12/17/2021

Gebrochen Ist Dein Herz by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke

One of the last books, Mary Higgins Clark wrote. Although I am a big fan of hers, this thriller is a bit different from the other Laurie Moran books. The psychological finesse is there, but the rest is sadly a bit too foreseeable. Nonetheless, I had some nice reading hours with it.

Gebrochen Ist Dein Herz*

by Mary Higgins Clark, Alafair Burke
Under Suspicion Series #7
Translation Karl-Heinz Ebnet
Original Title Piece Of My Heart
Publisher Heyne on November 1, 2021
Genre Thriller
Pages 365
Format Hardcover
Source Heyne
Goodreads
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It should be the best day of her life … Years ago, Laurie Moran´s beloved first husband was shot in cold blood. Now she finally dares to go to the altar again. Everything seems perfect. But then the ten-year-old nephew of her fiancé Alex Buckley disappears without a trace. The suspicion that he was kidnapped is quickly confirmed. Johnny is adopted – could his birth parents have anything to do with it? Laurie´s father, former vice chief of the New York Police Department, in turn, suspects a convicted murderer whom he jailed 18 years ago and who swore revenge for it … (Personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary).

Story

It was supposed to become the best few days of her life. Laurie is about to get married at a fantastic resort and have some special moments with her new family. But the moment her future nephew goes missing, things change. Can Laurie still tie the knot with Alex Buckley or will everything change again forever?

Style

Mary Higgins Clark also wrote this Laurie Moran case in her usual gentle and sensitive writing and language style. The psychological component is very well worked out, but I was missing that certain something. The thriller doesn´t have any big surprises or twists, which I thought was a shame. Sure, there is a certain amount of reading pleasure while reading, but I was a bit removed from genuine enthusiasm. In addition, the end was very predictable and that took away some of the fun from the tension.

Characters

The author created her characters wonderfully. The main character Laurie Moran has become very self-confident, compared to before, and has her life under control both professionally and privately. The way she deals with the private events before starting to fathom the situation from a professional perspective was impressive and logical. Even if a lot of the characters could be foreseen, it was interesting and up to a certain point also exciting to follow the development of the plot in connection with the individual characters.

Conclusion

This thriller gave me a couple of nice reading hours. Without any big surprises or twists, but from a psychological point of view, wonderful. My recommendation for all Mary Higgins-Clark fans or those who want to become one.

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.

Deutsche Rezension

Stil

In ihrem gewohnt sanften und feinfühligen Schreib- und Sprachstil hat Mary Higgins Clark auch diesen Laurie- Moran-Fall verfasst. Die psychologische Komponente ist sehr gut ausgearbeitet, aber mir hat das gewisse Etwas gefehlt. Der Thriller hat keine großen Überraschungen oder Wendungen, was ich schade fand. Sicher, ein gewisses Lesevergnügen stellt sich durchaus während des Lesens ein, aber von ehrlicher Begeisterung war ich etwas entfernt. Zudem war das Ende sehr vorhersehbar und das hat der Spannung doch etwas den Spaß genommen.

Charaktere

Ihre Figuren hat die Autorin wunderbar kreiert. Die Hauptfigur Laurie Moran ist sehr selbstbewusst geworden im Vergleich zu früher und hat beruflich und privat ihr Leben gut im Griff. Die Art, wie sie mit den privaten Ereignissen umgeht, ehe sie beginnt, die Situation aus der Sicht der beruflichen Perspektive zu ergründen, war beeindruckend und logisch. Auch wenn vieles bei den Figuren vorhersehbar war, war es doch interessant und bis zu einem gewissen Punkt auch spannend, die Entwicklung der Handlung im Zusammenhang mit den einzelnen Charakteren zu verfolgen.

Resultat

Dieser Thriller hat mir ein paar schöne Lesestunden beschert. Zwar ohne große Überraschungen oder Wendungen, aber vom psychologischen Aspekt gesehen, wundervoll. Meine Empfehlung für alle Mary-Higgins-Clark-Fans oder die, die es noch werden wollen.

*This book was published in the English language by Simon & Schuster on November 17, 2020 

Mary Higgins Clark

Mary Higgins Clark, born 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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