A Cry In The Night (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "It was obvious that the exhibition of paintings by Erich Krueger, the newly discovered Midwest artist, was a stunning success..." (more)
Key Phrases: aqua gown, pine soap, green cape, New York, Sheriff Gunderson, Erich Krueger (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

When Jenny MacPartland meets the man of her dreams while working in a New York art gallery, she's ecstatic. Painter Erich Krueger -- whose exquisite landscapes are making him a huge success -- is handsome, sensitive...and utterly in love with her. They marry quickly and Jenny plans a loving home on Erich's vast Minnesota farm. But lonely days and eerie nights strain her nerves to the breaking point and test her sanity. Caught in a whirlpool of shattering events, Jenny soon unearths a past more terrifying than she dares imagine...tragic secrets that threaten her marriage, her children, her life.

About the Author

Mary Higgins Clark is the author of twenty-nine worldwide bestsellers. There are more than seventy million copies of her books in print. She lives in Saddle River, New Jersey.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (December 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671886665
• ISBN-13: 978-0671886660
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (127 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,047 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful even after the fifteenth time I've read it!, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

I absolutely love Mary Higgins Clark and I believe that I have read all of her books, but A Cry in the Night really is the shining star of her collection. She takes a very naive woman who is trying hard, as a single mother and working full-time to support her family, and puts her in this very convienent position that she can't say no to. I was amazed that after the first and second times I read it that I wanted to reread it over so many times. Clark is interesting and beautifully creates suspense and a very real apathy toward the character. Just writing this review makes me want to pick up my very worn copy and start this book all over again. I am impressed by all of her books, but the only problem I have is the lack of originality when it comes to the character's plots. They all seem the same to me. You have this attractive, successful woman who has a great job, is single predominately, and comes across a mystery that she somehow has managed to get herself involved in. Every one of her books, with the exception of this one and maybe one or two others, is like this. Nevertheless, I am still a huge fan of her books and would recommend anyone who loves a great mystery to definitely try this book. It is well worth your time.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent novel of suspense, January 18, 1999

By A Customer

After finishing the incredibly stale LET ME CALL YOU SWEETHEART, I was about ready to give up on Mary Higgins Clark. If you're someone who, like me, was beginning to wonder what all the Clark hoopla was about, run out quick and get a copy of A CRY IN THE NIGHT, which can be described as a sort of modern cross between PSYCHO and REBECCA. This is a very well-done book, and it succeeds on many levels.

Jenny MacPartland is a divorced mother of two who is swept off her feet by Erich Krueger, a kind, handsome artist who marries her and takes her back to his sprawling farm in Minnesota. Not long after she arrives, she begins to sense tension in the air. Erich begins to behave strangely. Her ex-husband, Kevin, comes down to visit her, stirring up trouble. The whole place is overshadowed by the strange presence of Caroline, Erich's long-dead mother, to whom Jenny bears a striking resemblance. Soon Jenny begins to have dizzy spells and wonders if she is sleepwalking during the night. What began as a dream for both the protagonist and the reader has transformed into a horrific nightmare.

Clark handles this transformation with considerable deftness, demonstrating her masterful control of pace and characterization. The plot is especially convoluted and intricate; in fact, there are as many surprising twists as there are pages. Unlike LET ME CALL YOU SWEETHEART and WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?, in which the terror kicks in only in the last few chapters or so, A CRY IN THE NIGHT turns on the suspense less than halfway through the novel and never lets up the pressure. This is an unusually chilling book, but aside from all the suspenseful pleasures of the story, it is also a very sad and emotionally involving drama. There is no pat resolution or happy ending here, but the denouement, if bittersweet, is wholly satisfying. This reader is, I'm happy to report, an officially converted Clark fan.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seriously Spooky!, February 16, 2006

By	Coppertop (Ohio) - See all my reviews

MHC writes mostly suspense that really only get seriously frightening at the end. Not this one - its terrifying. This woman marries a man who turns out to be a maniac. The story of her and her two children is very scary. While not a book I would reread (too scary), it is definitely one to remember.