Customer Reviews

I Heard That Song Before

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Mary Higgins Clark has been a must-read for me most of my adult life. Her well-plotted, faced-paced novels are easily devoured in a day or two and always leave me thinking, "I should have seen that coming!"

This one is particularly good not only because of her trademark brand of short chapters with cliff-hanger endings but because each of the characters is so well-defined. Sometimes she has so many characters that it is hard to keep track of them, but in this novel each is unique and easily identifiable.

The action takes place at the Carrington family mansion in New Jersey. Our young protagonist, librarian Kay Lansing, asks Peter Carrington for permission to hold a fund-raiser for a literacy program at his estate. Love blooms and not long after the fund-raiser and a whirlwind courtship Kay finds herself married to the much older Carrington. He has been living under a cloud of suspicion for over twenty years and is still considered a "person of interest" in the disappearance of neighbor Susan Althorp as well as in the drowning death of his first wife. What possesses a woman to marry a man under such a cloud of suspicion and could her life be in jeopardy as well?

Add to this mix a former stepmother now in residence on the estate, a long-time employee, a married couple who cook and serve for the family, an art gallery owner with a gambling addiction, an irate caller who never gets a return call, a grieving mother, and a private investigator intent on cracking a cold case. Suspicion falls on everyone before all the red herrings are cleared away and all questions are resolved.

This is my second MHC book that I've read. The author uses her fine tactics of deeply defined characters, brief chapters, & cliff hanger endings to create a modestly good read. The story takes place at the Carrington family mansion in New Jersey. The young librarian Kay Lansing, asks Peter Carrington for permission to hold a fundraiser for a literacy program at his estate. Soon romance blooms & a dizzying courtship finds Kay married to the far older Carrington.

For two decades the latter has lived under a cloud of suspicion in the disappearance of Susan Althorp his neighbor, as well as in the drowning death of his pregnant first wife. Could the naieve Kay be in danger? Now a former step-mother resides at the estate, a married couple who runs the kitchen, a gambling addict- art gallery owner, a cranky caller who gets no responce, a grieving mom, & a private detective who is ardently trying to solve a cold case. Some of the dialogue felt forced & seemed very unrealistic. Nonetheless, you will enjoy this novel. I just think you will prefer "On The Street Where You Live More?"

Kay's dreams of growing up and living in a mansion come true.

I enjoyed this book very much and read it in one afternoon. I kept thinking I had it figured out and then something else would steer me in another direction.

It seems that everyone figured it out at the same time, which was just in time to keep Kay safe.

It was not as suspenseful as some of her other books, but it was definitely a page turner.

If you liked any other Mary Higgins Clark book you will like this one as well.

It earned 4.5 stars!

Mary Higgins Clark is a national treasure. I read her first book, WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?, when it was first published 30 years ago, and I've faithfully read every one since. When it comes to neo-Gothic romantic suspense, she never disappoints. Her new novel is particularly enjoyable.

Let's see--we have the heroine, Kay, the daughter of the landscaper for a great estate house in New Jersey. We have the house itself, complete with lush gardens and hidden chapel. And we have the brooding master of the house, with whom Kay falls in love against her own better judgement. It seems a young woman in his past disappeared mysteriously, then his pregnant first wife committed "suicide." Nearly everyone suspects him of being a ladykiller, including the police. And Kay just might be the next lady on his list....

Clark is one of the few writers who can take these classic ingredients and mix them together into a story that always seems fresh and new. It is a remarkable talent. If you enjoy her stories as much as I do, you'll want to read this one.

I've been a MHC fan for many years and although I enjoyed this book I couldn't help but think that she's becoming very Danielle Steel-like. By that I mean cranking out mediocre books that become immediate best sellers because of her fan base, but not great mysteries as she used to write years ago. Readable yes, but good entertainment for the mystery lovers?...not really.

MHC tackles the subject of sleepwalking in this one - as well as sundry themes and ideas she has traversed extensively in her earlier books. This one is surprisingly unengaging. I never connected with the heroine at all. On one page, Kay Lansing tells us the cloud of suspicion following mega-rich Peter Carrington, the man she has met once.
On the very next page, they get married.
Huh?
I am wondering if Clark was sleepwalking herself when she wrote this. I knew by page 20 who the bad guy was because she telegraphed it.
The plot never really came together, but still I kept reading. Why? because I couldn't quite believe how bad it was.
If she was a new writer, Clark wouldn't get past the publishing house's initial slush pile with a book as bizarre and half-baked as this.

I also love reading MHC and find this to be quite enjoyable. I usually try to read at one sitting---in the sun, on an airplane,etc---but had to read it on different days. I had trouble keeping all the characters straight because of that. Therefore, it's a 4 star rather than a 5. I should be able to put a book down and be capable of remembering everyone the next day. So to me, that means the characters don't stick with you as well as they should. However, having said that, it was a great story with the "who done it" part that kept you guessing. As always, I enjoy her books and will continue to read them in the future.

Mary Higgins Clark has gotten better with age. This is the best book she has written in years. The plot twists are exciting and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was up until one in the morning on a work night trying to finish it. The characters are sympathetic and well-drawn. The story moves quickly and keeps one guessing until the very last page. The only criticism I might have would be MHC's use of dialogue. Some of the conversations would never be heard in a real situation...for example, "don't let's go to the cemetery", or talk about "tea towels". People in this day and age don't talk like that. Other than that this was a top-notch thriller. One of the best books I've read all year. Suitable for all ages.

This is typical Mary Higgins Clark, full of devious characters motivated to murder someone. The heroine, Kay, is married to the multi-millionaire suspected of murdering an ambassador's daughter years ago and later drowning his first wife.
Although a newlywed, Kay feels she knows her husband well enough to know he wouldn't hurt anyone. Still evidence keeps pointing to him and he's in jail waiting for trial. As Kay searches for bits of clues, hoping to uncover another suspect, the danger increases for her.
The author spices it up with enough hints to make the reader suspect everyone. Additional mysteries form subplots to keep readers intrigued. Did Kay's father commit suicide years ago or ??? What secret do the faithful servants hide? Did her husband marry Kay to prevent her from testifying to a childhood memory that might incriminate him? What was the meaning of the song she heard before the first murder?

Kay Lansing works at the local Engelwood Library. After visiting Peter Carrington to ask his permission to host a fundraiser at his home, Kay and Peter fall in love during a whirlwind romance. People are surprised by their sudden marriage especially because of the "cloud of suspicion" hanging over Peter Carrington after the disapearance of his girlfriend Susan Althrop 22 years ago and the death of his first wife, who was 7 months pregnant, 4 years ago. Not long after their marriage a chain of events unfold that put Peter in jail and on trial for murder and Kay has to prove his innocence....the key to the puzzle...a conversation Kay overheard when she was 6 years old visiting the Carrington mansion with her father, who was the landscaper on the property!

This MHC book was much better than her 2006 book. She returned to her "formula", which continues to work for her! I Heard that Song Before, kept me turning the pages to find out what had really happened on the Carrington property all those years ago. This was another good one by MHC - those who love her will enjoy it.