It Only Takes a Moment

KEY News #11

by Mary Jane Clark

A seasoned television professional—the host of the top-rated KEY News morning show—Eliza Blake has reported on tragedies many times from behind the anchor's desk . . . and she has survived devastating crises of her own. But only now is she learning the true meaning of terror when her seven-year-old daughter, Janie, is kidnapped from summer camp. Forced to suffer through a mother's worst nightmare in the glare of the camera lights, Eliza finds herself trapped in a media circus as the police and FBI explore every avenue . . . and every lead winds up at a dead end. But Eliza isn't going to just sit around and wait for answers—because every minute wasted in the desperate race to reveal the shocking motives of a ruthless abductor brings a frightened little girl one minute closer to her death.

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

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Mary Jane Elizabeth Behrends Clark (1954-) is the author of thirteen novels, including 12 in the KEY News media thriller series, and one in her new Wedding Cake mystery series. A veteran writer and producer for CBS News, Clark worked for almost three decades at the network’s New York City headquarters. Her books are published in twenty-three languages. She lives in New Jersey and Florida.

Clark's former mother-in-law and sister-in-law are the authors Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, respectively.

Reviews

[CG. · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Jamie is kidnapped, her mother Eliza is desperate to find her and get her back home...
This isn't easy though, as Eliza, (and in turn) Jamie are both very well known, by almost everyone. With most of the world watching, and Eliza herself a primary suspect—
How can Eliza even begin to find the real culprit?

It took me a shockingly long time to finish what little I had left of this one: although I won't hold that against it, especially since I've been in kind of a reading slump lately. (As most of you can probably tell).

However, I will say that at times, the mass amount of characters in this book can be jarring. (Especially if you also are reading out of order...*ahem* like me..)
I found myself wondering who certain characters were at points, and what was going on with all of them.
But aside from that, it's a fairly fast paced story, dealing with a parents worst nightmare: losing their child.

I found it pretty tense at times, and overall it was a decent thriller, with a nice little twist at the end.
3.4 stars.
⭐⭐⭐

[Shincrackerfarm · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hope Mary Jane Clark has more going for her than the similarity between her name and that of Mary Higgins Clark, a real writer. In fact, I suggest Mary Jane gets a good, secure "day job", as, if It Only Takes a Moment is exemplary of her talents, she'll need it.
Sometimes we are disappointed in a thriller. Sometimes we are thrilled. However, It Only Takes a Moment just left me pissed off. Real fictional pulp.
The writing is weak. The plot is contrived, but could have been partially saved by a clever ending. I doubt that the word "clever" and the name "Mary Jane Clark" will ever appear in the same sentence without a strong negative.
I doubt that the Bus Station book store will give me my money back, although I'm sure the clerk was very happy to see someone take this poor excuse for a novel out of the store.
Recommendation: Read something else.

[V.R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book by any stretch...quick pace, good hook. As my husband called it, "A suburbanite mom's paranoia summer read." I enjoyed it, kept turning the page, but I think there were too many characters introduced and not many of them seemed fully formed. When a new chapter would start with a new character, I had to flip back several times to remember if they'd already been introduced or not. I couldn't get a real sense of many of the characters, but this wasn't really a character driven story. Definitely more plot.

That being said, I'd recommend it and would probably read other stories by Mary Jane Clark.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook -
Despite the depth of the subject matter ( kidnapping of a 7 year old little girl ) , this book was pure fluff . POOR fluff at that ! It drug in spots where it should have picked up pace and added to the suspense - it was short and lacking where it should have become deep and detailed . The conversations between characters seemed staged and without emotion . The abducted child's grandparents weren't even introduced into the story until the last disc and then were only very briefly mentioned ( sent home actually - hell , I didn't even know they were there ! ) . The two stars are only because the ending wasn't too hateful !

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read her books before, after mistaken her for Mary Higgins Clark. However, this book left me lost. Not only were there too many characters, but the end was cheap and explained nothing. I get the impression Clark grew tired of the story and just stopped. So, Steph kidnapped the kids and gave them to Rhonda and David? Why? How had she known them?? And who is this 9 y.o. Nell? And why is such a fluffy book leaving me so baffled?

[Yeimi Guerrero Adames · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que cosas de la vida eeee?
Que seamos tan exigentes como lectores y sean esas mismas exigencias las que terminan bloqueandonos y provocando en nosotros una nube tan gris y triste que duremos semanas o meses sin abrir el universo que descubrimos cada vez que abrimos la tapa de un libro.
Y que Justo esos libros que nosotros aveces o la mayor parte del tiempo catalogamos como “sencillos, poco construido y superficiales”
Sean los que nos devuelvan el amor y la esperanza hacia la lectura✨.

Justo eso me acaba de pasar con expuesta
Lectura rápida, sin vueltas pero con la magia de haberme devuelto a mi lugar seguro. Los libros 🙌
Estaré agradecida de ti
Libro con portada rara y escritora yanqui😂🫶🏼

Que cosas de la vida eeee?
Que seamos tan exigentes como lectores y sean esas mismas exigencias las que terminan bloqueandonos y provocando en nosotros una nube tan gris y triste que duremos semanas o meses sin abrir el universo que descubrimos cada vez que abrimos la tapa de un libro.
Y que Justo esos libros que nosotros aveces o la mayor parte del tiempo catalogamos como “sencillos, poco construido y superficiales”
Sean los que nos devuelvan el amor y la esperanza hacia la lectura✨.

Justo eso me acaba de pasar con expuesta
Lectura rápida, sin vueltas pero con la magia de haberme devuelto a mi lugar seguro. Los libros 🙌
Estaré agradecida de ti
Libro con portada rara y escritora yanqui😂🫶🏼

Reseña rápida: El libro habla sobre una niña de 7 años que es secuestrada y que al ser hija de una de las presentadoras de noticias más importantes de los Estados Unidos, conmociona a todos tanto así que la búsqueda se divide en tres partes: La comunidad, El FBI y un grupo de periodistas tratando de entender quién o quienes están detrás del secuestro.
A sabiendas de que una recompensa económica no es una de ellas.

[Cynthia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Suspense? Wow, this was so scary and full of suspense. Who am I kidding? It was a fast, light read, but hardly thrilling, heart pumping suspense.

[Lauryn Johannsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It only takes a moment for everything to in your life to change. Eliza Blake is a very well known woman. As the host of the very popular KEY news morning show, she has many eyes on her on her life. Tons of people across the world know everything about her. Eliza doesn’t realize that until it’s too late. When her only daughter, Janie, is missing, she begins to realize that it was a reality check in disguise. Clues and evidence are found, but none of them lead to Janie or the motive of the kidnapping. After Janie is missing for three days, Eliza is desperate. The FBI hasn’t had a authentic lead and Eliza believes that they aren’t enough help in finding her daughter. Since the internet got her into this mess, Eliza realizes that it can get her out of it. As the mystery unfolds, with the help of the internet, people all across the country are looking for Janie. Quickly after Eliza asks the public to help, a physic comes to Eliza hoping she can help. The FBI believes that she is a phony and her insights are unreliable, but Eliza believes that she can help because of the shocking information the physic told her. With the help of this lady, Eliza is able to piece the clues together and find her daughter. Little did she know, the physic wanted her talent to get attention from the public, and she was the kidnapper in disguise.

There is definitely some pros and cons to this book. I liked the plot twist at the end and the diverse personalities of the characters. But,overall, it definitely needed some work. First off, this mystery has no suspense to it. As soon as I thought an interesting part of the mystery was going to unfold, it turned out to be nothing and the story carried on. I found the storyline boring and I could always predict what was going to happen. There was nothing that surprised me in the plot and I found it very uneventful. In addition, the book has the same ending as every other, someone goes missing and they are found. I would have liked to see an ending that was new and not so original. More plot twists throughout this story or at least some aspects that make it surprising may have also helped the story. On top of that, all chapters are very short and gave little detail. There were various parts throughout the story that lacked sensory details and description. A new character would be introduced and then readers would never hear anything about them again. Too many characters were way underdeveloped and unnecessary to the story. Therefore this was not only a boring read but a confusing read and thats why it got a three star review. If those improvements were made it would be a better book.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story this time is about the abduction of Eliza's daughter

[Esteffany Santana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es entretenido ... pero creo que la historia pudo haber dado más... interesante giro al final pero nada, impresionante realmente.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d probably say more of a 3.5. Fast, easy read.

[Shay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has the potential to be really good. But in the end just left me confused to the point where I had to re-scan the whole book to get the characters straight. When I read other reviews that seemed to be a common issue. There's alot of characters, which again, gives it the potential to be very interesting, but the character development is lacking, which I think is what makes it so confusing. I was left feeling disappointed. The book grabs your attention quickly, and does has the suspense factor to it. But in the end falls flat.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-rounded book, I recommend this read to anyone who likes a good mystery. Ms. Clark has done a good job of bringing the reader along on her twisting, turning journey into the kidnapping of a child and the events that follow.

Well Done!
Diane Davis White
Author, Moon of the Falling Leaves

[Lovviner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book. I thought I knew what was going on and following along and when I got to the end was left wondering, what just happened? I didn’t think the ending made any sense. Maybe I missed something along the way.

[PRECIOSO HERVE · Rating 3 out of 5]

To obtain a good meal, one needs good ingredients, good produce, an effective recipe, and cookig know-how. As to the ingredients and produce, here we have American mix, FBI, State Police, the Media (Dr Jekyl and Mr Hide), immigrants, people distraught and misguided and good people too.
Money aplenty. With these Mary Jane Clark does quite a good job. With short chapters delivering blows quickly as an AK-47 does, she keeps the reader panting and hooked. Clearly a page turner. Because of the nature of the ingredients, there is some outflow of ridicule, overblown moments. But the author keeps a well paced, well organized story, quite agreable She also has a good heart, and that shows, pervades her book, and also her acknowledgments.

From a completely different point of view, she demonstrates how our self-centeredness is insane,
unwise sheer nonsense; that she mitigates with an atmosphere of kindness, good to feel, including a great rapport between the immigrant maid and the heroine and her daughter.

[Heather Schiffer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not a well written book. It wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t finish it, but I couldn’t wait to be done so I could read something better. The characters are shallow, the short chapters jump around (I normally like this, but it was too choppy in this book), and there were some confusing lines. Rhonda/Dave- I honestly thought they had Janie. There was never anything definitive saying that they didn’t. Also Eliza’s realization that Stephanie was one of the kidnappers…. Simply because of the zodiac medal? It seems like too much of a jump. And the story seemed to end abruptly. Ok, everyone’s back, the good guys won. That’s is, show’s over. There didn’t seem to be an ending. Not the worst book I’ve ever read; at least I could read the whole thing. It just wasn’t very good. I don’t plan to read anything else by Mary Jane Clark.

[Linda Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anchor woman, Eliza Blake seven-year-old daughter, Janie, is kidnapped from summer camp. Forced to suffer through a mother's worst nightmare in the glare of the camera lights, Eliza finds herself trapped in a media circus as the police and FBI explore every avenue.
It was a very quick read. I read this book in one day! I did not expect the ending.
If you have little children or grandchildren you may not want to read this book.

[Kaye Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storyline. Having never read this author before, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the book. It was perfectly readable without having read any of the other books in the series.
A prominent TV personality is thrown into turmoil when her daughter is kidnapped and her maid is gone too. Suspicion falls upon not just the maid, but the mum, too.
An easy read that has me looking into the rest of the KEY News books.

[Diana Michel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so predictable and painful. I wanted to stop reading it but kept going in hopes it would get better. It didn’t… the writing is mediocre and the plot line was frustrating and had a lot of extra characters that didn’t fit into the story at all. One final twist at the end that surprised me is the only reason this book gets 2 stars. It’s gonna be a hard pass for me on any more of this author’s books

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've read one of Mary Jane Clark's books and somehow I'd missed this one, though I did read the next in the series. This one was excellent. Her writing style is fast paced and action packed, impossible to put down. The wrap up at the end was unexpected but so natural I don't know how I didn't see it coming. I wish she was still writing!

[Liz Harmath · Rating 1 out of 5]

The mystery worked for me; lots of people to keep the reader guessing. But the writing was excruciating and killed the book for me. Frankly, I know multiple high school students who could do a better job. I'm not against the "group of friends investigating" concept (Baldacci's Camel Club series is great), but this was poorly executed. I won't be reading any other Clark titles.

[Cathi Cantrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gut wrenching storyline about a young child's kidnapping and the ensuing chaos that had me refusing to put the book down whenever I simply HAD to during the course of the day! Gripping, emotionally debilitating, breath-holding, mentally exhausting - yet, somehow fascinating - from beginning to end!

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was such an easy read with very short chapters. However, there were too many characters, and at the end the “whodunnit” was wrapped up in 2 pages without any development. I almost gave the book 2 stars based on the last 2 pages, but I gave it 3 stars since the book was entertaining and kept me interested the whole time.

[Cindy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting twist on a missing child case told from many points of view with short chapters that I kept turning faster and faster. As a former TV producer myself, I applaud the author for her authenticity in covering a big case as well as the accuracy of an FBI Investigation. It helps having feds in the family. A wonderful thriller, plot, subplots, and an unexpected twist at the end.

[Phyllis M. Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't imagine, and don't really want to, what it is like to have a child, sibling or parents or friend taken from you. It's too awful t even consider why someone would feel that it's okay to do that.

[Marilyn Rushing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this story to be a good read ! It could possibly be based on a real life happening! I did not know who the kidnappers were until the end. I give it a 4 star because there was a few “bad or ugly “ words throughout the book. I just pray that this never happens…

[shin · Rating 4 out of 5]

WTH! I did not expect the ending 😭 usually I would always guess who or what will be the ending of a story right… but this! Nope. It didn’t even peeked me that this person was the one who did something.. smh,,,.

[Darla Jones]

Good book, could not put this down. Thrown off at the end with a twist I did not see coming. Only negative for me is the style of writing where it is told by switching back and forth between characters and past and present.

[MARY LOU KEITHLINE · Rating 1 out of 5]

Red Herrings

Way to many Red Herrings (or clues if you will)
Author could have written story and kept it interesting with fewer words (something authors love.)
Surprising twist? Maybe

[Terry Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the slowest one of hers, seemed to drag on a lot and easily guessed the ending!