As an old Mary Higgins Clark fan, I am usually always eager to get my hands on her books. And when she partnered with Alafair Burke to keep going with her Laurie Moran character, I was thrilled after reading what they had written together. But this one? I am disappointed. It felt as if she only had put together bits and pieces from her other work and not come up with a completely new plot and story. And knowing, that MHC is no longer with us doesn´t make it easier to write this review.
Denn Du Gehörst Mir*
by Mary Higgins Clark, Alafair Burke
Under Suspicion Series #6
Translation Karl-Heinz Ebnet
Original Title You Don´t Own Me
Publisher Heyne on February 17, 2020
Genre Thriller
Pages 335
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
✶✶✶
The highly respected doctor Martin Bell was shot five years ago. The perpetrator remained unknown. Now, Martin´s desperate parents ask Laurie Moran for help. She is supposed to bring the psychologically unstable widow, whom they think the guilty, to her just punishment. Laurie digs deeper into the shattering context and does not even notice that she has been targeted by a stalker herself. A stalker whose hatred of them seems to know no bounds. (personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary).
Story
Laurie Moran is looking for a new case for “Under Suspicion” when the parents of a highly respected doctor, who was shot five years ago, come to her office to ask her why she declined their case. After minutes Laurie knows that the widow of Martin Bell is playing games with her and her parents-in-law. To find out why Laurie has to dig deeper and what she finds is beyond everything she ever expected.
Style
Written in the proven gentle writing style of Mary Higgins Clark, this thriller shows the reason why she is called Queen of Suspense. Except that there is no suspense in this book. The plot is foreseeable, the story too and the psychological finesse you usually find in her books is lacking totally. I don´t know why but while reading I very often had the feeling that I know this sentence, scene or figure only too good. It looked all so familiar. There were no surprises that gave me a certain thrill.
Characters
Laurie is preparing for her wedding with Alex Buckley while trying to get a case for her show together. She seems happy, as any bride to be should be, and still, you can see only a fraction of her in this story. The reason is, her son isn´t shown very much and the life she had before becoming engaged has changed a lot. But it was her interaction with her son that made her figure such a lovely one. In this book what the reader gets most to see is the working mother, the professional who tries to solve a case. That isn´t per se bad because Laurie shows that she is her father´s daughter and that she is smart and knows how to combine things and facts. But the woman who is eager to fight for what she wants is a bit calmed down and that is sad. It was one of the things I admired about this character.
Conclusion
Sad to say it but this isn´t what I am used to getting normally to read from MHC. I know she was an old Lady, a Grande dame not only in her profession but also in her books. But this plot, this story was not at all filled with her usually psychological finesse or the deep and dark sides a human being can have. Sure, it was kind of entertaining to read, during some pages, but most of the thriller was no thriller at all and didn´t have the quality her work normally shows. Sad but I fear my expectations were way too high here.
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.
The original title was published You Don´t Own Me by Simon & Schuster on November 6th, 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 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.
Alafair Burke
Alafair Burke is the daughter of James Lee Burke and the youngest of four children. She is a graduate of Stanford Law School and a former Deputy District Attorney in Portland, Oregon. Now she is working as a Professor of Law at Hofstra Law School, where she teaches criminal law and procedure. She lives with Sean and their dogs in Manhattan.
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