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Reader's Digest Select Editions, Volume 263, 2002 #5: Daddy's Little Girl / Three Weeks in Paris / Flight Lessons / Without Fail
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.
The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 31, 2015
The Reader's Digest Select Editions Series Volume 5: 2002 - (Daddy's Little Girl/Without Fail/Flight Lessons/Three Weeks in Paris)
"Then, from somewhere in the big room, she was sure she heard someone breathing - harsh, heavy, sucking-in breaths that broke off in a kind of giggle."
"Terrified, she tried to get up, but her knees slid in the blood and she fell forward across Andrea's chest. Her lips grazed something smooth and cold - Andrea's gold locket. Then she managed to scramble to her feet, and she turned and began to run."
Ellie Cavanaugh was seven years old when her older sister Andrea disappeared and was later found murdered near their home in Westchester County, New York. As a matter of fact, it was young Ellie's tearful testimony that eventually put nineteen-year-old Rob Westerfield, the scion of a prominent family, in jail despite the existence of two other viable suspects. And for the past two decades, Rob Westerfield has stayed behind bars, although he has always proclaimed his innocence of Andrea's murder.
Twenty-two years later, Rob, who still maintains his innocence, is paroled. Determined to thwart his every attempt to pin the crime on another person, Ellie, now an investigative reporter for an Atlanta newspaper, returns home and starts writing a book that will conclusively prove Rob Westerfield's guilt - beyond a reasonable doubt. As she delves deeper into her research, however, Ellie begins to uncover some horrifying facts that shed a whole new light on her sister's brutal murder. And with each new discovery, Ellie creeps closer to finally solving her sister's murder, and putting herself in a dangerous situation - into a direct confrontation with a desperate killer.
I must say that after I read All Through the Night: A Suspense Story back in April of 2014, I wasn't all that sure if I wanted to read another book by Mary Higgins Clark for some time. I decided to end my self-imposed hiatus by reading this particular book, though. I'm so glad that I chose to give Ms. Clark a second chance as I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I found it much more intriguing than I expected, and I would give Daddy's Little Girl by Mary Higgins Clark an A!
"She might have to go as a grownup, not a mortal besieged by capricious gods, not a fierce, romantic, suicidal poet. An adult. If not capable of forgiving old sins, then at least willing to pretend, for the sake of peace, that they'd never been committed."
"Clever Rose. Anna hadn't given her credit for so much cunning."
Growing up, Anna Catalano had deeply admired and tried her best to emulate her unmarried aunt Rose, someone who led a much more exotic and glamorous life than her mother. Rose was the woman who Anna loved most in the world - the person she had at one time believed understood her best. However, as her mother lies dying, Anna discovers that her aunt Rose has betrayed Anna and her mother, Rose's own terminally ill sister in the worst way possible.
In the sixteen years that have passed, Anna has done her best to build another life for herself far from her hometown on Maryland's eastern shore, but she still can't forgive or forget Rose's shocking betrayal. Yet, it is a faithless lover's betrayal of her which eventually brings Anna back home - seeking an escape from her pain in the one place that she never expected to see again. So, Anna returns to her family's faltering restaurant, where Rose needs her estranged niece's help - and trust - more than ever before.
Determined to leave as soon as the struggling business is back on its feet and her own hurt is healed, Anna reluctantly joins her aunt in the kitchen of 'Bella Sorella', where values clash and generations collide - and also in the outside community, where their personal lives become entangled in surprising ways. Although Rose realizes that her niece has come home, it's clear that Anna doesn't plan to stay, despite Rose's many attempts to regain her niece's trust. Yet, as mistrustful as Anna is - her resolve to remain unaffected by Rose's longing to undo past mistakes - may just blind her to a true and unexpected love that's reaching out to grab her by the heart. Moving, funny, and ultimately reassuring about life and love, Ms. Gaffney's novel is just the thing her readers have been waiting for.
I must say that while this book was very good, it wasn't necessarily Ms. Gaffney's best work - at least in my opinion. It was certainly well-written and poignant, but for me, this story was slightly too wrapped up in the romantic subplot to be fully enjoyable. Although I appreciated that the main characters owned and operated a restaurant - I could completely relate to that aspect of the story, having owned and operated a restaurant myself. Overall, I would give Flight Lessons by Patricia Gaffney an A!
"Then, from somewhere in the big room, she was sure she heard someone breathing - harsh, heavy, sucking-in breaths that broke off in a kind of giggle."
"Terrified, she tried to get up, but her knees slid in the blood and she fell forward across Andrea's chest. Her lips grazed something smooth and cold - Andrea's gold locket. Then she managed to scramble to her feet, and she turned and began to run."
Ellie Cavanaugh was seven years old when her older sister Andrea disappeared and was later found murdered near their home in Westchester County, New York. As a matter of fact, it was young Ellie's tearful testimony that eventually put nineteen-year-old Rob Westerfield, the scion of a prominent family, in jail despite the existence of two other viable suspects. And for the past two decades, Rob Westerfield has stayed behind bars, although he has always proclaimed his innocence of Andrea's murder.
Twenty-two years later, Rob, who still maintains his innocence, is paroled. Determined to thwart his every attempt to pin the crime on another person, Ellie, now an investigative reporter for an Atlanta newspaper, returns home and starts writing a book that will conclusively prove Rob Westerfield's guilt - beyond a reasonable doubt. As she delves deeper into her research, however, Ellie begins to uncover some horrifying facts that shed a whole new light on her sister's brutal murder. And with each new discovery, Ellie creeps closer to finally solving her sister's murder, and putting herself in a dangerous situation - into a direct confrontation with a desperate killer.
I must say that after I read All Through the Night: A Suspense Story back in April of 2014, I wasn't all that sure if I wanted to read another book by Mary Higgins Clark for some time. I decided to end my self-imposed hiatus by reading this particular book, though. I'm so glad that I chose to give Ms. Clark a second chance as I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I found it much more intriguing than I expected, and I would give Daddy's Little Girl by Mary Higgins Clark an A!
"She might have to go as a grownup, not a mortal besieged by capricious gods, not a fierce, romantic, suicidal poet. An adult. If not capable of forgiving old sins, then at least willing to pretend, for the sake of peace, that they'd never been committed."
"Clever Rose. Anna hadn't given her credit for so much cunning."
Growing up, Anna Catalano had deeply admired and tried her best to emulate her unmarried aunt Rose, someone who led a much more exotic and glamorous life than her mother. Rose was the woman who Anna loved most in the world - the person she had at one time believed understood her best. However, as her mother lies dying, Anna discovers that her aunt Rose has betrayed Anna and her mother, Rose's own terminally ill sister in the worst way possible.
In the sixteen years that have passed, Anna has done her best to build another life for herself far from her hometown on Maryland's eastern shore, but she still can't forgive or forget Rose's shocking betrayal. Yet, it is a faithless lover's betrayal of her which eventually brings Anna back home - seeking an escape from her pain in the one place that she never expected to see again. So, Anna returns to her family's faltering restaurant, where Rose needs her estranged niece's help - and trust - more than ever before.
Determined to leave as soon as the struggling business is back on its feet and her own hurt is healed, Anna reluctantly joins her aunt in the kitchen of 'Bella Sorella', where values clash and generations collide - and also in the outside community, where their personal lives become entangled in surprising ways. Although Rose realizes that her niece has come home, it's clear that Anna doesn't plan to stay, despite Rose's many attempts to regain her niece's trust. Yet, as mistrustful as Anna is - her resolve to remain unaffected by Rose's longing to undo past mistakes - may just blind her to a true and unexpected love that's reaching out to grab her by the heart. Moving, funny, and ultimately reassuring about life and love, Ms. Gaffney's novel is just the thing her readers have been waiting for.
I must say that while this book was very good, it wasn't necessarily Ms. Gaffney's best work - at least in my opinion. It was certainly well-written and poignant, but for me, this story was slightly too wrapped up in the romantic subplot to be fully enjoyable. Although I appreciated that the main characters owned and operated a restaurant - I could completely relate to that aspect of the story, having owned and operated a restaurant myself. Overall, I would give Flight Lessons by Patricia Gaffney an A!
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