil characters who harm children! I wasn't sure what to expect from Higgins Clark, but I was relieved she doesn't pepper the pages with profanity. Also good was the fact that the bad guys all lose out in the end. Like I said, interesting and entertaining with a good sense of mystery - but filled with a lot of fear and tragedy.
August 19, 2015
Očekivano dobar krimić Mary Higging Clark. Mislim da više manje svi znamo što možemo očekivati od ove, provjerene autorice. Ovaj puta pratimo otmicu trogodišnjih blizanki iz kuta roditelja, otmičara i agenata FBI koji sudjeluju u istrazi. Zanimljivo i dinamično...jedna od onih knjiga uz koje vrijeme brzo prođe; nema tu neke velike filozofije, samo zločin i (ne baš kazna), nego istraga zločina.. ;)
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