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Daddy's Little Girl

Mary Higgins Clark

3.87 · Rating details · 18,916 ratings · 891 reviews

Ellie Cavanaugh was only seven years old when her fifteen-year-old sister, Andrea, was murdered near their home in Oldham-on-the-Hudson, a rural village in New York's Westchester County. There were three suspects: Rob Westerfield, nineteen-year-old scion of a wealthy, prominent family, whom Andrea has been secretly dating; Paul Stroebel, a sixteen-year-old schoolmate, who ...more

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Paperback, 384 pages

Published April 1st 2003 by Pocket Books (first published April 16th 2002)

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· 18,916 ratings · 891 reviews

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Apr 08, 2015 Diane Wallace rated it really liked it

Fantastic read! climatic,suspenseful,very engaging,perseverance in never giving up in what you believe is the truth,just keep fighting for justice...a well written story (paperback!)

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Aug 04, 2019 Erin rated it it was ok

Shelves: august-2019

2.5 Stars

Used Book A Thon: read a book that cost $2 or less

First can we start off with that title?

Daddy's Little Girl

CREEEPY!

Despite having a title that sounds like child porn, this book was Okay. It was a fast read, I just blew through it. It was Fine. I think I've read one other Mary Higgins Clark novel when I was a teenager but I can't remember the title or the plot. I only remember that it took place during winter. And I remember that book being Fine as well.

I'm not blaming this book or ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Li'l Owl rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-crime-suspense-thriller, owl-s-books-own, stand-alone

Another great book by The Queen Of Suspense! I've read many books by Mary Higgins Clark and I've never been disappointed. I'm always caught off guard by the twist near the end that I didn't see coming. I Highly recommend this, and all books by The Queen of Suspense! ...more

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Jul 23, 2010 Jerry B rated it it was ok

Inconsistent pace and predictable ending spoil the suspense...

We're not likely to skip a novel by (mama) Clark, but this -- her 21st -- is far from her best. A good start leads into an absolute slug of a middle book, with most of the exciting action reserved for the three-page epilogue. Ironically, there is a reasonable degree of suspense to the plot, but our interest ebbed and waned so severely we might have put this down if we hadn't lined up for the hardback.

The plot revolves around Ellie Ca ...more

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Aug 21, 2015 mollusskka rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: karakter-utama-nyebelin, agak-boring

It started off pretty flat despite it was opened with the finding of a dead body in a garage. Ellie was just 8 years old when she found her sister dead. But, surprisingly enough, she didn't look like an 8 yo girl to me. The way she handled the situation and how she was treated, it was so hard to believe. Why she would blame her self so much about her sister's death? It's beyond normal. If I were Ellie, I would blame my self too, but not so intense like she did. After that, I would spend some day ...more

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Oct 10, 2020 Mary Blye Kramer rated it really liked it

I’m a memoir addict but after feeling like I’ve pretty much read every good one out there, I picked up a few suspense books. This is the first one I’ve read, ever, and I loved it. I’m a huge fan of suspense movies so it was pretty easy to get into this genre of books. I would probably prefer books where the ending is more of a surprise, as in OMG, HE did it??!! But this was an original and a page turner. You’ll probably see more reviews from me on suspense novels now.

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Oct 04, 2016 Boundless Book Reviews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, stormi-s-reviews, suspense, thriller

I have read a few books by Mary Higgins Clark, but this was by far my favorite.

Ellie was just a young girl when her sister was murdered. Now years later the man who went away for her murder is getting out of prison. On a road filled with danger, Ellie is on the search for more evidence against Rob that will get him sent back to prison. This story was a twisted web of lies, betrayal, and a families love.

The dedication that Ellie shows is what really made this book. She was just a young girl and ...more

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Jul 06, 2014 Lee rated it liked it

Shelves: american-authors, mystery, cheap, cosy-mystery, horror-thriller

3 1/2 stars. I unashamedly love MHC. Her books are very easy to read and play out almost like a movie in my mind. However, I marked this down by 1/2 star for the ending. It felt really rushed, as if she didn't know how to finish, or was too tired to go on. In fact, the book ends with a summary (shudder) explaining how the loose ends were tied up (a little too neatly). The other thing I didn't like about the book was its multitude of unnecessary characters. There were quite a few who were introdu ...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Doris rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This enthralling story is a first person narrative told by Ellie Cavanaugh, the 30-year-old survivor to a murder that devastated her family when she was only 7. She is now an investigative reporter, and has twice gone to the parole board to fight the parole of the man convicted of the brutal murder of her big sister Andrea. For 23 years, she had been convinced her sister's murderer was in prison, but now he, and his extremely wealthy family, are fighting to prove her wrong.

This story twists as E ...more

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Oct 11, 2014 Siobhan rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was my first dealing with the author and if I’m honest I’m not one hundred percent sure where I sit.

The story is interesting from the start yet it is not the fastest moving book I have ever read. Whilst events are moving forward throughout I felt as though there was no real action. It was almost an account of things passing by which compared to other books in this genre was really disappointed. Overall, I really did expect much more action than I was given.

The story follows Ellie years aft ...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Martha rated it really liked it

Shelves: own-books

Recently I found Daddy’s Little Girl at Barnes & Noble while I was browsing and remembered reading it many years ago. My memory was “an excellent book”, so I bought it to re-read. Because my memory was so positive I put down a 5-star when I first came on GoodReads.

Just finished this as a re-read and now my views are:

Only vaguely remember the beginning and NOTHING ELSE. So, the positive is: it was like reading a new book. This I liked. But, the negative: Why did I forget 90% of the book? Loss of ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Paula rated it really liked it

Ellie finds her 15 year old sister dead in a garage. She knows it was Rob Westerfield, a boy from a prominent family who did it. She tells what she knows at the trial and he is sentenced to 23 years.

Now 23 years later, he is up for parole and Ellie wants to stop it.

Very good read.

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Apr 04, 2019 Erica T rated it really liked it

Shelves: eaters-readers-bookclub

I always love Mary Higgins Clark. Great mysteries without being gory or scary. This one was a little more predictable for me than most of the others. There’s always a big twist at the end that I did not see coming, but the ending on this one did not surprise me. Still a good read.

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Jan 07, 2016 Sarah Nessler rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Yet another good mystery. I am not a reader who necessarily expects a book that is unpredictable. Sometimes books that are predictable are just as thrilling. I have enjoyed all of Mary Higgins Clark's works that I have ever read. This book had enormous meaning other then being a mystery, for Ellie she thought she knew her father and his feelings and after time she found out she was wrong. They worked out their differences and became a family again. She was able to obtain a new job, brought the t ...more

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Jul 08, 2010 Rhiannon rated it liked it

All around, I enjoyed reading Daddy's Little Girl. I liked the simple way it was written and so it was easy to visualize the events. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the main character, Ellie. I found her to be obsessive and frankly just plain rude and careless at parts. But other than that, the book itself was quite good. ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Audrey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-and-suspense

Ellie was seven years old when her older sister Andrea was murdered. Now 23 years later her killer is up for parole and Ellie is determined that he stays in jail where he belongs. Rob Westerfield has always insisted that he was innocent of the murder but Ellie is set to prove him wrong. She puts up a website with the evidence that she uncovers which puts her own life in danger.

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Feb 02, 2008 Ceci rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Anyone who loves suspence and has the time to read this book through until the end without stopping.

Recommended to Ceci by: I have been looking around for her book since my Dad (or Mom) sh

Wow. Once again, Mary Higgins Clark has drawn my attention to her books and the world she writes about. A very descriptive story, she again proves why she is the "Queen of Suspence".

A very thrilling story that keeps you hooked and wanting more. ~Ceci~ ...more

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Nov 05, 2018 Ariel rated it it was ok

Shelves: bookclub

I wanted to like this book, but the ending was too predictable. Overall, the story was lacking in suspense unless you were wondering what the protagonist's elaborate next meal was going to be. Spoiler: she usually went with the soup. ...more

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Mar 14, 2020 Neha Azhar rated it really liked it · review of another edition

To call it a mystery would be incorrect. To call it a thriller would only be partially true. To call it an investigative crime novel with no mystery and little thrill would be accurate enough, so we'll call it that.

This is a story about eight year old Ellie Cavanaugh who discovers her fifteen year old sister Andrea's body in a garage, her head bashed in. Ellie testifies against Andrea's boyfriend Robson Westerfield in court that puts him in jail. Twenty-two years later, he's on parole, about to To call it a mystery would be incorrect. To call it a thriller would only be partially true. To call it an investigative crime novel with no mystery and little thrill would be accurate enough, so we'll call it that.

This is a story about eight year old Ellie Cavanaugh who discovers her fifteen year old sister Andrea's body in a garage, her head bashed in. Ellie testifies against Andrea's boyfriend Robson Westerfield in court that puts him in jail. Twenty-two years later, he's on parole, about to be released. Now a thirty year old investigative reporter, Ellie decides to go back to her old hometown and ensure he does not get released. But homecoming for Ellie is not going to be welcoming. Soon she realizes someone out there is trying very hard to make sure Ellie never publics her findings. And that someone will do anything to seal her lips.

The synopsis never hinted there was going to be a sudden plot twist. I expected it. It's on me. I cannot blame the author for it but I couldn't help be a little disappointed that the story did not offer anything more. Anyhow, I enjoyed the book overall nevertheless. I kept reading it without thinking it was boring or dull. I enjoyed Ellie Cavanaugh's quest for ensuring her sister's killer never saw the light of day ever again. There were minor twists, one pretty gory too which was icing on the cake for me. The story ended well, I got the climax I wanted except for one important detail that was never revisited. I wonder if Mary Higgins Clarke forgot to address it or decided to leave it to the reader's imagination, insinuating that we sometimes never get definite answers.

Title: okay, what pulled me to the book in the first place was the title. I admit I liked the creepy quality to it. But after reading the book the title seems misleading. Still creepy, but in a very different way. Disturbingly different. Once again I wonder, was this planned by the author to throw the readers off or is the title innocent and I need to tone my mind down a little. *shrugs* ...more

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Jul 03, 2017 Ashley rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Daddy's Little Girl is not one of Mary Higgins Clark's stronger works. The slow pacing of the story is followed by a lightning quick one page wrap-up. This along with many unrealistic elements make the story a 2 to 2.5 star novel.

Ellie Cavanaugh was seven years old when her 15 year-old sister Andrea didn't return home from studying at a friends one night. Her overprotective State Trooper father and her mother were worried and spent the night frantically searching, having sent Ellie to bed. I Daddy's Little Girl is not one of Mary Higgins Clark's stronger works. The slow pacing of the story is followed by a lightning quick one page wrap-up. This along with many unrealistic elements make the story a 2 to 2.5 star novel.

Ellie Cavanaugh was seven years old when her 15 year-old sister Andrea didn't return home from studying at a friends one night. Her overprotective State Trooper father and her mother were worried and spent the night frantically searching, having sent Ellie to bed. In the early hours of the next morning Ellie sneaks off to her sister's secret hangout and discovers her sister's body. Andrea had been murdered and the prime suspect was her secret boyfriend Robson Westerfield, a wealthy socialite from a prominent family. Also under suspicion is the mentally challenged boy who had a crush on Andrea, Paulie Stroebel. As well as the often drunk and inappropriate handyman Will Nebels. The evidence points to Rob and with the help of Ellie he is sent to prison. 22 years later he is up for parole and claims new evidence proves he was wrongly accused. So Ellie returns to her hometown, determined to not let the Westerfields and their fortune ruin her sisters name and pin the crime on an innocent person.

While the story was interesting I did find it a bit slow moving with many unbelievable elements. Firstly the treatment of Ellie, especially by Officer White was unrealistic. Her father had been a state trooper and 22 years ago when the crime was committed everyone thought that Rob was guilty. A big deal is made of how her father threw the eldest Mrs. Westerfield out of Andrea's funeral (which was well before any trial) because he was sure of Rob's guilt not only for his daughters murder but for the attempted murder of Mrs. Westerfield herself. The only thing that has changed in the last twenty-two years is now the drunk (and probable pedophile) Nebels is claiming to have broken into the Westerfield house on the night of the murder and seen Paulie not Rob enter the garage where the body was found. Nebels was paraded out by Rob's father and it seems like everyone knows how much his grandmother wants the Westerfield name cleared so it's unreasonable to think that the police force would be so blind as to believe them over Cavanaugh. To suggest she started the fire that nearly killed her because she grabbed some items on the way out the door was outlandish. She was a visitor to the town so it shouldn't have been suspicious that she kept her items packed. This suggests a corrupt police force that hadn't existed 22 years ago when they zealously prosecuted Rob for the murder. So why now are the police wanting to protect Rob and the Westerfield family? It didn't make sense.

Rob as a character didn't make much sense either. He is described as a sociopath by his schools and had multiple violent interactions with both schoolmates and the public (i.e the waitress). His parents paid to cover all these instances up. However I find it hard to believe that no one knew about these instances and even harder to believe that the original prosecutors would not have gotten this information for the first trial. Aside from the hand written map from the robbery, everything Ellie was able to uncover about his past behavior would have been useful for the prosecutor in the first trial. (At the time the statute of limitations would not have been up on the robbery so the testimony of a criminal in regards to the note may not have been useful). And she was very easily able to uncover all these incriminating circumstances more than 22 years after the fact. It is unrealistic and unreasonable to think that none of this would have been used in the first trial.

Of course Ellie is also not a super sympathetic character. She is constantly complaining that others perceive her as obsessed with Rob and unable to let go despite the fact that he has served his time; then goes on to admit this is true. She comes off as whiney and inflexible - not good qualities especially in an investigative reporter. At one point I believe she accuses her writing rival Bern of only focusing on the positive things about Rob and forcing the evidence to fit his theory of the crime when she is literally doing the exact same thing. She never once even entertains the idea that someone else could have committed the crime even after she is physically attacked by a drunken Nebels and Stroebel makes mysterious mentions of the locket no one else acknowledged existed. She also is cruel to her father and brother. She whines about how Rob's crime destroyed her family but admits that she was cold to her father and expected him to come after her and her mother... she was seven when they left there is no way she knew the whole story/circumstances of the move and doesn't give her father the benefit of the doubt. She doesn't come off as a good person... And why the hell can't Mary Higgins Clark ever write a female character that doesn't end up married by the end of the book. Seriously?!? Her ex-boss that doesn't even really talk to her? Of course he's literally the only single man she knows in this story so I guess he was the only option... but really. The last page of the book where she's suddenly got this happy ending: closure and a mended relationship with her dad, a successful book and now a husband- was too neat and frankly insulting to the reader.

On top of that the book lacked any real twist. The summary made it appear as if there were multiple viable suspects for the crime and that it was possible that the wrong man went to prison. The 'suspects' were a mentally challenged man and a drunk, so neither seemed that viable. The originally convicted killer was the killer and had done a lot of other things along the way (I won't get into the nonsense of all the actions he takes as a free man after 22 years because this review is already becoming a book in itself)

Overall this story is lack luster with unsympathetic and unrealistic characters, and a meandering story with a rushed and ultimately unsatisfying ending. ...more

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Jul 17, 2020 AJ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: not certain I WOULD recommend it

Recommended to AJ by: The authoress

Shelves: grade-b-three-stars

©2002
Books: 2
Chapters: 46
Pages: 291

First let me begin this review by saying that I read this book back in 2015. However, after I read a book, I always try to write out my feelings on the story when I finish. Sometimes, I’m moved to write a great deal to type up later. Other times, I just feel up to writing a very basic review. I never intended for it to take me five YEARS to get it on my GoodReads account, but it has. Obviously, by now, I don’t really remember much about the story, though someti ©2002
Books: 2
Chapters: 46
Pages: 291

First let me begin this review by saying that I read this book back in 2015. However, after I read a book, I always try to write out my feelings on the story when I finish. Sometimes, I’m moved to write a great deal to type up later. Other times, I just feel up to writing a very basic review. I never intended for it to take me five YEARS to get it on my GoodReads account, but it has. Obviously, by now, I don’t really remember much about the story, though sometimes my notes help jog my memory. So, if the following review doesn’t really say much or deal too much with the story or plot, that’s probably because I wasn’t moved by one or the other or both to write more than I did. However, such as it is I give to you.

Book Summary: Gabrielle “Ellie” Cavanaugh is a 30-year-old investigative reporter whose job has prepared her to take on the toughest investigation of her life: her 15-year-old sister, Andrea’s, death from twenty-three years ago. The reason? Her murderer was let out on parole, and she’s convinced that, though he was convicted and given a lengthy sentence, it wasn’t enough because handsome Rob Westerfield’s not only guilty of murder but shouldn’t be allowed to roam Westchester County free. But proving her case against Rob isn’t just the toughest job she’s ever done—it’s also the deadliest.

My Review (spoiler alert!)—I don’t know why, but I just didn’t like Ellie. I never “took” to her. Usually, when you read such stories, you’re pushing for the heroine, wanting to see her come out on top, etc., but with Ellie Cavanaugh, I just didn’t really care, and I’m not exactly sure why. She isn’t overly feministic or too rude (she does have her moments, though) or anything that usually puts me off modern heroines, but I just couldn’t get into her. Actually, I didn’t really care for anyone in this book, not even the murdered sister, Andrea, whom I probably liked least of all.

That said, the ending (chapter 45) was good. I liked how her father and half-brother, Teddy, rescue her (and brought a tear to my eye, the very last paragraph of chapter 45).

I wasn’t certain how Mary Higgins Clark would finish this. Was Rob going to be “it,” or would there be a twist? Actually, I’d hoped for a twist—not because I liked Rob any but because, I guess, I didn’t like Ellie and wanted to see her knocked down a peg with a murderer she never saw coming. I wondered, if there were a twist, if her father would turn out to be “it” and this was some case of child molestation or just a very freaky overprotective father who worshiped his daughter a little TOO zealously and, in a fit of anger at being defied by “Daddy’s Little Girl,” he beat her. I didn’t see how the giggling Ellie heard worked into that scenario, but I wondered if maybe Paulie Stroebel may’ve been there.

Anyhow, it turns out to be Rob, which leads me to two questions: (1) Why the title “Daddy’s Little Girl” (the title makes it sound as if the father is somehow going to be involved in it. I know it relates to the music box, but…I don’t know—it just didn’t work for me) and (2) Why the strange ending? Chapter 45 is the “wrap-up,” when Rob’s captured in the act of trying to kill Ellie, and chapter 46 is a “one-year-later” epilog, which I felt was rather sloppily done. It was such a rushed ending, as if Mary Higgins Clark was getting bored with the story and wanted to hurry the finale along. But the one thing she didn’t really explain was why Rob used the alias “Jim Wilding”—was he supposed to be a split personality? Was he as the waitress-cum-psychiatrist said: a sociopath (in which case, why the disguise and alias? I didn’t think sociopaths worried about being caught—enough to take on an alter ego)? Was he just weird? What was his reason for BEING Jim Wilding? Did his parents know the extent of his villainy? Why did he kill “Phil”? Did she make him mad?”

There were questions left unanswered, which is why I say the epilog seemed rushed. Yes, Rob’s tried and convicted, but what gives about the Jim Wilding angle, and did his parents know he was so whacked out? And what about his cohort in the truck at the end? And what about Alfie and Dan Mayotte? Mary Higgins Clark tells us about Ellie’s marrying Pete Lawlor, which was kind of obvious as to that ending, but she didn’t tell us about the other loose ends. She introduces Amy Phyllis Rayburn and family and Dan Mayotte at the very end but doesn’t say anything other than Dan’s given a pardon. But what about the Rayburns? Did they heal the past between Dan and themselves? And what happened to Alfie? And what about Herb Coril? The statute of limitations ran out on Alfie’s case, but did he—I don’t know—get any sort of closure for his brother’s vindication or maybe bad press from being outed? And was Coril dead? Did Will Nebels do time? What about Marco Longo—did he and his wife move to Colorado after all? And what was Joan’s reaction to Rob’s actually being “it,” or how about Paulie, his mom, or Mrs. Hilmer not to mention all the people Rob hurt along the way: the women who owned that restaurant, the waitress-doctor, Chris Cassidy, et al? And how did Officer White and Detective Bannister take the news? Too many threads not tied off at the end. It would’ve been nice to read of EVERYONE’S reaction to Rob Westerfield’s being the actual killer.

Grade: B ...more

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Oct 15, 2017 Bene rated it liked it · review of another edition

2.5 stars

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Mar 03, 2018 Jackie rated it really liked it

Not my usual pick of genre, but it was a fun change of pace. A suspenseful quick read.

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Aug 13, 2020 Sue rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Excellent - intrigue, mystery, love, family, friends. Everything you could want in a novel.

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Oct 17, 2020 Kathy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

With Jeff

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May 12, 2013 Kiana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

'Daddy's Little Girl' by Mary Higgins Clark is a fabulous story filled with mystery and suspense. Mary Higgins Clark is a phenomenal author who was born December 24, 1929 and she is now 83 years old. She studied at Fordham university and has won many awards for her books. This novel is one of my favourites of Mary's collection. It is an amazing thriller that has so much suspense. Whenever I pick up this book I know I will be up for a long night of reading because this book is impossible to put d 'Daddy's Little Girl' by Mary Higgins Clark is a fabulous story filled with mystery and suspense. Mary Higgins Clark is a phenomenal author who was born December 24, 1929 and she is now 83 years old. She studied at Fordham university and has won many awards for her books. This novel is one of my favourites of Mary's collection. It is an amazing thriller that has so much suspense. Whenever I pick up this book I know I will be up for a long night of reading because this book is impossible to put down. I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. The end of each chapter was always a cliff hanger. When I opened this book for the first time I had no idea where the story was going to lead to. This story has left me with a new mind, a new opinion and the craving for another one of these books.
In my opinion this book is aimed for teenagers and adults. My mum and I have both read and loved this book. I could see that if a child were to read this book they might get quite confused and have trouble following the story and the characters.

The main character, Ellie, takes the audience on a fearful and surprising journey where each event is a shock. I read along as Ellie fought to get the murderer of her sister back in jail. Each page was filled with suspense and I was nervous as Ellie put herself in serious danger and faced many near death experiences. Losing all of her family at a young age has put her in a tough position. She was young and confused but as the story progresses she finds her true family once again.

Ellie always felt blamed for the death of her sister and then the cause for her family to fall apart. After Ellie's sister Andrea dies, her happy and cheerful parents have never been the same. Her mother eventually died of a broken heart after splitting up with Ellie's dad. Ellie and her father never kept in touch but something or someone seemed to bring them back together as Ellie investigated evidence of Rob Westerfeild, the boyfriend and murderer of Andrea. Rob Westerfeild was doing all that he could to get rid of Ellie and prove that what he said was true. What Ellie didn't know but soon found out was that the murder of Ellie was not his only crime.
This novel is a mystery and thriller with themes of murder, love, family, suffering, tragedy, death and loss.
The themes of love and family are portrayed well throughout this story. They relate to the the extreme care and admiration Ellie had for her sister and her parents. Loss is related to her losing her sister, her mother, her father and in some way a part of herself.
It was a very depressing and tragic time for Ellie and her parents' life when they experienced the loss of Andrea. This event traumatised Ellie and she could never forget it.
Ellie is a very brave character who shows a lot of independence. She was a trustworthy person and showed great love and compassion for her family. The antagonist in the story was Rob Westerfeild. He was a very horrible person and his character shows a lot of bad qualities. He was a liar and a murderer who showed a different type of character to those around him. He wanted to be able to get away with his terrible crimes and still have people see him as an innocent person.
Mary Higgins Clark wrote this story very well and went into great depth to give the readers a really good idea of the characters and themes. It gives a good setting for us to imagine everything that she describes clearly. It is written in first person and is read from Ellie's point of view. This way I was truly able to understand and learn all of Ellie's thoughts about her personality, fears and loves.
I seriously recommend this book to other teens and adults as it is an interesting yet quick read. It is not too easy to read but it is not too difficult either. A truly amazing story that is action packed and mysterious. Even so, it was still able to send a message. Life is short, so don't waste it. Family comes first, protect them like they would protect you. ...more

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Sep 22, 2017 Julie Hodgson rated it it was amazing

Read this while in my new book shop, which of course is full of books..Was intrigued with Ellie and her journey to find justice for the brutal murder of her sister. I do love MHC books.

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Apr 29, 2014 Karyn Kar Mun (Thy Evil Queen) rated it did not like it · review of another edition

A friend of mine recommended this book. It had a synopsis that sounded interesting: The heroine, Ellie, was only 7 years old when she discovered the dead body of her 15-year-old sister. There was a handful of suspects, one of whom was convicted and imprisoned despite his steadfast denial of guilt. 2 decades later he was set free, and Ellie, unable to bear this, began writing a book, bent on proving his guilt. New evidences were unearthed ...

Sounds interesting, yeah?

Nope. It was mind-numbingly du ...more

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Aug 15, 2014 Kelly rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-thrillers-and-mystery

There were a few things that I did not like about this novel, however I did appreciate the nuances within the plot, all those little details that suddenly came together were masterful.

So here I go with the negatives:

Ellie was far too dismissive, short-sighted and judgemental for me to champion at all . Throughout the whole novel she believed that Rob was the killer and regardless of any other views or opinions, she just would not budge. I didn't really like that, I wanted her to be flawed and There were a few things that I did not like about this novel, however I did appreciate the nuances within the plot, all those little details that suddenly came together were masterful.

So here I go with the negatives:

Ellie was far too dismissive, short-sighted and judgemental for me to champion at all . Throughout the whole novel she believed that Rob was the killer and regardless of any other views or opinions, she just would not budge. I didn't really like that, I wanted her to be flawed and to second-guess or to be brave enough to admit that she might have been wrong. (view spoiler) To be honest the majority of the plot just revolved around her eating and mysteriously referring to her blog as the Website - note the important capitalisation on Website

I didn't like that Ellie began to nuture relationships with the likes of Joan and Mrs. Hilmer only to turn on them once they gave an opinion that did not match her own. I just felt that she wasn't a very nice person, and because this novel was so plot driven, we never got to see a more relaxed and personal side to Ellie to contradict this view. Even in her segments with Pete it was all business and 'straight-talking' and no personality or romance.

Overall I would say it could only just be called a 'Crime/Thriller' and wasn't really worth the eye-strain to read it. ...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Monica Chin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: summer-read-books-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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About Mary Higgins Clark

Mary Higgins Clark

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The #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.

Clark’s books have sold more than 100 milli ...more