_The Lost Years_ by Mary Higgins Clark
It’s been quite a while since I’ve read a Mary Higgins Clark novel and I can’t recall liking the last one so much, but I continue to give my favorite authors a chance when new novels come out.
Since I’m still on vacation mode and can’t work on my dissertation 24/7, I am still going through books like a crazy person. π
So, this story was more interesting and engaging with the murder of an archaeologist, historian. His wife is the prime suspect although she has advanced Alzheimer’s disease and the daughter is confused since the family had been somewhat estranged since learning that her father (the murder victim) had been having an affair with another woman. The plot thickens by incorporating a jewelry robbery from a neighbor’s house and the thief happens to be there when the murderer flees from the house. Of course, there’s a love story mingled in and a few twists and turns as the real culprit is discovered.
As Mary Higgins Clark has gotten older so have her characters, it seems. She continues to try to have young-ish characters mixed in, but it is interesting to note that it must be easier to write characters who are more around her own age group. The main problem I have with the stories lately is that they are incomplete and conveniently formulaic. Of course, it is easy to be a critic and as I’ve not published anything on my own, I can’t be too critical. Still, I would enjoy a bit more depth and breadth of the story development…; however, I should remember the kind of book I am reading and the main purpose really is to pass time, which it did. With that said, I’m talking in circles and will end here.
Overall, it was a decent read. I’m starting to run out of books…. π
