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I've Got My Eyes on You
The newest thriller and instant #1 New York Times bestseller from Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark shows us just how far a family and a town will go to protect their own in the wake of tragedy.After a party when her parents are away, eighteen-year-old Kerry Dowling is found fully dressed at the bottom of the family pool. The immediate suspect is her boyfriend, who had a bitter argument with her at the party. Then there is a twenty-year-old neighbor who was angry because she didn’t invite him to the party. Or is there another suspect who has not yet been seen on the radar? Kerry’s older sister Aline, a twenty-eight-year-old guidance counselor, is determined to assist the prosecutor’s office in learning the truth. She does not realize that now she is putting her own life in danger… From #1 New York Times bestselling author and the “Queen of Suspense” comes a thrilling investigation asking what we truly know about those we trust, and the secrets lying in even the most idyllic of neighborhoods.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 3, 2018
6242 people are currently reading
9966 people want to read
About the author
Mary Higgins Clark
632 books13.5k 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 2,323 reviews
April 17, 2018
Previously I would have read this book in two days, but for some reason, I've been having troubles committing myself. As you see, I rated my read 3 stars. There are reasons for that. But can I pin them down?
Firstly there is a blatant and frankly clumsy attempt to extend the book's length by 50 pages or so. Extra characters which hog the 'limelight'. Superfluous people and their woes in which I have no investment.
I wanted to like this book. But the author disappointed me. The setting was more theatrical than macabre. Oh, well, Mary Higgins Clark is so good that I'll consider this book a blip.
Firstly there is a blatant and frankly clumsy attempt to extend the book's length by 50 pages or so. Extra characters which hog the 'limelight'. Superfluous people and their woes in which I have no investment.
I wanted to like this book. But the author disappointed me. The setting was more theatrical than macabre. Oh, well, Mary Higgins Clark is so good that I'll consider this book a blip.
May 18, 2018
An excellent poet by the name of T.S. Eliot once said "This is how the world ends not with a whimper, but with a bang." yes I know I got this wrong, in the interest of honesty I'm keeping it as it is
Alas the end for YUGE popular fiction writers tends to got the opposite way. Not with bang but with a whimper. That certainly seems to be the case with this very sad addition to the Mary Higgins Clark catalog.
If you read my reviews you already know why I love Mrs. C. She's more or less the mother of modern popular thriller writing. Her books are simple and formulaic but fun! Its more or less always the same story, super successful woman dressing in amazing clothes has sad past and somehow gets involved in murder and is usually pregnant or married by the end. Did I learn more about myself as a person by reading them? Are they great literature or even well written? No, but I genuinely looked forward to her books coming out and I've reread some of the "classics" way more than once or twice. Reading is a form of entertainment and she entertains me! Or she did....
My biggest beef with her latest book I've Got My Eyes on You is that it isn't an actual novel. Its an outline for a novel. Actually forget that. Its an idea for a novel that Clark seems to have made a few notes on but hasn't actually started writing yet.
The story, such as it is, centers around the murder of 18 year old Kerry Dowling who gets conked on the head with a golf club while trying to clean up a party she wasn't supposed to have before her parents and newly returned from abroad older sister arrive from the airport.
We have four main suspects. They are Kerry's jerky boyfriend (he's a jerk), mentally challenged neighbor boy (who's formal diagnosis is "not enough oxygen at birth"), and mysterious guy who changed teenagers flat tire a few weeks ago. Then there's hertofore totally normal seeming culprit who is hiding in plain site and will be revealed at the end to have been secretly a really horrible person with a horrible secret he/she needed to protect. We know this because the only other option is "random crazy person obsessed with the victim and/or someone close to her" and they always get their own chapters where they have a "crazy" internal monologue for a few pages before we go back to the main story, and that doesn't happen in this book.
The problems begin almost immediately. I know Clark isn't like the most nuanced writer when it comes to creating characters but one of the things that has always really worked about her books for me is the way everyone is connected in a very elaborate web of key bits of information or secrets or expertise that will be vital to solving the mystery once they're put together. Sure it can get silly when she specifically writes in like a geologist who just happens to know where the rock used to bludgeon someone came from but its also very technically solid writing. I'm always sincerely wondering how everything is going to come together.
That doesn't happen here. Its like she just doesn't care enough anymore to even bother. Jerky boyfriend is just that, a jerky boyfriend. He kinda sorta has a crappy home life with social climbing parents and there's a totally idiotic side plot where he tries to get his friends to give him an alibi that a three year old would see through but its so glaringly obvious that he isn't the killer from page one that there's literally no dramatic tension at all.
Mentally challenged neighbor is the stuff of stereotypical typecasting nightmares. He acts and sounds like a combination of Lenny from Of Mice and Men and Tom Cullen from The Stand. He's one of those magical challenged people who are wonderful and innocent and pure and clearly put on this earth to make us all better people! His entire story centers on his mother who we're supposed to sympathize with but who is utterly awful. She wants to protect her kid, I get it, but she's convinced he didn't do it, the police wouldn't even think of arresting him after five minutes of talking to him, and its clear he has key information the police need so its just infuriating to spend the book with her *gasp* just not knowing *whimper* what the right answer is *sob*?! Its go to the goddamn police you idiot! That's the right answer!
Flat tire stranger is so pointless I'm not even touching him. I think he's supposed to be a red herring? I don't know and I don't care.
Unknown culprit isn't as unknown as Clark probably wants him to be and I'll leave it at that.
Then there's the way everyone's reacting to what happened and the fact that every character is abjectly stupid. Like "there's something wrong with the water in this town because its made everyone stupid" levels of stupid.
Within five minutes of discovering the murder my favorite thing ever happens. The family priest who I can only assume through divine intervention has already sussed out that there's been a murder walks straight into the house before the police have even arrived without waiting to be let in says the following "Fran, Steve, Aline, I am so terribly sorry." He goes around the room "clasping" their hands individually then says
"I would like to say a prayer for Kerry. " he began, "dear lord..."
Then he presumably continues for an unwritten amount of time. Seriously the paragraph ends with an ellipsis.
Then the mom yells "How could God do this to us?"
And good 'ol father Frank tells a half page long (seriously I'm not kidding its literally a half page long) story about another priest who was traveling in the middle East and was surprised to find that the beautiful Persian carpets he so admired were a sea of chaotic knots and tangles on the other side and basically we don't understand God's plan because we "only see one side of the rug."
I had to put the book down at that point because I was laughing so hard I started tearing up.
Its been TWO MINUTES since their daughter was discovered murdered and a crazy man has burst into their house and begun eulogizing their child without any kind of prompting for an undetermined amount of time then started a sermon the title of which is apparently "Your Daughter Died Because We Don't Understand How Rugs Work."
The book is just chock full of random, half finished, insanity like that.
Aline, the older sister, and the stupidest protagonist Clark has ever written, has just become a guidance counselor at her sister's old school and before she even starts she's giving literal lists of confidential student information to the cops and agreeing to manipulate her sister's friends into confiding who might have killed her under the guise of offering them counseling to deal with their grief. Seriously now!? She's later "surprised" to learn from her boss that you should really contact the university a possible murderer was supposed to start at to let them know about it. She also immediately, like within a day of her sister's death, starts dating both the cop investigating and another teacher at the school.
All the dialogue is incredibly stilted and 1950's sounding. It all reads like a crime thriller by way of Dick and Jane.
(the following is a dramatic reenactment of dialog from the book NOT actual dialog, but my version is funnier.)
"How are you feeling about the death of your sister?"
"I am sad about the death of my sister."
"Yes the death of your sister is a sad thing that has happened."
Clark throws things like "cell phone" and "texting" in once or twice but I'm not actually convinced she knows what those things actually are or how they're used. My absolute favorite actual exchange happens near the end. Another investigator is filling Aline's boyfriend the lead detective in on a possible lead.
(the following IS actual dialog from the book that may not be as funny to you as it was to me).
"Here's where it gets interesting. I'm reading about this guy they arrested and my phone rings. It's Patrolman Sandy Fitchet from the Lodi police force. Fitchet was aware of the BOLO we put out on the tow truck driver."
Now here's my favorite part. Detective Mike considers the information he's just heard.
"Mike knew that BOLO was shorthand for "Be On The Look Out" for."
Oh he knew that? The veteran detective on the goddamn police force knew what the term BOLO meant? I should fucking hope so!!
Okay, okay, okay final thoughts. This book isn't a train wreck but its deadly dull. The ENTIRE thing is centered on whether the jerky boyfriend will get to go to college on time, whether mentally challenged kids mom will stop being a disgusting human being and go to the damn cops, and what in the world is possibly wrong with a barely mentioned peripheral character who deux eu machina's the big reveal at the reader two pages from the end.
This is not worth your time Clark fans and if you've never read her before for the love of god run the other way toward her earlier novels.
Its time to pack it in Mary.
Alas the end for YUGE popular fiction writers tends to got the opposite way. Not with bang but with a whimper. That certainly seems to be the case with this very sad addition to the Mary Higgins Clark catalog.
If you read my reviews you already know why I love Mrs. C. She's more or less the mother of modern popular thriller writing. Her books are simple and formulaic but fun! Its more or less always the same story, super successful woman dressing in amazing clothes has sad past and somehow gets involved in murder and is usually pregnant or married by the end. Did I learn more about myself as a person by reading them? Are they great literature or even well written? No, but I genuinely looked forward to her books coming out and I've reread some of the "classics" way more than once or twice. Reading is a form of entertainment and she entertains me! Or she did....
My biggest beef with her latest book I've Got My Eyes on You is that it isn't an actual novel. Its an outline for a novel. Actually forget that. Its an idea for a novel that Clark seems to have made a few notes on but hasn't actually started writing yet.
The story, such as it is, centers around the murder of 18 year old Kerry Dowling who gets conked on the head with a golf club while trying to clean up a party she wasn't supposed to have before her parents and newly returned from abroad older sister arrive from the airport.
We have four main suspects. They are Kerry's jerky boyfriend (he's a jerk), mentally challenged neighbor boy (who's formal diagnosis is "not enough oxygen at birth"), and mysterious guy who changed teenagers flat tire a few weeks ago. Then there's hertofore totally normal seeming culprit who is hiding in plain site and will be revealed at the end to have been secretly a really horrible person with a horrible secret he/she needed to protect. We know this because the only other option is "random crazy person obsessed with the victim and/or someone close to her" and they always get their own chapters where they have a "crazy" internal monologue for a few pages before we go back to the main story, and that doesn't happen in this book.
The problems begin almost immediately. I know Clark isn't like the most nuanced writer when it comes to creating characters but one of the things that has always really worked about her books for me is the way everyone is connected in a very elaborate web of key bits of information or secrets or expertise that will be vital to solving the mystery once they're put together. Sure it can get silly when she specifically writes in like a geologist who just happens to know where the rock used to bludgeon someone came from but its also very technically solid writing. I'm always sincerely wondering how everything is going to come together.
That doesn't happen here. Its like she just doesn't care enough anymore to even bother. Jerky boyfriend is just that, a jerky boyfriend. He kinda sorta has a crappy home life with social climbing parents and there's a totally idiotic side plot where he tries to get his friends to give him an alibi that a three year old would see through but its so glaringly obvious that he isn't the killer from page one that there's literally no dramatic tension at all.
Mentally challenged neighbor is the stuff of stereotypical typecasting nightmares. He acts and sounds like a combination of Lenny from Of Mice and Men and Tom Cullen from The Stand. He's one of those magical challenged people who are wonderful and innocent and pure and clearly put on this earth to make us all better people! His entire story centers on his mother who we're supposed to sympathize with but who is utterly awful. She wants to protect her kid, I get it, but she's convinced he didn't do it, the police wouldn't even think of arresting him after five minutes of talking to him, and its clear he has key information the police need so its just infuriating to spend the book with her *gasp* just not knowing *whimper* what the right answer is *sob*?! Its go to the goddamn police you idiot! That's the right answer!
Flat tire stranger is so pointless I'm not even touching him. I think he's supposed to be a red herring? I don't know and I don't care.
Unknown culprit isn't as unknown as Clark probably wants him to be and I'll leave it at that.
Then there's the way everyone's reacting to what happened and the fact that every character is abjectly stupid. Like "there's something wrong with the water in this town because its made everyone stupid" levels of stupid.
Within five minutes of discovering the murder my favorite thing ever happens. The family priest who I can only assume through divine intervention has already sussed out that there's been a murder walks straight into the house before the police have even arrived without waiting to be let in says the following "Fran, Steve, Aline, I am so terribly sorry." He goes around the room "clasping" their hands individually then says
"I would like to say a prayer for Kerry. " he began, "dear lord..."
Then he presumably continues for an unwritten amount of time. Seriously the paragraph ends with an ellipsis.
Then the mom yells "How could God do this to us?"
And good 'ol father Frank tells a half page long (seriously I'm not kidding its literally a half page long) story about another priest who was traveling in the middle East and was surprised to find that the beautiful Persian carpets he so admired were a sea of chaotic knots and tangles on the other side and basically we don't understand God's plan because we "only see one side of the rug."
I had to put the book down at that point because I was laughing so hard I started tearing up.
Its been TWO MINUTES since their daughter was discovered murdered and a crazy man has burst into their house and begun eulogizing their child without any kind of prompting for an undetermined amount of time then started a sermon the title of which is apparently "Your Daughter Died Because We Don't Understand How Rugs Work."
The book is just chock full of random, half finished, insanity like that.
Aline, the older sister, and the stupidest protagonist Clark has ever written, has just become a guidance counselor at her sister's old school and before she even starts she's giving literal lists of confidential student information to the cops and agreeing to manipulate her sister's friends into confiding who might have killed her under the guise of offering them counseling to deal with their grief. Seriously now!? She's later "surprised" to learn from her boss that you should really contact the university a possible murderer was supposed to start at to let them know about it. She also immediately, like within a day of her sister's death, starts dating both the cop investigating and another teacher at the school.
All the dialogue is incredibly stilted and 1950's sounding. It all reads like a crime thriller by way of Dick and Jane.
(the following is a dramatic reenactment of dialog from the book NOT actual dialog, but my version is funnier.)
"How are you feeling about the death of your sister?"
"I am sad about the death of my sister."
"Yes the death of your sister is a sad thing that has happened."
Clark throws things like "cell phone" and "texting" in once or twice but I'm not actually convinced she knows what those things actually are or how they're used. My absolute favorite actual exchange happens near the end. Another investigator is filling Aline's boyfriend the lead detective in on a possible lead.
(the following IS actual dialog from the book that may not be as funny to you as it was to me).
"Here's where it gets interesting. I'm reading about this guy they arrested and my phone rings. It's Patrolman Sandy Fitchet from the Lodi police force. Fitchet was aware of the BOLO we put out on the tow truck driver."
Now here's my favorite part. Detective Mike considers the information he's just heard.
"Mike knew that BOLO was shorthand for "Be On The Look Out" for."
Oh he knew that? The veteran detective on the goddamn police force knew what the term BOLO meant? I should fucking hope so!!
Okay, okay, okay final thoughts. This book isn't a train wreck but its deadly dull. The ENTIRE thing is centered on whether the jerky boyfriend will get to go to college on time, whether mentally challenged kids mom will stop being a disgusting human being and go to the damn cops, and what in the world is possibly wrong with a barely mentioned peripheral character who deux eu machina's the big reveal at the reader two pages from the end.
This is not worth your time Clark fans and if you've never read her before for the love of god run the other way toward her earlier novels.
Its time to pack it in Mary.
January 27, 2019
3.5*
One of my go-to authors for years has been Mary Higgins Clark. It’s been some time few since I picked one of her books up, though I have about a half a dozen waiting on my shelf for me.
I can’t say how nice it was to reunite with her once again!
Kerry Dowling, a popular high school girl is found dead in her backyard pool following last nights’ party.
All the obvious suspects are brought in for closer look. The boyfriend who just happened to have a fight with Kerry earlier that night. The neighbor who was never invited to the party. The creepy guy who bought beer for her but Kerry wouldn’t allow into the party. All viable suspects, to be sure.
It’s up to Detective Mike Wilson and maybe even Kerrys’ sister Aline, to put the pieces together and bring the killer to justice.
This was not my favorite book by Mary Higgins Clark. But it does still has all the flavor that makes you love her books! It’s a quick read, flying through it in only a few sittings. If you’re looking for a fun, light suspenseful book to start your new year...look no further!
A speedy and always fun buddy read with Susanne!❄️
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Mary Higgins Clark for a copy of this book to read and review.
One of my go-to authors for years has been Mary Higgins Clark. It’s been some time few since I picked one of her books up, though I have about a half a dozen waiting on my shelf for me.
I can’t say how nice it was to reunite with her once again!
Kerry Dowling, a popular high school girl is found dead in her backyard pool following last nights’ party.
All the obvious suspects are brought in for closer look. The boyfriend who just happened to have a fight with Kerry earlier that night. The neighbor who was never invited to the party. The creepy guy who bought beer for her but Kerry wouldn’t allow into the party. All viable suspects, to be sure.
It’s up to Detective Mike Wilson and maybe even Kerrys’ sister Aline, to put the pieces together and bring the killer to justice.
This was not my favorite book by Mary Higgins Clark. But it does still has all the flavor that makes you love her books! It’s a quick read, flying through it in only a few sittings. If you’re looking for a fun, light suspenseful book to start your new year...look no further!
A speedy and always fun buddy read with Susanne!❄️
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Mary Higgins Clark for a copy of this book to read and review.
January 23, 2019
3 Stars.
When Kerry’s body is found floating in her parents’ pool after a party, everyone thinks her on again, off again boyfriend Alan is to blame. They were fighting that night and he left the party pretty angry.
When Kerry’s sister Aline returns home from London to start a new job as the High School Guidance Counselor, she and her parents discover what happened. Aline’s parents are highly suspicious of Alan because all circumstantial evidence leads to him. Aline, however works with one of the police detectives to figure out who could actually be guilty party. Are things as simple as they seem?
“I’ve Got My Eyes on You” is the first book I’ve read by Mary Higgins Clark since 1989 when I was a teenager. I recall loving her books and don’t really know why I stopped. Though this was an easy, enjoyable read, it was quite predictable and didn’t have the suspense of the books, I recall reading by Mary Higgins Clark when I was young. It did however, make me want to go back and read some of her older novels to see what I’ve been missing all these years!
This was a buddy read with Kaceey! Thanks for taking me back in time Kaceey.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and to Mary Higgins Clark for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Goodreads on 1.23.19.
When Kerry’s body is found floating in her parents’ pool after a party, everyone thinks her on again, off again boyfriend Alan is to blame. They were fighting that night and he left the party pretty angry.
When Kerry’s sister Aline returns home from London to start a new job as the High School Guidance Counselor, she and her parents discover what happened. Aline’s parents are highly suspicious of Alan because all circumstantial evidence leads to him. Aline, however works with one of the police detectives to figure out who could actually be guilty party. Are things as simple as they seem?
“I’ve Got My Eyes on You” is the first book I’ve read by Mary Higgins Clark since 1989 when I was a teenager. I recall loving her books and don’t really know why I stopped. Though this was an easy, enjoyable read, it was quite predictable and didn’t have the suspense of the books, I recall reading by Mary Higgins Clark when I was young. It did however, make me want to go back and read some of her older novels to see what I’ve been missing all these years!
This was a buddy read with Kaceey! Thanks for taking me back in time Kaceey.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and to Mary Higgins Clark for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Goodreads on 1.23.19.
September 12, 2021
I believe this is my 4th book I’ve read by Mary Higgins Clark and I usually give her books between 4-5 stars. The short chapters made it for a quick read and I read it on a rainy Saturday. I literally could not put this book down. It grabbed from page 1 and left me guessing till the last page. 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!!
May 4, 2018
Kerry Dowling is found fully dressed at the bottom of the family swimming pool after a party she had while her parents were away. She had an argument with her boyfriend and upset a friend who is also a neighbour by not inviting him to the party. But just who did push Kerry into the pool?
Aline, Kerry's sister, does not seem to show much emotion after the death of her sister, but we all deal with grief in different ways. Aline works as a guidance counsellor at the high school Kerry attended. The book jumps back and forward between the different characters. The chapters are short in this quick read. There is not many twists either but for someone who is 90, Mary Higgins Clark still writes some great books. This one just has something missing for me.
Aline, Kerry's sister, does not seem to show much emotion after the death of her sister, but we all deal with grief in different ways. Aline works as a guidance counsellor at the high school Kerry attended. The book jumps back and forward between the different characters. The chapters are short in this quick read. There is not many twists either but for someone who is 90, Mary Higgins Clark still writes some great books. This one just has something missing for me.
June 22, 2018
Great mystery story but was a bit predictable since one of the characters was way more obviously shady more than the others. However, I don’t care if a book is predictable as long as the story has me hooked. I was from the first page. I have not read too many Mary Higgins Clark books but hope to fix that soon. I really enjoyed it and was hooked from the start in finding Kerry’s murderer. Great plot and group of characters.
My quick and simple overall: read in one sitting and was thoroughly entertained. It was predictable but I didn’t mind.
My quick and simple overall: read in one sitting and was thoroughly entertained. It was predictable but I didn’t mind.
March 31, 2019
A nice fun suspenseful mystery that has a simple basic plot and very short chapters that made for an enjoyable breezy read.
Young 18 year old Kerry Dowling is found dead in the family swimming pool, after previously hosting a party the night before.
The obvious suspect is her boyfriend Alan as the pair had been arguing during the party.
Whilst her name Jamie is also under consideration as he didn’t receive an invite.
I must confess that I’d not read a Mary Higgins Clarke before, but I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery.
Sometimes it’s just nice to get stuck into a story that isn’t overly complex, I felt that Jamie was the most interesting character.
Simple and effective, it was a nice introduction to this author.
Young 18 year old Kerry Dowling is found dead in the family swimming pool, after previously hosting a party the night before.
The obvious suspect is her boyfriend Alan as the pair had been arguing during the party.
Whilst her name Jamie is also under consideration as he didn’t receive an invite.
I must confess that I’d not read a Mary Higgins Clarke before, but I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery.
Sometimes it’s just nice to get stuck into a story that isn’t overly complex, I felt that Jamie was the most interesting character.
Simple and effective, it was a nice introduction to this author.
September 30, 2019
"Ik houd je in de gaten heeft alles in huis om een topboek te zijn, een goede korte inhoud, een toffe cover, maar de afwerking ontbreekt"
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2019...
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2019...
April 7, 2018
I keep saying I'm going to give up on MHC books, but I know I will continue to read every single one as long as she keeps writing. Her books have become very average over the past few years. I honestly wonder if she has a ghostwriter, or if she's just sort of given up. But I keep holding out hope of a really good one because I love her older books so much. Like many of her recent books, this one was pretty flat. Her writing style is just so dull sometimes. I feel like if I had turned something like this in to my college creative writing class, my professor would have marked every page with "show, don't tell." The story was mildly interesting, but I had the killer figured out the first time the character was introduced. Still, it was a quick read and enjoyable enough - just not classic MHC.
June 15, 2023
It has been an exceptionally long time since I read a Mary Higgins Clark novel, but I’ve Got My Eyes on You grabbed me from the start, and reminded me why I used to love MHC. The story was like putting on a comfortable sweater on a chill night, sitting by the fireplace reading a mystery novel drinking a hot beverage depending on my mood.
I think I could have read the book in two sittings, but I wanted to savor the experience by extending it. It was like talking to a friend that I had tremendous affection for, not seen in ten years that was close at one time. The murderer was not surprising, but again the writer's voice felt comfortable, familiar. I had not read this book before, but I think many of her books are thematically similar. I would love to read more from her, specifically her earlier books. I would love to know if they are as good as I remember. I would hazard that they are.
I think I could have read the book in two sittings, but I wanted to savor the experience by extending it. It was like talking to a friend that I had tremendous affection for, not seen in ten years that was close at one time. The murderer was not surprising, but again the writer's voice felt comfortable, familiar. I had not read this book before, but I think many of her books are thematically similar. I would love to read more from her, specifically her earlier books. I would love to know if they are as good as I remember. I would hazard that they are.
May 3, 2018
Mary Higgins Clark Wow! 90 years old and still writes an amazing book!
January 16, 2019
"I promise you and your mother and your father that we are going to find out who did this to Kerry and your family, and that person will go away for a very long time."
This read very much like a Law and Order episode. Quick and easy read, you know right away that you have a witness to the crime but you also know why they can't help the police. Pretty quickly from there, the murder and the full cast of characters are introduced. It's fast paced, taking any POV needed to help flush out the story - from the gossiping house cleaner to the kids to went to school along with all the suspects, Detective and the parents of the victim.
I think the most disappointing part was the lack of mystery. The sinister person was easily introduced and recognizable - they should have twirled their mustache and cackled manically. The whole book was just going through the motions of the wrong suspects, chasing leads to the ultimate show down you knew was coming (very movie show style) and the conclusion. I'm just glad it was a fast read.
This read very much like a Law and Order episode. Quick and easy read, you know right away that you have a witness to the crime but you also know why they can't help the police. Pretty quickly from there, the murder and the full cast of characters are introduced. It's fast paced, taking any POV needed to help flush out the story - from the gossiping house cleaner to the kids to went to school along with all the suspects, Detective and the parents of the victim.
I think the most disappointing part was the lack of mystery. The sinister person was easily introduced and recognizable - they should have twirled their mustache and cackled manically. The whole book was just going through the motions of the wrong suspects, chasing leads to the ultimate show down you knew was coming (very movie show style) and the conclusion. I'm just glad it was a fast read.
April 20, 2018
While this was a very easy read, the mystery/suspense just wasn't there. I knew as soon as a certain character was introduced, they were bad and most likely the culprit...and I was correct. I also figured out nearly right away why the person murdered her.
That being said, I still enjoyed reading the book but it was far from a great novel. Definitely a one time read. I found Aline, Kerri's sister, to show hardly any emotion (even internally) and that was just weird to me. With the way she behaved you wouldn't have expected her to have lost her sister so recently.
The "dramatic" ending was so not, plus it seemed typical of the last several books I read by this author. I still want to read the rest of the MHC books I haven't gotten to yet, as they are always easy reads, this one just wasn't one of her best.
That being said, I still enjoyed reading the book but it was far from a great novel. Definitely a one time read. I found Aline, Kerri's sister, to show hardly any emotion (even internally) and that was just weird to me. With the way she behaved you wouldn't have expected her to have lost her sister so recently.
The "dramatic" ending was so not, plus it seemed typical of the last several books I read by this author. I still want to read the rest of the MHC books I haven't gotten to yet, as they are always easy reads, this one just wasn't one of her best.
January 31, 2019
1/5
“¿Quién le había arrebatado la vida a Kerry? ¿Quién podía haberle hecho algo así a alguien que prometía tanto y que tenía toda la vida por delante?”
El último baile me ha parecido un thriller malísimo con una calidad literaria muy pobre, personajes planos, diálogos ridículos... mi primer contacto com la autora no ha podido ser peor, desgraciadamente. No lo recomiendo para nada, pero estoy segura de que esta escritora tiene libros muy buenos, así que investigaré y los leeré, no me rindo. Huid de este libro, es una pérdida de tiempo.
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-Blogger: http://addicionaloslibros.blogspot.co...
“¿Quién le había arrebatado la vida a Kerry? ¿Quién podía haberle hecho algo así a alguien que prometía tanto y que tenía toda la vida por delante?”
El último baile me ha parecido un thriller malísimo con una calidad literaria muy pobre, personajes planos, diálogos ridículos... mi primer contacto com la autora no ha podido ser peor, desgraciadamente. No lo recomiendo para nada, pero estoy segura de que esta escritora tiene libros muy buenos, así que investigaré y los leeré, no me rindo. Huid de este libro, es una pérdida de tiempo.
-Wordpress: https://suenosentreletras.wordpress.c...
-Blogger: http://addicionaloslibros.blogspot.co...
May 11, 2018
One of the worst Mary Higgins Clark books I’ve read. I thought , as I was reading it, “was this written for adults?” I felt like it was written for a 13 or14 year old kid. The premise was even more for a teen’s book, but it was not developed enough into a mystery. It was a fast read if you can keep reading it, but I kept putting it down because it was so poor. Very poor, do not recommend it.
December 8, 2019
I read this book as part of 'For Love of a Book' group's November Buddy Read. Here is my badge!😁😁
So this book was a good, fast paced, easy to read thriller though not twisty enough. I have heard a lot of great things about MHC and I am up for reading more of her books.
So this book was a good, fast paced, easy to read thriller though not twisty enough. I have heard a lot of great things about MHC and I am up for reading more of her books.
March 1, 2020
Una lectura chata, con personajes intrascendentes. Lo único bueno es que se lee rápido.
August 2, 2020
Mary Higgins Clark seemed to me an author similar to Ruth Rendell before I read any of her work - that it just wouldn't be up my alley and I generally tried to avoid her. But I loved this! The story centres around a young girl Kerry who at the beginning of the book has been found dead at the bottom of her swimming pool after a wild party. There appear to be no witnesses, although her boyfriend Alan was seen at the party fighting with Kerry earlier in the evening, and there is one person named Jamie who lives in the house next door who happened to look out of the window and see someone hit Kerry on the head... he even went down to the pool but thought Kerry was 'sleeping below the water'... but Jamie has severe learning difficulties, and how can anyone be sure he isn't just imagining things? And how can his mother allow him to speak to the police when he will be their first suspect?
Highly recommend this - there was one point towards the end that I thought was going to be a really unfair reveal but it actually worked really well!!
Highly recommend this - there was one point towards the end that I thought was going to be a really unfair reveal but it actually worked really well!!
April 10, 2018
I almost gave this book 1 star but it wasn't a bad story so I couldn't do that. The way it was written was absolutely awful. For the most part it felt like I was reading something meant for people who read at the same level as elementary school kids. I was really thrown off by that, but I think that has been an issue with a couple of Clark's more recent books.
A lot of things have been issues with some of Clark's more recent books, including extreme repetitiveness, chapters with one paragraph, and mysteries that are so easy to figure out you almost laugh.
I've Got My Eyes on You features all the above and then some. I thought it was hilarious when Jamie said he watches tapes and DVD's provided by his mom. Who in 2017/2018 still has a VCR in actual use and is keeping up with tapes of run-of-the-mill movies that are likely on DVD or On Demand?
A lot of things have been issues with some of Clark's more recent books, including extreme repetitiveness, chapters with one paragraph, and mysteries that are so easy to figure out you almost laugh.
I've Got My Eyes on You features all the above and then some. I thought it was hilarious when Jamie said he watches tapes and DVD's provided by his mom. Who in 2017/2018 still has a VCR in actual use and is keeping up with tapes of run-of-the-mill movies that are likely on DVD or On Demand?
January 20, 2020
Pues es un thriller corto, se leé muy rapido si, sin embargo lo que más me molesto fue que habia muchos puntos de vista de personajes y puede ser que algunos les guste que cada personaje tenga su punto de vista, pero yo no crei necesario el que fueran tantos ya que al estar leyendo le faltaba profundidad a todo, por no decir que en cuanto salio ese personaje adivine que era el asesino haha.
May 13, 2018
DNF at page 50. This was impossible to get into. Flat, stereotypical characters and a blow-by-blow plot that failed to tell me why I should care. It seemed like the author wasn’t even interested in her own story.
June 13, 2020
1.5⭐
Primeiro livro da autora e, possivelmente, o último. Escrita fraca, entediante, pouco elaborada e muito descritiva, embora ache que também haja falhas na tradução do livro. Mistério do homicídio de uma adolescente, que podia ser bastante interessante, mas que se torna chato por se desenrolar a um ritmo bastante lento. Confesso que não estava à espera do final mas, infelizmente, já tinha perdido o interesse em descobrir o assassino, o que é uma pena.
Primeiro livro da autora e, possivelmente, o último. Escrita fraca, entediante, pouco elaborada e muito descritiva, embora ache que também haja falhas na tradução do livro. Mistério do homicídio de uma adolescente, que podia ser bastante interessante, mas que se torna chato por se desenrolar a um ritmo bastante lento. Confesso que não estava à espera do final mas, infelizmente, já tinha perdido o interesse em descobrir o assassino, o que é uma pena.
December 9, 2019
No hay sorpresas, es un libro que sigue el mismo patrón de sus otros libros y esta vez ha sido tan obvio todo que no puedo darle más de dos estrellas.
April 4, 2018
I keep saying I am going to give up this author, and then I keep reading them. I found this story to be very plot driven with not a lot of character development. I figured out who did it early on (it follows a bit of the pattern of the author's earlier books). On the plus side, it was a quick read.
September 3, 2019
Not bad. Completely obvious who the bad guy was and why, but sometimes you don’t want a twisty thriller, sometimes you want a softly written mystery that gives you exactly what you expect. That is this book. Good read with my loved one. We had fun discussing who we thought the bad guy was and why. I enjoyed it much more than the Stephanie Plum books we read at least. 3 soft stars.
May 5, 2018
Mary Higgins Clark writes what I can only call the cozy thriller. And they are fun. A good suspense/mystery story with a subplot of romance. The romance is there and it's sweet but it's not overwhelming. This is only my second book by this author and I'm really enjoying her style.
May 7, 2019
I love Mary Higgins Clark books. I haven’t read one in a long time. I saw this one at the library . I just loved this story. It was fantastic.
January 27, 2019
Lectura entretenida, pero final demasiado obvio.
Los pensamientos de los personajes se mezclan con la voz del narrador y a veces resulta confusa la lectura.
Interesante la aparición de un personaje con discapacidad intelectual.
Lectura rápida y ágil.
Los pensamientos de los personajes se mezclan con la voz del narrador y a veces resulta confusa la lectura.
Interesante la aparición de un personaje con discapacidad intelectual.
Lectura rápida y ágil.
July 21, 2018
I am huge fan of Mary Higgins Clark's mysteries and have read nearly all of her novels ( in my pre Goodreads era ) so I was looking forward to this one a lot. I'm such a fan of this author that I even have the dvd collection of her selected books that have been made into movies. That's why this was such a letdown. There was little thrill or nail biting suspense and the storytelling was dry. The murder mystery itself was not compelling and the style of writing didn't actually engender much caring within me, for the victim and her family. That sounds harsh but this author is usually so fabulous as making the reader care and feel pain for the plight of the victim.
This just didn't work for me. It's not anywhere near as fabulous as her classic mysteries and the protagonist Aline ( the victim's sister ) was boring and bland. The detective in charge in the investigation wasn't that fabulous either. I'm not gonna add any spoilers since ( obviously ) this is a mystery story and new readers need to enjoy it ( or not as is my experience ) as it unfolds. I still have a lot of respect for Mary Higgins Clark's talent because she's a phenomenal author but this will just have to go down as one of her less than spectacular stories.
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