Sad to say it, but this book was one big disappointment for me. I missed the authors´ usually brilliant psychological finesse among other things that normally work best for me when presented by MHC. For many years, I am a huge Mary Higgins Clark fan and still read her books within no time. But I´ve Got My Eyes On You wasn´t at all what the author usually gives her fans.
Du Bist In Meiner Hand*
by Mary Higgins ClarkTranslation Karl-Heinz Ebnet
Original Title I´ve Got My Eyes On You
Publisher Heyne on October 1, 2018
Genre Thriller
Pages 318
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
✶✶
The party ended at the bottom of the pool…18-year-old Kerry takes advantage of her parents´ absence to celebrate a big pool party. The next morning, she is found dead at the bottom of the family pool. Kerry´s older sister Aline wants to find out what happened. Not only is Kerry´s friend suspicious, he argued loudly the day before. Even a neighbor boy behaves strangely. The deeper Aline researches in her sister´s environment, the closer she gets to the killer. And he will stop at nothing to stop her. (personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary)
Story
Kerry is dead. Found at the bottom of the pool by her elder sister Aline. From now on, the lives of many people change. There is Kerry´s friend who soon becomes the main suspect and is all the sudden cut off from everything. Or the disabled neighbor who is forced by his mother to keep his mouth shut. And what is about Valerie? What is she hiding?
Style
I do understand, that it isn´t easy to write every year a book that not only thrills your boss who will publish it but also fulfills the high expectations your readers are having. And usually, the author has no problem with it. Correct me, but can it be, that she lost her brilliant style? In I´ve Got My Eyes On You I saw figures I wasn´t interested in at all and who, at least from my point of view, were not important or necessary for the story itself. The other thing I didn´t like was, that within a few pages I knew without a doubt who the evil person was. That isn´t a bad thing per se. Not at all. Because if a crime novel or thriller is set that way, it usually means, that you can watch how the investigator or whoever is hunting that person, does her/his job. You can see how they gather information, how they find out new evidence and you also get a look into the evil person´s thoughts. And you always know a bit more as the investigating person does.
Not this time. What you see the most is the elder sister of the dead girl who risks her new job to help the police. Yes, there are a few scenes, in which the real killer shows up. But they are as harmless and pale as the rest of this figure. The entire story is foreseeable. Sadly. But what made me literally angry was the fact, that every mother in this book didn´t trust her child. Instead of backing them up and being there for them, they all believe without a doubt, that it was their child who did the unthinkable.
Characters
It is absolutely rare that Mary Higgins Clark presents her readers with such pale and sometimes unnecessary figures. And the main figure, Aline, wasn´t at all the successful; and in a good job working young woman her books usually show.
Aline is the elder sister of Kerry, the dead girl. She moves back in with her parents to be there for them during the painful time after Kerry´s sudden death. All she wants is to find the real killer. And while doing everything she can, even risking her new job, she also has to fight her mother´s overhasty judgment. I was literally stunned to see how Fran, her mother, was arguing why she thought what she thought. Good, a mourning mother is far from being reasonable. But what Fran did? Sorry, no words.
Conclusion
This novel couldn´t convince me. I´ve Got My Eyes On You is probably the worst book the author has ever written. It is absolutely sad to say it, but there was no thrill between the pages, no tension during the story and the single figures were as pale as wax. And because I know that the author can do way better than she did with this book, it is so sad to admit that this novel isn´t a good one. But read it and judge for yourself.
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by Heyne in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.
This thriller was originally published I´ve Got My Eyes On You by Simon & Schuster on April 3, 2018.
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 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 was #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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