A long-held family threatens to take the life of an unsuspecting heiress in the breathtaking new thriller from worldwide bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark.
At age eighty-two and in failing health, Olivia Morrow faces a momentous choice: expose a devastating family secret, or take it with her to her grave. Olivia has in her possession letters from her deceased cousin Catherine, a nun now being considered for beatification by the Catholic Church. The letters are evidence that Catherine gave birth at age seventeen to a son she gave up for adoption. The young man who fathered Catherine's child, Alex Gannon, went on to become a world-famous doctor and scientist. Now, thirty-one-year-old pediatrician Dr. Monica Farrell, their granddaughter, stands as the rightful heir to what remains of Gannon's fortune. But to silence Olivia and prevent Monica from Learning the secret, those who are exploiting the inheritance will stop at nothing - even murder.
Features an excerpt from Mary Higgins Clark's captivating new thriller, I'll Walk Alone. Original.
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.
Formulaic. In the case of the vast majority of frothy mystery writers (think Janet Evanovich or Sandra Brown), “formulaic” not only describes the plot but also comments on the nutritional value.
Mary Higgins Clark, very much like Agatha Christie before her, takes formulaic and makes it comforting (no gratuitous violence – are you following, James Patterson?), empowering (strong female characters – are you listening, Stuart Woods?) and fun (yes, Robert Crais, it doesn’t have to be intense from cover-to-cover, we can have some fun along the way).
Unlike Christie and her Miss. Marple, Higgins Clark does not repeat characters, but her strong leading women are almost interchangeable: brilliant lawyer, dedicated doctor, passionate marketer, etc. And her plots are very linear: meet an amazing but troubled lady, see impending doom, run into a series of men of shady backgrounds and intents, someone is murdered, woman is in peril, pick which of the men will harm and which will help, love triumphs.
Spending time with Mary Higgins Clark is like having high tea with a gentle, yet spunky maiden aunt. You don’t want to make a habit of it, but every time you go and she pours into her tea that little “strengthener” from the flask she keeps in her brocade handbag, you wonder why it is so long between visits.
This has to be one of the worse books I have ever read. Looking at the book critcially I have found no redeaming qualities in either the writting style or plot. I am convinced that no one edited this book before it was submitted. Not only were there grammer errors, which if I can spot is means it's pretty bad, but the sentence structure was muddled and confusing. Also there was too much inner dialog and pointless details. I as a reader am not reallyconcerned about what the numerous charecters had for breakfast or if they showered or not. The plot was just as muddled as the sentenced structure. The plethra of charecters, who contributed little or nothing to story, made the already confusing storyline worse. The plot also had terrible pacing. The plot moved at a snails' pace until the last fifty pages where there was a rush ending which left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. The title of the book, to my dismay, was never explained. To me though, I imagine it's the smile I would get throwing this book out of the garbage.
Mary Higgins Clark is not one of the authors I consciously think “I CAN’T WAIT FOR HER NEXT BOOK”. However saying this I must admit I have read all her books and have become familiar with her work. Her books are filled with light suspense, no bad language, violence and graphic sex scenes and her female characters are always gentle lady-like independent women. Naturally there has to be some murders and a bit of romance too but nothing heavy I enjoy her style of writing short chapters that end with a bit of suspense keeping the tension of the story moving. With each chapter she switches between the different characters viewpoints which I find interesting. Her stories are filled with lots of layers and characters, twists and turns and you find yourself totally unable to stop turning the page until everything is revealed in the last part of the book. It has an intriguing storyline THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE is filled with all those characters that at first seem to have nothing in common with each other but as you continue you realize that they all play a part in the story. The story centers on Monica Ferrell, a pediatrician who continues searching for her biological ancestors that began with her late father’s wish for finding the true story of his adoption. But there are some unscrupulous people who will go to great lengths, including murder to stop her from discovering that she is the unknown heir to a family fortune. Greed, a nun, how far people will go to make and keep their money, a stalker, a hit man, a retired detective, faith, family secrets, a handsome surgeon, kind old ladies….the story has this and more. A quick easy read that nonetheless keeps you turning the pages surprised by the ending. Again, I was not disappointed with this book...I knew exactly what to expect from this author.
This is my first time with Mary Higgins Clark. I know she has been a very popular author for many years now, but I have to say I probably will not read her again of my own free will. Her writing drove me nuts with way too many characters thrown at me in the first chapter! Slow down, lady! And while we all talk/think to ourselves everyday, I think it's safe to say we do not over describe details and other people the way it's done in this book. My own example: "She thought to herself, 'I think I'll go talk to my neighbor down the street, the one who was a private detective for 50 years and lives in the yellow house with the barking dog, and who I hope will ask me out on a date so I'd better wear the red dress and matching shoes that my grandmother, the one who lives in Maine, sent me for Christmas when I was married to Tom, the husband who cheated on me with my best friend, the one who I went to elementary school with.'" Wow. Maybe I have a career as an author after all! Not! Ha ha.
There’s always an acceptable amount of coincidental use in any book. But in this case it just entwines between ALL the characters that it just doesn’t make sense. The ending was far too predictable. The evidence giveaways are too dumb to be made by people in the story, in this case are *surprise surprise* doctors and lawyers! I think I’ll stay off mary higgins clark stuff for a while.
The Shadow of Your Smile is not the best book of Mary Higgins Clark. I have read a lot better ones. But still it kept me fascinated and I did not want to stop reading. As with all novels by Mary Higgins Clark, this one as well is written in many small chapters switching perspective between the characters every few seconds. I love this style of writing because it keeps the tension up. It is similar to a daily soap. You get a relatively small bit of information and then the episode ends with something compelling that makes you want to know more. Her chapters are exactly the same. But then, you have to wait a few chapters because in the next ones, different characters play the main role and new insights into the story are given. In the end of the novel, all pieces of the puzzel fall into places and you can figure it out by yourself. Once again she was able to surprise me with an outcome of the story that I was not expecting. As usual, Mary Higgins Clark develops a big group of different characters who seem to have nothing to do with each other in the beginning. But after a while you figure out while they are all equally important to the story. Every one of them is a piece of the puzzle. I think the word puzzle describes the stories of Mary Higgins Clark the best because that is what it is for the reader and that is what kept me reading. I wanted to solve the puzzle and see the whole picture.
The story is not the best of all times and not extremely new. Also I would have loved to get to know the characters a bit better and in more detail to actually feel with them. That is something I was definitely missing in this story. Only if you feel to be a part of the story, it is a brilliant story and the author was able to grab your attention completely. That did not happen with this book.
Nevertheless, when I was reading it, I was really busy at work and with traveling. Therefore, I would not have been able to read a complicated story anyway. So, if you are searching for a book that does not bore you but at the same time does not demand your full concentration, then this is definitely the book you are searching for. It is an easy and compelling read and thus the perfect companion on travels or during busy times. The short chapters make it easy to stop often without loosing track of what is happening.
Overall, the book did not disappoint me but it also did not knock me over.
It has been at least a year since I've reviewed a book here, and only my complete and utter disgust has motivated me now. It can all be summed up with this "the old lady is losing her touch." I've enjoyed M.H.C. since I was a teenager, but with this addition she has lost my respect. The main character is supposed to be a pediatrician but it appears the author thought her advancing years were sufficient research because she certainly never actually talked to a pediatrician.
Rather than being horrified by the mysterious stalker I found myself thinking that perhaps she should be followed haunted by at least a dozen malpractice suits instead. Giving Aspirin to a toddler! Not intubating a severe asthma attack, yet bemoaning that fact that "I nearly lost my patient." The complete and utter lack of any medical reality made me physically ill! The Queen of Suspense should probably settle into retirement or start doing some research before creates another horrifying inaccurate drama of the impossible.
When I was in middle and high school, I read and owned every single Mary Higgins Clark novel. I couldn't wait for the next one to be released! After reading this one, I'm sad to say I was a little disappointed. The story was still good - a young doctor trying to learn about her heritage while caught up in the midst of a murder investigation with someone coming after her. I don't know why, but something was just a little lacking for me. While I still liked the book, I didn't have that feeling when I got done reading that it was so phenomenal, like several of her others gave me - when they shocked me and I had no idea that the killer was the killer. I'm wondering if part of it is because I've read so many of her books that I can predict who the killer may be? I'm not sure. It was still a good book, after all, because she is a great author. I just didn't enjoy it as much as her last. Hopefully, the next will bring back the feeling I used to get.
I've read a lot of MHC books, and while they're not the greatest, they're always fun. I really struggled through this one, though. I had a hard time believing any of the characters actually did their jobs - a lot of talk about long days, yet everyone is out galavanting about New York. The stalker had to develop his photo? REALLY? I just couldn't buy into this plot and I didn't care about any of the characters. Plus, the whole religion thing grated on me, plus everyone's deep desire to have children. And the one woman who didn't want her child was an evil monster. Very disappointing stereotypes.
Mary Higgins Clark is an immensely popular and prolific author, but thus far I fail to see the attraction. I've read one other novel of hers previously which I don't remember the first thing about (though my review tells me it was decent but unimpressive) and picked this one up at some second hand sale years ago... I don't think I'll be picking up another. The entire plot is built on a ludicrous amount of coincidences, there's an unnecessarily large cast of onedimensional characters about whom the reader is told a ridiculous amount of unnecessary detail, the pacing is uneven... I could go on, but I've already wasted enough time on this book.
Mary Higgins Clark books are comfort reads for me, and this one didn't disappoint. I liked the plot setup and how the various threads came together. Enjoyed!
I feel as though the Mary Higgins Clark books are good for quick reads.
For me all her books seem to be three point five star books. They’re good if you want something quick to read and yet I never seem to enjoy them as much as I love other authors. They’re sort of just there for when I want something quick to read.
I think my main problem is that they all seem to be a lot of the same, in my opinion. Whether it is simply due to the selection of her books I have read or whether such is the case all over I cannot say. However, I only really recommend them if you want something quick.
For me they’re never all that gripping and I never really connect with the characters. Whilst she is good at making you question characters it is still quite easy to work out the mysteries well in advance. That is probably my biggest issue: the predictability of her books.
As I’ve said, for me they’re nothing spectacular but they do pass the time.
Disappointing -- BORING BORING. I used to love MHC books. But this book, about a woman doctor with no parents, siblings, or, seemingly, friends, even though she is drop dead gorgeous and incredibly intelligent, perceptive and a fabulous pediatrician, is so darned boring. Long story about her parentage and how she is the rightful heir to a fortune. How will she get her rightful fortune? Will she fall in love? I couldn't wait to finish it so I could return it to the library. This book will disappoint you.
I adored MHC in high school, reading every book I could get my hands on, some of them multiple times. I'm not sure if I have outgrown her writing or if this book is just awful. The editor is definitely lazy, as I spotted multiple errors without even trying. (A pediatrician prescribing aspirin to a toddler? I don't think that's been recommended for 20 years!) There are plenty of problems with this book beyond typos and grammatical errors, too. I think I'll have to reread Weep No More My Lady to console myself.
a story about lies,betrayal and murder.monica farell is a paediatrician whose father was adopted.olivia marrow is her cousin through her biological grandmother who is killed by her long time friend and cardiologist carl.all because the greed for the money runs high in all of them and olivia planned to reveal the truth.the gannon group wants the company and has been swindling the money from all their clients and someone is killing off everyone who is involved starting with olivia.but who plans the deaths?why is it so important that olivia dont reveal the truth
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a good one but there were sooooo many characters that I had to go back a couple times to make sure I was putting the current person with their past deeds. It didn't take me long to get through it though so that was my only (but kind of big) negative. I didn't realize who the mastermind was. Like, I thought of them for a split second but then went on to someone else. Good ending with a kind of HEA.
Oh dear. I skimmed through this the way you watch a bad movie - it's truly awful but somehow you can't look away.
Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Olivia Morrow decides to reveal the true heir to Alex Gannon's fortune. She doesn't know this would be disastrous for his grand-nephews and their cronies, who are leaching money out of Gannon's Foundation. She tells her doctor, who just happens to be one of those cronies, (so of course, he keeps it secret). This coincidence is believable because of the family connections - but after that, they come far too thick and fast.
The true heir is Monica, a doctor who (by coincidence) lives in New York too, despite being born in Ireland. By coincidence, she's just finished treating a child whose father is Olivia's driver. Monica left her obsessive lover three years ago, but he suddenly decides (by coincidence) to move to New York to pursue her again. At the same precise moment (by coincidence), the grand-nephews' nefarious business activities are on the brink of being discovered by the authorities.
All these coincidences make it very easy for Monica, the police and Monica's stalker to deduce - and eventually prove - that she's the heir. But the bigger question is why she didn't already know. Supposedly, her father spent years trying to find out, because he knew he was a dead ringer for Alex Gannon (but apparently Monica never saw a picture, in spite of him being a very famous man). Hadn't he heard of DNA testing?
The other thing that annoyed me - which I know won't bother everyone - is that the driver for the a major plotline was that Monica's biological mother (a nun!) was in line for beatification following the miracle cure of a young boy - the one who by coincidence was one of Monica's patients. Monica doesn't believe in miracles and throughout the novel, she is looking for an explanation. I assumed that was another part of the mystery and expected a big reveal - but lo and behold, yes it was a real miracle and Monica's mother really was a saint.
I thought the subject matter was confusing, characters dull, and the plot line incredibly implausible and crammed (Suddenly the friend/cleaning lady feels the need to wash the pillowcases and notices the bloodstain, takes it to Dr. Monica, a new acquaintance? Please.). I didn't care about Monica finding out that she was the love child of the rich Alex Gannon and a nun. The nun is currently up for beautification for her ability to heal children. Although it was alluded to that her granddaughter had the same ability this was never flushed out. Maybe, at this point, Mary Higgins Clark realized her book was in the toilet. I didn't believe that the greedy nephews and crooked board members would really kill people, yet the body count of distantly connected characters was supposed to convey otherwise. I never was fearful for the protagonist, which, in my opinion, is a key component to a good mystery.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Um livro fantástico, com plots que se entrecruzam de forma hábil e com todas as peças a fazer sentido, nada forçadas e com uma leitura simples mas que nos faz querer sempre virar a próxima página.
Todas as personagens estão construídas de forma brilhante e o livro só peca pelo final que não traz consigo nenhum twist significativo. Mais uma vez, Mary Higgins Clark é uma autora a seguir.
Primera vez que leo a la autora, su prosa me ha resultado muy fácil y rápida de leer. Su trama llevaba a querer saber qué pasaría después pero la actitud de ciertos personajes me resultaba algo chocante, no me terminó de convencer ninguno y creo que algunos detalles de la novela eran muy convenientes para el desarrollo. No descarto leer alguna otra obra suya en el futuro, me ha resultado entretenida para descansar de lecturas más pesadas.
Nheeee... Leitura rápida. Capítulos curtos, o que promove o "só vou ler mais um", no entanto há situações com demasiadas coincidências. Pouco prováveis, diria eu. Personagens bem construídas, com as quais se cria-se empatia. Um desfecho que se adivinhava. Não surpreendeu.
I always enjoy reading Mary Higgins Clark. Her books are an easy read clean now swearing etc. although someone usually dies! I like to mix in her books in between heavier readings
I'm not sure why I love the writing of Mary Higgins Clark so much, but I do. Part of it is that I started reading her right at the beginning of high school. And after all these years, her writing feels so familiar and takes me back. The other reason I have stayed a devoted fan is that her stories are always so positive. Yes, I know, they are mysteries – which means someone always ends up dying, but still.... The characters are really nice, interesting people that I always think would make really great friends if only they were real and lived close by.
So Higgins' latest story, which is currently on the New York Times Best Seller List, is The Shadow of Your Smile. There is a very good reason why this is selling oodles of copies – it's great! It follows the life of Monica Farrell, a talented pediatric doctor, and her very greedy relatives who want her to never find out that she is entitled to a fortune and go to great lengths (even murder) to keep that secret well hidden. This is a gentle thriller that is a very fast read. If you want a quick little escape from reality, this is your book!
This was a well-written suspense novel. I must admit, it wasnt as good as the previous Mary Higgins Clark novels I've read, but still able to hold my interest and clean suspense. When anyone of the characters passes in the story, I actually felt emotional for their loss! Mary descibes the person mentally and physically so you come to know the character intimately. I think the title of the book is off. I would have called it 'The Doctors', 'The Doctor's Heiress' or something. 'Shadow of Your Smiles' is a weak title. The conclusion to th novel is good, emotional and not too over-the-top. I would recommend this novel if you like a good story, well-written suspense novel~Susan