6/15/2017

As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark

I saw the US cover and got curious. Sure, it looks totally different than the cover of the German edition (you will see it at the end of my review), but the summary sounded so interesting, that I actually didn´t care about the cover or covers in this case. And I was really happy when I finally got the book. I consider myself a huge Mary Higgins Clark fan. Good, I haven´t read all her books, but those I´ve read, were most fascinating to me.  One or two weren´t that great, but so far, I´ve enjoyed them more or less.

As Time Goes By*

by Mary Higgins Clark
Alvirah And Willy Series #10
Publisher Simon & Schuster on April 5, 2016
Genre Thriller
Pages 288
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher*

Goodreads

✶✶✶½

Television journalist Delaney Wright is on the brink of stardom after she begins covering a sensational murder trial for the six-p.m. news. She should be thrilled, yet her growing desire to locate her birth mother consumes her thoughts. When Delaney´s friends Alvirah Meehan and her husband Willy offer to look into the mystery surrounding her birth, they uncover a shocking secret they do not want to reveal. On trial for murder is Betsy Grant, widow of a wealthy doctor who has been an Alzheimer´s victim for eight years. When her once-upon-a-time celebrity lawyer urges her to accept a plea bargain, Betsy refuses: she will go to trial to prove her innocence. Betsy´s stepson, Alan Grant, bides his time nervously as the trial begins. His substantial inheritance hangs in the balance – his only means of making good on payments he owes his ex-wife, his children, and increasingly angry creditors. As the trial unfolds, and the damning evidence against Betsy piles up, Delaney is convinced, that Betsy is not guilty and frantically tries to prove her innocence. 

Story

Delaney wants to know who her birth mother is. But on the other hand, she doesn´t want to hurt her parents. The two people who raised and love her and who are the only persons she calls and knows as her family. So, the coverage of the sensational murder trial against Betsy Grant is the right thing she needs. But the more she listens and is watching things happen in court, the more she gets the feeling that something isn´t right and that the defendant is innocent.

Style

I love the writing style the author has. At least in most of her books. The soft, but psychological finesse, the way how she describes her figures, the scenes and how the details come to light bit by bit, that the reader sometimes knows more than the investigating figure itself – all that is brought to paper in a great way. Well, this time I was a bit disappointed. Sure, I had a good time reading it, since the tone and style were what I´ve expected from Mary Higgins Clark. But I missed the finesse she usually showed when she gave the reader some hints who the evil person could be. And the fact, that I knew after only a few chapters who Delaney´s birth mother must be and a few further chapters who the real bad guy was, kind of took the tension from everything. Because the way how Alvirah and Willy were collecting the information was not as exciting as usual. And when the big scene came up in which they finally got the murder, I had the feeling that the entire scene was too much. That scene seemed a bit too weird, too hectic and there was a panic in it, that I don´t connect with the style Mary Higgins Clark normally uses when she unveils the real murder.

Characters

The young, successful woman with some money in the background and a lot of self-confidence. That is how Mary Higgins Clark likes to picture her main figures. Delaney is no exception. Grown-up in a wealthy family, surrounded by loving and caring siblings and parents she has everything she could ever dream of. And still, she is missing something. Her biological mother, the woman who gave birth to her. Since Delaney knows that she was adopted, she felt the growing need to find her birth mother and get to know her. At least a bit. Her work as a TV journalist gives her the opportunity to look around and to get information. And she works very thoroughly. Strong-willed and with close friends at her side, she trusts her feeling and instinct. And that instinct tells her, that the real murder of the dead doctor is still out there. And it isn´t Betsy Grant. 

Conclusion

No doubt, a nice to read and solidly written crime novel. But in the end, I was a bit disappointed. The key scene was a bit too much of everything and I missed the psychological finesse the author usually has in her books. So, if you are a huge MHC fan, like me, you might get a bit disappointed. Though I kind of enjoyed it, yes, but the author can definitely write a lot better.

Happy reading

*I read the German edition published by Heyne on October 30, 2016 

Mary Higgins Clark

Mary Higgins Clark, born in 1928 in New York, lived and worked in Saddle River, New Jersey. She sold her first story in 1956 for $100 to a magazine. After the sudden death of her husband in 1964 she wrote her first book, a biographical novel about George Washington. Her first suspense novel Where are the Children from 1975 meant a turning point in her life and career: He became a bestseller. She is #1 international and New York Times bestselling author, has written thirty-four suspense novels; three collections of short stories; a historical novel; two children´s books; and a memoir, Kitchen Privileges. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels. Her books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. She is the most successful thriller author worldwide.

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