Does any reader have to be told who Mary Higgins Clark is? I think not. But, now with this remarkably candid and affecting memoir the author of 27 bestselling novels tells her personal story. Not only that, this recollection is related in her own voice, making it all the more meaningful. Rather than through a fictional protagonist she speaks directly to us with words of encouragement and hope.

Beginning with a childhood in the Bronx during the Depression Ms. Clark had dreams - she dreamed of becoming a writer, and her mother encouraged her even though the older woman struggled to make ends meet by renting out rooms. A sign was placed by the front door reading, "Furnished Rooms. Kitchen Privileges."

Ms. Clark's days as a student at an exclusive girl's school came to an end; she lost an older brother whom she deeply loved during World War II. She tells with affection and sensitivity of her marriage to Warren Clark, and the birth of their children. A devastating blow occurred when he died unexpectedly leaving her widowed with five young children.

Nonetheless, she soldiered on, writing at a kitchen table. For her labors? Forty rejections. Determined to reach her goal and support her family she wrote radio scripts and began work on a novel.

The rest is literary history. Ms. Clark generously shares her life experiences, reminding us that dreams can come true when someone is willing to persist and fight mightily for them.

- Gail Cooke

A surprising glimpse into the world of Mary Higgins Clark from her childhood which took a sad turn with the early death of her father. Her mother then was forced to rent out rooms (with kitchen privileges)in order to try to make ends meet. Some of their tenants were interesting to say the least.

Before marrying, Ms. Clark was an airline stewardess and she has a few interesting stories about that. She married the man she had had a crush on and was blissfully happy until he suffered a fatal heart attack leaving her with 5 children.

She writes about her struggles to become published and also of her fantastic life since.

The only thing wrong with the book is that it is so brief. Like I said at the beginning, we only get a glimpse into the life of this fascinating woman.

Imagine walking down the street and seeing a woman you recognize. When you say, “hi”, she just looks at you and walks away. Confused, you continue walking when you bump into her again. This time she smiles at you. Now you are really confused. This is the case in Mary Higgins Clark’s, Let Me Call You Sweetheart. Let Me Call You Sweetheart is a typical Mary Higgins Clark book. There is the usual suspenseful story line, the beautiful woman who becomes involved in the story, and the exciting conclusion. The book kept my attention but Clark’s books tend to follow that similar plot which can cause the stories to become mundane.
While striving for a New York State judgeship, Kerry McGrath stumbles upon a questionable murder trial. The trial of Skip Reardon. Reardon was convicted for the Sweetheart Murder Case ten years earlier. Skip Reardon’s former father-in-law is Dr. Charles Smith, a well-known plastic surgeon. Kerry McGrath’s daughter, Robin, was in a terrible car accident, which left scars all over her face. Dr. Smith is treating her injuries. Kerry notices that some of Dr. Smith’s patients have identical faces. That of his dead daughter, the Sweetheart Murder victim. Kerry’s curiosity in Dr. Smith’s surgical practices leads her to search for the truth in the Sweetheart Murder Trial. Kerry’s interest in the case jeopardizes her nomination for judge since her boss prosecuted Skip Reardon. Clark lives up to her title as, ‘Queen of Suspense’ as the main character, Kerry McGrath, faces obstacle upon obstacle in her quest to free an innocent man.
As always, Clark develops various characters in detail. She gives the reader background information on each character. By the end of the novel each character is related to one another in an indirect way. For me, Robin McGrath’s character was too far-fetched for a ten year old. I do not know many ten year olds that have an extensive vocabulary and develop their own pictures for pleasure. Perhaps Robin is just a 5th grade genius. Robin refers to pictures she took of autumn leaves with this statement, “I showed you the great shots I got of them just as they started to turn, Mom. I know the ones I took this week with the colors at peak are terrific.” Robin seemed extremely wise for her age. An eccentric character in the book, Jason Arnott, seemed more believable than Robin. Jason Arnott, who was one of the suspects for the Sweetheart Murder, led a double life. Arnott had a hobby of burglarizing his friends’ homes. Arnott attended many high class social gatherings. At these parties, he memorized the lay out and security system of the house so he could break into the home a later date. Arnott had a secret home in the mountains where he kept all of his expensive stolen loot! Compared to Robin, the other characters and their lives were more believable.
I am a huge fan of murder mysteries. Let Me Call you Sweetheart had all the elements that make a great suspense novel. The story offers the reader a touch of romance with Kerry McGrath and a defense lawyer, Geoff Dorso. The development of their relationship is a nice sub-plot to the main story line. Geoff Dorso has a vital link to solving the murder case. Through this his relationship with Kerry is tested and tried.
Mary Higgins Clark does a magnificent job of weaving her story lines and characters together. She is always dropping subtle clues to help the reader figure out “who done it.” Let Me Call You Sweetheart is no exception. For those who have just found Mary Higgins Clark, this story was challenging to figure out. Being a fan of Higgins Clark, I was a little disappointed at how the endings to her novels are becoming repetitive. Overall, I enjoyed reading the novel. If you enjoy solving twisted mysteries read Let Me Call You Sweetheart.

Actually it is "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" that I just finished.
It had been on my shelf for a long time, and I'm glad to have pulled it down even though a while after it is being sold separately.

A plastic surgeon is giving select patients all the same face...the face of his murdered daughter Suzanne. Suzanne's husband has been in prison for ten years having been falsely convicted of Suzanne's murder on the testimony of her father.
It's a great read.

I read I'll Be Seeing You and Remember Me some time ago, or else I would buy the new publication. If you have not read these stories you are missing a good dose of Mary Higgins Clark's talent.

I thought I was buying a book written by Mary Higgins Clark. I am one of her biggest fans. The short stories were pointless and poorly written. One story was written by Mary Higgins Clark and even that was pointless. On a scale of 1 to 5, this rates a 0.

This twelve-story anthology loosely focuses on the title, MURDER IN THE FAMILY. Though the tales are well written, they lack the suspense and cutting edge expected of this famous group of popular authors that contributed to the collection and that of previous short story books produced by the Adams Round Table. For most mystery readers, previous Adams Round Table editions are stronger (see MURDER AMONG FRIENDS, etc.). However, die hard fans of Lawrence Block, Mary Higgins Clark, Stanley Cohen, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Mickey Friedman, Joyce Harrington, Susan Isaacs, Judith Kelman, Warren Murphy, Justin Scott, Peter Straub, and Whitley Strieber will want to read the tales. Yet even the strongest of loyalists need to keep the expectations a bit lower than usual as the gaggle of writers fall short of what each one usually provides.

Harriet Klausner

Lawrence Block, et.al.'s Murder In The Family packs in high-profile mystery writers whose new presentations have not seen print elsewhere. Mary Higgins Clark probes a father's motivation for revenge, Susan Isaacs presents a chilling portrait of a family which should not be in business, and Dorothy Davis tells of a letter which transforms lives in this excellent collection.

As one who looks forward to any new Mary Higgins Clark book, I have to sadly admit that this was a disappointment. Being a lover of mysteries set at Christmas, I was totally captivated by her previous Christmas novella, "All Through The Night." This current one, while starting out on an interesting note (loved having Alvirah connect with Regan Reilly), falls flat quickly due to the lack of suspense. Is there any reader who does not know from early into the book how this is going to turn out? The suspense is virtually non-existent. Also, Mary has gone to the kidnapping at Christmas plot once too often. It worked so well in "All Through the Night" because the reader was caught up in the suspense of the helpless infant being the victim. It's hard to muster the same level of concern for two adults who seem far wiser than their inept kidnappers. I've read all of MHC's books and this one goes on the bottom of my list when ranking favorites. But I hope she does another Christmas one in 2001; just want her to be more imaginative and suspenseful.

Deck the Halls by the mother and daughter team of Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark is ideal for an afternoons read by the fire.Two private detectives, each a favourite character in the respective writers novels, team up to solve a kidnapping.It's a light,pleasant bit of flummery and, being such a slim volume, takes only a couple of hours to read without any brain strain. The crooks are bumbling idiots and the outcome is very obvious right from the beginning. Another thing that bothered me was the writing style-I seem to remember this speech pattern from my schoolgirl stories when I was a child and it just doesn't suit adult books.

In their first joint effort, the perennially best selling Mary Higgins Clark (All Through the Night, Before I Say Good-Bye) and daughter Carol Higgins Clark, herself an up-and-coming author (Iced), create a winning detective duo by teaming up favorite characters from their own respective novels.

Christmas is looking not so merry for Luke and Nora Reilly. First, Mrs. Reilly trips over a rug and breaks her leg, ruining a planned family trip to Hawaii. Then, while she is recovering in the hospital, Mr. Reilly and his spunky chauffeur Rosita are kidnapped and held for $1 million ransom. What the bad guys don't know, however, is that the Reillys' daughter Regan is a savvy private eye. Enlisting the help of Alvirah Meehan, an amateur detective, Regan sleuths her way to solving the case, but not without encountering a few twisting setbacks along the way.

At the risk of flickering any MHC's long-burning fans, I feel I need to point out some plot devices do run a tad thin here and there, hey, I'm being honest -- the kidnapping scheme is , well, let me just say,I think Rudolph the red-nosed you-know-what could sniff out the clues. All in all, this ho-ho-ho story makes for an entertaining, Christmas or anytime read treat.