Stillwatch

by Mary Higgins Clark

Top investigative journalist Pat Traymore is in Washington, finding out all she can about the woman tipped to become the first female Vice-President. But she is also trying to exorcise painful childhood memories by visiting her old family home.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Adult

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

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. 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.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A low 3 stars maybe even 2.5. it was mildly entertaining although I agree it didn't age very well. I wanted more from the characters but was an ok read

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book did not age well – written in 1984. I almost DNF after 50 pages because every woman was described as beautiful. Of course, they were also successful and could cook, but the real ones in power were the handsome, white man - I’m so glad times have changed: or have they?

Anyway, the story was about a female journalist who had a violent incident as a child that suddenly got interconnected with her current interviewee: a female senator. Overall, it felt too naïve, too innocent and convenient to be ever true.

[fleurette · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read Mary Higgins Clark's book, but I think I should read another one soon. This one turned out to be great.

You will find everything here. An unexplained crime from years ago that concerns Pat, the main character. Pat, hiding her true identity while trying to unravel a tragic mystery from her childhood. Big politics at the very highest level. And the questionable past of the Senator, who is well on her way to becoming the first woman in history as a vice president of the United States. Plus a bit of romantic turmoil in Pat's life.

It all adds up to a truly great story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Full of unexpected twists and fast pace. I liked how complicated and multi-dimensional truth ultimately turns out to be. And although I was able to predict some of these answers, the whole picture turned out to be much more complex and very satisfying. Even if I also understand people who did not like this story. There are quite a few issues here that seem rather farfetched. It just didn't bother me.

It was also nice to read something old-school, from a time when cell phones and the Internet did not exist yet. I read a lot of modern thrillers and detective stories and I think I'm forgetting how the simple fact that you can't google everything or get someone on a cell phone every time you want raises the stakes and puts the characters in even greater danger. It is also easier to keep a secret or hide a crime.

It was a very enjoyable experience, just what I needed right now.

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

My wife and a friend, Janice, from our third-Monday book club (we meet at Barnes and Noble) went to see Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter, Carol, speak at the high school recently. Subsequently, my wife bought this to read on her Kindle, so I decided to read it, too. I don't think I had ever read Mary Higgins Clark before. I probably won't read her again.

Pat Traymore is the protagonist, a newswoman with a new job in Washington D.C. Her parents had died violent deaths there when she was a child--ostensibly, a murder-suicide. Well, right off, as a reader of a mystery writer you are suspicious of that notion of loving parents involved in something so horrendous, right? Well, the plot moves with a steady pace as Pat is assigned to make a documentary on one Senator Abigail Jennings, a prospect to fill a vacancy as Vice President of the U.S.

Several convenient coincidences in the story show that at this early stage of her writing career, Clark, as a writer, hadn't learned to avoid obvious and manipulative deus ex machina. Furthermore, I saw several grammatical errors in the book that were distracting and put me off.

[Maurean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be an entertaining mystery, and it has convinced me to try other MHC books in the future, but I don't know - based on this one novel - if I would classify her as the QUEEN of suspense (there are other contemporaries of hers that I enjoy just as much, certainly, if not more - Sandra Brown, Linda Fairstein, Heather Graham; all come immediately to mind). But, that's being really nit-picky, isn't it?! The storyline was intriguing, the characters were sympathetic, and it kept me turning pages until well past my intended bedtime, so overall, it was an enjoyable thriller, and I will try to read others by the author (Lord knows! There are a million of them out there...); What more could a reader want?

[Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very good Mary Higgins Clark mystery.

[Laurie D'ghent · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect example of why I love Mary Higgins Clark--no sex, very little swearing, an intriguing plot line without being evil or mess-your-pants material, antagonists that you can actually see a little of yourself in. Perfect.

[Milda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pradedu mėgti politinius trilerius. Nu labai gerai susiskaitė, lengvas skaitalas. Viskas buvo skoningai pateikta. Labai tinka jeigu norit pradėt skaityti tokio žanro knygas, įžanga einant link rimtesnių ir sudėtingesnių tokio žanro istorijų.

[alterego_bookaholic (Upasana Singh) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first from this author and am so happy to discover her 😁 What a nail biting and thrilling experience to read this just dint want to put the book down. Am going to add many of her other books to my TBR now.

[Tina hogan Grant · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read Many of Mary Higgins Clark's books. This one was my least favorite. I just couldn't get into it. I found myself thinking about other things while reading. I was unable to stay focused. the characters were very boring with no personalities. It was a struggle to finish the book. I hate not to finish a book and force myself to read if even if I am not enjoying it. This was the case with this one.

[Amanda McGill · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is something about MHC's main characters that I would never be friends with them in really life. Pat Traymore in Stillwatch is no exception. Pat is young (27), a successful news reporter, however she is so boring and lacks any personality. I really don't care about Pat.

Stillwatch is about Pat going to Washington to interview Congresswoman Abigail Jennings. While she is in Washington, she uncovers some facts about Abigail that could ruin Abigail's chances of becoming the first female vice president. Washington also brings back some painful memories for Pat, as a trauma happened to her family 25 years ago. Pat is racing to discover the truth behind her family as well as Abigail's secrets.

I'm really disappointed in this one. The majority of the novel was day to day activities and at times I questioned what the mystery even was. No huge surprise at the end and I was thankfully to be finished. The extra star is for MHC's ability to weave multiple storylines together and having them tie together perfectly.

I would suggest most readers to skip this one and to find another Clark novel. There are much better ones out there.

[Reema · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love MHC's writing and have read most of her books. But this books lacks suspense or conviction. The characters are vague and weak. the story is quite predictable. Pat Traymore is about to find all she can about the possible candidate who is set to become the first female Vice President of United States of America. But during the course of the research she comes across more than she could ask for. In the mean time she has to deal with her childhood memories which are rather vague and distant. Finding answers to the mystery surrounding herself and the possible future Vice President Abigale Jennings becomes a game that might cost Pat Traymore her life. The novel could have been better if it would not have been not too rushed and if the characters were portrayed in a much stronger light.

[Xana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merece aa 3,5*
Gosto de MHC. É daquelas autoras "conforto", onde volto sempre com a certeza que vou apreciar.
Este é um dos velhinhos, com uma história que me agarrou nas primeiras páginas.
Gosto sempre das personagens dela, mulheres fortes, e Pat não foi excepção.
Gostei bastante. Boa maneira de terminar o ano :)

[Fuglsang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite bad but not quite good either. Sure, it was a fun read, at least the last third of it, but it just lacked something. Come to think of it - that's pretty much how all Clark's books are.

The characters lack some quirks and some spirit. They're not really that unique and they're certainly not gonna stay with me for a very long time, as is the case with all her books. I'm pretty certain I'm gonna forget what the book was all about in a while. Also, calling Clark's 'The Queen of Suspense' seems wrong to me - suspense is when I don't know and I really want to know.
Well, I didn't want to know.

The language is also quite boring, not brilliant but not very bad either. I really hated how almost every paragraph had to start with boring 'he/she did this and that all day, then changed into a black, expensive jacket which made him/her look even more serious and cool'. Stop it, Clark, please. Every character either has something special in their air or they're really beautiful or both and it's annoying to have to read basically the same thing about every single person. It's boring and it's not very original.

Most of the time the pace was really slow and I didn't feel like reading it (which explains the gap between starting in... April and ending now in February) but it picked up the pace nice enough and at some point I could barely put it down. The story is quite interesting, even if it is a tad predictable for crime story fans. Basically, Clark is the written word's answer to Céline Dion - it's nice enough when you don't feel like thinking, but you're not in for a great surprise and the story is easily forgotten.

[Sharol · Rating 2 out of 5]

All of her stories blur together over time. I can't recall what most of these are even about because they're all so similar. :)

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting ending

[Leena Aluru · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's nice paced, well written thriller.

Recommended :👍

[Thomasin Propson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. It was an okay mystery thriller with that bit of supernatural flair Mary Higgins Clark tends to sprinkle into her stories. I did enjoy the house's role in awakening our protagonist's memories about her childhood tragedy.

Learned a new vocab word: grass widow

Another reviewer indicates the story hasn't aged well, but I think women today (2020) continue to face the same issues (importance of reputation, criticized [by others and self] for too much or too little or the wrong emotion, sexual harassments, fat-phobia, seen as manipulative, fashion as joy vs worth).

[Kerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was "meh" in a lot of ways. Pat was pretty meh, and her obsession with/"love of" Sam became stranger the more I found out about it. Did not seem healthy, at all. The plot was predictable, the psychic neighbor (Lila?) was a convenience for literary laziness. Abby and Toby were a super strange duo: he's her oldest and ONLY friend but he has to "know his place" as her servant/employee? And that's another thing, people still have servants. Is this still a thing? Was this still a thing in the 1980's, with the hoity-toity attitudes of needing to "know their place" as supposedly lesser people and everything?

Even with the predictability of the plot and the weird characters, there's still that classic MHC catch of thinking "maaaaaybe I'll be wrong" and getting caught in the action. So there's the bump to 2 stars instead of 1.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read this and wow! I think I may have subconsciously modeled my life after Patricia Traymore, or at the very least I've followed in her footsteps somewhat (as I write this from my Georgetown apartment...).

This book feels VERY 1984 and I am somewhat troubled at the life lessons I picked up reading this multiple times between the ages of 10-15. But overall, a decent, creepy yarn that made for extremely nostalgic and pleasant bedtime reading as a 35-year-old to whom 48-year-old Congressman Sam no longer seems so ancient...

[Art the Turtle of Amazing Girth · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Clark's better efforts from her early days.
It's a better whodunit for the most part, and the intensity of the ending is better than she's written yet, since I'm going straight down her book list from the earliest on up.

Pat is at least a stronger female lead than those that have come before her. She does fawn over a man wayyy yonder too much, but she also sticks to her guns in her project and doesn't seem to quail in the face of abject terror.

Clark is getting better, for my list purposes, and I'll keep going.

[Megan Toomey McBride · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an easy, entertaining read. But the older I get, the more Clark’s writing style bothers me. There’s entirely too much name-dropping of everyday items. No one has plates, they have Wedgwood. Nobody wears a raincoat, it’s a Burberry. All the characters are obsessed with everyone else’s background. Everyone gets dressed to the nines for everything, and all they ever eat are omelettes....which is odd, because people who have no groceries always have fresh eggs.

[Louie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated, fatphobic, and a bit sexist. I didn't find myself caring about any of the characters or what happened to them. The romance wasn't compelling and the story just felt dull.

Also, having the resolution to the villains storylines just felt sloppy and simplistic. Instead of having them deal with their actions, just kill them off? Too easy.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up. I'm not sure why I used to like MHC so much in high school and college.

[Wil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to the book group, I have finally read a book by Mary Higgins Clark....and that about sums it up.

[hidefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta novela de Mary Higgins Clark la leí por primera vez en 2006. No recordaba apenas nada así que he podido disfrutar de nuevo de todos los giros del argumento. Dejo aquí la reseña la que escribí entonces:

Cuando Patricia Traymore tenía tres años, su padre asesinó a su madre, casi la mató a ella y después se suicidó. Patricia logró recuperarse de sus graves heridas y fue adoptada por sus tíos, quienes le dieron una nueva identidad y dijeron a la prensa que la niña había muerto para que su triste pasado no la acompañara toda la vida.

24 años después, Pat vuelve a su antigua casa de Washington con dos objetivos muy claros. Uno, comenzar una serie de programas dedicados a mujeres en la política que planea inagurar con la senadora Abigail Jennings, una firme candidata a ser la primera mujer vicepresidenta de los Estados Unidos. Dos, volver a retomar su relación con Sam Kingsley, viudo desde hace unos meses.

Pero Pat se encontrará con muchas dificultades con las que no contaba. A medida que investiga sobre Abigail, va descubriendo detalles del oscuro pasado de la senadora. El estar en aquella casa le hace revivir dolorosos recuerdos de aquella trágica noche en la que sus padres perdieron la vida y darse cuenta de que la versión oficial puede que no concuerde. Además, desde que se anunció el programa, Pat no ha dejado de recibir cartas y llamadas amenazadoras que le exigen que no realice ese programa si no quiere arrepentirse.

Me ha sorprendido de esta novela el ligero cambio en el estilo de la autora al que estaba acostumbrada. Quizá porque se trata de unas primeras novelas pero desde el principio se nota algo diferente. En este caso siempre sabemos desde qué punto de vista se está contando la historia, que recae principalmente en Pat, al contrario que en otras novelas de Higgins Clark en las que siempre acostumbra a poner los pensamientos del asesino sin desvelar éste hasta al final. También llama la atención que la historia, en un principio, parece más centrada en la política y la vida de Abigail Jennings que en la intriga y el suspense, pero esta mujer es una de las mejores escritoras del género y conduce los acontecimientos con maestría.

A medida que avanza la historia vamos conociendo retazos de los misterios planteados y vamos descubriendo poco a poco todos los secretos que se esconden en la historia, en una dosis perfecta dado que la autora siempre deja con ganas de más siempre, me fue muy difícil cerrar el libro e irme a dormir en muchas ocasiones de lo inmersa que estaba en la historia.

Higgins Clark incluye en su novela muchas características ya reconocibles suyas como la protagonista femenina, una mujer fuerte, decidida e inteligente que va desentrañando los misterios de los sucesos que la envuelven. La verdad es que me gustaría leer alguna vez alguna novela de esta autora protagonizada por un hombre pero creo que me voy a quedar con las ganas.

Como punto negativo también algo que acostumbro a encontrar en los libros de esta mujer, y es que pese a que el final es bueno y cierra todos los interrogantes sobresalientemente, me deja con ganas de un poquito más para que explique con un poco de detalles algunas cosas más, como lo que ocurre con algunos personajes.

La novela además se nota que es de 1984 en algunos aspectos, como el hecho de que el jefe de Pat la cose sexualmente y no se le dé demasiada importancia. Y la diferencia de edad entre la pareja protagonista aquí es bastante notable.

Por lo demás, un buen libro de una de las reinas de la intriga que me ha dejado muy satisfecha, como siempre.

[M.J. Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had my adrenaline pumping! I read about journalist Pat Traymore who came to Washington to interview Senator Abigail Jennings. Pat delved into Abigail’s live, only to find dark facts about her ex-husband Warren Jennings, who lost his life in a plane wreck many years ago. Another woman, the widow of the pilot of Jennings’ plane, wanted to harm the reputation of Abigail. The widow was shot and killed, which helped her some. At the end of the book, Pat was tied to a chair and the house she was in was set ablaze. She struggled to escape the burning house with her life. Abigail, her reputation tarnished, was not chosen to be the new Vice President of the USA.

[Terri Stokes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel a little disappointed in Stillwatch. As much as I love Clark, this novel didn't really do justice for me, it didn't hold the same feelings I have when I read her other crime books. Maybe it was because of the story line in politics that didn't do it for me, I don't know.

[Carol Fellenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

It keeps you guessing

[Leesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIRE
couldn't put it down