Conservative Book Talk

In a story reminiscent of Rebecca (due to the focus on Menley’s feelings, emotions and marital struggles), Clark leads on from one suspenseful chapter to the next. This is great summer reading.

The leading lady, Menley Nichols, may or may not be chasing ghosts of the distant past, but she is certainly chasing the ghosts of her past. Just a few years prior to this story, a tragic accident caused the death of her firstborn son Bobby. Menley was driving and never saw the train.

Now, with a baby girl named Hannah, Menley struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. In an effort to boost her recovery, Menley, her husband Adam and baby Hannah decide to vacation in Remember House on Cape Cod. What should be a relaxing vacation turns into a nightmare on the coast. Of course, no one mentioned to the ill Menley that the house was haunted by its first mistress….

The story revolves around Menley’s attempts to prove her independence, her ability to care for Hannah all the while writing a children’s novel set in the 1600’s. This survey into the past brings to light mysteries about Remember House that had been hidden for centuries. Meanwhile, Adam, a high profile NY defense attorney is defending a local Cape Cod resident who has been fingered for his wealthy wife’s accidental drowning death. Mix in a few more subplots, throw in a dash of ghosts and out comes a mystery worthy of Mary Higgins Clark. In other words, it’s worth reading.

There are a couple of downsides. The first is profanity. While Clark never uses a lot of profanity, there is always some. Secondly, Clark breaks something that I thought was an unbreakable rule: the omniscient narrator lies. Every character, even when alone, decries their innocence / blamelessness / victimhood etc…. In her books, On the Street Where You Live and Nighttime is My Time, whenever she cuts to a scene with the evil character alone, you know what the evil character thinks, but not who they are. In Remember Me though, one never reads a confession from the bad guy. Therefore, it is never clear whether there is a bad guy or even if a crime has been committed. Other than wondering whether the book is about a murder already committed, a murder that might be, whether Menley is crazy (or maybe she is being manipulated out of the picture), or maybe its something else entirely, the book is good.

No, I won’t spoil the ending and tell you what the book is about. If you must know anything, the book is about memories and remembering your past. Menley needs healing in dealing with her past. Others have pasts that they want to conceal. One character has Alzheimer’s disease and she has the linchpin to the whole plot.

Enjoy this summer mystery. Just preferably not on the Cape in August.

Tags: Mary Higgins Clark, Matt Gardenghi, Mystery, Remember Me

This being the second book by Clark that I’ve read, I would like recommend her books. There seems to be a pattern (and others attested to the same) that Clark uses few objectionable elements. There are few curse words and little else, excepting some violence.

If you haven’t read Clark, start with this excellent book. Clark typically has a female lead that ends up embroiled in a criminal investigation of some sort, almost like a modern adult Nancy Drew. I appreciate that Clark does not focus to much on the lead’s emotions as this makes the book more accessible to us guys.

In this tale, Emily Graham migrates her residency to the New Jersey coastal town of Spring Lake where she purchases her ancestral home. Driven to Spring Lake to escape a slimy nasty ex-husband and to escape memories of a now institutionalized deranged stalker, Graham hopes for a peaceful weekend residence; her “real home” being an apartment in New York City. Mix in a historical serial killer that plagued Spring Lake 100 years earlier, add a recent set of murders and simmer…..

The first of the three historical victims (all young women) was a great aunt of Emily Graham. Now, two young women had vanished;yes Emily has been marked to be the third. The day after Emily takes possession of the new home, workers digging for a pool discover two corpses buried in the backyard: one has been buried for 3-4 years, the other for more than a century.

With a few weeks before her new job begins, Emily has time to kill. Considering that the two corpses (one being that of her great aunt) were side by side, Emily is convinced that there a connection exists between both sets of murders. Naturally, she begins to explore the past to solve the present.

Clark creates an engrossing story that brings the past to life and immerses the reader into the events. Drama and mystery with plenty of red herrings and sub plots fill every page. I did semi-confidently predict who the killer was, but I can’t honestly say that I was certain till the killer was revealed and all explained. Considering my reasoning, it was probably more of a lucky guess.

But most intriguingly, Clark explored an interesting concept: can a serial killer be reincarnated? She doesn’t say either way, but it is interesting. One character argues that only good people can be reincarnated, but Clark leaves the idea for pondering.

As a Christian, I reject the idea of reincarnation in any form, but it still creates an interesting idea to ponder.

Have you ever read any of Mary Higgins Clark? If so, which of her titles would you recommend?

Tags: fiction, Mary Higgins Clark, Matt Gardenghi, Mystery, On The Street Where You Live