Oct 10, 2005 11:57 PM
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(Updated Oct 11, 2005 12:17 AM)
The Characters
Dr. Susan Chandler - A young, attractive, call-in radio show host, ex-prosecutor and psychiatrist, who opens a can of worms when she starts asking questions and investigating the disappearance of a couple of lonely, shy women, namely one Regina Clausen, all of whom have disappeared off cruise ships.
Dee - Susan's sister with whom she shares a love-hate relationship. A couple of years ago Dee married Susan's boyfriend and is currently widowed. She now plans to return to New York and seems to be doing her best to interfere in Susan's new romantic interest.
Dr. Donald Richards - A psychologist who has written a book on women who have disappeared. He is Susan's expert on her call-in radio show and when some information about the disappeared women turns up, he starts to display an unhealthy curiosity about the case and he goes on a lot of cruises in his free time. What is his agenda?
Alex Wright - A self-effacing millionaire and philanthropist to whom Susan is attracted to. But her sister seems to be intensely attracted to him too and Alex seems to be drawn both ways. Will history repeat itself?
Justin Wells - The jealous, possessive husband of one of the women who was an intended victim of the murderer. How far does his jealousy extend? Is it enough to harm his wife and anyone else who stands in his way?
Douglas Layton - The investment lawyer who is handling some investments for Jane Clausen, Regina Clausen's wealthy mother, who is dying. His entire career hinges on him keeping Jane Clausen happy but he seems to be distracted and misses important appointments with her. He also claims to have known Regina extremely well. What's on his mind?
A psychotic, possessive killer - The killer likes each of the women he murders to wear the ring, a cheap, turquoise-inlaid souvenir with the words 'You Belong to Me' inscribed on it before he murders them. Susan's talk show and subsequent investigation has stirred up a hornet's nest and now he has to do away with Susan before she gets too close for comfort. What does he do? As the murders start piling up, can Susan stay one step ahead and save herself? And who is the latest target to join his list of lovely ladies? Read the book to find out ....
Review
Mary Higgins Clark is an extremely prolific writer who writes psychological thrillers. Most of the thrillers are really good, with a tight plot and simple but attention-grabbing storyline. She usually tries to throw red herrings among the characters so the readers are left guessing till the last minute. Generally as is the case with books which contain a huge number of characters, the characters arent very fully developed but they are interesting enough to keep you reading. Her characterization of strong-minded, independent heroines and sensitive, capable men always make for a good, light read.
That is until this story. This is, I felt, the weakest among all the Clark novels I have read (and I've read a whole lot of them). The serial killer has actually killed about 4 women, but Susan just knows about 1 and an intended victim and theorises there might be more. A lot of the plot is based on coincidence and of people being in the right place at the right time for the story to work. This time around the suspicion is on a huge number of characters - 4 men, which isnt generally the case and so the plot isnt as tight as it could have been. I found in this one, she's changed the formula a bit, the readers get to know the identity of the killer before the protagonist does which somehow took all the fun out of it for me. The book is a decent, well-paced read when you have nothing to do but dont expect an engrossing thriller like some of her other works.
Happy Reading!!
