The Anastasia Syndrome and Other Stories [Mass Market Paperback]

Mary Higgins Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1991

In the short novel The Anastasia Syndrome, prominent historical writer Judith Chase is living in London and preparing for her marriage to Sir Stephen Hallett, expected to become England's next Prime Minister. Orphaned during World War II, Judith wants to trace her origins. In this quest, she goes to a renowned psychiatrist and becomes the victim of his experiments in regression. When a woman in a dark green cape sets off bombs in London, Sir Stephen and Judith are faced with an intangible, mysterious force threatening their very existence.

Obsessive love is the subject of Terror Stalks the Class Reunion; psychic contact with a dead twin sister is the only defense against a murder in Double Vision; Lucky Day, compared to O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi, begins premonition of imminent danger; in The Lost Angel, mother follows her intuition in a harrowing search for her missing child.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The title piece in this smoothly written collection, the first from the bestselling mystery novelist, is a novella. Judith Chase is an American historian working in London and enjoying the courtship of Sir Stephen Hallett, due to become England's next prime minister. Beset by vague fears. Judith consults Dr. Patel, famous for treating Anna Anderson, who claimed she was Anastasia of the Russian royal family. "Retrogressed" by Patel, Judith finds herself in the 17th century, during the English Civil War and Restoration, (of the monarchy), reliving horrors that the author exploits in full measure. This and the four other stories, (three of them previously published in Woman's Day magazine,) amply demonstrate Clark's skill at maintaining suspense by creating nightmarish situations that lie just beneath the surface of ordinary life. Literary Guild alternate.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Entertaining, edge-of-the-seat crowd pleasers ... They never fail to win the race."

The New York Times Book Review

"The Anastasia Syndrome and other stories amply demonstrate clark's skill at maintaining suspense by creating nightmarish situations that lie just beneath the surface of ordinary life."

Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (March 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671701231
• ISBN-13: 978-0671701239
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Clark, Mary Higgins

More About the Author

If I were to define myself in one sentence, I would say, "I'm a nice Irish Catholic girl from the Bronx."

I was a Christmas Eve baby all those years ago, the second of the three children of Nora and Luke Higgins. Mother was pushing forty when they married and my father was forty-two. My older brother was named Joseph. Nineteen months later I, Mary, was born. Three and a half years later, my little brother, John, came along.

We lived in a very nice section of the Bronx on a street off Pelham Parkway. I loved our house. I still love it. After my father died, when I was eleven, my mother had to sell it.

I went to Saint Francis Xavier Grammar School. Two years ago I went back and was Principal for a Day. Escorted by two of the tiniest children, I was led into the auditorium while the whole student body sang "Hello Mary. You're back where you belong." I still tear up thinking about it.

I was awarded a scholarship to Villa Maria Academy which is in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx, otherwise I couldn't have afforded to set foot in it.

I went to Woods Secretarial School and at eighteen had my first full-time job as Secretary to the creative director of Remington Rand's in-house advertising agency. If I were making that choice now I would have gone to college even though God knows we needed the income. On the other hand the three years I spent in Remington Rand was a tutorial in advertising which served me well when I was widowed with five small children. Another plus was that I left Remington to be a flight stewardess with Pan American Airways and when my contemporaries were seniors in college, I was flying to Europe, Africa and Asia.

Warren Clark and I were married on December 26, 1949 and had five children in the next eight years; Marilyn, Warren, David, Carol and Patricia. Warren died of a heart attack in 1964. The highest compliment I can pay my kids are that they are like him.

I sold my first short story when I was twenty-eight. It was alled 'Stowaway'. It had been rejected forty times before a magazine in Chicago bought it for one hundred dollars.

My first book was about George Washington. It was published in 1969 and disappeared without a trace. Three years ago Simon and Schuster co-published it with the Mount Vernon Historical Society and retitled 'Mount Vernon Love Story', it became a bestseller.

My first suspense novel 'Where Are the Children' was bought in 1974 for three thousand dollars by Simon and Schuster. Thirty-three books later, I'm still with S&S.

Time to wind up - at least for the present. As soon as I sold 'Children' I enrolled in Fordham College. Went there for five years at night and earned a B.A. in Philosophy. Summa cum laude, if you please.

I never thought I'd marry again but ten years ago I threw a cocktail party on St. Patrick's day. My daughter, Pat, urged me to invite John Conheeney. Her opening words about him were, "Have I got a hunk for you!" He came to the party and we were married eight months later.

I'm Honorary Chairman of FraXa Research. My grandson, David, has the Fragile X syndrome, which is the second leading cause of retardation after Downs Syndrome. Basically the brain of the people who have it can't send out the proper signals because there's a kind of short circuit in the synapses that carry the signals. We raise money for research with the goal of finding a medication that will work around that short circuit. I go all over the country to the fund-raisers as new chapters of FraXa are opened.

I'm always asked to name my favorite book. They're ALL my favorites. If there is one book that is very special to me, it is my memoir 'Kitchen Privileges' because writing it made me relive my early life including those first struggles to become a writer. I think 'Kitchen Privileges' is both tender and funny and it's me.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Most of the stories are very un-MHC, December 21, 1999

By 

Beatrice (Berlin, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Anastasia Syndrome and Other Stories (Mass Market Paperback)

THE ANASTASIA SYNDROME - One Star - This story is very un-Mary Higgins Clark. It might be a good story if you believe in supernatural powers. I don't, therefore it left me disappointed. It is well-written, she created a very dark and eerie atmosphere but the whole theory of the Anastasia Syndrome seems pretty silly to me. TERROR STALKS THE CLASS REUNION - Five Stars - This is a stupid title but a great story. It makes you feel as helpless as the victim. I had a nightmare about this story the night after I finished it - and I read a lot of suspense stories but almost never dream about them! LUCKY DAY - Three Stars - A nice story about trust but not outstanding. I liked the ending, it is very good - and surprising. DOUBLE VISION - Four Stars - A very creepy story about acting and revenge. It includes another supernatural appearance but this one is easier to tolerate than "The Anastasia Syndrome". THE LOST ANGEL - Three Stars - A Christmas story with a very predictable ending. Not much suspense but okay to read.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE ANASTASI SYNDROME AND OTHER STORIES, May 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Anastasia Syndrome (Audio Cassette)

The Anastasia Syndrome and Other Stories, Mary Higgins Clark

I will be writing a book report of The Anastasia Syndrome and Other Stories. It is by Mary Higgins Clark and includes four other stories besides "The Anastasia Syndrome". "The Anastasia Syndrome" is about a woman whose mind gets taken over by an evil woman from the past. When the evil woman is controlling her mind, Judith, the main character, doesn't remember anything that happened. Judith is writing a book about the time which the evil woman is from, so she is involved in the events in which the evil woman was in. It takes place in England but Judith travels around quite a bit. She is a war orphan and is searching for her lost family. She is engaged to the next prime minister, and she doesn't want the news of her search to be revealed. The evil woman in her mind is controlling her and makes her do evil things, like try to bomb a statue, and the tower of London. It is a good book, and also includes facts from the history of England. It has a great surprise ending and I loved it! The other stories are, "Terror Stalks the Class Reunion", "Lucky Day", "Double Vision", and "The Lost Angel". In "Terror Stalks", a woman gets abducted when she goes to her class reunion. "Lucky Day" is about a woman whose luck changes very dramatically in one swift move. "Double Vision" is about a jealous actor that goes back to kill the director that he believes ruined his career. "The Lost Angel" is a story about a young girl that gets lost in New York City, with her mother frantically trying to find her before other miseries come upon her. I think that it is a very good book, and I recommend any of Mary Higgins Clark's books. In my opinion, she is an excellent writer. This book is part mystery, history, and fantasy, filled with suspense.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary can't miss!, July 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Anastasia Syndrome and Other Stories (Mass Market Paperback)

MAry Higgins Clark has done it again. This author just can't miss.

I have never read a book of her's that has disappointed and this is no exception. It is a little different in that instead of one story-- it is four little stories. Each one with its own little twists and turns. Perfect short story reading for a commuter or a busy parent on the run!

Miss Mary, keep 'em coming!