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A Stranger Is Watching
by
Ronald Thompson knows he is not guilty of the murder for which he is about to be executed. There are only two days left to unmask the real villain - a terrifying psychopath who has killed before and has unfinished business with his victim's family.
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Paperback, 322 pages
Published
2005
by Pocket Books
(first published 1977)
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A Stranger is Watching is a very simple story, but the killer here is not given God like status. He needs to work hard so as to avoid being brought in by the New York police. Eventually bad luck, plus some hard work on behalf of those people on the angels' side, literally catch up with him.
I think that the author will never kill a main character, unless the latter has died in the past, viewed via flashbacks. It's kind of understandable, it makes sense. The blow of death is softened, because the ...more
I think that the author will never kill a main character, unless the latter has died in the past, viewed via flashbacks. It's kind of understandable, it makes sense. The blow of death is softened, because the ...more
The problem with a Mary Higgins Clark book is the reason why she is so popular--once you start, you cannot stop reading it--everything else gets put on hold. This book is no exception.
When I first read this, I started and then forgot to stop. What it lacks in some qualities it makes up for with the fact that there is no right place to take a break and put it down. I started it one school night and had to stay up until three to finish it. Don't tell my parents.
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Okay, so I needed a book to read....still can't get my hands on the book club book.........so I raided Zach's bookshelves. He likes Mary Higgins Clark and buys them at the .25 cent library sales. He said his teacher read this to them in 10th grade. I had never read any Mary Higgins Clark, as popular as she is. I was hooked! Very well-written and fun suspense story. And yes, I was able to fall asleep. I was worried about that since all of my reading time is usually at night.....as a result I ofte
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A Stranger is Watching
I have to admit that this is the first book I have ever read a book by this famous author. I love mysteries so I don't know how I have missed such a classic writer. I am only reading it because it was left in a holiday apartment I am renting.
I could not put this book down. It is fast paced, you feel empathy for all the characters as Clark, brings them all to life with their tales from the past and heart wrenching stories. I could visualise Grand Central Station, from the gr ...more
I have to admit that this is the first book I have ever read a book by this famous author. I love mysteries so I don't know how I have missed such a classic writer. I am only reading it because it was left in a holiday apartment I am renting.
I could not put this book down. It is fast paced, you feel empathy for all the characters as Clark, brings them all to life with their tales from the past and heart wrenching stories. I could visualise Grand Central Station, from the gr ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Mary Higgins Clark pretty much never disappoints. I was actually surprised to find that this was originally published in 1977. It was only when I found myself asking why the characters were using payphones rather than cell phones that I looked up the publication date.
A good, fast-paced mystery. I picked it up off my shelves of books I pick up at thrift stores for $0.25-$0.50 while trying to decide what to read next, knowing it would only take me a day or two to finish. It was an engrossing stor ...more
A good, fast-paced mystery. I picked it up off my shelves of books I pick up at thrift stores for $0.25-$0.50 while trying to decide what to read next, knowing it would only take me a day or two to finish. It was an engrossing stor ...more
I chose to read the book "A Stranger Is Watching" by Mary Higgins Clark. This book follows the story of a man named Steve as well as his son Neil and Steve's girlfriend Sharon. One day when Sharon is watching Neil alone, a mysterious man only calling himself "Foxy" kidnaps them both. From then on, the story follows individual characters ranging from Steve to Sharon and even Foxy himself as Steve tries to save his girlfriend and his son. We are given several viewpoints of the situation through th
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Mary Higgins Clark’s A Stranger Is Watching is a great book to read and to study if you are a writer. Higgins Clark knows how to build tension, how to bring threads and characters together, and how to keep the reader turning pages. I mean down to the wire! There are no spare words or chapters in A Stranger Is Watching.
Six-year-old Neil Peterson witnesses his mother Nina being murdered. Young Ronald Thompson says he didn’t killed Nina, but he’s going to the electric chair in a few days. Journalis ...more
Six-year-old Neil Peterson witnesses his mother Nina being murdered. Young Ronald Thompson says he didn’t killed Nina, but he’s going to the electric chair in a few days. Journalis ...more
This novel was amazing. From Foxy's personality, the development in the relationship between Neil and Sharon, the fascinating coincidences and little mistakes of the killer, to the detailed, exciting yet horrifying chase at the end.. Everything was incredible. It only took me 3 days to finish reading this book and every time I had to stop, I couldn't help but feel sad to put it down. I've only read 4 novels of Mary Clark's, and this is by far the best one out of them all!
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I've become a big fan of Mary Higgins Clark since a colleague of mine gave me to read Two little girls in blue. I haven't read so many of her books, just a handful of them and I loved them. A stranger is watching is no exception. 💯❤️
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I liked the overall concept of this book, but some parts of the way it was executed caused me to feel a bit disappointed. I have read books by Clark in the past that I loved, so I was taken aback when I found this book to be different than expected and overall disappointing. The time frame got a little confusing when going back and forth between the different characters. And there were even times where I became confused about who was speaking. Granted, these are small aspects of the story, but t
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2 books in and I am enjoying my chronological read through of MHC work. The thing that struck me most about this book is how similar it is to Where are the Children?
-Children/child in peril
-A large amount the book is told from the perpetrator’s perspective
-A group of unconnected side characters coming together to help solve the crime
And of course an overall similar suspense and writing style, a little darker than her later books but still MHC.
-Children/child in peril
-A large amount the book is told from the perpetrator’s perspective
-A group of unconnected side characters coming together to help solve the crime
And of course an overall similar suspense and writing style, a little darker than her later books but still MHC.
Hee, hee, it was fun seeing the pricing in this book from 1977. The sentence said, "he had paid $140 (at which point I'm thinking, Wow, only $140 a night for a hotel in NYC) for THREE nights at the Biltmore Hotel across from Grand Central Station." Other than prices giving away the book's year of publication this was classic Mary Higgins Clark suspense.
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Jul 25, 2013
Anne
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
mystery lovers
This book was quite good. Alexandra's 3 year old son was kidnapped two years ago which ended in the destruction of her marriage because her husband blamed her for the kidnapping because of the young babysitter she hired. This book has a lot of twists and turns and some good mystery and a surprising ending. I enjoyed it.
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Ok, that's a great book, alright. But I "only" give 4 stars because of the stereotypes in this book: to quote only 1 of them: in Grand Central Station,the description. The women run to go home to prepare dinner and are anxious to be late, and the business men going home earlier because of (something).
I'm sorry but morally I can't give 5 stars, don't resent me.
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I'm sorry but morally I can't give 5 stars, don't resent me.
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Just like Agatha Christie got me into crime and mystery, Mary Higgings Clark got me into thriller.
This book is a page turner, once you start reading it you'll find it very hard to put it down.
I really should pick up more books by this author or evern re-read this one.
Highly recommend. ...more
This book is a page turner, once you start reading it you'll find it very hard to put it down.
I really should pick up more books by this author or evern re-read this one.
Highly recommend. ...more
I genuinely don't think this lady gets enough respect, she really is up there with Agatha Christie. This book started of at a nice steady pace and worked it's way up to a really tense ending. I could not put it down. Would not hesitate to recommended it.
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My all-time favorite of her books.
Just like every book I read of this majestic author, It was literally unputdownable.
Spannend!
My first and probably my last from this author. Just not credible. I like many suspense, crime, spy novels, but they have to hold at least a hint of believability. Sorry, this one failed the test.
Read this for Secondary 3. Only suspense. After I had finished reading it, I kind of felt disappointed, especially having it end with the boy talking about his trains.
It wasn't suspenseful, I didn't care about the characters, it just wasn't a good reading experience. But I had to read it for school.
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Mar 26, 2019
Fran
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
author-mary-higgins-clark
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Last Saturday, while I was dusting my bookshelf, I just realized I have some bunch of new books I haven't read yet. I know I want to read some good ol' MHClark book so I just blindly picked what book to read, and it's A Stranger is Watching!
This story started with the culprit's POV, as usual, no name dropping and that's when the guessing game started. What I always love about MHC's stories is that we got to act like a real detective and gather all the information so we could guess who's the bad ...more
This story started with the culprit's POV, as usual, no name dropping and that's when the guessing game started. What I always love about MHC's stories is that we got to act like a real detective and gather all the information so we could guess who's the bad ...more
This is a story I wasn't sure I would enjoy. Usually anything short of almost 400 pages isn't nearly developed enough for my tastes. I quickly learned that this was not the case. Ms. Clark can quickly and what is seemingly effortlessly spin a tale that captures your attention and holds it throughout. I was in awe of her ability to tell the story from each individual character's viewpoint, and do not regret picking up this short read.
Steve Peterson lost his wife to a brutal murder, and Ronald Tho ...more
Steve Peterson lost his wife to a brutal murder, and Ronald Tho ...more
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Readers also enjoyed
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
Clark’s books have sold more than 100 milli ...more
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