Where Are the Children Now?
Book Two
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4.3 • 210 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The legacy of the “Queen of Suspense” continues with the highly anticipated follow-up to Mary Higgins Clark’s iconic novel Where Are the Children?, featuring the children of Nancy Harmon, facing peril once again as adults.
Of the fifty-six bestsellers the “Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark published in her lifetime, Where Are the Children? was her biggest, selling millions of copies and forever transforming the genre of suspense fiction. In that story, a young California mother named Nancy Harmon was convicted of murdering her two children. Though released on a technicality, she was abandoned by her husband and became such a pariah in the media that she was forced to move across the country to Cape Cod, change her identity and appearance, and start a new life. Years later her two children from a second marriage, Mike and Melissa, would go missing, and Nancy yet again became the prime suspect—but this time, Nancy was able to confront the secrets buried in her past and rescue her kids from a dangerous predator.
Now, more than four decades since readers first met Nancy and her children, comes the thrilling sequel to the groundbreaking book that set the stage for future generations of psychological suspense novels. A lawyer turned successful podcaster, Melissa has recently married a man whose first wife died tragically, leaving him and their young daughter, Riley, behind. While Melissa and her brother, Mike, help their mom, Nancy, relocate from Cape Cod to the equally idyllic Hamptons, Melissa’s new stepdaughter goes missing. Drawing on the experience of their own abduction, Melissa and Mike race to find Riley to save her from the trauma they still struggle with—or worse.
Just like the original, Where Are the Children Now? keeps you guessing and holding your breath until the very last page.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
MWA Grand Master Clark (1927–2020) and Edgar finalist Burke's suspenseful sequel to 1975's Where Are the Children?, Clark's first psychological thriller, features Melissa, the daughter of the original book's protagonist, Nancy Eldredge. Now a 43-year-old lawyer and the host of a successful true crime podcast, Melissa is at her mother's home in Cape Cod preparing for her wedding to widower Charlie Miller, whom she met at group therapy, and is looking forward to becoming the stepmother of his not-quite-three-year-old daughter, Riley. The therapy, as well as being back at her mother's, stirs up repressed memories of Melissa's abduction and the abuse she suffered at age three, causing horrific nightmares. After the wedding, Riley disappears while in Melissa's care. As circumstantial evidence against her starts stacking up, she becomes a suspect for the police. Newcomers may have to take notes to keep track of the large cast, including each of their complicated backstories. Though this can be read as a standalone, it will be more satisfying, and perhaps less confusing, for those who have read the original. Agents: Philip and Anne-Lise Spitzer, Spitzer Agency.
Customer Reviews
A page-turner with a shocking ending!!
I had never read the prequel to this book but it was easy to follow along with the events of the past to see how they would affect Mike and Melissa, who were kidnapped as children many years ago. Mike lives an idyllic life as a boat captain in St. Maarten and has traveled to Cape Cod to attend his sister’s wedding. He wasn’t thrilled that she was marrying a man she didn’t know very well, but he just wanted her to be happy. Mike knew Melissa still had nightmares about their abduction and he worried about her every day. Melissa was a very successful attorney and had a popular podcast, but something was missing from her life, and Charlie and his precious daughter Riley, were an answer to her prayers. She was looking forward to being a wife and step-mother and knew that her future looked brighter with them in her life.
I was filled with fear and curiosity the minute Mike and Melissa realized Riley had been kidnapped. She certainly didn’t walk away on her own and I immediately began compiling a list of possible suspects. I felt that the detectives on the case had unjustly accused Melissa of the kidnapping without looking into the lives of her husband's family. I was glad that Melissa took it upon herself to dig deep into the background of her new husband because in the end, her brother Mike had been correct in his assumption that his sister had married the wrong person.
I was completely surprised by the shocking ending and I was amazed at how little Melissa knew about the people who were close to her. The elaborate plan to kidnap little Riley was based on anger, jealousy, greed and manipulation. Melissa never gave up hope that Riley would be found and she used her inner strength, along with help from Mike and her mother Nancy, to face her demons head on, which resulted in a happy ending for all of them.
Excellent Sequel!!
Where Are The Children was the first Mary Higgins Clark book I can remember reading. It has been my favorite of hers ever since so I was looking forward to reading this sequel. Co-authored with Alafair Burke it was sadly Mary Higgins Clark’s last book but it did not disappoint. Though she will be sadly missed she did introduce me to a new author that helps fill the gap she has left.
Where Are The Children Now
I really enjoyed reading this book and didn`t see the end coming. I am happy that I reread the first book, Where Are The Children? Before reading this one.