Remember Me - Mary Higgins Clark

Remember Me
By: Mary Higgins Clark
Published: 1994
My rating: Great

I got hooked on Mary Higgins Clark's books after I started seeing the TV movies back in the day. I have accumulated quite a collection but to my shame have not read as many of them as I should have. My wife and I  read this one to each other and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The plight of Menley Nichols makes for a heart wrenching story and often, throughout the book, I found myself fighting back tears. It seems so unfair for someone who has already endured so much to have to go through something like this. Menly, however, doesn't let this new harrowing experience break her but rather finds it to be healing in the end. As the triple mystery unfolds, Menly is drawn in by her own curiosity as well as being forced in by fate. The haunting history of Remember House is an enticing tale that Menly just can't resist. Following her research she soon finds out that there is more than meets the eye and the fate of Mehitabel may just end up being uncomfortably similar to her own fate if things don't change the course they're on. So many questions need answering and she is determined to uncover the truth.

Meanwhile, Menly's husband, Adam, is defending the grieving young widower who's wife died in a tragic diving accident, or did she? Scott Covey has become the victim of a society that believes love can't be real when money is at stake. Despite the fact that there is no reason to suspect him of foul play, the police and his dead wife's family are determined to run him through the wringer trying to prove that he is nothing more than a gold digging monster. Adam takes his case and works hard to clear him so he can start to work through his grief and get on with his life.

We were fascinated by Remember House itself. Being admirers of big old houses, the description of Remember House excited us. My wife wants to find it and move in! The large rooms and beautiful architecture that formed itself in our minds gave us a wonderful fantasy house to dream about. If we could afford it, we would be out there looking for one of our own!

Mary has a gift for intrigue and this book is an excellent example of this. She weaves a tale so full of surprises and suspense that we had a hard time putting it down. We were pretty sure of the primary culprit but there were still questions that we were left clueless about until the end. The climax was a stunning fast paced whirlwind that mimicked the storm that struck the Cape as the end drew near. Mary's expert hand painted a vivid picture for us and left us breathless when it was all over. The one thing that struck us is how the influence of money could corrupt people so thoroughly and turn otherwise good people into monsters. It is a sad commentary on human nature, money seems to be the ultimate force in our lives and this shows that falling prey to greed is the end of conscience.

Overall, this is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it. I am glad that I have many other works by Mary Higgins Clark to move on to. I can't wait to see where she takes us next time!