Where Are The Children Now?: Return to where it all began with the bestselling Queen of Suspense

What a treat for long-time Mary Higgins Clark fans. Alafair Burke's collaboration provides the finishing touches, and the result is just as scintillating as their previously co-authored books in the "Under Suspicion" Series. I read the original "Where Are the Children" when it first came out. If you haven't read it or don't remember it, don't worry - you'll be able to follow the plot of this sequel just fine. Ironically, I now intend to reread the first book to relive all the juicy connections to "Where Are the Children Now." In typical MHC fashion, betrayal comes from where you least expect it in this book. Not to give anything away, the story centers around the kidnapping of a three-year old, and suspicion falls on her brand-new stepmother, our heroine, Melissa. She has made some dangerous enemies as a lawyer and in her new role as a podcaster investigating unsolved mysteries. Melissa herself was a kidnapping victim in the original story, leading law enforcement to suspect she may be suffering mental issues from that incident. I hope Alafair Burke will continue the "Under Suspicion" series and/or start a new series around Melissa's podcasts. I would be all in!

MY FIRST BOOK OF THE YEAR:

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.

MY THOUGHTS:

As I dived into Where Are the Children Now?, I was immediately hooked and couldn’t stop turning the pages. As each revelation came, the reader could only imagine what was happening to the characters, especially to little Riley.

More clues came along, and with each one, we could only guess what was really happening and what would unfold next.

By the end, I was stunned by how it all played out. Definitely a five star read.

Where Are the Children Now? is a suspenseful, thrilling read from one of my all-time favorite authors, Mary Higgins Clark. As the sequel to her classic Where Are the Children?, this novel continues to deliver the gripping tension and plot twists that Clark is known for. The story pulls you in from the first page and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Clark masterfully weaves a tale of mystery and intrigue, with well-developed characters and a plot full of unexpected turns. If you're a fan of suspense and psychological thrillers, this book is a must-read. A fantastic continuation from a brilliant author!

I read this right after I re-read Where Are the Children, for the first time in probably thirty years.

At first, I felt like the carryover was a bit much, ie "the mellow, creamy walls" but then I realized that it could be beneficial for those who hadn't read the first one in a while.

I liked how they retooled the story and the crime while keeping it close to the original.

I didn't feel like the timelines added up very well, but that's a nitpicky criticism. They would be much older than they were in the book if the original timeline was kept.

I thought Alafair did a fantastic job of bringing Mary's work and characters into the modern age. She doesn't have Mary's exact voice, but that's okay.

This book should have been read second after “Where Are the Children.” Additionally nt appears that there should be a list of ALL the characters—with some “identifying comments” included for each.

It’s lovely that the “main characters “, Melissa, Mike , and Riley get to live happily ever after and that the “villains “ get their due. But that’s the way books go…nothing new.

In other words, this is a wordy, character-filled run of the mill “ mystery”…only mildly satisfying.

If I had been a fan of Ms Clark I would have been disappointed. As it is, I read this as “an assignment “ for a book club. Just doing the job.