Where Are You Now? (2008) by Mary Higgins Clark

📞 Ten years ago "Mack" Mackenzie walked out of his apartment without a word and has never been seen again. However, on every Mother's Day after that, there's been always a short phone call from Mack to his mother, saying that he's OK. Before anyone receiving the call has time to ask anything, however, he'd ring off. Thus, his family "accepted" that Mack is alright; he just wants to be left alone.

📞 On the tenth Mother's Day after he's been missing, however, his little sister Caroline couldn't take it anymore. She shouted over the phone that she will search and find Mack no matter what. After that, a piece of paper was found inside the collection bag at a church. It's a message to Caroline from Mack, to leave him alone. She brought this evidence to the police, but the detective in charge wasn't interested.

📞 When a girl called Lissie Andrew was missing after leaving a bar alone at night, the same detective found out that Caroline lives at the same apartment building with her, and suspected that there's probably a connection somehow of these two missing cases. The police then connected Lissie's case with other missing cases of young girls, one of them only days after Mack had gone missing ten years ago. Did Mack has something to do with the crime, then? When the police suspected him, Caroline is determined now more than ever, to seek the truth and to clear her brother's name.

📞 This is my second Mary Higgins Clark of the year - the first was Pretend You Don't See Her, which I liked. Where Are You Now? might not as fascinating as Pretend You Don't See Her, but it's equally highly entertaining. I can see similarity in tropes from both novels. The main characters are young women. There are always a long list of suspects. They are usually connected to one another or are acquainted with the heroine, either relatives or professional acquaintances. I guess these connections enabled the author to throw curfews and red herrings on the plot. I have no complain, because that is what makes a good suspense novel, doesn't it? Needless to say, I was enjoying this much. Same as the first read, I have also listened to the audiobook. I found it both soothing and exciting at the same time, which was what I've needed after a tedious time.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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