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The Second Time Around
In a novel that reaffirms her reputation as "America's Queen of Suspense," Mary Higgins Clark delivers a gripping tale of deception and tantalizing suspense.
Nicholas Spencer, charismatic head of the medical research company Gen-stone, involved in the development of an anticancer vaccine, suddenly disappears. His private plane crashes en route to Puerto Rico, but his body is not found.
Early results of the vaccine seemed highly promising. Yet, coinciding with Nicholas Spencer's disappearance comes news that the FDA is denying approval. Then follows the shocking revelation that Spencer had looted Gen-stone of huge sums of money -- including the lifetime savings of people who had risked every penny they had.
Marcia "Carley" DeCarlo, the thirty-two-year-old columnist for the Wall Street Weekly, is assigned to cover the story. Carley is the stepsister of Spencer's wife, Lynn, an aggressive PR woman and socialite, whom she dislikes and distrusts.
The day after news of her husband's disappearance rocks the financial and medical world, Lynn attends a meeting of the stockholders of Gen-stone, flaunting expensive clothing and jewelry. Accused of having participated in the scam, she appears indifferent to the anger and despair of the people attending, among them a man whose child has cancer and who is now about to lose his home. That night, she narrowly escapes death when her mansion in Bedford, New York, is set on fire. She turns to Carley, begging her to use her investigative skills to prove that she was not her husband's accomplice.
As Carley proceeds with her investigation, she is confronted by seemingly impenetrable questions: Is Nicholas Spencer dead or in hiding? Was he guilty or set up? Why the sudden reversal in medical opinion of the vaccine from recognition to condemnation? And as the facts begin to unfold, she becomes the target of a dangerous group involved in a sinister and fraudulent scheme.
The Second Time Around is Mary Higgins Clark at her best, telling a story that intertwines fiction with the stuff of real-life headlines in a novel of breathtaking suspense and surprises.
373 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
977 people are currently reading
4284 people want to read
About the author
Mary Higgins Clark
630 books13.5k followersThe #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark has written thirty-eight suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a historical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With bestselling author Alafair Burke she wrote the Under Suspicion series. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels. Her sister-in-law is the also author Mary Jane Clark.
Clark’s books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. Her books are beloved around the world and made her an international bestseller many times over.
Clark’s books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. Her books are beloved around the world and made her an international bestseller many times over.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 562 reviews
July 3, 2023
The Queen of Suspense does it again! An exciting story of betrayal, scandal, and murder, this made for a serious page turner! Better yet, the content was kept clean: profanity was kept to a minimum; though there was violence, it wasn't graphic; and, despite some characters engaging in illicit affairs, it was merely implied, not described in detail.
EDIT: I had forgotten that I had read this previously! This time, I blew through it quickly due to the edition I read today having large print! Yay for random garage sale finds!
EDIT: I had forgotten that I had read this previously! This time, I blew through it quickly due to the edition I read today having large print! Yay for random garage sale finds!
January 16, 2022
I've read quite a few books by !att Higgins Clark and the ratings are definitely mixed. Overall I find her books entertaining and a decent read for a moment but don't often spark huge feelings or have stories the last long in my mind. This was no different.
November 23, 2008
I'm happy that after reading a complex, deep book, I can relax with a Mary Higgins Clark book.
they never fail to entertain.
they never fail to entertain.
May 15, 2009
The plot is restated every single chapter. It reminded me of how Nancy Drew books explain the details like, Nancy's boyfriend Ned Nickerson and her strawberry blond hair in every single book. Of course that is necessary for a series of novels like Nancy Drew, it’s a little annoying for a single book.
So I guess if it takes you ten years to read a book or you have a horrible memory then this is the book for you! Every chapter has nice little refresher summing up the book so far.
So I guess if it takes you ten years to read a book or you have a horrible memory then this is the book for you! Every chapter has nice little refresher summing up the book so far.
May 13, 2021
Marry Higgins Clark este o autoare foarte cunoscuta atat international cat si cititorilor din Romania si nu de putine ori a fost supranumita "Regina suspansului". Eu am mai citit de la ea "Two little girls in blue" care este un thriller despre rapirea unor copii, tematica des adoptata de catre autoare.
Prezentul roman este tot un thriller dar despre coruptie si tradare in domeniul medical, atat de realist scris incat te face sa te intrebi daca este inspirat din cotidian.
Nicholas Spenser este sarmantul conducator al companiei Gem-stone ce se ocupa cu descoperirea unui vaccin care sa vindece si sa previna aparitia cancerului. Cand avionul personal se prabuseste in mare si cadavrul sau nu este de gasit, toate problemele financiare ale companiei ii sunt puse in carca. Atat consiliul directorial, investitorii, dar si frumoasa lui sotie il acuza de insusirea banilor si inscenarea propriei morti. Ca totul sa fie si mai grav, comisia insarcinata sa acorde avizul pentru vaccin nu il aproba si compania este aruncata in pragul falimentului.
Ziarista Carly de Carlo, sora sotiei lui Nicholas se angajeaza sa investigheze aceasta afacere sordida in care inclusiv ea a investit. Crezandu-l pe Nicholas nevinovat dar si cu un ucigas nebun pe urmele ei va trebui sa limpezeasca disparitia banilor.
In acest roman ne dam cel mai mult seama ca uneori cei mai apropiati oameni ne pot fi cei mai aprigi dusmani. In genul acesta de povestiri cu subiect medical ce trateaza descoperirea unor medicamente sau vaccinuri miraculoase este cel mai potrivit happy-end-ul dupa parerea mea, pentru ca cititorul are nevoie de speranta si de victorie.
Mi-a placut mult ca intr-un mic fragment se vorbeste si despre unele medicamente care desi pareau miraculoase s-au dovedit a fi foarte nocive. De ex. Talidomida care acum mai bine de 40 de ani a fost folosita pentru a inlatura greturile femeilor gravide. Din pacate cauza niste malformatii oribile fetilor.
In incheiere atasez doua citate care mi-au placut:
"In general nu beau votca pana la ora 5, dar, dupa cum bine stii, undeva in lume este ora 5, spuse Sam."
"Eu am spus mereu ca cine e destul de destept sa fure atata banet, o sa gaseasca si modalitatea de a trai suficient de mult ca sa-i cheltuie."
Prezentul roman este tot un thriller dar despre coruptie si tradare in domeniul medical, atat de realist scris incat te face sa te intrebi daca este inspirat din cotidian.
Nicholas Spenser este sarmantul conducator al companiei Gem-stone ce se ocupa cu descoperirea unui vaccin care sa vindece si sa previna aparitia cancerului. Cand avionul personal se prabuseste in mare si cadavrul sau nu este de gasit, toate problemele financiare ale companiei ii sunt puse in carca. Atat consiliul directorial, investitorii, dar si frumoasa lui sotie il acuza de insusirea banilor si inscenarea propriei morti. Ca totul sa fie si mai grav, comisia insarcinata sa acorde avizul pentru vaccin nu il aproba si compania este aruncata in pragul falimentului.
Ziarista Carly de Carlo, sora sotiei lui Nicholas se angajeaza sa investigheze aceasta afacere sordida in care inclusiv ea a investit. Crezandu-l pe Nicholas nevinovat dar si cu un ucigas nebun pe urmele ei va trebui sa limpezeasca disparitia banilor.
In acest roman ne dam cel mai mult seama ca uneori cei mai apropiati oameni ne pot fi cei mai aprigi dusmani. In genul acesta de povestiri cu subiect medical ce trateaza descoperirea unor medicamente sau vaccinuri miraculoase este cel mai potrivit happy-end-ul dupa parerea mea, pentru ca cititorul are nevoie de speranta si de victorie.
Mi-a placut mult ca intr-un mic fragment se vorbeste si despre unele medicamente care desi pareau miraculoase s-au dovedit a fi foarte nocive. De ex. Talidomida care acum mai bine de 40 de ani a fost folosita pentru a inlatura greturile femeilor gravide. Din pacate cauza niste malformatii oribile fetilor.
In incheiere atasez doua citate care mi-au placut:
"In general nu beau votca pana la ora 5, dar, dupa cum bine stii, undeva in lume este ora 5, spuse Sam."
"Eu am spus mereu ca cine e destul de destept sa fure atata banet, o sa gaseasca si modalitatea de a trai suficient de mult ca sa-i cheltuie."
August 20, 2009
Typical Mary Higgins Clark: Divorced women with no kids who has a guy she dates casually. She gets deaper into a mystery and deaper into her relationship with her boyfriend as he worries about her saftey. She gets herself into trouble and then is saved from death at the last minute.
July 29, 2017
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Recommended Age: 13+ (some language. I think these books are meant for an adult audience but I don’t remember there being anything too strong for a younger reader in my listen through of this book)
Favorite Quote: “It's funny how, even long after you've accepted the grief of losing someone you love and truly have gotten on with your life, every once in a while something comes up that plays "gotcha," and for a moment or tow the car tissue separates and the wound is raw again.”
I’ve been on a bit of a mystery kick lately with my audio books, but some mystery writers are better than others. This was a decent audio book however. I felt that the plot was very well developed and that the pacing was well done. The plot, for the most part, didn’t leave any stone unturned and it did a fair job at explaining the how of what happened in the book.
Unfortunately, that’s all the good I can say about this book. I felt that the biggest flaw of the book was the huge cast of characters. I felt that there were so many characters in the book that it was very overwhelming. I also felt that because each character had a certain responsibility and action they played in the overall plot that when the plot was revealed I was completely confused. Literally I was listening to this audio book and it got to the part where everything was revealed… and my thoughts were “wait who? Who is that? Wait what are they talking about? When did that happen??” This is basically an issue with what I’ve been talking about the past few blog posts: a book that’s complex and overly complex for no reason. The complexity could have paid off if the characters were better developed, but thus this was not so. I also feel that there were a lot of plot holes in the story. There were events that happened that were unresolved in the end and while they weren’t a major part to the overall story I still wanted to know what happened to them afterwards.
Overall, it was an okay story but it could have been better if it was simplified and tied up everything in a non-confusing way. I’ve read one other Mary Higgins Clark book before and it was way better than this one, so don’t completely avoid her books!
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Recommended Age: 13+ (some language. I think these books are meant for an adult audience but I don’t remember there being anything too strong for a younger reader in my listen through of this book)
Favorite Quote: “It's funny how, even long after you've accepted the grief of losing someone you love and truly have gotten on with your life, every once in a while something comes up that plays "gotcha," and for a moment or tow the car tissue separates and the wound is raw again.”
I’ve been on a bit of a mystery kick lately with my audio books, but some mystery writers are better than others. This was a decent audio book however. I felt that the plot was very well developed and that the pacing was well done. The plot, for the most part, didn’t leave any stone unturned and it did a fair job at explaining the how of what happened in the book.
Unfortunately, that’s all the good I can say about this book. I felt that the biggest flaw of the book was the huge cast of characters. I felt that there were so many characters in the book that it was very overwhelming. I also felt that because each character had a certain responsibility and action they played in the overall plot that when the plot was revealed I was completely confused. Literally I was listening to this audio book and it got to the part where everything was revealed… and my thoughts were “wait who? Who is that? Wait what are they talking about? When did that happen??” This is basically an issue with what I’ve been talking about the past few blog posts: a book that’s complex and overly complex for no reason. The complexity could have paid off if the characters were better developed, but thus this was not so. I also feel that there were a lot of plot holes in the story. There were events that happened that were unresolved in the end and while they weren’t a major part to the overall story I still wanted to know what happened to them afterwards.
Overall, it was an okay story but it could have been better if it was simplified and tied up everything in a non-confusing way. I’ve read one other Mary Higgins Clark book before and it was way better than this one, so don’t completely avoid her books!
October 26, 2020
I've never read Mary Higgins Clark before, but I once met someone who raved about one of her books, though I can't remember which. I knew this one wasn't it, but it was in my house, so I read it. It was pretty good. I liked the protagonist, who is a journalist covering a story that's forcing her into detective work. The trouble is, I read this book immediately after Await Your Reply, which was much better. In this book, the reader discovers the clues along with the protagonist. The other is not ostensibly a mystery at all, yet you as the reader are forced to play detective yourself. It was so much cleverer! But as light mysteries go, this one was pretty good.
July 29, 2011
This is great. Oh, no, not the book, you understand. It's shit. No, what's great is that I haven't wanted to read a really good book because I'm meant to be writing an essay, so crap like this is a nice mental shakedown after the textbooks, without enticing me to stay up all night. Already forgotten what it's about. Hopefully will get an A for my essay, though...
June 14, 2017
yawn, wow, no redeeming qualities for me here
October 26, 2021
Slow to start but then becomes a "page turner" - scandal - murder - many characters but well written, so easy to get to know each one - Romance is also included in a pleasant way.......
November 26, 2025
this was really fun! extremely breezy, a perfect pallette cleanser. I don't really remember much that happened but it was fun to listen to.
March 4, 2010
OK -it was much better than "Daddy's Little Girl", which I found totally disappointing but it did not measure up to some of Mary Higgin's Clark earlier mysteries (such as "All around the Town" and "Loves Music, Loves to Dance").
This is the story of Carly DeCarlo, a financial advice columnist turned investigative reporter, and her quest for the truth about the suspicious disappearance of Nicholas Spencer, the head of medical research company "Gen-stone". Nicholas Spencer, who also happens to be her stepsister's husband, has claimed to develop a revolutionary vaccine that could cure cancer as well as other genetic abnormalities. His company was built on this premise and many stockholders were attracted with hopes of curing family members. Even Carly was convinced to invest $25,000 in memoriam to her son Patrick, who died from birth defects as a baby. So when evidence of embezzlement surfaced with the alleged death of Nicholas Spencer, the stockholders were in an outrage and even speculated that Spencer's disappearance was staged. Carly's reporting assignment led her to investigate the truth behind these allegations.
On a positive note, I must admit that the writing style was fascinating and led to a fast read (I finished the book in 1 ½ days!). Mary Higgins Clark intermingled the well-crafted first-person narrative that she attempted in DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL with sporadic chapters of 3rd-person narrative which were more in line with her earlier novels. The prose kept me on my toes and engrossed throughout the story. I just found Carly's character a bit unbelievable - how does one go from financial advice columnist to brilliant investigative reporter so quickly? The plot and the isssues the story dealt with (i.e. medical research, corporate sabotage, etc.) were interesting enough, but...I don't know - the characters and even the ending kind of left me flat!
However, if you need an intriguing book to bring on an airplane or to read at the beach or by the pool, this book might be for you. It goes by fast and, if you don't have any interruptions, you could probably finish it in one gulp!
This is the story of Carly DeCarlo, a financial advice columnist turned investigative reporter, and her quest for the truth about the suspicious disappearance of Nicholas Spencer, the head of medical research company "Gen-stone". Nicholas Spencer, who also happens to be her stepsister's husband, has claimed to develop a revolutionary vaccine that could cure cancer as well as other genetic abnormalities. His company was built on this premise and many stockholders were attracted with hopes of curing family members. Even Carly was convinced to invest $25,000 in memoriam to her son Patrick, who died from birth defects as a baby. So when evidence of embezzlement surfaced with the alleged death of Nicholas Spencer, the stockholders were in an outrage and even speculated that Spencer's disappearance was staged. Carly's reporting assignment led her to investigate the truth behind these allegations.
On a positive note, I must admit that the writing style was fascinating and led to a fast read (I finished the book in 1 ½ days!). Mary Higgins Clark intermingled the well-crafted first-person narrative that she attempted in DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL with sporadic chapters of 3rd-person narrative which were more in line with her earlier novels. The prose kept me on my toes and engrossed throughout the story. I just found Carly's character a bit unbelievable - how does one go from financial advice columnist to brilliant investigative reporter so quickly? The plot and the isssues the story dealt with (i.e. medical research, corporate sabotage, etc.) were interesting enough, but...I don't know - the characters and even the ending kind of left me flat!
However, if you need an intriguing book to bring on an airplane or to read at the beach or by the pool, this book might be for you. It goes by fast and, if you don't have any interruptions, you could probably finish it in one gulp!
August 18, 2012
Mary Higgins Clark has the right balance of mystery, romance, and smart characters. Reporter Carley DeCarlo is assigned to write about Nick Spencer, the head of a cancer research company that claims to have a cure for cancer. Nick disappeared in a plane crash. After the crash, the news comes out that the cancer vaccine did not work, and that Nick looted the company and may not have died in the crash. To complicate things, Nick’s wife is Carley’s new stepsister Lynn. Carley never liked Lynn, but she did like Nick and has trouble reconciling the man she met with someone who would loot his company and fake his death leaving hundreds of devastated investors (including Carley). Nick also left behind the hope for many cancer patients who were counting on his cure. When Nick is spotted alive overseas, all hell breaks loose. Great read – keeps one guessing.
March 2, 2020
If the Hallmark Movie Channel started to make murder mysteries instead of romance films, this is what I would expect. Light on plot, realism or character development. The good news is that I’ve been meaning to clear some bookshelf space to make room for new acquisitions and now I can just take any Mary Higgins Clark books to our local Little Lending Library for someone to pass the time on a rainy day at the cottage.
May 31, 2008
It was great read. I found the ending a little disappointing because I suspected the right person the whole time, I was hoping for more of a twist that I couldn't see coming. But really well written, I could not put it down. On vacation my boyfriend was jealous because I wanted to bring it to dinner.
March 29, 2009
Easy, relaxing read, not too much time or brainpower needed. It follows along in a logical sequence, it makes sense, it is engaging, it has a suitably tense climactic scene and it wraps up well. No complaints.
February 26, 2009
Another amazing suspenseful, mysterious thriller from Mary Higgins Clark! Hard to put down once you start reading it. It keeps you at the edge of your seats.
April 4, 2023
Creo que recién en los últimos 10 caps entendí hacia dónde iba el libro; es medio confuso pero está bueno como te da indicios desde el principio pero te va ocultando los "por qué" y "cómo". Me gusto, pero solo lo recomiendo si no tenes mucho que leer y queres pasar el tiempo.
August 8, 2024
I couldn't figure out why this book was called "The Second Time Around". Whose second time? Doing what? I've read a couple of Mary Higgins Clark's books and enjoyed them. This wasn't one of her best but it kept my interest well enough.
September 3, 2017
Good story line,suspenseful mystery enjoyable page turner.
April 8, 2024
Was very impressed with this book it was a great read
Really liked it.
It had its ups n downs but it was very good read. It kept me hanging I couldn't put it down.
Really liked it.
It had its ups n downs but it was very good read. It kept me hanging I couldn't put it down.
October 25, 2024
It's been a long time since I read a Mary Higgins Clark book, so I forgot how they grab you from the very beginning, and don't let go until the end. She was a terrific writer!
September 17, 2025
Fun to return to a trusty throwback like Mary Higgins Clark! A fair amount of suspense built up throughout this book, but in the end I indeed had figured out the plot twist. Worthy of the read.
September 22, 2025
Me encanto, el final es hermoso y muy emotivo.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 562 reviews