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On the Street Where You Live
The Barnes & Noble Review
Spring Lake, New Jersey -- a beautiful seaside community with a very dark and deadly past. It was here in the late 19th century that three young women disappeared, each new occurrence taking place several years after the one before. While all the women were presumably murdered, the responsible party was never found. More than 100 years later, a new threat to Spring Lake emerges after someone stumbles upon the original killer's gruesome diary: A copycat has been born, and two more innocents have vanished. Now the time is right for the new killer to follow in his master's final footsteps -- to put the finishing touches on his own bloody legacy.
Spring Lake, New Jersey -- a beautiful seaside community with a very dark and deadly past. It was here in the late 19th century that three young women disappeared, each new occurrence taking place several years after the one before. While all the women were presumably murdered, the responsible party was never found. More than 100 years later, a new threat to Spring Lake emerges after someone stumbles upon the original killer's gruesome diary: A copycat has been born, and two more innocents have vanished. Now the time is right for the new killer to follow in his master's final footsteps -- to put the finishing touches on his own bloody legacy.
At the outset of On the Street Where You Live, Mary Higgins Clark's fascinating antagonist chooses his final prey: Emily Graham, a wealthy criminal defense attorney who has just landed a primo gig with a Manhattan law firm; quiet Spring Lake, a mere 70 miles from New York City, becomes her new home. The $2 million mansion Emily just bought may be a bit extravagant for her solitary needs, but because her great-great-grand-aunt, Madeline Shapley, once owned the home, the purchase seems right. When the killer discovers Emily's relation to Madeline, his excitement boils over: You see, back in 1891, Madeline was the original Spring Lake killer's first victim.
Soon, a horrifying discovery is made on Emily's new property, offering a clue to Spring Lake's grisly past. What Emily doesn't realize is that this discovery also offers a terrifying glimpse into her own fast-approaching doom.
Mary Higgins Clark is at her hair-raising best with On the Street Where You Live; after more than 25 years in the biz, Clark's plotting remains fresh and original, and her prose is still sharp as a knife. Chilling, engrossing, and genuinely enjoyable, On the Street Where You Live shows that the Queen of Suspense continues to work with the deftness and grace of a true master of the form. (Andrew LeCount)
432 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Mary Higgins Clark
638 books13.7k 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,072 reviews
January 13, 2016
the end was so predictable ! i liked it at first but i got bored quickly and there was so many characters i lost count and got confused and bit lost reading this one just naah !! not my cup of tea
July 25, 2024
Lazy girl re-read.
May 23, 2018
3,5/5 αστεράκια
December 18, 2012
The queen of suspense didn’t build her reputation writing books like this. This is another mediocre effort with too many characters, compounded by not one of them having more than one or two vaguely memorable characteristics. As a result, I never got very involved in what was going on, since I was constantly wracking my brain to remember who was who every time the scene changed. By the time the murderer was revealed, it was insignificant because I couldn’t remember who he was.
Emily Graham leaves her life in Albany behind to return to her ancestral summer home in Spring Lake, New Jersey. The picturesque seaside town would have been the perfect stress-free vacation spot if Emily’s pool diggers hadn’t come across the skeletal remains of a woman who had gone missing 4 ½ years before, buried atop the bones of Emily’s ancestor who had gone missing 110 years ago. Emily starts her own independent investigation when the skeletons in her yard seem to be connected, along with two other pairs of women who had gone missing 110 years apart. The police reopen the investigations of the women who had recently gone missing while Emily delves into the past, believing the current killer to have knowledge somehow of the historic killer’s deeds and motivations.
Meanwhile, the stalker Emily thought was behind bars turns out to be someone else who has followed her to Spring Lake and keeps leaving disturbing messages under her door. There is a dizzying array of suspects, two of whom are distinguishable only by the difference in their wives. I found myself wishing more than once that I had taken notes when I started so the story would have been easier to follow. It’s obvious from the start that Emily’s stalker and would-be murderer are not the same, and the stalker is revealed rather early on.
This book wasn’t awful, just hard to follow because of the lack of variation in the characters. For a truly gripping suspense novel, try one of Clark’s earlier books. This one doesn’t measure up to her well-earned reputation.
Emily Graham leaves her life in Albany behind to return to her ancestral summer home in Spring Lake, New Jersey. The picturesque seaside town would have been the perfect stress-free vacation spot if Emily’s pool diggers hadn’t come across the skeletal remains of a woman who had gone missing 4 ½ years before, buried atop the bones of Emily’s ancestor who had gone missing 110 years ago. Emily starts her own independent investigation when the skeletons in her yard seem to be connected, along with two other pairs of women who had gone missing 110 years apart. The police reopen the investigations of the women who had recently gone missing while Emily delves into the past, believing the current killer to have knowledge somehow of the historic killer’s deeds and motivations.
Meanwhile, the stalker Emily thought was behind bars turns out to be someone else who has followed her to Spring Lake and keeps leaving disturbing messages under her door. There is a dizzying array of suspects, two of whom are distinguishable only by the difference in their wives. I found myself wishing more than once that I had taken notes when I started so the story would have been easier to follow. It’s obvious from the start that Emily’s stalker and would-be murderer are not the same, and the stalker is revealed rather early on.
This book wasn’t awful, just hard to follow because of the lack of variation in the characters. For a truly gripping suspense novel, try one of Clark’s earlier books. This one doesn’t measure up to her well-earned reputation.
April 4, 2022
While this wasn't my fave MHC book overall, it was definitely true to form and worth a reread. A murder mystery to keep my mind engaged, plenty of possible villains, and non-graphic, so I can get to sleep at night after reading. On to my next MHC book as I nostalgically binge my way through 2022 for all those cozy feelings!
September 2, 2012
Ugh. This book!
The main character is dumber than a brick. She has absolutely has no common sense at all. I can't really picture a community where there is a serial killer on the loose, taking names left and right, and they calmly go on their lives without worrying glances over their shoulders.
This book got me so frustrated. Ugh. Just thinking back on it makes me mad.
The main character is dumber than a brick. She has absolutely has no common sense at all. I can't really picture a community where there is a serial killer on the loose, taking names left and right, and they calmly go on their lives without worrying glances over their shoulders.
This book got me so frustrated. Ugh. Just thinking back on it makes me mad.
December 9, 2009
Emily Graham, a successful defense attorney and recently rich, decides to buy an old Victorian home at the New Jersey resort seaside of Spring Lake, that once belonged to her great, great grandmother. Emily has also accepted a job with Todd, Scanlon, Klein and Todd, a nationally known criminal defense law firm in Manhattan. After closing on the house, and trying to establish her life in the new area, Emily receives threats on her life, which she believes are from the stalker that she put in jail four and a half years ago. Believing that he has escaped she lets the police know of the threats.
In the meantime Emily hires contractors to have a pool built in her back yard and while they are digging, they find the skeletons of a body buried there. And not just any body, but Emily’s ancestor. Emily now is determined to find out who killed her ancestor, so she starts digging into old files, and seeking answers from the old folks who live in the town. Some of them are happy to give her the answers but some want to keep secrets.
As the story unfolds skeletons appear and people are murdered, Mary Higgins Clark introduces extra characters into the story, who in my opinion don’t necessarily need to be there. The reader easily becomes confused of all the characters that appear and from time to time he/she has a hard time remembering their names and their purpose. Towards the last chapters, the reader can easily figure out who Emily’s stalker is, but who killed the young girls a century ago, is also a surprise, since the killer should have been dead by now, in which case the author makes him to be close to a 100 years old.
Mary Higgins Clark might be considered America’s Queen of Suspense, but this novel was confusing and not as suspenseful as I expected it to be.
In the meantime Emily hires contractors to have a pool built in her back yard and while they are digging, they find the skeletons of a body buried there. And not just any body, but Emily’s ancestor. Emily now is determined to find out who killed her ancestor, so she starts digging into old files, and seeking answers from the old folks who live in the town. Some of them are happy to give her the answers but some want to keep secrets.
As the story unfolds skeletons appear and people are murdered, Mary Higgins Clark introduces extra characters into the story, who in my opinion don’t necessarily need to be there. The reader easily becomes confused of all the characters that appear and from time to time he/she has a hard time remembering their names and their purpose. Towards the last chapters, the reader can easily figure out who Emily’s stalker is, but who killed the young girls a century ago, is also a surprise, since the killer should have been dead by now, in which case the author makes him to be close to a 100 years old.
Mary Higgins Clark might be considered America’s Queen of Suspense, but this novel was confusing and not as suspenseful as I expected it to be.
August 8, 2024
خیلی سال پیش این کتاب رو خونده بودم . اینبار با صدای نگین خواجه نصیر شنیدمش.
خیلی کتاب های جنایی بهتری از این کتاب خوندم .
موضوع داستان جالبه اما هیجان خاصی نداره .
ترجمه: خوب
امتیازم :۳
۴۸
خیلی کتاب های جنایی بهتری از این کتاب خوندم .
موضوع داستان جالبه اما هیجان خاصی نداره .
ترجمه: خوب
امتیازم :۳
۴۸
May 29, 2013
After reading "Daddy's Little Girl", by Mary Higgins Clark, I was excited to become engrossed in another of her novels. But, I have to say, "On the Street Where You Live", was very disappointing to me. I actually couldn't wait to finish it, just to finish it, not because I couldn't wait for the ending.
This story covers eleven days. It starts on Tuesday, March 20, and the "big" day that keeps popping up in the book is Saturday, March 31. Kind of eerie, I finished this book today, Saturday, March 31!!
Emily Graham, a defense attorney, decides to buy her ancestors' Victorian house in Spring Lake, New Jersey. This house is where her great, great, grandaunt, Madeline Shapley had lived, and the neighborhood where Madeline mysteriously disappeared in 1891. There is intrigue with the reincarnation aspect throughout much of the novel.
I only gave 2 stars because there are too many side stories, too many characters, and it didn't wrap up neatly enough at the end. I am not giving up on Mary Higgins Clark. I am sure there are many other good mysteries she has out there. This one just left me irritated, and exhausted.
This story covers eleven days. It starts on Tuesday, March 20, and the "big" day that keeps popping up in the book is Saturday, March 31. Kind of eerie, I finished this book today, Saturday, March 31!!
Emily Graham, a defense attorney, decides to buy her ancestors' Victorian house in Spring Lake, New Jersey. This house is where her great, great, grandaunt, Madeline Shapley had lived, and the neighborhood where Madeline mysteriously disappeared in 1891. There is intrigue with the reincarnation aspect throughout much of the novel.
I only gave 2 stars because there are too many side stories, too many characters, and it didn't wrap up neatly enough at the end. I am not giving up on Mary Higgins Clark. I am sure there are many other good mysteries she has out there. This one just left me irritated, and exhausted.
September 6, 2015
I feel as though the Mary Higgins Clark books are good for quick reads.
For me all her books seem to be three point five star books. They’re good if you want something quick to read and yet I never seem to enjoy them as much as I love other authors. They’re sort of just there for when I want something quick to read.
I think my main problem is that they all seem to be a lot of the same, in my opinion. Whether it is simply due to the selection of her books I have read or whether such is the case all over I cannot say. However, I only really recommend them if you want something quick.
For me they’re never all that gripping and I never really connect with the characters. Whilst she is good at making you question characters it is still quite easy to work out the mysteries well in advance. That is probably my biggest issue: the predictability of her books.
As I’ve said, for me they’re nothing spectacular but they do pass the time.
For me all her books seem to be three point five star books. They’re good if you want something quick to read and yet I never seem to enjoy them as much as I love other authors. They’re sort of just there for when I want something quick to read.
I think my main problem is that they all seem to be a lot of the same, in my opinion. Whether it is simply due to the selection of her books I have read or whether such is the case all over I cannot say. However, I only really recommend them if you want something quick.
For me they’re never all that gripping and I never really connect with the characters. Whilst she is good at making you question characters it is still quite easy to work out the mysteries well in advance. That is probably my biggest issue: the predictability of her books.
As I’ve said, for me they’re nothing spectacular but they do pass the time.
May 3, 2023
یک داستان جنایی بسیار جذاب
September 15, 2022
She's One of My Favorite Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Authors. She’s amazing! I started reading her work way back in 2006. The first book I ever read was On The Street Where You Live. I borrowed it from the library. And since then, I have started to read all her books. I became fascinated with Suspense-Mystery Crime Books.
After her divorce had been finalized, criminal defense attorney Emily Graham accepted an offer to leave Albany and work for a major law firm in Manhattan. She experienced being pursued by an obsessed stalker. She bought her ancestral home, the site of a family tragedy. And she has always been intrigued by her family history.
And it all started when the diggers found the remains of two victims, one killed quite recently and the other centuries ago. She decided to investigate who the killer was, but unknown to her, she was the next target of the very devious and seductive killer.
This was an easy-to-read, fast-paced thriller that kept the readers guessing who the real killer was. There are so many possibilities as to who could be the reincarnated serial killer. It was fascinating. It is well written with a great plot to keep the readers interested until the very end.
This book kept me captivated.
After reading this, I want to check out more of Mary Higgins Clark's novels.
After her divorce had been finalized, criminal defense attorney Emily Graham accepted an offer to leave Albany and work for a major law firm in Manhattan. She experienced being pursued by an obsessed stalker. She bought her ancestral home, the site of a family tragedy. And she has always been intrigued by her family history.
And it all started when the diggers found the remains of two victims, one killed quite recently and the other centuries ago. She decided to investigate who the killer was, but unknown to her, she was the next target of the very devious and seductive killer.
This was an easy-to-read, fast-paced thriller that kept the readers guessing who the real killer was. There are so many possibilities as to who could be the reincarnated serial killer. It was fascinating. It is well written with a great plot to keep the readers interested until the very end.
This book kept me captivated.
After reading this, I want to check out more of Mary Higgins Clark's novels.
August 6, 2022
Стилът на Кларк е приятен за четене, лек и увлекателен.
Историята е интересна, но за съжаление мистерията много бързо се изяснява и 1/3 от книгата чакаш да видиш как героите ще разберат това, което ти вече знаеш.
/Или аз имам тооолкова много опит с криминалните романи, че е трудно да ме изненада някоя история./
Историята е интересна, но за съжаление мистерията много бързо се изяснява и 1/3 от книгата чакаш да видиш как героите ще разберат това, което ти вече знаеш.
/Или аз имам тооолкова много опит с криминалните романи, че е трудно да ме изненада някоя история./
December 29, 2025
Hard to follow, sometimes boring but maybe by the fact that was read in french I use to find motivation to continue reading.
The history behind was carefully woven, some deep research was done in order to explain the idea, investigations speeches and policial procedures were well planned.
Decent
The history behind was carefully woven, some deep research was done in order to explain the idea, investigations speeches and policial procedures were well planned.
Decent
September 9, 2013
On the Street Where You Live is a mystery/suspense novel by Mary Higgins Clark.
Emily Graham buys her ancestral home, in the town of Spring Lake, New Jersey following a nasty divorce and the trauma of being stalked. Her family sold the house in 1892, after one of Emily's forebears, Madeline Shapley, then a young girl, disappeared. As the house is renovated and a pool dug, a skeleton is found and identified as Martha Lawrence, a young woman who vanished several years ago. Within her hand is the finger bone of another woman, with a ring -- a family heirloom -- still on it. Determined to find the connection between the two murders, Emily becomes a threat to a killer who chooses her as the next victim.
As much as I enjoyed the story and the characters I did not enjoy the style it was written in. From so many different points of view I had to keep going back to remember who's POV I was reading from. It made the story frustrating to read. Since a story should flow together without the reader getting lost I give my rating of 3 stars.
If you like mystery/suspense novels and don't mind having to figure out who's POV you're reading from I encourage you to try On the Street Where You Live by Mary Higgins Clark.
Emily Graham buys her ancestral home, in the town of Spring Lake, New Jersey following a nasty divorce and the trauma of being stalked. Her family sold the house in 1892, after one of Emily's forebears, Madeline Shapley, then a young girl, disappeared. As the house is renovated and a pool dug, a skeleton is found and identified as Martha Lawrence, a young woman who vanished several years ago. Within her hand is the finger bone of another woman, with a ring -- a family heirloom -- still on it. Determined to find the connection between the two murders, Emily becomes a threat to a killer who chooses her as the next victim.
As much as I enjoyed the story and the characters I did not enjoy the style it was written in. From so many different points of view I had to keep going back to remember who's POV I was reading from. It made the story frustrating to read. Since a story should flow together without the reader getting lost I give my rating of 3 stars.
If you like mystery/suspense novels and don't mind having to figure out who's POV you're reading from I encourage you to try On the Street Where You Live by Mary Higgins Clark.
November 14, 2016
Mary Higgins Clark is one of my favorite authors when it comes to reading a quick and good mystery novel. This one did not dissapoint me at all.
I really liked the plot, the way the mystery that they were dealing with in the present was linked to one that happened in the past was handled perfectly. It was a little bit predictable, I knew who did it half way through this, but it was just so good I enjoyed it anyways. I highly recommend reading one of MHC's novels if you are into mystery novels.
I really liked the plot, the way the mystery that they were dealing with in the present was linked to one that happened in the past was handled perfectly. It was a little bit predictable, I knew who did it half way through this, but it was just so good I enjoyed it anyways. I highly recommend reading one of MHC's novels if you are into mystery novels.
October 7, 2024
Probably the most number of characters in one single book that I’ve read. It was dizzying trying to keep up! The pacing was weird, too many people unnecessarily came and went, the style switched from casual and conversational to psycho and creepy so randomly, it gave me whiplash. Maybe I’ve read this book a couple of decades too late, but I was not a fan of this style of writing at all. Highly skippable IMO.
January 23, 2021
I am really loving this author! A quick, suspenseful read that really has you guessing to the end!
January 15, 2012
Emily Graham is looking for some peace and quiet. She left Albany after a nasty divorce and a stalking incident that put a disgruntled man behind bars after Emily (an attorney) got a man off the hook for his mother’s murder.
She has a job set up in Manhattan, but is taking some time off to get settled in her new home. This home is in Spring Lake, New Jersey, and was her family home, before a family member went missing and it was sold in 1892.
As Emily is remodeling the house, and digging for the pool begins, bones are found. But these are the first of many bones to be dug up in the town and Emily is determined to track down the murder copycat who seems to be following the same steps as a murdered from the 1890s. The only thing Emily doesn’t know, there’s one more woman on the killer’s list and that woman is Emily.
I listened to this book in audio book and learned two very important things. One, I love Mary Higgins Clark books. Two, I love listening to murder-mystery audio books.
Let’s start with the book itself. This was an awesome story. Throughout the book reincarnation is brought up time and time again.I am not telling you if that is behind the murders or not, but it is a reoccuring theme from the first murder to the last. And it made for a great, thought provoking read…or should I say listen. There were many options for the killer in this book, which I love, but there is more than one plot line to follow, which means all the drama in this book could be happening for several reasons.
Now to the second part, about listening to murder-mystery audio books. I have listened to quite a few audio books in the past year and I loved this one, for reasons unlike the ones that have made me love others. I loved this book because I got into it so much. When I read books, I am constantly playing out scenes in my head, imaging the characters and their mannerisms and working out the plot before it unfolds in the book. With this book however, I got a little vocal. During the book, from scene to scene, I would try to work out who the killer is and say what I would do next if I was in Emily’s shoes and what I would say to the characters. I always feel like I get involved in character’s lives. In this book though, I felt like I was really there. That may be unhealthy, but it made me fall in love with Mary Higgins Clark for it.
I just happened to pick up this audio book at a book sale. I thought the cover was intriguing and I was in the market for any and every audio book I could come across. The one I listened to before this was a Christmas book and I thought this one was too. Don’t ask why. I guess just because the door was red. We all know I had a hard time reading what the book is really about before I dive in. If you do not go to library book sales and use them to expand your reading circle, you, my friend, are missing out. There have been so many awesome books that I have just picked up at a library sale because it was cheap and I have fallen in love with them. I doubt I would have ever picked up a Mary Higgins Clark book. I rarely go pick out books by popular authors (sorry guys). I like to pick out books by unpopular authors and hope that I fall in love with their book and hope my review will help others want to read their books and make them popular. So if you see a book sale, pick up something you normally wouldn’t. These books are normally cheap, so if you don’t like it, you’re only out a couple of dollars, but at least you tried to expand your reading horizons, right?
Do you listen to audio books? Do you get as involved as I do?
Do you read Mary Higgins Clark? I have also listened to Just Take My Heart. Have any that I should read/listen to??
I give On the Street Where You Live 5 bookmarks.
She has a job set up in Manhattan, but is taking some time off to get settled in her new home. This home is in Spring Lake, New Jersey, and was her family home, before a family member went missing and it was sold in 1892.
As Emily is remodeling the house, and digging for the pool begins, bones are found. But these are the first of many bones to be dug up in the town and Emily is determined to track down the murder copycat who seems to be following the same steps as a murdered from the 1890s. The only thing Emily doesn’t know, there’s one more woman on the killer’s list and that woman is Emily.
I listened to this book in audio book and learned two very important things. One, I love Mary Higgins Clark books. Two, I love listening to murder-mystery audio books.
Let’s start with the book itself. This was an awesome story. Throughout the book reincarnation is brought up time and time again.I am not telling you if that is behind the murders or not, but it is a reoccuring theme from the first murder to the last. And it made for a great, thought provoking read…or should I say listen. There were many options for the killer in this book, which I love, but there is more than one plot line to follow, which means all the drama in this book could be happening for several reasons.
Now to the second part, about listening to murder-mystery audio books. I have listened to quite a few audio books in the past year and I loved this one, for reasons unlike the ones that have made me love others. I loved this book because I got into it so much. When I read books, I am constantly playing out scenes in my head, imaging the characters and their mannerisms and working out the plot before it unfolds in the book. With this book however, I got a little vocal. During the book, from scene to scene, I would try to work out who the killer is and say what I would do next if I was in Emily’s shoes and what I would say to the characters. I always feel like I get involved in character’s lives. In this book though, I felt like I was really there. That may be unhealthy, but it made me fall in love with Mary Higgins Clark for it.
I just happened to pick up this audio book at a book sale. I thought the cover was intriguing and I was in the market for any and every audio book I could come across. The one I listened to before this was a Christmas book and I thought this one was too. Don’t ask why. I guess just because the door was red. We all know I had a hard time reading what the book is really about before I dive in. If you do not go to library book sales and use them to expand your reading circle, you, my friend, are missing out. There have been so many awesome books that I have just picked up at a library sale because it was cheap and I have fallen in love with them. I doubt I would have ever picked up a Mary Higgins Clark book. I rarely go pick out books by popular authors (sorry guys). I like to pick out books by unpopular authors and hope that I fall in love with their book and hope my review will help others want to read their books and make them popular. So if you see a book sale, pick up something you normally wouldn’t. These books are normally cheap, so if you don’t like it, you’re only out a couple of dollars, but at least you tried to expand your reading horizons, right?
Do you listen to audio books? Do you get as involved as I do?
Do you read Mary Higgins Clark? I have also listened to Just Take My Heart. Have any that I should read/listen to??
I give On the Street Where You Live 5 bookmarks.
February 5, 2018
This is my first Mary Higgins Clark novel, and one thing that I appreciated about this book is that I was wrong in who the killer was. The author does a really great job of making it seem as if the killer can be anyone in town, and even better when I think I know who it is, I'm certain I know who it is, and am just waiting for the big reveal and... well, damn. I was wrong.
And that's a GOOD thing.
The only reason, really, why this didn't get more stars from me is because I just couldn't buy into a recent divorcee, who happens to be a criminal defense attorney, being the one to solve not just a series of murders from the past four years, but the series of murders from over a century ago, too.
Like, despite the house that Emily Graham buys and moves into being in her family for over a century, she's STILL NEW TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. She's not there even a week before she's apparently got people giving her their family belongings just because two bodies were buried in her backyard. She's a complete stranger to Spring Lake and she doesn't interact with ANYONE unless she needs something.
I mean, she goes out to dinner twice with the local real estate agent, and she does go to brunch with a soon-to-be coworker in the new law firm that she'll start working at once her "vacation" is over, but that's about it. She interacts with maybe one neighbor, a Dr. Wilcox, who's a former college president and is doing some major research for a book that he's writing, but like I said, that's only when she needs/wants something. She just asks to borrow some books and Wilcox hands them over, no questions asked.
And then, AND THEN, later on in the book, Wilcox visits Emily at her home and for some unknown reason, she's afraid of him and there's really no explanation why. She just cowers away from him, seemingly inconspicuously, and I just don't understand what the point of the scene was, tbh. Maybe she suspected Wilcox was the one doing the killing, I don't know, but I don't even remember why he visited her in the first place.
All in all, it was definitely an interesting read. I enjoyed learning the history of Spring Lake, though I would have liked it more had the author spent more focus on the town and the time instead of the people (but I understand why she didn't, I just wanted more information). If you're a fan of Mary Higgins Clark, I think you'll enjoy this, if you haven't read it already. If not, I think it's still an interesting concept and if the synopsis grabs you in, maybe give it a read.
And that's a GOOD thing.
The only reason, really, why this didn't get more stars from me is because I just couldn't buy into a recent divorcee, who happens to be a criminal defense attorney, being the one to solve not just a series of murders from the past four years, but the series of murders from over a century ago, too.
Like, despite the house that Emily Graham buys and moves into being in her family for over a century, she's STILL NEW TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. She's not there even a week before she's apparently got people giving her their family belongings just because two bodies were buried in her backyard. She's a complete stranger to Spring Lake and she doesn't interact with ANYONE unless she needs something.
I mean, she goes out to dinner twice with the local real estate agent, and she does go to brunch with a soon-to-be coworker in the new law firm that she'll start working at once her "vacation" is over, but that's about it. She interacts with maybe one neighbor, a Dr. Wilcox, who's a former college president and is doing some major research for a book that he's writing, but like I said, that's only when she needs/wants something. She just asks to borrow some books and Wilcox hands them over, no questions asked.
And then, AND THEN, later on in the book, Wilcox visits Emily at her home and for some unknown reason, she's afraid of him and there's really no explanation why. She just cowers away from him, seemingly inconspicuously, and I just don't understand what the point of the scene was, tbh. Maybe she suspected Wilcox was the one doing the killing, I don't know, but I don't even remember why he visited her in the first place.
All in all, it was definitely an interesting read. I enjoyed learning the history of Spring Lake, though I would have liked it more had the author spent more focus on the town and the time instead of the people (but I understand why she didn't, I just wanted more information). If you're a fan of Mary Higgins Clark, I think you'll enjoy this, if you haven't read it already. If not, I think it's still an interesting concept and if the synopsis grabs you in, maybe give it a read.
September 3, 2012
I've only read one or two of her books before but I found this at a used book sale. It pulled me in pretty quickly and I'm enjoying it so far.
This was better than I expected. It felt like if I'd read it more awake I might have been able to piece together enough to solve the mystery. One mystery was revealed to us before the other characters knew and that was fun too because we were able to wait to see how everything would unfold.
I've only read one or two of her books before but I'll seek out other ones at used book sales.
This was better than I expected. It felt like if I'd read it more awake I might have been able to piece together enough to solve the mystery. One mystery was revealed to us before the other characters knew and that was fun too because we were able to wait to see how everything would unfold.
I've only read one or two of her books before but I'll seek out other ones at used book sales.
September 18, 2018
Picking out and reading this paperback from a rented beach house cured my jet lag! Ludicrous plot and a preposterous body count, but so worth it for the random social sniping and the memory of reading MHC's books as a youngster and thinking they were a fascinating window into ~true sophistication~. Because of this, I laughed aloud at the offhanded mention of the scandalous blonde second wife really sticking it to her hated husband by scuffing a business paper with her "stiletto-heeled bedroom slipper." Just delightful.
May 18, 2024
Just read it. This was the first book I ever read by her. My grandmother gave it to me for Christmas my 6th grade year and I loved it. I have always been into mysteries and thrillers so this was perfect for me then. While there isn’t gore or x rated stuff the mysteries are great and are easy to read.
February 1, 2020
So upon finishing this book, I found out that MHC passed away yesterday... I don't know what to say as a result.
October 6, 2022
it turns out that reading two MHG books back to back isn't a good thing! It's very obvious how similar her books are.. which makes guessing who is the killer very obvious
January 21, 2025
Los diálogos tan sarcásticos, sin duda lo mejor.
April 19, 2020
Read this one awhile ago, but couldnt remember how it ended. I had some suspicions but there were several characters with fishy stories. I liked how it was set in NJ; Emily who is from Albany moves to a new house in Spring Lake formerly owned by some ancestors of hers. She is divorced and a lawyer soon going to start a new job in NYC. She made big money selling a stock that her friend who had a startup company at the time gave her and she has a past stalker and is now being stalked again. In the new town there were a series of 3 murders in the late 1800s, which people may not have realized were murders thinking a girl went missing and didnt realize were the work of the same person. One of the old bodies is found buried in Emily's new yard with a newer counterpart from a girl who went missing only a few years ago and people are scared there is a reincarnated serial killer and there is still a third murder needed to complete the timeline and pattern and that date is soon approaching... The reincarnation theme was a little weird and there were definitely some missed opportunities earlier on for some discoveries to be made but overall it was a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2025
Libro que me ha encantado, sí que llegue a medio sospechar del asesino, pero no me lo esperaba. Muy intrigante y te mantiene en vilo de principio a fin
March 12, 2018
At first, I must say I kept a cheat sheet of all the names in this book. (Swear I did!) It started getting confusing trying to remember who was who. Then I realized the reasoning behind all the characters. I found it clever how Mary Higgins Clark introduced a super array of characters to keep the guessing game up as to who the murderer was. If I was given 1/2 the names I probably would have guessed the ending so much sooner. (What fun would that have been?) I hate to admit I never saw it coming. So not like me at all, I always figure it out halfway through the book. When the murderer was brought to the pages I was shocked!
The book was an easy breezy lemon squeezy read. I live in upstate New York. This March we had two blizzards back to back along with high winds. It rained trees as they came crashing down everywhere bringing electrical lines along with them. Everyone was without power for at least a week. During the restoration time, I sat myself down on the couch wrapped in a blanket, flashlight in hand. I got through all 387 pages in several days.
The story did drag a wee bit and could have been told in probably 100 fewer pages. One thing that did occur with this book I never experienced before is I couldn't skim through to find the good parts. Every word contributed to the story.
There was no scenery descriptions, lots and lots of tell and little show. I was surprised to find Mary Higgins Clark used filler words in the form of, like, just, really and very. Not to mention the endless adverbs. I coughed this up to the fact the book was written almost twenty years ago when writing styles were different at that moment in time. I ran into the same problem with, The Other Side of Midnight. I read the story when I was a young girl in high school and LOVED IT! I read it again not too long ago and found it so flat I wished I had left it alone with my original opinion.
Still, I give this little number four stars. It kept me in the story for the few uncomfortable days until my electric came back and I was pleased with the ending.
The book was an easy breezy lemon squeezy read. I live in upstate New York. This March we had two blizzards back to back along with high winds. It rained trees as they came crashing down everywhere bringing electrical lines along with them. Everyone was without power for at least a week. During the restoration time, I sat myself down on the couch wrapped in a blanket, flashlight in hand. I got through all 387 pages in several days.
The story did drag a wee bit and could have been told in probably 100 fewer pages. One thing that did occur with this book I never experienced before is I couldn't skim through to find the good parts. Every word contributed to the story.
There was no scenery descriptions, lots and lots of tell and little show. I was surprised to find Mary Higgins Clark used filler words in the form of, like, just, really and very. Not to mention the endless adverbs. I coughed this up to the fact the book was written almost twenty years ago when writing styles were different at that moment in time. I ran into the same problem with, The Other Side of Midnight. I read the story when I was a young girl in high school and LOVED IT! I read it again not too long ago and found it so flat I wished I had left it alone with my original opinion.
Still, I give this little number four stars. It kept me in the story for the few uncomfortable days until my electric came back and I was pleased with the ending.
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