Customer Reviews

Second Time Around

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

We can't really remember Clark's first dozen or so books that well, but her novels from this latest decade invariably feature high-achieving leading ladies who prevail above all to solve the mystery at hand. If we have a peeve, it's that these "wonder women" do so while looking glamorous at all times, while outsmarting every other character in the book (including almost always the police), by outrunning or outgunning everybody intent on doing them harm, etc. You get the drift -- interesting fiction but hardly real life.

So it was good to read a story, featuring leading lady Carley De Carlo, a financial free-lance writer and new employee of "Wall Street Weekly", where the plot and main premise are not overshadowed so totally by the star woman at hand. Our interest was captured at the outset in learning that Nicholas Spencer, CEO of a firm close to a cancer vaccine solution, has died in a small aircraft crash, after absconding with what millions were left in the company, having discovered that the vaccine is a failure. But then he is spotted in Switzerland?

The book alternates between searching for Spencer (or at least the truth) and a series of serial killings (done with little explicit action, mostly away from the narrative) by one of the numerous investors, large and small, who were stung by the company financially as well as disappointed by the lack of the promising vaccine, often the only hope of their loved ones. The killer eventually sets his sights on Carley, and it remains til near the end to see who comes out with the real story about everything.

Clark has served up exactly that for which she is well-known: a well-crafted tale, complete with heroes and villains and more than enough suspense to hold our interest; intriguing characters we care about -- it's even a little tough not to empathize with the killer; and a mystery that moves along smartly enough to entertain without divulging too much too soon. We commend the author on one of her better recent works, and suspect that most readers will thoroughly enjoy this novel, finding it an appealing contribution to the genre.

I am a huge Mary Higgins Clark fan, and although this book was most enjoyable, I may have reached the end of my fascination for the "young girl in jeopardy" plot MHC has so successfully mastered. After more than twenty novels following the same basic pattern, the plots have become a little too familiar, the ending a bit too predictable.

With that being said, I still enjoyed this one. The deception and suspense were first-rate as always and the idea of corporate fraud very timely. The charismatic Nicholas Spencer who is determined to develop his vaccine that cures cancer is larger-than-life. Readers are drawn to him as we learn about his first wife's ill-fated battle with cancer and his concern for his own son and the millions of children he wants to save from the heartbreak of losing a parent to cancer.

Investigative reporter Carley DeCarlo is the heroine who has not only a professional interest in the disappearance of Nicholas Spencer but also a personal one. She is the stepsister of his second wife and wants to either clear his name of the fraud he is accused of or be satisfied that he did indeed loot the company and offer false hope to patients.

Carley is led on a hot trail of clues as she tries to establish Spencer's guilt or innocence while a disturbed killer who lost money on the vaccine methodically kills every person he feels has committed an injustice against him.

Watching the threads come together and uncovering the a world of medical fraud and financial manipulation is interesting, but it is the cancer patients themselves who make this book tug at your heartstrings. A young girl and a grown man find new life thanks to Spencer's vaccine, but others will fall hard as the truth comes to light.

Meanwhile, Carley's own tragic past is revealed and a new love gives her support and hope as she discovers love the second time around.

ISBN: 0743206061
Title: The Second Time Around
Author: Mary Higgins Clark
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Clark Pens another bestseller with her novel "The Second Time Around." Suspense builds as investigative reporter Carley DeCarlo delves into the mysterious events surrounding the reported disappearance and possible death of Nicholas Spencer, head of prominent medical research company. Diligent digging into rumors of the failure of Gen-Stone's cancer cure convince Carley that the rumors are false and that something sinister is afloat. Mary Higgins Clark is a master at creating page turners, and "The Second Time Around" is no exception.
Beverly J Scott author of "Righteous Revenge" and "Ruth Fever." Reviewer for Intriguing Authors and Their Books at http://www.funeralassociates.com/authors.htm

"The Second Time Around" is a great hammock-read for summer time as Mary Higgins Clark delivers again, with a suspenseful story, a plucky heroine, and a revengeful killer.

In true MHC style, she's plugged into the trends of the times, letting us know that if answering machines ring four or more times, the person being called has probably left home only recently; if there are any messages, the machine will ring twice only. She's aware of hotmail.com and its uses for email anonymity.

Mary Higgins Clark is a storyteller in the great tradition; her stories unwind effortlessly with expertly-timed plots, well-defined and identifiable characters, and trendy touches like those mentioned. Kudoes to her for another page-turner!

Mary Higgins Clark has done it again with this subtle mystery. Carley DeCarlo is young, sensitive, and ambitious. Her stepsister, Lynn, is conniving, manipulative, and cold. The sinister Ned Cooper is a scary character and his delusions were realistically portrayed. The only weak character was Carley's boyfriend, Dr. Casey Dillon, who isn't very involved in her life until close to the end of the book. Still, Clark doesn't disappoint and I found this to be a really good read. No wonder she's always a bestseller - her books are still fresh and not as stilted or burned out as other bestsellng authors tend to become.

This was a great book. I have read all of Mary Higgins Clark's books and am amazed that she can still keep her plots unique as well as the reader guessing who the "bad guy" is. I found the characters (and romantic interest) appealing and the whole New York atmosphere intriguing..something that added charm to this fast-paced mystery. Thank you, MHC!

No spoiler here....I have this one only four stars simply because I did not feel this was one of her best works. That being said, she is still Mary Higgins Clark, and that means your in for a good read. There are plenty of twists and turns to this story as is the case with this authors novels. Here we have a reporter following a story with murder and mystry throughout. I do have to classify this one as a page turner. I like the way the author can handle some pretty horrible stuff but does it with class without being gross about it. For a good read, an enjoyable read, recommend this one highly.

OK -it was much better than "Daddy's Little Girl", which I found totally disappointing but it did not measure up to some of Mary Higgin's Clark earlier mysteries (such as "All around the Town" and "Loves Music, Loves to Dance").

This is the story of Carly DeCarlo, a financial advice columnist turned investigative reporter, and her quest for the truth about the suspicious disappearance of Nicholas Spencer, the head of medical research company "Gen-stone". Nicholas Spencer, who also happens to be her stepsister's husband, has claimed to develop a revolutionary vaccine that could cure cancer as well as other genetic abnormalities. His company was built on this premise and many stockholders were attracted with hopes of curing family members. Even Carly was convinced to invest $25,000 in memoriam to her son Patrick, who died from birth defects as a baby. So when evidence of embezzlement surfaced with the alleged death of Nicholas Spencer, the stockholders were in an outrage and even speculated that Spencer's disappearance was staged. Carly's reporting assignment led her to investigate the truth behind these allegations.

On a positive note, I must admit that the writing style was fascinating and led to a fast read (I finished the book in 1 ½ days!). Mary Higgins Clark intermingled the well-crafted first-person narrative that she attempted in DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL with sporadic chapters of 3rd-person narrative which were more in line with her earlier novels. The prose kept me on my toes and engrossed throughout the story. I just found Carly's character a bit unbelievable - how does one go from financial advice columnist to brilliant investigative reporter so quickly? The plot and the isssues the story dealt with (i.e. medical research, corporate sabotage, etc.) were interesting enough, but...I don't know - the characters and even the ending kind of left me flat!

However, if you need an intriguing book to bring on an airplane or to read at the beach or by the pool, this book might be for you. It goes by fast and, if you don't have any interruptions, you could probably finish it in one gulp!

Nicholas Spencer, the head of a company that has developed an anticancer vaccine become the suspect of stealing all the money of the stockholders that went vanishing mysteriously after Nick crush in his plane on the way to Puerto Rico and the police can't find his dead body. Marcia "Carley" Decarlo is a reporter assigned to cover the story which maybe become story of the year.

It become more dangerous when someone burned Nick house with his wife, Lynn who is also Carley stepsister in it. When Carley probe into the matter deeper, she become convinced that the matter is not as transparent like it look. Several strange accident started to happen , people went dead or missing and if she didn't solve the story soon, she maybe become the next target.

At last Mrs. Clark is back! After several of her latest books which I can only describe as good book but nothing memorable, this time she had write one of her best book . I can't put down this book cause I was so curious about the real truth of the matter in this book. Very good plot and storyline. The writing is fast paced and so good it kept you guessing the real motive through the end. I loved it!

And I can say loudly (SPOILER!) that this time , the bad guy isn't someone who romantically or try involved romantically with our heroine like so many in Mrs. Clark previous books. :D

Chain restaurants succeed because there is always a certain level of quality to the product. Never any surprises and few disappointments. That is also the appeal of books by prolific authors like MHC. She has believable characters, realistic dialog and a plot that grabs you from the first page.

In this book, we confront a medical mystery almost "snatched from the headlines." A famous man disapears. His company is investigated for stock fraud and the world believes he's taken off with the loot. There is a nutty serial killer, an unlikable step sister (aren't the always unlikale?) and a crusading reporter. The pace is fast in this audio book and the reader has an interesting voice. There were a few surprises along the way and a few tense moments too with a sniper stalking people - urged on by the voices only he can hear. I always listen in the car and this CD set helped me get through some very long hours on the road. For fans of MHC, you will not be disappointed. For folks new to this author, this is a very well written story and worth your time.