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Mondlicht steht dir gut
Als ihre geliebte Stiefmutter Nuala ermordet wird, beginnt die erfolgreiche Modefotografin Maggie Holloway Nachforschungen anzustellen. Dabei kommt sie zu einer erschütternden Erkenntnis: Weitere ältere Damen - allesamt wohlhabend und ohne Angehörige - sind auf unerklärliche Weise verstorben. Noch bevor Maggie die Wahrheit ans Licht bringen kann, gerät sie selbst in eine tödliche Falle ...
Ein Spannungsroman, der die amerikanische Erfolgsautorin auf dem Höhepunkt ihrer erzählerischen Meisterschaft zeigt.
Ein Spannungsroman, der die amerikanische Erfolgsautorin auf dem Höhepunkt ihrer erzählerischen Meisterschaft zeigt.
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 1996
1489 people are currently reading
5040 people want to read
About the author
Mary Higgins Clark
609 books13.3k 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 720 reviews
January 26, 2023
3.5⭐
I haven't read a MHC novel in years. I was reading her "Under Suspicion" series- a cold case TV show and really enjoying it so far and still have a few more left to go. Moonlight Becomes You is a standalone mystery that will pique your interest from the start!
In Moonlight Becomes You, Maggie's stepmother, Nuala invites her to come visit and spend a few weeks in Newport, Rhode Island. They were close and Maggie happily agrees. Maggie arrives at Nuala's but finds her dead. Maggie's left with the house and a request that she visits Nuala's friend at an upscale Latham Manor retirement home. The friend is dead too! Maggie pokes around to find answers and gets herself in some serious predicament.
A solid mystery. I mostly enjoy this title although the middle felt a bit slow. Parts of this feel like a cozy mystery but it's definitely not.
I haven't read a MHC novel in years. I was reading her "Under Suspicion" series- a cold case TV show and really enjoying it so far and still have a few more left to go. Moonlight Becomes You is a standalone mystery that will pique your interest from the start!
In Moonlight Becomes You, Maggie's stepmother, Nuala invites her to come visit and spend a few weeks in Newport, Rhode Island. They were close and Maggie happily agrees. Maggie arrives at Nuala's but finds her dead. Maggie's left with the house and a request that she visits Nuala's friend at an upscale Latham Manor retirement home. The friend is dead too! Maggie pokes around to find answers and gets herself in some serious predicament.
A solid mystery. I mostly enjoy this title although the middle felt a bit slow. Parts of this feel like a cozy mystery but it's definitely not.
April 2, 2023
I have found Mary Higgins Clark’s books to be relaxing in the past, and so returned to one after long. This should be considered standard crime/suspense fare – an average plot with a lot of characters, so that you speculate ‘Who did it?’.
Liam and Maggie are out at a party where to Maggie’s pleasant surprise, she meets Nuala who is her step-mother. It has been nearly 20 years since they met and they had shared a good relationship in the past. Nuala is excited to meet Maggie and calls her over to visit at her place in Newport. Maggie is a little delayed and reaches Nuala’s house just before a dinner party is to start with a lot of people who will attend. Maggie finds the back door open and Nuala murdered. The house is ransacked as if the person had been searching for something. Maggie meets many of the people who were close to Nuala in Newport and decides to stay on for the two weeks she had planned, keen to see justice done. One person Nuala was close to was Greta Shipley who stays at a retirement home – Latham Manor. Nuala, had plans to sell her house and move to Latham Manor but shortly before her death, she puts off the house sale. She also drafts a new will leaving her property and funds to Maggie. In a few days Greta also dies in the night, of what is assumed a heart failure, not surprising at her age and condition.
There are a number of other characters in the story. At about halfway I formed some suspicions on who the culprit could be, though the motive was revealed only at the end as a surprise. There is Neil for competes for Maggie’s attention with Liam; Doug an investment advisor who seems to be cheating people; Earl Bateman a professor with an unusual interest in last rites/graves; Dr Lane & Nurse Market at Latham Manor. There are quite a few others who are acquainted with either Maggie or Nuala or Greta. The chances of Nuala’s murdered being a stranger is low due to how the house was ransacked so there is high likelihood it was someone known to her.
As is a usual literary device, the incidents are written to make your suspicion shift from one character to the other. Especially because of that – I formed my suspicions! The plot itself is average and the motivations explained for the murder are too plain, with a number of interesting clues sprinkled mainly for effect. There are too many characters introduced quickly, though this writing style did require that to some extent.
A light, relaxing and fairly quick read.
Liam and Maggie are out at a party where to Maggie’s pleasant surprise, she meets Nuala who is her step-mother. It has been nearly 20 years since they met and they had shared a good relationship in the past. Nuala is excited to meet Maggie and calls her over to visit at her place in Newport. Maggie is a little delayed and reaches Nuala’s house just before a dinner party is to start with a lot of people who will attend. Maggie finds the back door open and Nuala murdered. The house is ransacked as if the person had been searching for something. Maggie meets many of the people who were close to Nuala in Newport and decides to stay on for the two weeks she had planned, keen to see justice done. One person Nuala was close to was Greta Shipley who stays at a retirement home – Latham Manor. Nuala, had plans to sell her house and move to Latham Manor but shortly before her death, she puts off the house sale. She also drafts a new will leaving her property and funds to Maggie. In a few days Greta also dies in the night, of what is assumed a heart failure, not surprising at her age and condition.
There are a number of other characters in the story. At about halfway I formed some suspicions on who the culprit could be, though the motive was revealed only at the end as a surprise. There is Neil for competes for Maggie’s attention with Liam; Doug an investment advisor who seems to be cheating people; Earl Bateman a professor with an unusual interest in last rites/graves; Dr Lane & Nurse Market at Latham Manor. There are quite a few others who are acquainted with either Maggie or Nuala or Greta. The chances of Nuala’s murdered being a stranger is low due to how the house was ransacked so there is high likelihood it was someone known to her.
As is a usual literary device, the incidents are written to make your suspicion shift from one character to the other. Especially because of that – I formed my suspicions! The plot itself is average and the motivations explained for the murder are too plain, with a number of interesting clues sprinkled mainly for effect. There are too many characters introduced quickly, though this writing style did require that to some extent.
A light, relaxing and fairly quick read.
June 4, 2019
I have found more misses then hits with Mary Higgins Clark and Moonlight Becomes You is a big miss.
Maggie has just re-connected with her ex step-mother, Nuula, when Nuula is found dead. After spending some time in Newport, Maggie is finding some other suspicious deaths and not everyone seems to be telling the truth.
Oh man, where to even begin with this one. First of all, Maggie is very boring and of course MHC paints her in a perfect light. 3 men seem to be fighting over her and I have no idea why. Maggie attaches herself to some of Nuula's friends and they all seem to warm up to her so suddenly. Again I have no idea why.
Second, I didn't buy into the whole closest of Maggie and Nuula's relationship. If they were so close, then why didn't they contact each other sooner? It took them 20+ years and them stumbling into each other at a party for them to reconnect again. Also Nuula ended up leaving Maggie everything in her will, which seemed odd to me, because again if someone is that important to you why not find them sooner?!
Lastly, the mystery was boring. MHC throws a ton of people into the mix, but it just makes it very confusing trying to decipher who is who. I was surprised that the police didn't look into Maggie, because again Nuula changed her will the other week, leaving everything to Maggie.
This novel is questing my decision to read all MHC's novels. I may just read the ones that have been recommend to me and call it quits.
Maggie has just re-connected with her ex step-mother, Nuula, when Nuula is found dead. After spending some time in Newport, Maggie is finding some other suspicious deaths and not everyone seems to be telling the truth.
Oh man, where to even begin with this one. First of all, Maggie is very boring and of course MHC paints her in a perfect light. 3 men seem to be fighting over her and I have no idea why. Maggie attaches herself to some of Nuula's friends and they all seem to warm up to her so suddenly. Again I have no idea why.
Second, I didn't buy into the whole closest of Maggie and Nuula's relationship. If they were so close, then why didn't they contact each other sooner? It took them 20+ years and them stumbling into each other at a party for them to reconnect again. Also Nuula ended up leaving Maggie everything in her will, which seemed odd to me, because again if someone is that important to you why not find them sooner?!
Lastly, the mystery was boring. MHC throws a ton of people into the mix, but it just makes it very confusing trying to decipher who is who. I was surprised that the police didn't look into Maggie, because again Nuula changed her will the other week, leaving everything to Maggie.
This novel is questing my decision to read all MHC's novels. I may just read the ones that have been recommend to me and call it quits.
October 12, 2016
No ha conseguido atraparme como otros libros de la autora. No sé si es porque ya voy conociendo su estilo pero he sabido desde el primer momento quien era el culpable.
Sin embargo, sí me ha gustado cómo ha ido entretejiendo las otras tramas para que luego todo tuviera un único hilo conductor.
Sin embargo, sí me ha gustado cómo ha ido entretejiendo las otras tramas para que luego todo tuviera un único hilo conductor.
February 21, 2017
Rating it a 3 because although it was a good story, figuring out the antagonist was too facile. He just disappeared from the storyline for awhile. Highly questionable
Maggie Holloway connects with a stepmother from childhood who winds up murder. She investigates the murder along with a few others who all have Victorian grave bells left on their tombstones. Side story of stock fraud
It all comes together at the end very well. No argument with that.
Maggie Holloway connects with a stepmother from childhood who winds up murder. She investigates the murder along with a few others who all have Victorian grave bells left on their tombstones. Side story of stock fraud
It all comes together at the end very well. No argument with that.
September 4, 2017
Engrossing read - some chilling moments. So why 3 stars? A lot of characters and information to track; connection between H/h not fully developed - one or two previous meetings and then a somewhat psychic connection I just didn't buy. On the other hand, I didn't guess the villain until 70% - it kept my interest and I continued reading. I did enjoy some of the info on ancient, historical, and/or cultural burial practices.
May 23, 2011
Another excellent story by MHC and the completion of her entire bibliography for me. I am going to go back and start reading them all again.
August 21, 2017
I love Mary Higgins Clark as a good palate cleanser, and a sure way to get me excited about reading again! This book did the trick perfectly!
May 31, 2019
رواية مزيج بين الرعب و بوليسي
April 21, 2025
E' il secondo romanzo della Higgins Clark che leggo e probabilmente rimarrà l'ultimo: ho ritrovato tutti i difetti dell'altro libro, per di più esponenzialmente peggiorati.
Innanzitutto la trama fa acqua da tutte le parti, non è solo banale ma anche poco logica. .
L'altro enorme problema sono i personaggi, macchiette senza alcuno spessore: la vecchina arguta, lo studioso fanatico e via di questo passo. La protagonista poi è insopportabile nel suo perfezionismo, talmente bella, intelligente e ammirata da tutti che quasi facevo il tifo per l'assassino.
Avrei potuto chiudere un occhio su queste mancanze se il mistero mi avesse appassionato o almeno incuriosito, ma la suspense è totalmente assente da questo volume, che scorre liscio come l'olio senza un minimo di pathos. Il colpevole si può capire per esclusione dopo le prime 40 pagine e lo svolgimento viene appesantito da una pseudo love story di cui avevo previsto tutto già dalla presentazione dei personaggi.
L'impressione è che il canovaccio su cui l'autrice costruisce le sue storie sia sempre lo stesso, cambia solo lo sfondo: ragazza piacente ficca il naso in un'omicidio e sta quasi per rimetterci le penne, ma per fortuna il suo eroe senza macchia e senza paura la salva e risolve la situazione. Alla faccia del femminismo.
Il vero mistero è come faccia ad avere così successo Mary Higgins Clark.
Innanzitutto la trama fa acqua da tutte le parti, non è solo banale ma anche poco logica. .
L'altro enorme problema sono i personaggi, macchiette senza alcuno spessore: la vecchina arguta, lo studioso fanatico e via di questo passo. La protagonista poi è insopportabile nel suo perfezionismo, talmente bella, intelligente e ammirata da tutti che quasi facevo il tifo per l'assassino.
Avrei potuto chiudere un occhio su queste mancanze se il mistero mi avesse appassionato o almeno incuriosito, ma la suspense è totalmente assente da questo volume, che scorre liscio come l'olio senza un minimo di pathos. Il colpevole si può capire per esclusione dopo le prime 40 pagine e lo svolgimento viene appesantito da una pseudo love story di cui avevo previsto tutto già dalla presentazione dei personaggi.
L'impressione è che il canovaccio su cui l'autrice costruisce le sue storie sia sempre lo stesso, cambia solo lo sfondo: ragazza piacente ficca il naso in un'omicidio e sta quasi per rimetterci le penne, ma per fortuna il suo eroe senza macchia e senza paura la salva e risolve la situazione. Alla faccia del femminismo.
Il vero mistero è come faccia ad avere così successo Mary Higgins Clark.
August 2, 2022
Mondlicht steht dir gut ist für mich ein typisches Buch seiner Zeit. Hätte ich es nahe an seinem Erscheinungstermin gelesen, hätte es mir wahrscheinlich besser gefallen als es das jetzt getan hat. So aber habe ich einiges zu bemängeln.
Die Geschichte beginnt fast schon am Ende: die Protagonistin befindet sich in einer scheinbar ausweglosen Situation. Wie sie dorthin gekommen ist, enthüllt die Autorin im Lauf der Handlung. Dadurch soll die Spannung gesteigert werden, bei mir hat es genau das Gegenteil bewirkt. Denn im Verlauf gab es immer wieder Szenen, die für Maggie gefährlich hätten ausgehen können. Weil ich aber wusste, dass sie irgendwann im Sarg landen würde, war in dem Fall die Spannung dann weg.
Für meinen Geschmack gab es zu viele Nebenschauplätze, die ich nach einer recht kurzen Zeit durchschaut hatte. Dabei kam das Rätsel um den Tod von Maggies Stiefmutter fast schon zu kurz.
Ich fand die Charaktere oberflächlich. Auf der einen Seite ist Maggie über Nualas Tod bestürzt, auf der anderen Seite geht sie kurz danach shoppen und ist über die neue Kleidung genauso glücklich, wie sie über ihren Verlust unglücklich wirkt. Für meinen Geschmack hat Mary Higgins Clark zu viel Wert auf Äußerlichkeiten und zu wenig auf die Personen selbst gelegt.
Natürlich kamen auch die Gefühle nicht zu kurz. Maggie, schön und jung und auf tragische Weise Single, werden verschiedene potentielle Partner präsentiert. Auch hier wusste ich schnell, wer Mr. Right war.
Ich habe erst vor kurzem einen anderen Krimi von Mary Higgins Clark gelesen und deshalb sind mir bestimmte Motive aufgefallen, die sich in ihren Krimis wiederholen. Das war mir zu viel der Vorhersehbarkeit.
Die Geschichte beginnt fast schon am Ende: die Protagonistin befindet sich in einer scheinbar ausweglosen Situation. Wie sie dorthin gekommen ist, enthüllt die Autorin im Lauf der Handlung. Dadurch soll die Spannung gesteigert werden, bei mir hat es genau das Gegenteil bewirkt. Denn im Verlauf gab es immer wieder Szenen, die für Maggie gefährlich hätten ausgehen können. Weil ich aber wusste, dass sie irgendwann im Sarg landen würde, war in dem Fall die Spannung dann weg.
Für meinen Geschmack gab es zu viele Nebenschauplätze, die ich nach einer recht kurzen Zeit durchschaut hatte. Dabei kam das Rätsel um den Tod von Maggies Stiefmutter fast schon zu kurz.
Ich fand die Charaktere oberflächlich. Auf der einen Seite ist Maggie über Nualas Tod bestürzt, auf der anderen Seite geht sie kurz danach shoppen und ist über die neue Kleidung genauso glücklich, wie sie über ihren Verlust unglücklich wirkt. Für meinen Geschmack hat Mary Higgins Clark zu viel Wert auf Äußerlichkeiten und zu wenig auf die Personen selbst gelegt.
Natürlich kamen auch die Gefühle nicht zu kurz. Maggie, schön und jung und auf tragische Weise Single, werden verschiedene potentielle Partner präsentiert. Auch hier wusste ich schnell, wer Mr. Right war.
Ich habe erst vor kurzem einen anderen Krimi von Mary Higgins Clark gelesen und deshalb sind mir bestimmte Motive aufgefallen, die sich in ihren Krimis wiederholen. Das war mir zu viel der Vorhersehbarkeit.
July 8, 2020
Antrą pusę knygos tiesiog "prarijau" 😁 negalėjau sustoti kol neperskaičiau iki galo! Ne veltui man patinka Mary detektyvai: lengvai skaitosi ir yra įdomus 👌
June 16, 2017
Not sure what the title has to do with anything apart from of COURSE moonlight becomes Maggie Holloway, since Maggie Holloway is such a Mary Sue and everybody loves her (although she mysteriously has no family or friends in the story apart from two guys who are both in love with her and a Stepmother she hasn't seen since she was a child).
Maggie is fantastic at sculpting clay. She can instantly make a recognisable bust of someone from her memory...however she knew that sculpting couldn't be her real job, so she decided instead to be practical and become a fashion photographer. She thinks about her career now and then and has a special eye for detail because that is her photographer super-power but she does not seem in any way tied down by work, doesn't have to call in for leave or anything or let her boss know she has moved states. She's one of the "normal" people in the book as opposed to the rich ones.
If you can't work out who did it very early on (based on....well I guess saying it would be a spoiler, but based on a very obvious bias in the story) then maybe mystery genre is not for you. Of course this is more of a "suspense" book than anything else so Maggie gets into danger and .... well you know how these things go.
Some of the plot was complex and I would have given it an extra star for that except that the gender stereotypes were even more regressive than average (all women are beautiful and want to be wives of dominant men) and the social politics (apolitically presented of course) of the book jarred. The "bad guy" was just crazy, it was a genetic flaw (ableism, also lazy writing). I did enjoy the pre-mobile-phone world with people using car-phones (oh yes it was a thing...breifly mid-nineties) to stay in touch. I'd like to go easy on the characterisation given the age of the book but there was a lot of stuff written in the nineties that actually pushed a boundary or two.
I think this was the "safely marketable option" but I do confess at least two of my friends at the time (we were in high school, or just out of it) thought Mary Higgins Clark was the best author ever!!
Each to their own, I didn't hugely get into her books then and trying this one in 2017 I am seeing a lot I don't like. I feel fairly confident someone will still want to read this though.
Maggie is fantastic at sculpting clay. She can instantly make a recognisable bust of someone from her memory...however she knew that sculpting couldn't be her real job, so she decided instead to be practical and become a fashion photographer. She thinks about her career now and then and has a special eye for detail because that is her photographer super-power but she does not seem in any way tied down by work, doesn't have to call in for leave or anything or let her boss know she has moved states. She's one of the "normal" people in the book as opposed to the rich ones.
If you can't work out who did it very early on (based on....well I guess saying it would be a spoiler, but based on a very obvious bias in the story) then maybe mystery genre is not for you. Of course this is more of a "suspense" book than anything else so Maggie gets into danger and .... well you know how these things go.
Some of the plot was complex and I would have given it an extra star for that except that the gender stereotypes were even more regressive than average (all women are beautiful and want to be wives of dominant men) and the social politics (apolitically presented of course) of the book jarred. The "bad guy" was just crazy, it was a genetic flaw (ableism, also lazy writing). I did enjoy the pre-mobile-phone world with people using car-phones (oh yes it was a thing...breifly mid-nineties) to stay in touch. I'd like to go easy on the characterisation given the age of the book but there was a lot of stuff written in the nineties that actually pushed a boundary or two.
I think this was the "safely marketable option" but I do confess at least two of my friends at the time (we were in high school, or just out of it) thought Mary Higgins Clark was the best author ever!!
Each to their own, I didn't hugely get into her books then and trying this one in 2017 I am seeing a lot I don't like. I feel fairly confident someone will still want to read this though.
March 8, 2021
Easy to read, general market, light suspense, well written.
One of Mary Higgins Clark's older books (1996). Maggie Halloway is a photographer who reconnects with her stepmother, Nuala Moore. Nuala is contemplating selling her home and moving to a senior living complex; but when Maggie goes to visit Nuala, she finds her dead on the living room floor and the house ransacked. Meanwhile, women at senior complex are unexpectedly dying. When Maggie begins to investigate, strange occurrences begin to take place.
No fast action, but an enjoyable read.
One of Mary Higgins Clark's older books (1996). Maggie Halloway is a photographer who reconnects with her stepmother, Nuala Moore. Nuala is contemplating selling her home and moving to a senior living complex; but when Maggie goes to visit Nuala, she finds her dead on the living room floor and the house ransacked. Meanwhile, women at senior complex are unexpectedly dying. When Maggie begins to investigate, strange occurrences begin to take place.
No fast action, but an enjoyable read.
March 21, 2011
I was disappointed. It's very easy to work out who the villain is, the characters are shallow and really I don't think it's well-written at all. This book is like a holiday romance with a few murders thrown in.
I have read other books by Mary Higgins Clark and don't remember them being as ordinary as this one.
I have read other books by Mary Higgins Clark and don't remember them being as ordinary as this one.
April 21, 2022
Uff que bueno, como agatja christie pero un poco más reciente. Reseña pendiente
August 26, 2018
Le doy 3.5 de calificación
Realmente he disfrutado mucho de este libro, muy al estilo de novela policiaca ligera, sin grandes sobresaltos pero entretenida como pocas.
Literalmente me he leído este libro en dos sentadas y me ha hecho sentir como si hubiera estado jugando este juego de mesa "Clue" o "Cluedo", ya saben, ya se a quien mataron, ya se donde lo mataron, ya se con que lo mataron, ahora me falta saber quien y porque. Con varios sospechosos, todos con el motivo, todos tuvieron la oportunidad y todos con personalidades de cara a público y otra a puerta cerrada.
Tiene varias genialidades y una de ellas fue el museo de los ritos funerarios que presentan, tanto el personaje, dueño del museo, como la presentación de esta escena fue realmente fantástica.
Por lo demás ya para el final del libro me parece a mí que Higgins Clark pecó un poco de ingenua y que nuestro galán de la historia resulta un poco despistado y eso me desesperó un poco, pero nada que no sea salvable.
Un libro para disfrutar, para pasar un buen rato y dejarse llevar por una lectura amena.
Me gusta mucho como escribe Higgins, no es nada complicada, fácil de entrar, con personajes creíbles, fácil, ligero, ameno, sin complicaciones a pesar de tratar de un asesinato, es novela ligera, no es nada más que eso y con eso es más que suficiente, al menos para mí
Realmente he disfrutado mucho de este libro, muy al estilo de novela policiaca ligera, sin grandes sobresaltos pero entretenida como pocas.
Literalmente me he leído este libro en dos sentadas y me ha hecho sentir como si hubiera estado jugando este juego de mesa "Clue" o "Cluedo", ya saben, ya se a quien mataron, ya se donde lo mataron, ya se con que lo mataron, ahora me falta saber quien y porque. Con varios sospechosos, todos con el motivo, todos tuvieron la oportunidad y todos con personalidades de cara a público y otra a puerta cerrada.
Tiene varias genialidades y una de ellas fue el museo de los ritos funerarios que presentan, tanto el personaje, dueño del museo, como la presentación de esta escena fue realmente fantástica.
Por lo demás ya para el final del libro me parece a mí que Higgins Clark pecó un poco de ingenua y que nuestro galán de la historia resulta un poco despistado y eso me desesperó un poco, pero nada que no sea salvable.
Un libro para disfrutar, para pasar un buen rato y dejarse llevar por una lectura amena.
Me gusta mucho como escribe Higgins, no es nada complicada, fácil de entrar, con personajes creíbles, fácil, ligero, ameno, sin complicaciones a pesar de tratar de un asesinato, es novela ligera, no es nada más que eso y con eso es más que suficiente, al menos para mí
December 26, 2013
Not bad, but overall kind of on the forgettable side.
The first three pages in the beginning were great, but it was pretty slow up until the last third of the story. Maggie wasn't all that interesting to read either - not a lot of depth there. And it was pretty easy to work out who the villain was pretty much right out of the gate - not a whole lot of mystery.
I think I would classify this as a light waiting room, bus, or airplane read. I could see this being turned into a low-budget tv movie with the cheese turned up.
As a side note, I was disappointed it took the characters so long to figure out the significance of the bells. I mean, how did they not know that?
Final word on this book: meh.
The first three pages in the beginning were great, but it was pretty slow up until the last third of the story. Maggie wasn't all that interesting to read either - not a lot of depth there. And it was pretty easy to work out who the villain was pretty much right out of the gate - not a whole lot of mystery.
I think I would classify this as a light waiting room, bus, or airplane read. I could see this being turned into a low-budget tv movie with the cheese turned up.
As a side note, I was disappointed it took the characters so long to figure out the significance of the bells. I mean, how did they not know that?
Final word on this book: meh.
May 24, 2017
Booring 💤
December 3, 2020
I grew up on Mary Higgins Clark books. When I go back and reread them now they seem like pretty simple easy reads, but I still enjoy them.
August 26, 2024
This was a good story. At times I felt they were way too many characters. And a little bit creepy with all the death and cemetery issues.
March 8, 2021
The suspense and the plot twist totally got me. Can't believe you could use a Victorian bell in a murder. 😅
September 16, 2016
Reaction (Book)
Just like her other books, it introduces a lot of characters which makes it so hard to keep track of. She introduced them in a very detailed way that would make you think he/she was the bad guy. What a great technique eh? Her style of “who done it” never fails to amaze me. Reading it for the second time never gave me the convenience to guess the real suspect. It really just proves that Mary Higgins Clarks’ writing skills is really unpredictable. The title “America’s Queen of Suspense” pretty damn suits her well.
I remembered one time while reading the book; I forgot to eat lunch for I was so engrossed with the story. Once you started the story, you won’t stop until you finish it.
All the words used are just so easy to understand. The words being used in a story has been the greatest traits I’ve been looking for in every book I am going to read. Imagine you’re in a suspense scene and you are looking in the dictionary of the meaning of each word. You wouldn’’t feel the suspense part after all, right?
I’’m a kind of person who only loves to read on dialogues but this one is different. There were only a few dialogues in it. All things were explained in a sentence that I can’t afford not to read for I might miss the whole story.
One of the things that I liked the least from the story is that it started as a slow pace and a boring one. I was just lucky for I decided to finish the story for if not, I won’t be this thrilled. It is just a kind of story that gets even better as the page number increases.
Putting a little something of romance in this suspense/thriller book is my favorite! It is what every happy ending sucker like me wants for every story.
Reaction (Author & Plot)
Mary Higgins Clark is well known as America’s Queen of Suspense. I strongly agree with it. I know I may sound bias for she is one of my favorite authors, but really, you’’ve got to read her books especially her older books to see what she is capable of making you feel. She uses a very easy to grasp English terms that even a non-native English speaker like me could easily understand.
The plot seems a little gross and creepy, but I really love it. And I’’m sure it’s going to be pretty hard to forget the story just like how I always remember her book entitled “Loves Music, Loves to Dance”. The grossier the story, the more I like it. Yeah I know, it’s crazy, but that’’s how I like to read.
I always like how she put a lot of twists in the story making it harder to guess the suspect/s. She is definitely one of the best!
Final Thoughts
This is a kind of book that offers a great deal of suspense. It will keep you guessing ’till the end. It’s a single book which contains suspense, thriller, mystery and romance in one. Read it and be thrilled!
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Read my full review blog post
Buy Moonlight Becomes You (Kindle)
Buy Moonlight Becomes You (Paperback)
Buy Moonlight Becomes You (Hardcover)
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Just like her other books, it introduces a lot of characters which makes it so hard to keep track of. She introduced them in a very detailed way that would make you think he/she was the bad guy. What a great technique eh? Her style of “who done it” never fails to amaze me. Reading it for the second time never gave me the convenience to guess the real suspect. It really just proves that Mary Higgins Clarks’ writing skills is really unpredictable. The title “America’s Queen of Suspense” pretty damn suits her well.
I remembered one time while reading the book; I forgot to eat lunch for I was so engrossed with the story. Once you started the story, you won’t stop until you finish it.
All the words used are just so easy to understand. The words being used in a story has been the greatest traits I’ve been looking for in every book I am going to read. Imagine you’re in a suspense scene and you are looking in the dictionary of the meaning of each word. You wouldn’’t feel the suspense part after all, right?
I’’m a kind of person who only loves to read on dialogues but this one is different. There were only a few dialogues in it. All things were explained in a sentence that I can’t afford not to read for I might miss the whole story.
One of the things that I liked the least from the story is that it started as a slow pace and a boring one. I was just lucky for I decided to finish the story for if not, I won’t be this thrilled. It is just a kind of story that gets even better as the page number increases.
Putting a little something of romance in this suspense/thriller book is my favorite! It is what every happy ending sucker like me wants for every story.
Reaction (Author & Plot)
Mary Higgins Clark is well known as America’s Queen of Suspense. I strongly agree with it. I know I may sound bias for she is one of my favorite authors, but really, you’’ve got to read her books especially her older books to see what she is capable of making you feel. She uses a very easy to grasp English terms that even a non-native English speaker like me could easily understand.
The plot seems a little gross and creepy, but I really love it. And I’’m sure it’s going to be pretty hard to forget the story just like how I always remember her book entitled “Loves Music, Loves to Dance”. The grossier the story, the more I like it. Yeah I know, it’s crazy, but that’’s how I like to read.
I always like how she put a lot of twists in the story making it harder to guess the suspect/s. She is definitely one of the best!
Final Thoughts
This is a kind of book that offers a great deal of suspense. It will keep you guessing ’till the end. It’s a single book which contains suspense, thriller, mystery and romance in one. Read it and be thrilled!
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Read my full review blog post
Buy Moonlight Becomes You (Kindle)
Buy Moonlight Becomes You (Paperback)
Buy Moonlight Becomes You (Hardcover)
To read more of my reviews, book news and updates:
Main Blog: Blushing Geek
Facebook Page
Subscribe to mailing list
January 24, 2018
My First (And Last) Mary Higgins Clark Book
Several friends highly recommended this author’s books, so I finally bought this—my first Mary Higgins Clark novel—in September 2017. I’ve picked it up more than a dozen times and managed to read to the 25% mark.
By page 49, approximately twenty-five characters are introduced—most wealthy & many aspiring to be wealthier. Too many characters and it’s only page 49.
Oddly, I didn’t learn Maggie’s surname until page 24. Had I not been seeking it, I’d have missed it.
The author introduces a world of excesses—which Maggie and the other characters inhabit. Reminded me of old TV shows like Dynasty.
Thought balloon, Maggie: “I hate cocktail parties.” Well, of course it’s merely a cocktail party if you leave The Four Seasons before dinner . . . in the Grill Room. Also, not excusing herself to the host/hostess and abandoning her date. Maggie likes Il Tinello (said Liam), went to boarding school & Carnegie-Mellon, and rubs along comfortably with wealthy blue bloods in Newport. Maggie is used a wealthy life, seems to be a perfect person, everyone seems to love/like her, and three men are lusting for her.
Before the plot managed to manifest itself, I was bored. DNF the Kindle version and same for the Audible version.
Several friends highly recommended this author’s books, so I finally bought this—my first Mary Higgins Clark novel—in September 2017. I’ve picked it up more than a dozen times and managed to read to the 25% mark.
By page 49, approximately twenty-five characters are introduced—most wealthy & many aspiring to be wealthier. Too many characters and it’s only page 49.
Oddly, I didn’t learn Maggie’s surname until page 24. Had I not been seeking it, I’d have missed it.
The author introduces a world of excesses—which Maggie and the other characters inhabit. Reminded me of old TV shows like Dynasty.
Thought balloon, Maggie: “I hate cocktail parties.” Well, of course it’s merely a cocktail party if you leave The Four Seasons before dinner . . . in the Grill Room. Also, not excusing herself to the host/hostess and abandoning her date. Maggie likes Il Tinello (said Liam), went to boarding school & Carnegie-Mellon, and rubs along comfortably with wealthy blue bloods in Newport. Maggie is used a wealthy life, seems to be a perfect person, everyone seems to love/like her, and three men are lusting for her.
Before the plot managed to manifest itself, I was bored. DNF the Kindle version and same for the Audible version.
May 14, 2009
Morning Becomes You is a perfect bus ride, waiting room, kind of book. It doesn’t ask too much of you, intellectually, the chapters are short and the plot moves quickly. Overall, a pleasant read, and it would make a reasonably interesting television movie.
A young woman arrives for a pre-arranged re-union with a favored stepmother and finds her dead. She becomes suspicious of a few other deaths at the local nursing home.
The most interesting character in the book is Earl Bateman and this because of his interest in death customs, about which he lectures at the local collage.
If I were casting it, I’d cast Rosalind Russell as Nuala Moore and Elsa Lancaster as Nurse Markey. Vincent Price would seem an obvious choice for Earl Bateman, but I’d choose Thomas Mitchell. Of course, this supposes that they were all alive. (I suspect that most reading this cast of characters are asking, “Who?”)
I’m not spoiling anything by saying that the book has a happy ever after ending. These kinds of books always do.
A young woman arrives for a pre-arranged re-union with a favored stepmother and finds her dead. She becomes suspicious of a few other deaths at the local nursing home.
The most interesting character in the book is Earl Bateman and this because of his interest in death customs, about which he lectures at the local collage.
If I were casting it, I’d cast Rosalind Russell as Nuala Moore and Elsa Lancaster as Nurse Markey. Vincent Price would seem an obvious choice for Earl Bateman, but I’d choose Thomas Mitchell. Of course, this supposes that they were all alive. (I suspect that most reading this cast of characters are asking, “Who?”)
I’m not spoiling anything by saying that the book has a happy ever after ending. These kinds of books always do.
March 12, 2015
I will not make fun of Clark's novels as I usually do - stupid to do if I am reading them - because as much as they are cotton candy for the brain, without anything meaningful, memorable, or approaching profound, they are always mildly interesting and in a stressful week (state testing for my students) they are a somewhat fun diversion. This novel was about as good as the rest but about one thing I will comment: the last one of her novels I read, On the Street Where You Live, is almost identical to this. The only difference is that Street is set in Spring Lake, NJ, very close to where I reside, and there is some mystery surrounding women who died a hundred years earlier, and Moonlight is set in Newport. Even the couples who are close friends of the deceased mirror couples surrounding the deceased in Street. There's the bitter, unhappy woman married to the guy she thinks is a loser/doofus, the airhead married to the bored, smart and/or rich guy, they are the same in both books. Maybe it is time for newer cotton candy. :)
December 1, 2021
3.5, actually.
I don't think figuring out who the killer is was as easy as some reviews made it to be, but definitely it was not a shocking reveal. I wish they had developed a little bit more the connection between the two antagonists tho because it kind of came out of nowhere (which is the reason why I didn't give the book 4 stars.)
Nevertheless, this was a book I enjoyed reading and I really liked Maggie. Even if it doesn't have the plot twist of the century it was worth my time. I'm looking forward to reading more from MHC.
Also, this is mostly a very personal opinion but I thought it was weird how everyone was annoyed with the anthropologist... The guy was just passionate about his job let him live his life (and I'm so glad he wasn't the killer because THAT would've ruined the book for me.)
I don't think figuring out who the killer is was as easy as some reviews made it to be, but definitely it was not a shocking reveal. I wish they had developed a little bit more the connection between the two antagonists tho because it kind of came out of nowhere (which is the reason why I didn't give the book 4 stars.)
Nevertheless, this was a book I enjoyed reading and I really liked Maggie. Even if it doesn't have the plot twist of the century it was worth my time. I'm looking forward to reading more from MHC.
Also, this is mostly a very personal opinion but I thought it was weird how everyone was annoyed with the anthropologist... The guy was just passionate about his job let him live his life (and I'm so glad he wasn't the killer because THAT would've ruined the book for me.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2009
All M.H.C. books have the same theme, attractive smart woman as main character unknowingly in a lot of danger while you meet a few attractive male characters. One of the male characters is the killer, the other the love interest and you don't get to know which is which until the end. (If you don't figure it out in the first 3 chapters.)
August 14, 2017
Pretty good twists. Was a tad longer than necessary. Stupidly romantic, which I begrudgingly enjoyed. Some creep factor but not enough.
June 7, 2020
These characters made me SO uncomfortable.
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