Customer Reviews

Daddy's Little Girl

5 star:		(81)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(27)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

This was a great book, which took me all of two days to read, as I could not put it down. I am a Mary Higgins Clark fan and have read everything by her. This is her first book told from the first person point of view and it really works!
Ellie, an investigative reporter and the younger sister of a murdered girl, sets off to prove the murderer's guilt when he is released from prison twenty-two years later. He has almost the whole town believing that he is an innocent man who has served time for someone else's crime. Of course, someone believes that Ellie must be stopped and her life is put in jeopardy.
This is a book full of suspense that had me on the edge of my seat. I hope Ms. Clark brings back Ellie in another book (like she did with Alvirah). She's a great character!

"My sister, Andrea, was murdered nearly twenty-three years ago, yet it always seems as though it was just yesterday." Thus Ellie Cavanaugh begins her tale and the reader is drawn into the life of this Atlanta investigative journalist who has never come to terms with the murder of her sister, a murder she assumes partial blame for because she covered for her fifteen-year-old sister by not telling their parents that Andrea was secretly meeting handsome rich kid Rob Westerfield.

When Rob Westerfield, the convicted killer, comes up for parole twenty-three years later, Ellie returns to Westchester, New York, the scene of the crime, hoping to prevent his parole. She is, however, up against a rich and powerful family that is able to now produce an eye-witness that will clear the family's name. Ellie fights back with a website outlining all the reasons Westerfield should remain in prison. Many people want Ellie and her website stopped and one person is willing to kill again to accomplish this.

Ellie is one of Mary Higgins Clark's more sympathetic heroines. Like most MHC creations, she is a dedicated career woman. But unlike the others, Ellie is isolated. She has lost her sister and her mother because of the tragedy and is estranged from her father. Her only confidante is her boss in Atlanta. Even her childhood acquaintances still in New York think it is time to quit carrying a grudge---Westerfield has served his time, let him be.

When evidence starts to mount that Rob Wessterfield is really innocent and the crime was commmitted by another, Ellie swings into high gear to find the answers once and for all so that she can truly put the past to rest.

Can Ellie uncover the truth? Will the need for vengeance blind her? Will others deceive her? Can one single woman fight a community and the local law enforcement when her cause is unpopular? Can Ellie ever truly bury the past and move on with her life?

This is Mary Higgins Clark writing at the top of her form to give readers a stay-up-all-night-reading novel. The use of first-person gives the story an immediacy and excitement that keeps you interested up to the chilling climax and teary-eyed conclusion.

I am a big fan of Mary Higgin Clark's books, so I am accustomed to reading her books in one or two days, as they are often seemingly impossible to put down. I was surprised then, that I was able to get frequently distracted by it, so much that by the time I returned to it, I had to start over again. After another long pause in reading, I realised I had to finish it at least since I had already devoted so much time to it. With the exception of the last 15 pages or so, there is not much mystery or suspense to it, which really dissapointed me. One thing that irritated me and made it seem very unreal was regarding how the main character, Ellie, is building a website where she places slanderous material against the man she believes murdered her sister. In the book, it is treated as though every person in the world is glued to her website, and the second she finishes placing a piece on it, everyone in town has read it. As much as it pains me to say so, this is not Mary Higgins Clark's best book by any means.

Ellie Cavanaugh was seven years old when she found the body of Andrea, her fifteen year old sister, in the hideout. The hideout was in the garage behind old Mrs. Westerfield's house. It was little Ellie's testimony that put Andrea's boyfriend, Rob Westerfield, in prison for the murder. The stress and depression tore the family apart.

After twenty years Rob was coming up for parole. With his family's influence and money there was no doubt he would be released this time. The family also had an author writing Rob's life story to gain public sympathy.

Ellie had grown up and became an investigative reporter with the Atlanta News. She returned to her hometown to make sure Rob was not acquitted. Most believed Rob innocent of Andrea's death. As Ellie investigated and posted her findings on the web for the world to see, she became targeted for murder.

***** Mary Higgins Clark had not written this well in several years. I found it to be MUCH better than her last few novels! Clark seems to have found her muse once again! Highly recommended! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

Never having read one of Mary Higgins Clark's books before I was somewhat skeptical when I chose to read "Daddy's Little Girl." After only reading the first chapter, I knew that I had made a good decision in picking this book. This book was very interesting and was able to keep my attention until the very last words.

The story begins when seven-year-old Ellie Cavanaugh finds her fifteen-year-old sister, Andrea, dead as the result of a brutal murder in the garage of wealthy Mrs. Westerfield. The garage was the secret hideout of Andrea and some of her friends. After learning of how she might have been able to save her sister's life, Ellie felt very guilty because she had known that Andrea was to meet Rob Westerfield, Mrs. Westerfield's grandson, at the garage that night. If only Ellie would have told her parents, Andrea might have been still alive. Two days after the funeral, Rob was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while still saying that he was innocent.

The death of Andrea split the Cavanaugh family apart. Mr. and Mrs. Cavanaugh eventually separated. Mrs. Cavanaugh and Ellie moved around the country continuously for many years while Mr. Cavanaugh stayed in New York, remarried, and had a son. Mrs. Cavanaugh became an alcoholic and eventually passed away. Ellie never seemed to completely recover from the loss of her sister by still feeling guilty.

Twenty-three years later, Ellie is now thirty years old, lives in Atlanta, Georgia and is an investigative reporter with the Atlanta News. She decides to return home to New York when Rob Westerfield is set to come up for parole the third time. Ellie is determined to do something in order to prevent Rob from getting out of prison.

While in New York, Ellie plans to meet and talk with many people in order to find out more information on the murderer Rob Westerfield. Shortly after arriving in her room at the local inn, Ellie finds out that the Westerfields are going to hold a press conference concerning the new evidence they have saying that the real killer was Paulie Stroebel, the friend of Andrea's and worker at the service station. Jake Bern, a best selling true crime writer, now plans to write a book about Andrea's death and Rob Westerfield's innocence.

After meeting with Marcus Longo, the retired detective who covered the murder case, and Mrs. Hilmer, the Cavanaugh's neighbor, Ellie called Maggie Reynolds, who was a New York book editor whom she had dealt with before. Maggie decides she would like to go toe-to-toe to Bern's book with one from Ellie. Ellie's book is supposed to prove Rob Westerfield's guilt and Paulie Stroebel's innocence. Ellie then moved out of the inn and into Mrs. Hilmer's guest apartment from where she began to do some research on the case.

With the help from some others, Ellie starts to find the locations of some people who may have been involved with Westerfield at some time. This includes some former classmates and teachers at the private schools that Rob attended, a waitress at a restaurant that the Westerfield's dined at, the brother of the man who was framed for the attempt at old Mrs. Westerfield's life, and some former inmates who resided with Rob in prison. The information and stories that she received prompted her to start a website, which documented them. Also, while digging for evidence of Rob's guilt Ellie finds that he may have committed another murder. The website and its content enrages the Westerfield's and other town members who think that Rob is innocent.

Ellie's life has now become in danger. First, someone breaks into the apartment that she is staying in but all that she notices is different is the addition of a sentence to her article on her computer. Using towels that were apparently stolen from the apartment soaked in gasoline, someone sets fire to the apartment nearly killing Ellie. The police try to say that she set the fire in order to draw attention to herself.

Rob Westerfield or someone else associated with him is now following Ellie at almost all times. Luckily, Ellie's father and stepbrother have also been following her which has saved her a few times. Ellie is very brave and doesn't realize how much danger she is really in. She does finally realize it and moves farther away and not just from inn to inn. From her new location, Ellie continued to collect new evidence and work on her book.

The book "Daddy's Little Girl" by Mary Higgins Clark provided me with a good reading experience. The descriptions of the characters were very detailed. The plot was very interesting and held my attention through out the whole book. In conclusion, I would recommend this book to any young or older reader who would like a book that is interesting and is able to keep your attention.

The book I read was Daddy's Little Girl By: Mary Higgins Clark. It is a bout a girl whose name is Ellie Cavanaugh. Her older sister, Andrea was murdered by one of her friends. Ellie's sister told Ellie about a place where Andrea and her "future" killer hung out together. That place is where they found Andrea dead. Now they try to confront the murderer and he denies it.

I really liked this book because it was a good mystery book and it made me want to keep reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who is above the age of fourteen

"My sister, Andrea, was murdered nearly twenty three years ago, yet it seems as though it was just yesterday." Mary Higgins Clark's Daddy's Little Girl, centers around just that; the murder of a loved one. Clark displays the obsessions of one woman, and the lengths and risks she goes to in order to uncover a mystery. With a constant change of setting and a never ending list of characters, this book becomes a journey through one's life and emotions. Through just the right amount of suspense and thrill, Clark achieves a frightening, and greatly anticipated ending to her story.

Beginning in the childhood of a seven-year-old, Ellie Cavanaugh faces the tragedy of her sister Andrea's murder. Rob Westerfield, Andrea's teenage sweetheart, comes from one of the most powerful and prominent families of Westchester County. Following an agonizing trial, he gets charged with the murder and put behind bars. As a successful investigative reporter twenty-three years later, Ellie is still not satisfied. After moving back to Westchester County, she contacts many relatives and friends in search of valuable information for the website she builds. Her goal is to prove Rob's guilt to the public, and stop his release from jail. As suspected, the Westerfield family discovers Ellie and her plans, and with all of their power refuse to rest until she gets "taken care of."

With impact, the setting of this book plays a considerable role in Ellie's investigation. She returns to her home town, where the murder took place, in order to dig up old information, not earlier discovered. Her childhood, along with other countless memories continually come up, which make Ellie only more eager to incriminate Westerfield. Rob's grandmother's garage, the murder site, was also the secret meeting place of Andrea and Rob. Ellie visits this crime scene and almost relives the day she discovered Andrea's body. "Even though the garage was filled with shadows, I could still see Andrea's long hair trailing out from under the blankets, surrounded by a pool of blood." The garage reminds her of that horrifying part of her life, which significantly displays her obsession with Andrea's murder. The places Ellie visits help to portray the character's personality and willingness to do just about anything for her research.

Most of the information Ellie receives is from the different acquaintances from her youth, which makes the characterization of this book equally effective. For very valuable sources, she tracks down old friends, who supply her with interesting stories about her sister and Rob. Along with those, some unhelpful and disturbing people contact Ellie through her website, with terrorization and threats. "Why are you picking on Westerfield? You better watch your back lady." Several times Ellie receives phone calls or e-mails from anonymous people, which eventually force her to move with regards to her own safety. Westerfield and his family have certain people constantly watch Ellie, in order to track her down and stop her plan to bring down Westerfield. She remains in continual contact with various people throughout the book, without whom her investigation is possible.

Next in relevance, the plot of the book and the events that take place have a vast effect. Clark centers her story on one woman who fails in getting over the murder of her sister, which took place over twenty-three years ago. Even though someone has served time for the crime, Ellie's obsession will not go to rest. Her fixation and infatuation drives her to investigate and search intensively in order to prove her point. That same obsession, in contrast, also puts her and other's lives on the line, which is a risk she is willing to take.

Important, but not a major factor in the book, the language goes right along with the plot. The first section, written when Ellie was a little girl, consists of a seven year old's diction. That detail helps in explaining her mind-set and reaction to her sister's murder. Because the whole book is written from Ellie's point of view, the fact that she puts a lot of blame on herself proves evident; this contributes to her enthusiasm later in life. The second part switches to her adult hood, twenty-three years later, and includes a more mature choice of diction. With the language style used, all of Ellie's thoughts and emotions show, which helps to better the understanding of the book and its numerous characters.

Daddy's Little Girl is a superb choice for a reader who enjoys suspense and mystery, in that every detail plays a significant part in leading up to the climax of the story. Mary Higgins Clark does a wonderful job of keeping the reader interested and eager for more. With a very in depth and textured plot, the book never fails in being effortless to follow. Each character stays recognizable, and key in making the story come together. With its strong theme and intense story line, it is easily to read and understand. Along with all of Mary Higgins Clark's books, this "must-read" is recommended to everyone for its well-sketched characters and strong pace. It contains the perfect mix of suspense and heroism.

I pick the new Clark book each year; they're always page turners and good/trashy/suspenseful fun. However, DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL falls fall short of Clark's usual mark.

SPOILER BELOW so don't read on, if you really care:

The problem with this book is that nothing really happens. Its heroine starts out at one high leveled pitch, never doubts herself for a second, is never wrong, and indeed, everything at the end is just as hypothesized at the beginning. I kept waiting for some sort of Clark's usual twist or turn to happen, but they never do. There are the usual cast of Clark characters (the other suspect who's not all that bright with the protective mother; the spunky heroine who has at least one dead parent, etc.). That's all well and good and what we suspect. But as I read this, I kept thinking, okay, SOMEthing's got to happen here for the heroine to question herself and her motives at least for a second. But she never does (and the fact that the killer turns out exactly to be who she and most everyone expected is just plain dull). Clark wraps it all up with a silly happy ending, which reads like a chapter she tacked on just to keep with her Cinderella formula. It's all much ado about nothing, and Clark (and her editors) should force herself to take a bit more time rather than just to bring out a book each spring. How much more money does she really need?

The character development in this book was a lot better than it was in last year's "On The Street Where You Live," probably because of the switch to first person, but this story left me cold. When I finished the last page I said to myself, "Is that all there is?" It started off good but went downhill from there, and it lacked the suspense that gave MHC her nickname "The Queen of Suspense." I was disappointed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had the feel of a Mary Higgins Clark book that we all have come to know and love and at the same time offered us a little bit of a different twist in terms of how the story was told. Mary Higgins Clark has an uncanny ability to keep her reader demanding to know what turn of events is going to happen next without ever giving too much away. Highly recommended!