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Malice Domestic #2
Mary Higgins Clark Presents Malice Domestic
An anthology of 17 tradidtional mysteries collected by master mystery writer Mary Higging Clark. Pages 6.38" x 4.12"
255 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1993
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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 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 8, 2017
I find it difficult to give an accurate rating to an anthology when the stories (to me, at least) range from very weak to absolutely first-rate. I thought the very first story, "Who Shot Mrs. Byron Boyd?", was by far the weakest and least interesting. However, my favourites, "Dog Television",
"Goodbye, Sue Ellen", "Even Steven", "Parris Green", and "Cold and Deep" more than made up for that and were all excellent.
In fact, as so often happens when I read a mystery anthology, I found an author I had previously never read, despite her popularity, loved her story, and now I have yet another mystery series I absolutely must read! (The Irene Adler books by Carole Nelson Douglas).
"Goodbye, Sue Ellen", "Even Steven", "Parris Green", and "Cold and Deep" more than made up for that and were all excellent.
In fact, as so often happens when I read a mystery anthology, I found an author I had previously never read, despite her popularity, loved her story, and now I have yet another mystery series I absolutely must read! (The Irene Adler books by Carole Nelson Douglas).
May 9, 2022
Who Shot Mrs. Byron Boyd? by Amanda Cross tells the story of a moderator for a discussion panel between two writers who is murdered during the debate. The female writer, a sweet, grandmotherly woman, is confidant that she was the intended victim. But when the most likely killer is the chauvinistic male writer sharing her stage at the time of the killing, it seems like her suspicions are nothing more than a shot in the dark. The story was fun and had a clever solution, and the characters were enjoyable to follow. This was the first Malice Domestic story I read, and it was a great jumping point.
Dog Television by Robert Barnard tries to be one of those stories told from an animal's point of view while the actual events are happening to their humans. I've read several that use this perspective, but only one that's ever managed to pull it off. Dog Television is the story of Jaggers, who sees the newly transparent installed cat flap as a perfect way to keep an eye on the property no matter which side of the door he's on. We get his doggy perspective of his master's guest, their conversation before he's booted out of the way, and . There's no resolution and no mystery, though there is a cheerfully ominous line at the end. It's cute, and the writing from the dog's POV is well done, but it's a pass.
Goodbye, Sue Ellen by Gillian Roberts is my favorite in the collection, and in the series so far. Ellsworth Hummer has had enough of being tucked aside with a pat to the head. He'd married Sue Ellen to get his hands on her family business, and she and her relatives will not be keeping his well-deserved power away from him any longer. He'll get it, even if he has to kill her to do it. What follows is a fantastic story of a sexist husband's increasingly frustrated attempts to murder his wife, and the best twist ending I've seen in a long time.
In Even Steven by Taylor McCafferty four friend travel to Vegas for a fun trip in their later years, but when one woman returns to her room to find her husband dead the stakes seem to be just a little bit higher than they've ever played before. A fun first-person story with a great solution and twist ending.
Water by Sally Gunning features a rich man who builds a big house on the sea shore and starts hearing and seeing things. The descriptive writing was good but didn't really go anywhere. I think it's supposed to be a ghost story, like how Jacob Marley was trying to warn Scrooge that his sins were catching up with him, only there's a murder thrown in somehow. Did the guy build his house on an ancient burial ground or something? It's never really understood who the ghost woman was. The guy was an asshole, that was shoved down our throats at the beginning of each new segment, but was the woman a manifestation of something? Was he responsible for her death in some way? Pass.
You Never Know by Sarah Shankman tells two stories. The tale of a woman chatting with her friend and complaining about her ex-husband, and a bus driver having a rather stressful day. It's cute but there's no mystery and its nothing more than a light read.
The Return of Ma Barker by Gary Alexander is about an elderly bank robber and the policemen trying to track her down. A fun story with a clever solution. Just what you're looking for in a mystery short story.
In A Romance in the Rockies by K. K. Beck a rich young woman and her mama are being hounded by the young woman's beau, who's followed them to a chateau in the Canadian Rockies to plead for her hand in marriage, and to plead his innocence in the theft of her pearls. A great story, but I may be biased. When you don't live in the US it's always thrilling to have a story set in your own country. Especially a good story.
In Checkout by Susan Dunlap a dead woman has arrived in limbo and must win a supermarket contest in order to get into heaven. It's a cool story and worth a a read, but there's not much to say about it except that it might make you smile.
The Neiman Marcus Body by Lucretia Grindle portrays a stable as the scene of a murder, with a body strangled by a custom-made horse lead. The story is pretty good with characters that are pretty well-developed for a short story. It always amazes me that someone can take a story a handful of pages long and balance an involving plot and fleshed out characters.
In Anna and the Snake People by Ed Gorman, Anna is a police officer investigating the death of a preacher's wife. You figure out the perpetrator, mostly because the suspect's been so obvious that for the story to end well it's either got to have a clever motive or a twist perpetrator. But it's a pretty good story nonetheless.
...That Married Dear Old Dad by Margaret Maron tells the tale of the perfect wife who married the perfect husband and is finally pregnant with the perfect baby. Or that's how everyone outside the marriage sees it. Hell, that's even how Jessica sees it, and it had better be since she's thrown herself so thoroughly into the role. Her husband's work habits aren't a concern, she simply needs to work around them. His health wasn't the best, but it was the doctor's concern, no need to badger her hubbie about it. And he always said he didn't want children, but she was sure he'd be every bit as happy about it as she was. This. This is such a fantastic story. I love it to pieces; the image of this 1950s perfect housewife who cleans and cooks every bit as efficiently as she murders. Fantastic.
Parris Green is a story by Carole Nelson Douglas about a painter who's trapped himself in his studio, to the worry of his friends and relations. But when the sanctuary is invaded, it's discovered that the artist has lost touch with reality and his model is stone cold dead. The story is pretty good. It's a historic mystery set in London in 1886, and isn't as much of a light read as the rest. There's a lot of references to go through that'll make you feel part of the time period. A good story, with a distinctly different feel than the rest.
A young camper features in Kim's Game by M.D. Lake. Kim is plagued by her intellect and her ability to observe the things and people around her. She knows why her parents sent her away. She knows they'll be divorced by the time she gets back. All the signs were there and reading them is her specialty. So when a vicious murder occurs and Kim is the first witness to the crime scene, she is also the only one who knew that the item removed before the police arrived can crack this case. If she can survive that long herself. Brilliant story; I absolutely loved it. Wish there was a series with this character, I'd love to read more. My second favorite in the book.
Arsenic and Old Ideas by Jan Grape is a writer story. A writing group meets and finds out that the husband of a member has died. I've read a lot of books and short stories using writer characters, including the first story in this book, and I'm always surprised when I find one that gets it right. It's hard to write a writer character because I've noticed a trend of molding the character into their chosen genres. Mystery writers always want to be the ones to hunt down the killers, romance writers are all about true love or getting revenge on old loves, etc. Sometimes it's done well, like the above Who Shot Mrs. Byron Boyd?, and sometimes, like Arsenic and Old Ideas, it's done great. The characters are all mystery writers but their styles are all so different that it's clear there's no general mold they're going to be squeezed into. The story doesn't focus too much on the writing aspects, and there's a cop involved so it's not all 'let's solve this before the cops do'. Great piece of writing.
Cold and Deep by Frances Fyfield is just... holy shit, this was heart wrenching. There's so much subtext in this story. So little is said explicitly that even after you're done reading you're not sure if you understood things right. Basically it's the story of a family come home for Christmas to their old father's home, where he now lives alone with his dog and his son's wife Fiona (as his temp caretaker). Right off the bat the characters are a marvel. There's just something slightly off about all of them and they come apart over the duration of the story. The actual murder is at the very end, and it's not so much a mystery as it is the culmination. Very dramatic.
The verdict? Saying I had a favorite in this book is a lie. The stories I loved best are all so different they're impossible to compare. Cold and Deep is dark and murky and you can't tell quite which way is up. Kim's Game is clever and so full of lovely vindication. ...That Married Dear Old Dad is fun and cheerful. And Goodbye, Sue Ellen is a comedy gem, and so super satisfying. This was the first book of the series I'd read and I'm glad it spurred me on to read the rest, but this one will always be my favorite and the first I'll recommend.
Dog Television by Robert Barnard tries to be one of those stories told from an animal's point of view while the actual events are happening to their humans. I've read several that use this perspective, but only one that's ever managed to pull it off. Dog Television is the story of Jaggers, who sees the newly transparent installed cat flap as a perfect way to keep an eye on the property no matter which side of the door he's on. We get his doggy perspective of his master's guest, their conversation before he's booted out of the way, and . There's no resolution and no mystery, though there is a cheerfully ominous line at the end. It's cute, and the writing from the dog's POV is well done, but it's a pass.
Goodbye, Sue Ellen by Gillian Roberts is my favorite in the collection, and in the series so far. Ellsworth Hummer has had enough of being tucked aside with a pat to the head. He'd married Sue Ellen to get his hands on her family business, and she and her relatives will not be keeping his well-deserved power away from him any longer. He'll get it, even if he has to kill her to do it. What follows is a fantastic story of a sexist husband's increasingly frustrated attempts to murder his wife, and the best twist ending I've seen in a long time.
In Even Steven by Taylor McCafferty four friend travel to Vegas for a fun trip in their later years, but when one woman returns to her room to find her husband dead the stakes seem to be just a little bit higher than they've ever played before. A fun first-person story with a great solution and twist ending.
Water by Sally Gunning features a rich man who builds a big house on the sea shore and starts hearing and seeing things. The descriptive writing was good but didn't really go anywhere. I think it's supposed to be a ghost story, like how Jacob Marley was trying to warn Scrooge that his sins were catching up with him, only there's a murder thrown in somehow. Did the guy build his house on an ancient burial ground or something? It's never really understood who the ghost woman was. The guy was an asshole, that was shoved down our throats at the beginning of each new segment, but was the woman a manifestation of something? Was he responsible for her death in some way? Pass.
You Never Know by Sarah Shankman tells two stories. The tale of a woman chatting with her friend and complaining about her ex-husband, and a bus driver having a rather stressful day. It's cute but there's no mystery and its nothing more than a light read.
The Return of Ma Barker by Gary Alexander is about an elderly bank robber and the policemen trying to track her down. A fun story with a clever solution. Just what you're looking for in a mystery short story.
In A Romance in the Rockies by K. K. Beck a rich young woman and her mama are being hounded by the young woman's beau, who's followed them to a chateau in the Canadian Rockies to plead for her hand in marriage, and to plead his innocence in the theft of her pearls. A great story, but I may be biased. When you don't live in the US it's always thrilling to have a story set in your own country. Especially a good story.
In Checkout by Susan Dunlap a dead woman has arrived in limbo and must win a supermarket contest in order to get into heaven. It's a cool story and worth a a read, but there's not much to say about it except that it might make you smile.
The Neiman Marcus Body by Lucretia Grindle portrays a stable as the scene of a murder, with a body strangled by a custom-made horse lead. The story is pretty good with characters that are pretty well-developed for a short story. It always amazes me that someone can take a story a handful of pages long and balance an involving plot and fleshed out characters.
In Anna and the Snake People by Ed Gorman, Anna is a police officer investigating the death of a preacher's wife. You figure out the perpetrator, mostly because the suspect's been so obvious that for the story to end well it's either got to have a clever motive or a twist perpetrator. But it's a pretty good story nonetheless.
...That Married Dear Old Dad by Margaret Maron tells the tale of the perfect wife who married the perfect husband and is finally pregnant with the perfect baby. Or that's how everyone outside the marriage sees it. Hell, that's even how Jessica sees it, and it had better be since she's thrown herself so thoroughly into the role. Her husband's work habits aren't a concern, she simply needs to work around them. His health wasn't the best, but it was the doctor's concern, no need to badger her hubbie about it. And he always said he didn't want children, but she was sure he'd be every bit as happy about it as she was. This. This is such a fantastic story. I love it to pieces; the image of this 1950s perfect housewife who cleans and cooks every bit as efficiently as she murders. Fantastic.
Parris Green is a story by Carole Nelson Douglas about a painter who's trapped himself in his studio, to the worry of his friends and relations. But when the sanctuary is invaded, it's discovered that the artist has lost touch with reality and his model is stone cold dead. The story is pretty good. It's a historic mystery set in London in 1886, and isn't as much of a light read as the rest. There's a lot of references to go through that'll make you feel part of the time period. A good story, with a distinctly different feel than the rest.
A young camper features in Kim's Game by M.D. Lake. Kim is plagued by her intellect and her ability to observe the things and people around her. She knows why her parents sent her away. She knows they'll be divorced by the time she gets back. All the signs were there and reading them is her specialty. So when a vicious murder occurs and Kim is the first witness to the crime scene, she is also the only one who knew that the item removed before the police arrived can crack this case. If she can survive that long herself. Brilliant story; I absolutely loved it. Wish there was a series with this character, I'd love to read more. My second favorite in the book.
Arsenic and Old Ideas by Jan Grape is a writer story. A writing group meets and finds out that the husband of a member has died. I've read a lot of books and short stories using writer characters, including the first story in this book, and I'm always surprised when I find one that gets it right. It's hard to write a writer character because I've noticed a trend of molding the character into their chosen genres. Mystery writers always want to be the ones to hunt down the killers, romance writers are all about true love or getting revenge on old loves, etc. Sometimes it's done well, like the above Who Shot Mrs. Byron Boyd?, and sometimes, like Arsenic and Old Ideas, it's done great. The characters are all mystery writers but their styles are all so different that it's clear there's no general mold they're going to be squeezed into. The story doesn't focus too much on the writing aspects, and there's a cop involved so it's not all 'let's solve this before the cops do'. Great piece of writing.
Cold and Deep by Frances Fyfield is just... holy shit, this was heart wrenching. There's so much subtext in this story. So little is said explicitly that even after you're done reading you're not sure if you understood things right. Basically it's the story of a family come home for Christmas to their old father's home, where he now lives alone with his dog and his son's wife Fiona (as his temp caretaker). Right off the bat the characters are a marvel. There's just something slightly off about all of them and they come apart over the duration of the story. The actual murder is at the very end, and it's not so much a mystery as it is the culmination. Very dramatic.
The verdict? Saying I had a favorite in this book is a lie. The stories I loved best are all so different they're impossible to compare. Cold and Deep is dark and murky and you can't tell quite which way is up. Kim's Game is clever and so full of lovely vindication. ...That Married Dear Old Dad is fun and cheerful. And Goodbye, Sue Ellen is a comedy gem, and so super satisfying. This was the first book of the series I'd read and I'm glad it spurred me on to read the rest, but this one will always be my favorite and the first I'll recommend.
June 5, 2018
All of the murders happen in homes or among family and friends. Though I did not recognize the authors, I enjoyed their stories. There were some terrific twists that I did not expect. Artists, bank robbers, a religious group that handles snakes, people unhappy with their spouses all have parts in these stories. It was a fun read.
January 6, 2024
The first Clark on my Reading List of Dates from July 1997 but I feel like I read some of hers earlier. I don't remember much about this collection of short stories but I enjoy short stories and mysteries. I fell in love with Clark's mysteries while commuting to and from work and grad school. Her stories are easy to follow.
April 25, 2024
Part of a mostly excellent series of mystery short stories by authors you will probably recognize. Mainly entertaining, not many misses. I listened to the audiobook narrated by a bevy of great actors/readers, mysteriously hard to identify (not named). Many authors and readers are women, sort of or quite feminist - you don't have to steel yourself against wretched stereotypes.
March 26, 2018
Ok, but not great!
June 24, 2018
This is a great audiobook. My favorites were Goodbye Sue Ellen and Kim’s game.
December 21, 2020
great short stories
January 12, 2021
I liked the short format. It was easy to read one quickly and then move onto the next.
February 27, 2021
Listened to the first few stories. Some better than others, but heard enough that I'm moving on.
April 25, 2021
Ideal format for audiobooks if short on time or attention.
July 13, 2021
To be honest, it was a complete waste of time. The stories were not very clever and most were totally predictable, although maybe one or two were OK. But overall, don't bother!
Read
January 16, 2022Read as a a teenager. I love mystery anthologies
Read
September 10, 2022Entertaining.
June 5, 2023
Book of short stories that was entertaining to listen to.
July 29, 2023
Unread shelf project 2023: book 74.
Another pretty fantastic collection of short stories. I’d rate none of them under a 3/5 and most were 3.5-4 stars and up.
Another pretty fantastic collection of short stories. I’d rate none of them under a 3/5 and most were 3.5-4 stars and up.
March 22, 2024
Some stories more interesting than others but none were outstanding in my opinion.
Advice to producers of audio short stories: give the title and author after the story as well as before!
Advice to producers of audio short stories: give the title and author after the story as well as before!
July 11, 2024
Audiobook format. I like mysteries and these were easy to listen to while driving. Some of the stories were more engaging than others.
March 19, 2017
Ce recueil de nouvelles est intéressant. cependant les histoires sont assez inégales. certaines sont très bonnes, d'autres beaucoup moins..
January 29, 2021
Mary Higgins Clark presents Malice Domestic is an interesting read for sure. I’ve never read a murder mystery through a dog’s perspective before; “Dog Television” by Robert Barnard.
I don’t like to give things away, but there were a few murder mysteries in this collection that turned the cozy genre on its head. Gosh! I can’t say more or I’ll give away trade secrets.
If you are studying the cozy mystery story in short form, there certainly is a wide variety of set-ups and outcomes in Mary Higgins Clark presents Malice Domestic to enjoy.
I don’t like to give things away, but there were a few murder mysteries in this collection that turned the cozy genre on its head. Gosh! I can’t say more or I’ll give away trade secrets.
If you are studying the cozy mystery story in short form, there certainly is a wide variety of set-ups and outcomes in Mary Higgins Clark presents Malice Domestic to enjoy.
February 1, 2015
"New York Times bestselling author Mary Higghins Clark presents this delightfully chilling collection of original mystery stories, written in the classic Christie vein. A fitting tribute to the world's most beloved crimewriter, Dame Agatha Christie, MALICE DOMESTIC 2 showcases a houseful of top contemporary writers at their very best."
~~back cover
You Never Know by Sarah Shankman is the star of this collection. You won't see it coming, and neither did anyone else ...
~~back cover
You Never Know by Sarah Shankman is the star of this collection. You won't see it coming, and neither did anyone else ...
December 12, 2015
Grade: D+
This collection was a disappointment, especially after having listened to the excellent 6th edition of the Malice Domestic series. There were a couple of average stories--the best one being "Cold and Deep" by Frances Fyfield. NOTE: I listened to the audio collection which is apparently abridged to 10 stories, and does not include Clark's story.
This collection was a disappointment, especially after having listened to the excellent 6th edition of the Malice Domestic series. There were a couple of average stories--the best one being "Cold and Deep" by Frances Fyfield. NOTE: I listened to the audio collection which is apparently abridged to 10 stories, and does not include Clark's story.
October 16, 2008
I liked the first Malice Domestic better. Since I listened to this on audiobook, a few of the readers were monotone and so I had trouble keeping up. There were three really good short stories in this edition and I gained a couple of new mystery writers to check out.
September 14, 2014
I usually like these types of collections because I get a chance to read a sample from a variety of writers. This one was just ok.
The standouts for me were:
"Checkout" by Susan Dunlap
"Dog Television" by Robert Barnard
"You Never Know" by Sarah Shankman
The standouts for me were:
"Checkout" by Susan Dunlap
"Dog Television" by Robert Barnard
"You Never Know" by Sarah Shankman
August 22, 2016
Be aware that only one story is by Mary Higgins Clark. The whole book is very much a letdown. I feel like the stories were written for a city's newspaper short story contest. Characters are shallow, and the story-telling is amateurish.
January 26, 2016
Short mysteries from a variety of writers. I like reading so many different styles in one book. Some of the stories were very clever and well written.
December 3, 2013
Good read!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews