Pretend You Don't See Her (1997) by Mary Higgins Clark

🤐 It's been a long time since I've last read Mary Higgins Clark. I used to read her books along with Sandra Brown's, Nora Roberts', and Danielle Steele's when I still owned a book rental and then online secondhand bookshop (it's nearly twenty years ago). And thanks to Simon's A Century of Books, I have found Clark's Pretend You Don't See Her while browsing for a book for year 1997. It sounded good, and I missed these old school suspense novels. And it turned out to be a highly entertaining read for me. I'm happy to reconnect with Clark!

🤐 Lacey Farrell is a young energetic girl, working as a real-estate agent in Manhattan, and loving her job as well as her life. All those are about to change completely when Lacey witnessed a murder while in the course of selling a luxurious apartment.

🤐 The apartment belonged to a young girl called Heather Landy, who died last year, presumably committing suicide. Her mother doesn't believe it's a suicide, but doesn't have proof. Until the day before the deal with a potential buyer, a Mr. Sandy Sovrano. Heather's mother found a clue in her daughter's diary, and wanted Lacey to come the next day. Lacey came exactly when Sandy Sovrano shot Heather's mother. Before her last breath, the victim whispered her dying words to Lacey, to bring the diary to Heather's father (already divorced).

🤐 Lacey is the only witness who could identify the murderer, so the police put her in witness protection program. But we have read or watched so many thrillers to know how difficult it is to keep absolute secret. And how distressing it is for the witness. Lacey starts a new life, she even finds a romantic interest from the gym - a handsome and kind radio talk-show host. But Lacey knows that the only way for her to return to her normal life is by solving the mystery of Heather's death from the diary - which, of course, she copied before giving it away to Heather's father and the police. Not mentioning that the murderer knows Lacey's whereabouts and is now pursuing her...

🤐 I forgot how I used to love Mary Higgins Clark - she's crowned the queen of suspense for a reason. What I love from this book is the perfect balance Clark maintained between the mystery, suspense, and the characters development, even a sprinkle of romance. The suspense isn't the kind that scares you all through, but something of a page-turner. It will be interspersed everytime with the characters' everyday life, so that the end result is a fun read with cheerful tone rather than a dark thriller. Just the perfect combination for a holiday reading or just a refreshing reading after a day's working like mine.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2