Daddy's Gone A Hunting

by Mary Higgins Clark

In her latest novel Mary Higgins Clark, the beloved, bestselling "Queen of Suspense," exposes a dark secret from a family's past that threatens the lives of two sisters, Kate and Hannah Connelly, when the family-owned furniture firm in Long Island City, founded by their grandfather and famous for its fine reproductions of antiques, explodes into flames in the middle of the night, leveling the buildings to the ground, including the museum where priceless antiques have been on permanent display for years.The ashes reveal a startling and grisly discovery, and provoke a host of suspicions and questions. Was the explosion deliberately set? What was Kate—tall, gorgeous, blond, a CPA for one of the biggest accounting firms in the country, and sister of a rising fashion designer—doing in the museum when it burst into flames? Why was Gus, a retired and disgruntled craftsman, with her at that time of night? What if someone isn't who he claims to be?Now Gus is dead, and Kate lies in the hospital badly injured and in a coma, so neither can tell what drew them there, or what the tragedy may have to do with the hunt for a young woman missing for many years, nor can they warn that somebody may be covering his tracks, willing to kill to save himself . . .Step by step, in a novel of dazzling suspense and excitement, Mary Higgins Clark once again demonstrates the mastery of her craft that has made her books international bestsellers for years. She presents the reader with a perplexing mystery, a puzzling question of identity, and a fascinating cast of characters—one of whom may just be a ruthless killer . . .

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Audiobook

338 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark has written thirty-eight suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a his­torical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With bestselling author Alafair Burke she wrote the Under Suspicion series. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels. 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.

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a few books by this author now and I do enjoy them. They are easy reads with no great stress or obligation on the reader's part to think very much. Ideal reading for airport lounges and doctor's waiting rooms.

Daddy's Gone A Hunting features Kate, who gets caught in an explosion early in the piece and spends much of the book in a coma, suspected of being responsible for the blast. Her sister Hannah is left to defend Kate and try to discover who actually did it. It is a little bit obvious who it is going to be but knowing did not spoil the book for me.

For me this was an entertaining, quick read and I will continue to dip into the author's huge body of work from time to time.

[Vin9 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dryer than sand, full of naive and stupid characters, Clark is getting worse with every new novel. This had a good premise of classic Higgins but it was so poorly executed with flat dialogues that it felt like I was reading a brochure.

Also am I only one who find Clark's recent novels being way too 'political conservative' disturbing? First of all she bitches on and on about the economy, understandable, but then she goes on introducing Christian themes with all church stuff for few chapters that has ABSOLUTELY NO relation the plot, and then she shows her disdains about ban of death penalty in New York in the worst light possible. It is one thing respecting ones political views and other forcing ones though down other people. Higgins Clark used to write terrific mystery novels, but her shifting into religious and political territory essentially ruined this book. If I wanted to to read a Christian themed or political commentary book- I'd read that, I came here for an ol fashioned mystery thriller ya know.

[Katrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This pains me because MHC has always been a favorite of mine, but good grief! This book is awful. There is no character development whatsoever. We get Kate is tall and blonde, Hannah looks like dad and is short, dad is an asshole, etc. We get it because its told to us in every chapter.

The dialogue is stilted, immature and unrealistic. There are too many periods and not enough comma's. She inserts inane facts in the oddest of places. It's just weird.

Sadly, I think it's past time for Ms. Clark to retire. Her books are starting to reflect the standard of an aging person.....repeating yourself over and over and losing your train of thought. I don't write this with glee....it saddens me that her books have taken such a turn, but this one really is dismal. I felt like she thought I was an idiot because she explained even the obvious down to the last detail. Over and over.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an entertaining and fast read. As a long time MHC reader, the twists and turns keep the reader's interest. It is clever how several murders intersect people's lives and for some allow painful closure. I do not want to give out spoilers, but recommend it as a entertaining read.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now we are back to another "not her best". It was very unbelievable from the first page. There is no way a successful educated Kate would cause an explosion in her families furniture business no matter how upset she was over the money it was losing. Totally unbelievable and since that was the main plot of the story, it made it unenjoyable. There were way too many sub-plots. Too many "other" murders and suspects and storylines to keep track of. And while I get the title, the red shoe (yes the dead mother once wore a dead shoe in the continuing nightmare Kate had in the hospital which just suddenly stopped happening and never got explained in the end) but why is the red shoe lying in the snow on the cover? There is no part of that in the book. DUMB.

[Alla S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “Daddy’s Gone A Hunting” by Marry Higgins Clark, Kate Connelly nearly dies in the explosion of her father’s furniture antique reproduction company, when she goes there in the middle of the night to meet up with Gus Schmidt, her friend and a laid off craftsmen who gets killed as a result of the explosion. As Kate falls into a coma, it is up to her sister Hannah, a fashion designer, to try to piece everything together while their father Doug Connelly, a drunk womanizer who hasn’t been managing the furniture company left to him by his father for five years now, delegating the job to plant manager Jack Worth, is acting very strange. As is Jack himself, who tries to explain away the absence of working security cameras at the site, as Doug not wanting to spend extra money on the already failing business. Of course the explosion at the plant means a five million dollar pay out—if Doug can prove the explosion was not set on purpose.

As the explosion is being investigated, further mysterious ordeals are tied into the main plot line: the mysterious disappearances of two young women: Tracey Sloane, who disappeared twenty eight years ago while working as a waitress in new York, and Jamie Gordon who disappeared two years ago while working on a project interviewing the homeless. Somehow their disappearances are tied in to the explosion at the furniture plant, though it’s unclear how.

Meanwhile the widow of Gus Schmidt who was killed by the explosion, Lottie Schmidt, is obviously hiding something. Her daughter Gretchen is living in a million dollar house, and it’s unclear where the money has come from. But she is not the only one hiding something. Add to the list Clyde Hotchkiss: a Vietnam vet and homeless person who was one of the last people to see Jamie Gordon, before she disappeared.

Overall impressions: I enjoyed the complex plot woven by Clark, with all of the characters and their conflicting agendas. The mystery is not who is the villain (at least for me), as it is pretty apparent throughout the book with Clark’s drawn out characterizations, but rather the how. How is everything connected? That’s what kept me turning the pages. And like a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces all come together at the end.

[H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts of this book were just so mind numbingly STUPID! I expected great things from Clark and she sadly didn't deliver! Far too many sub plots, and as much as I love reading about food, I've never felt so bored reading about ham and Swiss on rye and bloody salads! Clark took a bunch of strings and attempted to tie them together into a beautiful knot but instead ended up with a tangled ugly mess. The chapter I hated the most was the two priests discussing the minutiae of the boating accident, it was such a formal fact based discussion and had no feeling or humanity in it. Positively ridiculous! Not to mention the feeling I should hear 'DUH DUH DUUUUUUUUH' at the close of each chapter!

[BeccaJBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book by Mary Higgins Clark - I'd obviously heard of her but never actually picked up one of her books. I found this in the library and the blurb intrigued me. Plus it was endorsed by Karin Slaughter - so obviously it was coming home with me!! :)

The story is about an explosion at a family run business, which fatally injures an ex employee and puts the daughter of the owner in a coma. The book follows the investigation by the fire marshalls and the owner's other daughter to find out whether the explosion was deliberate and, if so, who caused it. Along the way we find some dead bodies and corrupt characters.

I enjoyed reading this. There were a lot of characters to get your head around and I must say that I only really distinguished between them all by about two thirds of the way through. The story felt like there was a lot of filler, and I knew the twist that was coming quite early on. That being said, it was an enjoyable read and I would still recommend it to those looking for a crime read. It's quite a long one so it took me a little while to get through it.

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 4 out of 5]

Διαβάζοντας ένα ακόμα βιβλίο της νέας Χρυσής Σειράς των εκδόσεων Μεταίχμιο, την “Ένοχη Νύχτα”, ένιωσα ανακούφιση και ικανοποίηση, αλλά και απορία συνάμα. Οι λόγοι, είναι απλοί. Έχοντας διαβάζει προηγουμένως το “Έρωτας Εξ Αποστάσεως” της ίδιας σειράς, το οποίο και με απογοήτευσε, αισθάνθηκα ανακούφιση ξεκινώντας να διαβάζω ένα βιβλίο που από τις πρώτες κιόλας σελίδες του, προμήνυε πως αυτό που ερχόταν μπροστά μου, ήταν κάτι περισσότερο από καλό. Προχωρώντας την ανάγνωση, ένιωσα ικανοποίηση και αυτό γιατί το αρχικό μου ένστικτο επαληθεύτηκε και το βιβλίο αυτό όχι μόνο μου κράτησε εξαιρετική συντροφιά, αλλά με καθήλωσε. Όσον αφορά την απορία, δεν γινόταν να μην γεννηθεί μέσα μου καθώς, το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, δεν είναι αισθηματικού περιεχομένου αλλά ένα καθαρόαιμο αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα μυστηρίου και ως εκ τούτου, δεν καταλαβαίνω για ποιον λόγο να βρίσκεται στην ίδια σειρά με μυθιστορήματα που ουδεμία σχέση με αυτό έχουν, όχι ποιοτικά, αλλά θεματολογικά.

Μια νύχτα, θα αλλάξει τη ζωή πολλών ανθρώπων, εκεί που ούτε καν το περιμένανε. Η Κέιτ, κόρη γνωστού επιχειρηματία, θα βρεθεί κάποιο ξημέρωμα μαζί με τον Γκας, πρώην υπάλληλο του πατέρα της, στις αποθήκες του εργοστασίου του και τότε, θα συμβεί αυτό που κανείς δεν περίμενε. Μια έκρηξη θα κάψει ολοσχερώς το εργοστάσιο, η Κέιτ θα καταφέρει με το ζόρι να βγει ζωντανή από τις φλόγες καταλήγοντας ωστόσο στο νοσοκομείο σε κωματώδη κατάσταση, ενώ ο Γκας δεν θα τα καταφέρει και θα χάσει τη ζωή του. Η αδερφή της Κέιτ, Χάνα, συγκλονισμένη απ' όλα όσα συνέβησαν προσπαθεί να ανακαλύψει τι έχει συμβεί αλλά και ποιος ευθύνεται για την έκρηξη στο εργοστάσιο. Ήταν άραγε ατύχημα, ή μια επιτυχημένη απόπειρα εμπρησμού από την οποία φαίνεται πως περισσότεροι από ένας, είχαν κίνητρο να οδηγηθούν σε αυτήν; Τι μυστικά κρύβει το παλιό εργοστάσιο και τι θα αποκαλυφθεί κάτω από τις στάχτες; Άραγε, η αλήθεια θα λάμψει ή θα χαθεί κάτω από σωρούς και χαλάσματα;

Η Mary Higgins-Clark, θα μπορούσε να χαρακτηριστεί η νέα Agatha Kristy. Γεννημένη το 1929 στη Νέα Υόρκη, έχει περάσει το μεγαλύτερο μέρος της ζωής της συγγράφοντας, έχοντας στο βιογραφικό της αυτή τη στιγμή περισσότερους από 50 τίτλους μυθιστορημάτων, έχοντας πουλήσει μόνο στις Η.Π.Α. περισσότερα από 80 εκατομμύρια αντίτυπα και φέροντας τον τίτλο της βασίλισσας του σασπένς. Προσωπικά, μέχρι σήμερα, δεν είχε τύχει να διαβάσω κάποιο βιβλίο της αλλά μετά την ανάγνωση της “Ένοχης Νύχτας”, είναι βέβαιο πως θα αναζητήσω κι άλλα της έργα και μάλιστα, στο πολύ κοντινό μέλλον, αφού είχα αρκετό καιρό να διαβάζω, στο είδος, κάποιο μυθιστόρημα αυτής της μορφής και αυτού του ύφους που να μου αρέσει τόσο πολύ. Γιατί η “Ένοχη Νύχτα” είναι ένα εκατό της εκατό αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα μυστηρίου που όμως, δεν προσπαθεί να χρησιμοποιήσει περίπλοκα κόλπα προκειμένου να κάνει την πλοκή πιο γοητευτική και μυστηριώδη. Η συγγραφέας, μέσα από μια ολότελα δική της, απλοϊκή πολυπλοκότητα, πετυχαίνει το να μας καθηλώσει, χωρίς καν να προσπαθήσει να μας εντυπωσιάσει.

Θεωρητικά, η ιστορία, ξεκινάει έχοντας έναν κεντρικό πυρήνα, αυτόν της έκρηξης που προκάλεσε την πυρκαγιά στο εργοστάσιο και τελικά, στοίχισε τη ζωή ενός ανθρώπου, έχοντας αφήσει έναν άλλο να χαροπαλεύει. Όμως, όσο τα γεγονότα τρέχουν και η ίδια η ιστορία εξελίσσεται, τα πράγματα περιπλέκονται ακόμα περισσότερο και τελικά ανακαλύπτουμε, κεφάλαιο το κεφάλαιο, πως οι μοίρες των ανθρώπων που εμφανίζονται τυχαία ή όχι στο βιβλίο αυτό, είναι άμεσα συνδεδεμένες με τρόπους που όχι μόνο εμείς, αλλά ούτε καν οι ίδιοι δεν θα μπορούσαν να φανταστούν. Το παλιό εργοστάσιο, κρύβει πάρα πολλά μυστικά και όπως γίνεται στο ντόμινο, έτσι συμβαίνει και με την αλήθεια. Όταν ένα τείχος ενός ψεύδους πέσει, σταδιακά θα αρχίσουν να καταρρέουν και τα υπόλοιπα τείχη γύρω από αυτό και τότε, δεν θα έχει μείνει απολύτως τίποτα για να συγκαλύψει το ψέμα και η αλήθεια θα λάμψει. Και όμως, εκεί που πιστεύεις πως δεν έχεις κάτι περισσότερο να ανακαλύψεις, εκεί έρχεται ακόμα μία ανατροπή και φέρνει τα πάνω κάτω σε ένα ήδη ταραγμένο σκηνικό που συνεχώς αλλάζει κι εξελίσσεται.

Η Higgins, μέσα από μικρά, ευέλικτα κεφάλαια, η αφήγηση των οποίων εναλλάσσεται ανάμεσα σε κάθε εμπλεκόμενο στην ιστορία αυτή, ή στις παράπλευρες υποϊστορίες που προκύπτουν στην πορεία, βοηθάει τα γεγονότα να κινούνται με γρήγορους, μη κουραστικούς ρυθμούς, εντείνοντας την αγωνία, την ένταση και το σασπένς, όσο πιο βαθιά εισχωρούμε στα σκοτεινά μονοπάτια που οδηγεί η “Ένοχη Νύχτα”. Με αριστοτεχνικό τρόπο, τα μικρά και μεγάλα στοιχεία που συνθέτουν την αλήθεια που μπορεί να έχει μείνει θαμμένη ακόμα και για χρόνια ολόκληρα, βγαίνουν στο φως και φτάνουν σε μας αργά αλλά σταθερά, μετρημένα και μελετημένα έτσι ώστε να κάνει τον κάθε αναγνώστη να μην μπορεί να αφήσει το βιβλίο από τα χέρια του παρά μονάχα όταν φτάσει στην τελευταία του σελίδα. Χαίρομαι πάρα πολύ που γνώρισα μια τόσο ευφυή και με σύγχρονη γραφή συγγραφέα, παρά την μεγάλη της ηλικία, και χαίρομαι ακόμα περισσότερο που οι εκδόσεις Μεταίχμιο την έφεραν στην Ελλάδα και σύντομα αναμένουμε κι άλλο βιβλίο με την υπογραφή της.

[Susan Snodgrass · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading Mary Higgins Clark's books since she wrote 'Where Are The Children?' in 1975. She always knows her stiff and no matter how hard I try, I can't figure out the bad guy/girl.

I love her books and always will.

[Shadini Zabaneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Wow! Wow! What a story! I would have never guessed how this story would unfold. I developed so many theories about what was going on and who did what but my suspicions were waaayyyyy off. What a twist! Thumbs up for keeping the suspense going until the end!

[Gaele · Rating 3 out of 5]

AudioBook Review:
Stars: Overall: 3 Narration: 4 Story: 3

I am a huge fan of Mary Higgins Clark, and have read probably every title released up until 2010, and then sporadically as time permitted. While I had not read this title, I had high hopes for the book, and was really excited to be approved to review the title.

Sadly, I didn’t find the story as intriguing or suspenseful, nor was the ending at all surprising. The overwhelming sense I have from this audiobook is that the ending was created first, and characters were created and added simply to service the conclusion, or provide fill – far too many characters were not completely developed or their appearance explained. Additionally, there were several places where description overwhelmed the story, far more information provided about clothing and styling elements that did not feel necessary.

Conversationally, there were moments of really good, and moments that were not so wonderful: while much of the dialogue felt stilted and rough, it was also often included in spaces that were overwhelmed with description and underserved with emotional impact.

The narration provided by Jan Maxwell was smooth, well done and her tone was perfectly modulated, with inflections to distinguish and differentiate characters and sexes. Her voice is easy to listen to, and her delivery added an emotional component that was missing in the text.

This was not my favorite title by this author, but there were some good moments even with the flaws, although it will not tempt me to seek out the print version. It was, enjoyable but not AS enjoyable as I had hoped.

I received the Audio-CD version of the book from the publisher via AudioBook Jukebox for purpose of honest review at The Heard Word. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

[Ken Kirkberry · Rating 2 out of 5]

An over complicated story with too many characters. Not sure why the fire investigators were involved in investigations that would not be theirs. Dissapointing read.

[Tânia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enredo extremamente bem feito. Conduz o leitor a um fim inesperado. Prende o leitor do princípio ao fim. Recomendo a quem gosta de um bom policial

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

A bit sloppy, riding on author's name. I think that Ms Higgins Clark and the many people listed in the abundant Acknowledgments should read again the last page of the book. One paragraph states that Gus Schmidt has replaced the original writing desk with a replica that he had sold 5 years before. But 2 paragraphs later, Kate has just noticed (assumingly recently) that the desk "looked a little bit different". How could she, when the desk had been gone for 5 years ? Equally, how could Connor "Douglas" have had sold (again, recently) the same desk to a dealer ? Not to mention other discrepancies that show that nobody really proof-read this book. Chapter 97, Connor Connelly telling us how things really happened - we see him and Jack Worth carrying out an antique table to load into the van. But 2 lines later, Jack dumps a body into the river and goes on with his job to deliver "the armoire". Which in basic French means a wardrobe. Sorry, Ms Clark, not good. We don't pay fake money when we buy your book. So please don't give us cheap quality.

[Bruno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vários suspeitos e as peças pareciam que não se encaixavam, e fui surpreendido pelo final, mas não achei nada de suspense indescritível e terror como a capa descreve. Não me manteve totalmente agarrado e além disto não senti nenhuma ligação com as personagens.

Apesar de não ser um dos melhores da MHC, deu para desanuviar depois de leituras pesadas.

[Brandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve had this book by the side of my bed for almost six months, so I finally forced myself to finish it. I was not really engaged (clearly) and never connected with any of the characters. I also found the format very distracting, the chapters were super short and the POV switched so often. Overall, not my fav.

[Rosa Dracos99 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro entretenido, totalmente en línea con lo que es habitual en la autora: fácil de leer, protagonista femenina, un poco de romanticismo, y, sobre todo, un crimen.
Está escrita con capítulos cortos, que agilizan la lectura. Personajes bastante superficiales, desarrollados solo lo justo para mantener el interés.
La trama, en ocasiones un poco demasiado liada sin necesidad, es bastante predecible, excepto por algún giro inesperado.

[Brazvita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visai nebloga. Įtraukė nuo pirmųjų puslapių 👌🏻

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story! It had a lot of twists and turns.

[Monnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half-stars aren't possible at Goodreads, but if they were, I'd bump up my rating by an extra half. But going up to four, unfortunately, just wouldn't be an honest appraisal. Within minutes after starting, I almost stopped; the whole thing seemed extremely simplistic, with a few things that just didn't add up.

One of the first characters who's introduced, Kate, lost her mother in a boating accident when she was just three years old. Not long after that, a younger sister, Hannah, appears in the cast. Huh? How did that happen? She was only three, and there was no mention whatsoever of a sibling - only interaction between Kate and her distraught father. Only later did I learn that her sister was eight months old at the time their mother was killed. So who was taking care of Hannah during the funeral?

The story really starts when Kate is seriously injured and hospitalized in intensive care following an explosion at the antique furniture company originally started by Kate and Hannah's grandfather that's now run by their father. Killed in the explosion was a long-time employee who had been forced to retire and was openly unhappy about it; and since Kate had dragged him out of the wreckage before she succumbed to her own injuries, it was clear they'd come there in the middle of the night together. But for what reason? Were they actually victims of their own attempt to destroy the company?

After that, new characters keep coming fast and furious - two young women who have been missing for years, for instance - each with a different background and a different set of relatives. As the story moves along, they all become intertwined. And of course, we also meet two young men with ties to the others that seem destined to serve as the requisite "boyfriends" for Hannah and her attorney gal pal, Jessie (Kate, it appears, is left out in the cold in this regard, but then she spends most of the book in a coma so I guess that's a moot issue).

It does all come together in the end, complete with what I suppose is to be a big surprise. And it all makes sense, really - except the feeling I was left with is that the ending was determined first, and the rest of the book was contrived to fit the way the author wanted it to end. The characters somehow didn't seem totally believable (nor did some of the situations they encountered; there were just too many coincidences, and I'm not much of a believer in coincidence. The whole thing isn't a bad read, to be sure, but it just doesn't quite come up to the author's usual standards. Sorry.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Higgins Clark is an excellent storyteller. While there are predictable elements to each of her novels, there is always a great story that draws the reader in and provides much enjoyable reading time. To me, it's akin to the Mystery Theatre on the radio that I used to listen to when traveling. You settle yourself in to what you know is going to be a mystery lover's delight. Although Clark is not the deepest, most profound writer that I read, she is consistent in a well-written mystery that I know I can count on for a relaxing read. That she has participated in this craft for so long now is another credit to her ability to spin a yarn. There is good reason that she is a bestselling author.

In this latest novel, Daddy's Gone A Hunting, sisters Kate and Hannah Connelly are caught in the middle of their family's furniture reproduction company's demise. While both Kate and Hannah have their own careers elsewhere, they are connected through their father and a small financial interest to the failing business. They, too, are concerned because of it being a family legacy and being representative of such. The story begins with Kate meeting a former employee at the factory in the early hours of the morning, where shortly after their arrival, the building explodes leaving the former employee dead and Kate critically injured. Kate spends the rest of the novel in intensive care, but we are privy to her thoughts and nightmares as she fights for her life. Hannah must defend her sister against allegations that Kate was involved in planning the destruction of the business. Hannah must also struggle to put pieces together of what was happening at the factory before the explosion and what role, if any, her father played. And, of course, there is murder to whet the appetite for more mystery. A two year old murder of a young, bright college student and a 28 year old disappearance of another young, beautiful woman are somehow connected to the destroyed furniture reproduction company. It's a twisting, turning journey to connect the dots, and two fire investigating officers are doggedly committed to doing just that. The comforting side of predictability is that resolution is assurred.

[Jane Bentz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although the plot was somewhat engaging, I was very tempted not to even finish this book. There were MANY sylistic errors, including two different spellings of one character's nickname, errors in chronology, discrepancies in things that characters did and said, needless repetition, repetitive and uninteresting sentence structure, and other stylistic errors too numerous to mention. It is bad enough that the author wrote it this way, and even worse that these errors made it past the editor. You would think that Simon and Schuster would put out a lot better quality than this! As others have mentioned, the fact that there were so many characters (many not well developed) made it hard to keep them all straight. Overall, a very disappointing read.

[PC · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't something this bad. The prose is almost unreadably boring, cliché and repetitive. The whole time you wait until some kind of climax and in the end all the plot twists are just revealed within characters' thoughts. The characters are dull and flat. Some plot points are incredibly contrived. (Don't let them find out about the clenching hand...! Don't talk to the fire marshals about how much you love your house...!) What a poorly written book. At least it's a quick read, so I can't say I wasted much time with it.

This book does get props for being the first place where I've ever seen a certain quirk of my girlfriend's dialect in writing. That's about all that can be said in favour of it.

[Monica Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mary Higgins Clark is my fast food choice of mystery. It doesn't require a lot of thinking. She has written dozen of books and I'm almost positive I can sum up the majority of her novels: Beautiful, single white woman in her late 20's or early 30's leading a successful career in NYC. Trouble finds her and she is entwined in a troublesome mystery. The end of the book will bring the criminal to justice (or death) and the lead character will begin a romantic involvement with a equally handsome character who has played a part in her rescue. Seriously, this sums up 90% of her books. To counteract the negative, I must admit, I have enjoyed many of her books, this one was not one of them.

[Gary Branson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read MHC every three to four years to remind myself why I only read her every three to four years. This one is OK, better than some, nowhere near as good as her earlier novels. I had the feeling I had read this one before... Not sure why, just felt very familiar. Interestingly, the solution seemed too easy.

[Stauroula Sta · Rating 5 out of 5]

πολυ ωριαο βιβλιο , δικαιη επιλογη να μπει στην χρυση σειρα του μεταιχμιου!!!! ειχα αρκετο καιρο να διαβασω ενα βιβλιο μονο μεσα σε λιγες ωρες!!! αν και αστυνομικο εχει αγωνια!!!!!!!το συνιστω!!!!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contrairement à certaines critiques, j'ai bien aimé ce livre. L'histoire se tient et on est tenu en haleine jusqu'au bout

[Hannah Polley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an ok book but a bit of a flop as a thriller for me. I struggled to stay interested in the plot and the characters.

When Kate is caught up in a explosion at the family business, her sister Hannah hopes for her recovery but is also confused about why Kate was there in the early hours of the morning and why the building exploded.

At the end of the story, we find out that their dad is not actually their dad and is in fact, their dad's evil twin. I don't feel that any credible book would use the 'evil twin' plot device and it was obvious it was coming a mile off.

There are also two missing women stories woven into the plot and these are probably more interesting than the Kate/Hannah scenes.

[Encarni Prados · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siempre me han gustado sus novelas, unas son más entretenidas que otras, a algunas las ves venir desde lejos, otras te sorprenden al final. Esta es una de las últimas, de las que vas viendo un poco el final pero acaba como no te esperas, muy entretenida y recomendable.