On the Street Where You Live

I almost had to make myself plod on to the end. So dull. So many characters you have to keep reminding yourself who they are and why you care.

This is the first Mary Higgins Clark novel I have read, but it won't be the last. This is a very worthy page turner, with many secrets, subplots, richly described characters, & numerous murder suspects. There is a realistic, & highly detailed quality to the authors writing that is very refreshing. Feisty defense attorney Emily Graham's new home in Spring Lake, New Jersey was once owned by her family one hundred years earlier. Soon after moving in a dead body of a girl who had gone missing four years earlier is found in her back yard while she was having a pool put in. The body is found with the finger of an even earlier murder victim complete with a Sapphire ring. As if that was not ominous enough, she also finds that she is being stalked again. Could it be some one from her past, or a new menace? The dead start to pile up, as Emily is hell bent on solving the link between the present murders with those committed a century earlier. Some of the locals even think a reincarnated serial killer is on the prowl? The most fascinating aspect of this novel is that the author takes us DEEP into the mind of the killer, without revealing his/her identity. The overarching question that slowly grows to a crescendo is who is this obsessed psychopath? Is it Will Stafford, the real estate agent, Gary White, her greedy ex-husband, Eric bailey, the timid but shrewd owner of a dot-com company whose stock helped Emily amass a fortune? could it be Ned Koehler, a man convicted of stalking Emily when she lived in Albany, or Bob Frieze, the cranky restaurant owner prone to unexplainable blackouts when he can't remember anything? Perhaps, it is Nick Todd, the defense attorney fed up with getting guilty clients off? Maybe, it is a woman? Could it be the elderly & supremely bitter Rachel lashing out at young girls for her husbands indescretions decades earlier, or a jealous secretary of an eccentric College professor? I won't tell you the shocking ending, read it for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

On The Street Where You Live is about Emily Graham. A lawyer who has moved to Spring Lake, New Jersey. She has bought a home that belonged in the family in the 1800's. During the 1890's, three girls disappeared and were thought to be murdered. One hundred plus years later two girls have disappeared and the question is will there be a third? Some people think a reincarnated killer is on the prowl of the quiet seaside town. Emily is leading her own investigation to see if she can solve the crimes. After the discovery in her own backyard everyone becomes a suspect.This book was like the early Mary Higgins Clark books. It has everything a classic MHC book has: good plot development, events happening at a quick pace so the reader doesn't have time to get bored, lots of characters (which makes guessing whodunit a lot more difficult)and above all else SUSPENSE!!I could not put this book down. I had to find out who the murderer was!! Ms. Clark did an excellent job of writing about all the characters in a way that made it impossible to guess until the end who committed the crimes. The reader guesses it's one character and then you turn the page and begin to wonder if it's another. I love that about her books. It makes reading them so much fun. In addition, this book seemed to be well thought out. The plot was interesting and the subject of people being reincarnated and coming back years later added to the story. It made for very interesting reading. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, seasoned or first-time MHC reader!

Having read all the novels of Mary Higgins Clark, I feel this one may be her very best yet. She returns to the classic "young woman in jeopardy" theme she is famous for and surrounds heroine Emily Graham with a cast of well-defined characters, each with motive and opportunity to be a serial killer.In a recent television interview, MHC mentioned she had just purchased a home in Spring Lake, NJ, the setting of this novel. The previous owner had been a Mrs. Eleanor Higgins and the fact that her own complete name is Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins was not lost on the intrepid queen of suspense. The idea for this novel was conceived and the heroine of the novel purchases a home that had been in her family 110 years ago when a serial killer took the lives of three young Spring Lake girls. Is history repeating itself when a new string of killings occurs or is there such a thing as reincarnation of an obsessed killer? Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this novel is that MHC takes us into the mind of the killer. Without knowing his identity, the reader knows his moves, his plans, his mindset. But the looming question is who is this obsessed man? Is it Gary White, the greedy ex-husband? Will Stafford, the handsome real estate agent and Emily's frequent dinner partner? Ned Koehler, a man convicted of stalking Emily at her previous residence in Albany? Eric Bailey, the meek but intelligent owner of a dot-com company? Clayton Wilcox, the retired college professor who is being blackmailed? Nick Todd, the defense lawyer tired of getting guilty clients off? Or Bob Frieze, the restaurant owner prone to blackouts when he can't remember his actions for hours at a stretch?Into this rich blend of characters, Mrs. Higgins adds a look at life in this upscale resort community and a touch of budding romance.The suspects are many, but the ending is classic and chilling in the Mary Higgins Clark tradition. Definitely one to keep you up all night finishing.

Talented criminal defense attorney, Emily Graham, is starting over. She's had to deal with a messy divorce from her greedy and adulterous husband and has been terrorized by a stalker for over a year. But now, all that is finally behind her and she's leaving Albany, New York for a great job with a presitigious law firm in Manhanttan and has bought her ancestral home in the beautiful seaside community of Spring Lake. On the day she moves in, a contractor, excavating her new backyard for a pool, finds the skeleton of Martha Lawrence, a young woman who went missing over four years ago. In her hand is a finger, complete with sapphire ring, of Emily's great great grandaunt, Madeline Shapley, who disappeared without a trace, from Spring Lake over 100 years ago. Now as Emily begins to investigate this double crime, that's landed literally in her backyard, she finds out that two other young women also disappeared in the early 1890s. She is even more shocked to discover that over the last five years the 1890's crimes seem to be repeating themselves as two young women have disappeared again, without a trace and the anniversary of the third is less than a week away. Is it a coincidence or is there a serial killer loose in Spring Lake, with a link to the past.....? Mary Higgins Clark has written a fast paced, intricately plotted page turner that's about to keep you up reading, all night. Her crisp, suspenseful writing is full of clever twists, turns and vivid, riveting scenes that will keep you off balance and guessing to the end. The only weakness to this book is its over-abundance of characters that become distracting and take away from the compelling story line and you'll need a score card, at times, to keep them all straight. Perfect for the beach or a long plane ride, On the Street Where You Live is a very satisfying read with a surprise ending that will knock your socks off. Mary Higgins Clark is one of the best in the mystery/suspense business and you really can't go wrong with this book.

I was so excited to find that Mary Higgins Clark had written another novel. I bought the book the day it came out and couldn't put it down. Like all her other novels, the ending is full of suprises. She keeps you guessing since this novel definitly has many people you can count as suspects. Clark's books always use well thought out plots. She researches all the material for her book which adds to the reality of what's happening to her characters. I'm so amazed at how well she writes. I've read all her books and can't wait for more to come. This is definitly a book you should read.