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While My Pretty One Sleeps
Neeve Kearny may be the only person in New York worried about the disappearance of Ethel Lambston.
Ethel, a bestselling author famous for her juicy exposÉs, is one of the best customers at Neeve’s exclusive Madison Avenue boutique. But Ethel’s ex-husband, her parasitical nephew, and the fashion moguls skewered in her latest article all have reason to be glad she’s no longer around.
When Ethel Lambston is found with her throat cut, Neeve’s memories of her mother’s long-unsolved murder loom up once again. Now, as an innocent witness in the Lambston investigation, Neeve is drawn into a new nightmare . . . a sinister labyrinth of greed and ambition that will lead her into mortal danger.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 15, 1989
About the author
Mary Higgins Clark
373 books13.8k 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 610 reviews
April 7, 2015
Captivating read! compelling,interesting and great storytelling. One of my favorite books by this author (paperback!)
March 17, 2024
3.5 💀 ART, FASHION, AND MURDER - a deadly combination 👏
October 10, 2021
I hadn't read one of Mary Higgins Clark's books in a while; now, I'm reminded why she is called the Queen of Suspense.
May 31, 2021
This is my first Mary Higgins Clark book and I'm so glad I really liked it. The amazing late Jessica Walter narrated this audiobook so it made it 10x more enjoyable for me. I really liked this and am looking forward to picking up more of Mary Higgins Clark in the future. - R.
August 4, 2022
Este libro estaba en el estante de mi madre cuando yo era chica y no me lo pude leer. Ha pasado mucho tiempo y más o menos ya sabía quién era el malo,pero fue bueno al fin salir de la intriga de tantos años.
June 24, 2021
3.5 sterren. Hoewel de achtergrond van dit verhaal, de modewereld, me niet zo erg interesseert, vond ik het verhaal op zich wel goed. Een rijke journaliste, die klant is bij het Modehuis van Neeve Kearny, wordt vermoord. Zo begint het boek. De moordenaar verbergt haar in een groot park. Voor de buitenwereld lijkt het of Ethel vermist is, er wordt geopperd dat ze, gezien haar wispelturige aard, misschien voor een tijdje op reis is zonder iemand te hebben verwittigd.
Neeve maakt zich echter ongerust, omdat Ethel de dag na haar verdwijning een afspraak met haar had, die ze normaal zeker niet zou hebben gemist.
Dan wordt toevallig het lijk van Ethel ontdekt en gaat de zaak toch aan het rollen. Er zijn verschillende verdachten: haar ex Seamus, die het financieel moeilijk heeft omdat hij nog altijd maandelijks een grote allmentatie aan Ethel moet betalen; haar neef Doug, die steeds op zwart zaad zit en nu in het appartement van Ethel is ingetrokken, en iemand uit de mode-wereld, waarover Ethel beweerde dat ze informatie had die heel erg schadelijk voor zijn reputatie zou zijn.
Maar er speelt meer, en ook Neeve en haar vader Myles, zelfs haar overleden moeder Renata, hebben iets te maken met de moordenaar. Zo wordt het verhaal toch spannend.
Hoe verder je komt in het boek, hoe spannender het wordt, en de lezer wordt verschillende keren op het verkeerde been gezet.
Goed geschreven.
Neeve maakt zich echter ongerust, omdat Ethel de dag na haar verdwijning een afspraak met haar had, die ze normaal zeker niet zou hebben gemist.
Dan wordt toevallig het lijk van Ethel ontdekt en gaat de zaak toch aan het rollen. Er zijn verschillende verdachten: haar ex Seamus, die het financieel moeilijk heeft omdat hij nog altijd maandelijks een grote allmentatie aan Ethel moet betalen; haar neef Doug, die steeds op zwart zaad zit en nu in het appartement van Ethel is ingetrokken, en iemand uit de mode-wereld, waarover Ethel beweerde dat ze informatie had die heel erg schadelijk voor zijn reputatie zou zijn.
Maar er speelt meer, en ook Neeve en haar vader Myles, zelfs haar overleden moeder Renata, hebben iets te maken met de moordenaar. Zo wordt het verhaal toch spannend.
Hoe verder je komt in het boek, hoe spannender het wordt, en de lezer wordt verschillende keren op het verkeerde been gezet.
Goed geschreven.
November 6, 2013
"Que pode a Primavera fazer, a não ser renovar a necessidade que tenho de ti?"
"Enquanto a Minha Bela Dorme" é o primeiro livro que leio da Mary Higgins Clark e quando cheguei ao final, questionei-me porque demorei tanto tempo a finalmente decidir conhecer a autora.
A história tem como pano de fundo o competitivo mundo da moda, que ao contrário do que dá a entender, nada tem de verdadeiramente belo. Como se por si só não fosse suficientemente catastrófico, o mundo da moda colide com o mundo da literatura e jornalismo. Junta-se uma pequena, mas significativa contribuição da policia e outra, um pouco maior, da Máfia italiana e temos uma história com suspense, mistério, amor e humor.
A autora dá-nos a conhecer, de um forma intima, a vida da dona de uma loja de roupa de designers e do seu pai, que para além da casa partilham a dor da perda da mãe e esposa. A narrativa dá-nos diferentes perspetivas de diferentes personagens e intercala o presente com as memórias dos envolvidos.
Mary Higgins Clark escreve e descreve de uma forma tranquila, e nós assimilamos o que nos é dito com igual calma, o que nos permite usufruir da sua escrita simples e cativante, que só pela sua grandeza nos consegue transportar para o local onde se desenrola a ação. A grandeza do seu estilo literário é acentuada pelas questões e dúvidas que mantém até ao final e pelo caminho das possíveis respostas, que inclui vários suspeitos e motivos.
Descreveria o livro como uma história de mistério, com influências de um policial e contornos de um romance. A verdade é que, como na vida, esta história tem um pouco de tudo. A autora retrata uma relação entre pai e filha de um modo profundo, ao mesmo tempo que insere o nascimento de uma paixão e realça as personalidades das suas personagens através dos seus pensamentos e ações.
Depois de uma viagem emocionante, a revelação final não fica aquém das expectativas, muito pelo contrário!
"Acabo sempre por cantar os Parabéns a Você a mim mesma."
"Enquanto a Minha Bela Dorme" é o primeiro livro que leio da Mary Higgins Clark e quando cheguei ao final, questionei-me porque demorei tanto tempo a finalmente decidir conhecer a autora.
A história tem como pano de fundo o competitivo mundo da moda, que ao contrário do que dá a entender, nada tem de verdadeiramente belo. Como se por si só não fosse suficientemente catastrófico, o mundo da moda colide com o mundo da literatura e jornalismo. Junta-se uma pequena, mas significativa contribuição da policia e outra, um pouco maior, da Máfia italiana e temos uma história com suspense, mistério, amor e humor.
A autora dá-nos a conhecer, de um forma intima, a vida da dona de uma loja de roupa de designers e do seu pai, que para além da casa partilham a dor da perda da mãe e esposa. A narrativa dá-nos diferentes perspetivas de diferentes personagens e intercala o presente com as memórias dos envolvidos.
Mary Higgins Clark escreve e descreve de uma forma tranquila, e nós assimilamos o que nos é dito com igual calma, o que nos permite usufruir da sua escrita simples e cativante, que só pela sua grandeza nos consegue transportar para o local onde se desenrola a ação. A grandeza do seu estilo literário é acentuada pelas questões e dúvidas que mantém até ao final e pelo caminho das possíveis respostas, que inclui vários suspeitos e motivos.
Descreveria o livro como uma história de mistério, com influências de um policial e contornos de um romance. A verdade é que, como na vida, esta história tem um pouco de tudo. A autora retrata uma relação entre pai e filha de um modo profundo, ao mesmo tempo que insere o nascimento de uma paixão e realça as personalidades das suas personagens através dos seus pensamentos e ações.
Depois de uma viagem emocionante, a revelação final não fica aquém das expectativas, muito pelo contrário!
"Acabo sempre por cantar os Parabéns a Você a mim mesma."
March 9, 2013
While My Pretty One Sleeps is another harrowing mystery novel by Mary Higgins Clark. I liked the story but it wasn't as exciting as some of Clark's other works. The plot revolves around the death of Ethel Lambston, the best-selling author who wrote shocking articles about famous personalities. Ethel was a wealthy public figure with a scumbag, leech of a nephew and a hot-tempered ex-husband who was going bankrupt after paying her a total of 12,000 dollars a year worth of alimony; not to mention all those people she wrote her articles about. After her sudden disappearance, her personal shopper/designer Neeve Kearny was apt to uncover the mystery. But unbeknownst to Miss Kearny, her life was also threatened by the same man who killed her mother. Myles Kearny, the ex-police Commissioner gets involved in the case when it is discovered that Ethel was killed in the same manner that his wife had been --- slit in the throat. As they work to find the killer they discover just how close to home the case really is.
Every time you think you know who the killer is the story takes you on a roller coaster ride of wonder and suspicion. The depiction of the characters was clearly well thought-out that you'd have a hard time guessing just who the culprit is. I really liked the story.
Every time you think you know who the killer is the story takes you on a roller coaster ride of wonder and suspicion. The depiction of the characters was clearly well thought-out that you'd have a hard time guessing just who the culprit is. I really liked the story.
October 15, 2023
I am sure there are all sorts of titles and names given to this type of mystery - we love our monikers for such things - but this is a perfect example of Mary Higgins Clark and her cozy mysteries - true there is a murder but really that happened "off screen" the real story is to follow.
Now the reason why I say this is true to the "Higgins Clark" formula (and it is far from being derogatory) you have a huge array of characters and somewhere buried in this cast is the real villain.
What they follows is a cat and mouse game of mis-direction and sub-plots till the final reveal and to be honest it is usually the least obvious person (but with the most obvious of reasons) that have carried out the crimes.
A fun read and a great way of passing a late evening when in the mood for reading. You can see why she was at the top of her game
Now the reason why I say this is true to the "Higgins Clark" formula (and it is far from being derogatory) you have a huge array of characters and somewhere buried in this cast is the real villain.
What they follows is a cat and mouse game of mis-direction and sub-plots till the final reveal and to be honest it is usually the least obvious person (but with the most obvious of reasons) that have carried out the crimes.
A fun read and a great way of passing a late evening when in the mood for reading. You can see why she was at the top of her game
July 4, 2023
**Content Warnings at Bottom**
Sometimes you just need a mass-market paperback to cleanse your palate. Unfortunately, this is not one of Mary Higgins Clark’s best books and I felt extremely dissatisfied with the mystery, story, and characters. There were also certain things that were added to this novel that had me side-eyeing Clark pretty hard. At the end of the day, it didn’t feel like a mystery or a thriller, but like reading the script of a procedural without all the nuance and emotion that the actors would put into it when they put it on the screen. This is a two-star read and that is more for craft than the fact that I enjoyed my time with this novel.
While My Pretty One Sleeps focuses on Neeve and Myles Kearny, Neeve owns a fashion boutique that caters to the higher end of town and her father Myles is the retired police commissioner of New York City and recovering from a heart attack. When one of Neeve’s most eccentric clients doesn’t pick up her order, Neeve starts to dig into if something has happened to the journalist Ethel Lambston. As Neeve attempts to confirm whether Ethel has left or if something has happened to her, she also learns that Ethel has learned a huge bombshell about the fashion industry and is about to publish a book about it. Suddenly, there are a number of potential motives for people to want Lambston to disappear.
My biggest issue with this novel is that there was no suspense for the reader. We know that Ethel is dead literally hundreds of pages before anyone else, besides the killer, does. While Neeve has a bad feeling about Ethel’s disappearance, she keeps getting talked out of it by her father, and everyone else she shares her fears. If the reader also didn’t know that she was dead, it wouldn’t have been so frustrating, but the “oh she’s probably just left” for that long is just grating. None of these characters are super likable or even that you are worried about what will happen to them. The Red Herring was so obvious that it was obviously not them, but we stayed with them for so long in this story. I also don’t think that there were enough clues to point to the actual killer, which makes the payoff seem pretty cheap.
Some more fine details that pulled me out of the story. The number of times that Neeve’s skin was described as “milk-white” started to veer into more than just a descriptor. Then there are all these individuals who wear super high-end clothes making extremely derogatory comments about the homeless in New York City. Then there was the anti-union sentiment that was always attached to the “bad” guys in the novel, but it is never challenged on the page. That, pared with the fact that the fact is made that both Neeve and Ethel vote Republican in a none political thriller was out of place and honestly, made me have a lot of questions about Clark. Don’t even get me started on the fact that the grand love story in this novel, the two of them met while one was fighting in World War II and the other was a TEN-YEAR-OLD CHILD. I will be here all day. The instant love between Jack and Neeve was so flat and they had no chemistry. An even smaller complaint, Neeve called her father by his first name. I don’t know a single adult who does that.
Overall, it was an easy and quick read, but not very enjoyable for me. I have liked a number of other works by Clark, which made this even more disappointing. A two star read and better luck next time.
*Content Warnings*
Death of a parent, violence, gun violence, on page death, death, murder
Sometimes you just need a mass-market paperback to cleanse your palate. Unfortunately, this is not one of Mary Higgins Clark’s best books and I felt extremely dissatisfied with the mystery, story, and characters. There were also certain things that were added to this novel that had me side-eyeing Clark pretty hard. At the end of the day, it didn’t feel like a mystery or a thriller, but like reading the script of a procedural without all the nuance and emotion that the actors would put into it when they put it on the screen. This is a two-star read and that is more for craft than the fact that I enjoyed my time with this novel.
While My Pretty One Sleeps focuses on Neeve and Myles Kearny, Neeve owns a fashion boutique that caters to the higher end of town and her father Myles is the retired police commissioner of New York City and recovering from a heart attack. When one of Neeve’s most eccentric clients doesn’t pick up her order, Neeve starts to dig into if something has happened to the journalist Ethel Lambston. As Neeve attempts to confirm whether Ethel has left or if something has happened to her, she also learns that Ethel has learned a huge bombshell about the fashion industry and is about to publish a book about it. Suddenly, there are a number of potential motives for people to want Lambston to disappear.
My biggest issue with this novel is that there was no suspense for the reader. We know that Ethel is dead literally hundreds of pages before anyone else, besides the killer, does. While Neeve has a bad feeling about Ethel’s disappearance, she keeps getting talked out of it by her father, and everyone else she shares her fears. If the reader also didn’t know that she was dead, it wouldn’t have been so frustrating, but the “oh she’s probably just left” for that long is just grating. None of these characters are super likable or even that you are worried about what will happen to them. The Red Herring was so obvious that it was obviously not them, but we stayed with them for so long in this story. I also don’t think that there were enough clues to point to the actual killer, which makes the payoff seem pretty cheap.
Some more fine details that pulled me out of the story. The number of times that Neeve’s skin was described as “milk-white” started to veer into more than just a descriptor. Then there are all these individuals who wear super high-end clothes making extremely derogatory comments about the homeless in New York City. Then there was the anti-union sentiment that was always attached to the “bad” guys in the novel, but it is never challenged on the page. That, pared with the fact that the fact is made that both Neeve and Ethel vote Republican in a none political thriller was out of place and honestly, made me have a lot of questions about Clark. Don’t even get me started on the fact that the grand love story in this novel, the two of them met while one was fighting in World War II and the other was a TEN-YEAR-OLD CHILD. I will be here all day. The instant love between Jack and Neeve was so flat and they had no chemistry. An even smaller complaint, Neeve called her father by his first name. I don’t know a single adult who does that.
Overall, it was an easy and quick read, but not very enjoyable for me. I have liked a number of other works by Clark, which made this even more disappointing. A two star read and better luck next time.
*Content Warnings*
Death of a parent, violence, gun violence, on page death, death, murder
July 14, 2023
I’m having mixed feelings about this book. In some parts, I was feeling invested in the story, other times not so much. The first half of the book was extremely boring. The author goes into long descriptions and things that don’t add anything new to the story.
I liked the background we get on the characters' lives, however I couldn’t connect with them. The romance was poorly developed and very insta-lovey, which I did not really enjoy.
The last 100 pages were actually good and intense, probably the only thing that kept me interested enough to finish the book. I found out who the killer was in the middle of the story, but I still enjoyed the ending. I didn’t predict the whole plot.
Another thing I liked was the discussion around the fashion industry. How some brands explore their workers, paying them very low salaries.
Overall, I just think this book took a lot of time to evolve and the writing was not my favorite. It wasn't bad, just nothing special and it didn't’t captivate me enough. So, I don’t know, my rating is probably 2.75 stars, rounded up to 3 (???). My doubt persists.
Português:
Não sei bem o que pensar sobre este livro. Em algumas partes senti-me investida na história, mas noutras partes nem tanto. A primeira metade do livro foi extremamente secante, com longas descrições e coisas que não acrescentavam nada de novo à história.
Gostei do desenvolvimento das personagens, do facto da autora contar-nos mais da história de cada uma delas, mas não consegui sentir ligação com as mesmas. Achei que o romance foi mal desenvolvido e muito instantâneo, ponto que também não gostei muito.
As últimas 100 páginas foram boas e intensas, provavelmente a única coisa que me manteve interessada o suficiente para conseguir terminar o livro. Descobri quem era o assassino mais ou menos no meio da história, no entanto, isso não fez com que eu desgostasse do final. Não previ o plot todo.
Outra coisa que gostei foram as críticas feitas envolvendo a indústria da moda. Como algumas marcas exploram os seus trabalhadores, pagando-lhes salários extremamente baixos.
No geral, só acho que este livro levou demasiado tempo para desenvolver e a escrita não foi nada de especial. Não achei mau, apenas nada de extraordinário e não me cativou o suficiente. Assim sendo, a minha classificação girará, provavelmente, em torno das 2,75 estrelas, arredondadas para 3 (???). A dúvida persiste.
October 18, 2016
Книгата на Мери Хигинс Кларк ме убеди, че може да се убива за парцалки и то доста скъпи парцалки - рокли, сака, костюми, ризи, чантички, струващи хиляди.
Имаше описания на тоалети, красиво облечени хора и едно ужасяващо убийство. Всички бяха заподозрени, но бях изненадана накрая.
Стилът на авторката те държи в напрежение и не можеш да оставиш книгата, докато не разбереш кой е убиецът. Възхищавам се от Мери Хинигс Кларк, която вече е на 87 години и продължава да пише романи. Ако и новите ѝ са като "Класацията" (писана 1980 г.), мога само да завиждам благородно на ума на тази жена.
Имаше описания на тоалети, красиво облечени хора и едно ужасяващо убийство. Всички бяха заподозрени, но бях изненадана накрая.
Стилът на авторката те държи в напрежение и не можеш да оставиш книгата, докато не разбереш кой е убиецът. Възхищавам се от Мери Хинигс Кларк, която вече е на 87 години и продължава да пише романи. Ако и новите ѝ са като "Класацията" (писана 1980 г.), мога само да завиждам благородно на ума на тази жена.
October 15, 2018
Too much quick certain true love for my taste.
Clark also over uses some ten cent words in five cent spots, such as solicitous, she uses that one 3 times in the same page and a half span.
If this were my first foray into her universe of books, I would probably not read any others. There are too many authors out there who are better than this.
Clark also over uses some ten cent words in five cent spots, such as solicitous, she uses that one 3 times in the same page and a half span.
If this were my first foray into her universe of books, I would probably not read any others. There are too many authors out there who are better than this.
April 1, 2013
Mais um cartucho explodido da Mary Higgins Clark que não me deixou desiludido. Vários suspeitos com o propósito de nos deixar mais baralhados. Mas desta vez acertei logo a meio do livro quem seria o assassino... Basta estar atento que uma frase revela tudo! ;)
January 30, 2023
Mary Higgins Clark always writes such cozy warm mysteries. Love her books
April 5, 2026
3،5
murders committed by family members are the most awful ones , all the time I kept asking myself , who can we trust !!!!!
murders committed by family members are the most awful ones , all the time I kept asking myself , who can we trust !!!!!
April 29, 2017
Εύπεπτη ιστοριούλα γεμάτη χορταστικά αμερικανικά στερεότυπα.
Η πανέμορφη, πανέξυπνη, εξαιρετικά επιτυχημένη και πάμπλουτη Νηβ Κέρνυ, κόρη του συνταξιούχου, πρώην διευθυντή της αστυνομίας της Ν. Υόρκης, κατά σύμπτωση εξαιρετικά ικανού και αγαπητού, είναι ιδιοκτήτρια ενός φτωχοκαταστήματος με ρούχα και αξεσουάρ, στο κέντρο της πόλης που δεν κοιμάται.
Ασχολείται με το να ντύνει κυρίες που δεν "το έχουν" με ρούχα που ο μέσος άνθρωπος χρειάζεται για να τα αγοράσει μισθούς 2 ετών.
Όταν μια πελάτισσα της εξαφανίζεται, η αυτοσχέδια ντετέκτιβ ξαμολιέται να τη βρει, με αρωγό τον πατέρα της και, στην πορεία, μαντέψτε .... έναν πανέμορφο, καλοντυμένο, πάμπλουτο και σε αρμόζουσα ηλικία, διευθυντή εκδοτικού οίκου, που θα την αγαπά για πάντα! Τί τέλεια όλα!
Η εξαφανισμένη είναι μια γρια στρίγγλα και μισή αλλά όταν βρίσκεται δολοφονημένη, ο αναγνώστης ανακαλύπτει σταδιακά ότι ήταν ένας άγγελος!
Ο δολοφόνος εποφθαλμιά και τη Νηβ αλλά δεν έχει υπολογίσει την πολλαπλή σύμπραξη δυνάμεων η οποία θα οδηγήσει σε ένα ολοκληρωτικό happy end και στην πανωλεθρία του Κακού!
Για audio book ήταν μια χαρά ...
Τί να πω πιά για τον Ηρακλή Στρούγγη που διαβάζει τα περισσότερα βιβλία που ακούω;;
Πρέπει να πάμε για καφέ καμιά μέρα ....
Η πανέμορφη, πανέξυπνη, εξαιρετικά επιτυχημένη και πάμπλουτη Νηβ Κέρνυ, κόρη του συνταξιούχου, πρώην διευθυντή της αστυνομίας της Ν. Υόρκης, κατά σύμπτωση εξαιρετικά ικανού και αγαπητού, είναι ιδιοκτήτρια ενός φτωχοκαταστήματος με ρούχα και αξεσουάρ, στο κέντρο της πόλης που δεν κοιμάται.
Ασχολείται με το να ντύνει κυρίες που δεν "το έχουν" με ρούχα που ο μέσος άνθρωπος χρειάζεται για να τα αγοράσει μισθούς 2 ετών.
Όταν μια πελάτισσα της εξαφανίζεται, η αυτοσχέδια ντετέκτιβ ξαμολιέται να τη βρει, με αρωγό τον πατέρα της και, στην πορεία, μαντέψτε .... έναν πανέμορφο, καλοντυμένο, πάμπλουτο και σε αρμόζουσα ηλικία, διευθυντή εκδοτικού οίκου, που θα την αγαπά για πάντα! Τί τέλεια όλα!
Η εξαφανισμένη είναι μια γρια στρίγγλα και μισή αλλά όταν βρίσκεται δολοφονημένη, ο αναγνώστης ανακαλύπτει σταδιακά ότι ήταν ένας άγγελος!
Ο δολοφόνος εποφθαλμιά και τη Νηβ αλλά δεν έχει υπολογίσει την πολλαπλή σύμπραξη δυνάμεων η οποία θα οδηγήσει σε ένα ολοκληρωτικό happy end και στην πανωλεθρία του Κακού!
Για audio book ήταν μια χαρά ...
Τί να πω πιά για τον Ηρακλή Στρούγγη που διαβάζει τα περισσότερα βιβλία που ακούω;;
Πρέπει να πάμε για καφέ καμιά μέρα ....
June 9, 2009
I really enjoy Mary Higgins Clark I find that I have to have enough time to read because I get so involved in the book that I need to have everything right with the world again before I can stop reading.
July 22, 2012
Ugh! The story line fine but all the talk on fashion and matching this with that got to be a bit much. When a character changing outfits is not necessary to the plot, in my opinion, is pointless unless the outfit has significant ties to the storyline.
September 4, 2017
Half this book was unnecessary backstory. First the murder is done, then follows 150 pages of 'who-cares' crap. This was a short story that was made into a novella and sold as a short novel. It sucked and the only reason it isn't a worse grade is because once it got going, it was interesting.
July 24, 2021
A very good Mary Higgins Clark mystery/thriller. A good plot with twists and turns. I could have done without all the fashion industry drama and descriptions of outfits. Some may enjoy it but I have no interest in this nonsense. So three stars instead of four.
October 1, 2025
Not my favorite MHC but still a good one. It might be a bit predictable but it's a good read and I recommend it.
March 20, 2026
I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite of Mary Higgins Clark's books
May 21, 2024
"– Tu nužudei mano motiną dėl savo godumo. Tu mus guodei ir su mumis verkei. Prie jos karsto Mailsui pasakei: „Pamėgink galvoti, kad tavo gražuolė miega.“"
Šiai knygai lūkesčiai buvo labai dideli, tačiau mane ji gan nuvylė. Tikėjausi įdomesnės istorijos, nes skaitant apie madingus drabužių dizainerius man buvo nuobodoka. Nors pačioje pabaigoje mano smalsumas buvo sužadintas. Knygos viršelis man labai gražus, bet pačiai istorijai iki jo toli gražu.
🛏️3.0🛏️
Šiai knygai lūkesčiai buvo labai dideli, tačiau mane ji gan nuvylė. Tikėjausi įdomesnės istorijos, nes skaitant apie madingus drabužių dizainerius man buvo nuobodoka. Nors pačioje pabaigoje mano smalsumas buvo sužadintas. Knygos viršelis man labai gražus, bet pačiai istorijai iki jo toli gražu.
🛏️3.0🛏️
July 17, 2021
I really enjoyed this one. I love Mary Higgins Clark, as you can see by how many of her books I've read! This is definitely a good one!
May 28, 2019
I have had this novel sitting on my bookshelf for many years along with two other novels by this author. I had for some reason put off reading it again and again. Wish I had not picked it up to be honest. Really poorly written melodramatic murder mystery with side stories of two romance stories. I have never read a Mills and Boon or a Barbara Cartland novel but imagine their romance plots would compare to this novel (or be better!) Also reads like a bad imitation of an Agatha Christie novel with lots of potential suspects but without the suspense that you find in the better Agatha Christie novels. I guessed the killer. Really would not recommend this novel. Now need to decide whether I risk wasting my time reading the other two Mary Higgins Clark novels in my bookcase. They can only be better surely than this inane melodramatic pulp fiction.
June 1, 2012
I really enjoy Mary Higgins Clark's writing style. The reader learns exactly what happens, what people say to each other, what characters are thinking. We see what they are wearing and what their surroundings are like. However, we have to draw conclusions for ourselves--we are given enough clues to figure out the mystery, but we are also given lots of red herrings. The characters are all interesting and understandable--even the villains. This book is no different. Set in the fashion industry in New York with characters that include the retired police commissioner, a freelance writer (muckraker) and a publisher, as well as the main character--the owner of a posh fashion shop, the book is rich in both character and action.
May 20, 2021
Mary Higgins Clark continues to be an argument for letting your readers/watchers/consumers of media follow the breadcrumbs deliberately set out for them, rather than changing everything up in the name of surprise. I saw who the bad guy was from less than halfway through, but the journey, watching all the characters figure it out, getting exactly why they did it, that's the fun of it. I don't need a book to blindside me (though Clark does leave some great false trails and I have been tricked before), I just need an engaging story.
January 27, 2024
2.5 stars. This follows the typical MHC pattern that is in all her books, someone close to the beautiful, successful fashionable, main character dies, the main charcter investigates, the person who knows secrets and wants to share goes in coma, good guy is actually the bad guy and lots and lots of clothing descriptions. Since the main character owned a clothing store the excessive amount of outfit descriptions was too much. A good filler book or one where you don't want to think too much.
September 23, 2011
First, let me say hat this isn't my usual fare, so I don't think its all that surprising that I had a tough time getting through this. Combine that with the age of the book, and it was really difficult for me to get into it. If you are a fan of the author, I say go for it, but otherwise I'd leave this one alone.
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