REVIEW: Where Are You Now? By Mary Higgins Clark, copyright April 2008, published by Simon & Schuster. Where Are You Now? is the latest book for Ms. Mary Higgins Clark and it is available in hardback and ebook at your favorite retailer.
Ten years ago, Charles Mackenzie, Jr. (Mac) disappeared from the Manhattan’s Upper West Side Apartment he shared with two college roommates, Nick and Bruce. Mac was about to graduate from Columbia University and head off to Duke University Law School. No one had a clue as to what happened to him.
The only contact Mac has had with his family is a telephone call every Mother’s Day. When he talks to his mother he says very little and tells them “not to worry about me”. On 9/11, Mac’s father died in the Twin Towers tragedy-leaving Carolyn, Mac’s little sister, now 26 years old and her mother to wait each Mother’s Day for Mac’s call. After putting up with this for 10 years (she was 16 when he disappeared) Carolyn realizes that they cannot continue with this ritual and decide that she will find her brother and get to the bottom of why he has not come home.
When Mac calls and is speaking with her mother, Carolyn picks up the phone and tells Mac that she is going to find him no matter what. The following day after Mass ,a note is found in the collection basket at Carolyn’s Uncle’s church. The note from Mac tells Carolyn not to look for him.
Carolyn pulls out all the stops in beginning her search for her brother. She decides that she would go back and start from the beginning of the investigation. All in all she picks up a few clues on people’s feelings and she thinks they are hiding something from her. With nothing to go on –there just are not any clues since Mac left without saying a word to anyone and no one really saw him leave.
Low and behold, the detective that Carolyn eventually talks with thinks that Mac is behind the disappearance of a girl that lives in her neighborhood. This is a poor assessment of blame to follow-up on; But with nothing much more to go on, why not? I am surprised that someone finally figured out what was going on but not fast enough to keep Carolyn from being abducted. From this point in the book I expected more but what I got was a fizzle.
The start of the book was a very slow and had too many characters by my standards. I had to go back just to remember who was who and where they fitted in the story. I must admit that I skipped paragraphs. While the title is catchy, it reminds me of the shows on cable TV that asks the question of by gone stars and child actors and actresses – Where are they now?
This was a first read of this author’s work and I expected a better plot. I went to the back of the book and read the conclusion because I wanted to know whether this mundane story was worth staying up late to finish. I have read other novels that have been so compelling and each page was like everything you wish you could eat but dared not. Sadly, for this book I cannot say that. The ending was a let down. The wrap up of the novel seems to be just that a fast wrap up. I placed a book mark in the book and went to bed. I hope that the next book will be a better read. C is what I would give this book.
*****
This review was written by avid reader Agatha, who enjoys reading almost anything as long as it entertains. She will be contributing the occasional review at avidbookreader.com.
Technorati Tags: Mary Higgins Clark, Suspense, Fiction, Missing persons
Dennis Lehane's next published novel is a major publishing event. 
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The book that has readers either loving it or hating it. Where will I fall? Look for a review.
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