New Releases by Mary Higgins Clark

In this #1 bestselling thriller from the Queen of Suspense, a young woman probing into the mysterious circumstances of her husband’s death receives a message from a medium claiming to be his channel. When Nell MacDermott learns that her husband, architect Adam Cauliff, and three of his business associates have died in an explosion of his new cabin cruiser, she is not only devastated but wracked with guilt. The last time she saw Adam, they had a bitter quarrel over her plan to run for the congressional seat long held by her grandfather; she had told him not to come home. As the investigation into the boat’s explosion proceeds, Nell learns that it was not an accident but a bomb. Despite her skepticism, Nell is swayed by her great-aunt Gert, a believer in psychic powers, to see a medium claiming to be Adam’s channel. While trying to unravel the threads of Adam’s past and his violent end, Nell consults the medium, who transmits messages to her with instructions from Adam. Before I Say Goodbye reaches a powerful climax in Nell’s final encounter with the medium, in which she learns the truth about the explosion—a truth she can’t be allowed to live and tell.

In the latest thrilling entry of the bestselling Under Suspicion series by Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke, television producer Laurie Moran investigates the unsolved murder of a beloved couple celebrating the college graduations of their successful twin sons. The two identical brothers seemed perfect in every way—handsome, intelligent, popular—until a shocking summer night when one brother killed his parents in cold blood while the other brother had an iron-clad alibi. But which twin was where during the murders? And is it possible the two of them planned the perfect crime together? Years later, the twins are long estranged, each of them claiming to be convinced that the other is responsible for the death of their parents. Married now with children of their own, they may finally be ready to clear one name at the expense of the other and turn to Laurie Moran and her team to reinvestigate their parents’ murder. But as the Under Suspicion crew gets closer to the truth, the danger that was assumed to be left in the past finds its way into the present. Featuring chilling suspense, a cast of characters whom loyal readers have come to love, and a final jaw-dropping twist, It Had to Be You is not to be missed.

From Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark, a thriller “that grabs you with the first paragraph and never let’s go” (USA TODAY) about a woman desperate to uncover the truth behind her beloved stepmother’s death. At a party in Manhattan, Maggie Holloway—one of the fashion world’s most successful photographers—is thrilled to be reunited with her beloved stepmother. A widow now, Nuala Moore is equally delighted to see her long-lost stepdaughter, and she invites Maggie to spend a few weeks at her home in Newport, Rhode Island. But when Maggie arrives, she finds Nuala murdered, apparently by a burglar. Heartbroken, Maggie is stunned to learn she had inherited Nuala’s stunning Victorian home...and horrified when she begins to suspect that Nuala’s death was not random but part of a diabolical plot conceived by a twisted mind. When Nuala’s dear old friend, Greta Shipley, dies suddenly of supposedly natural causes, Maggie is convinced that there is a link between these two and other recent deaths among the older women of Newport. What she doesn’t realize is that she has now become a target for the killer as well, and that each clue she uncovers brings her closer to an unimaginable fate.

Originally published: New York; London: Simon & Schuster, 2006.

The newest thriller and instant #1 New York Times bestseller from Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark shows us just how far a family and a town will go to protect their own in the wake of tragedy. After a party when her parents are away, eighteen-year-old Kerry Dowling is found fully dressed at the bottom of the family pool. The immediate suspect is her boyfriend, who had a bitter argument with her at the party. Then there is a twenty-year-old neighbor who was angry because she didn’t invite him to the party. Or is there another suspect who has not yet been seen on the radar? Kerry’s older sister Aline, a twenty-eight-year-old guidance counselor, is determined to assist the prosecutor’s office in learning the truth. She does not realize that now she is putting her own life in danger… From #1 New York Times bestselling author and the “Queen of Suspense” comes a thrilling investigation asking what we truly know about those we trust, and the secrets lying in even the most idyllic of neighborhoods.

Fleeing the humiliating arrest of her husband-to-be on the eve of their wedding, Celia Kilbride, a gems and jewelry expert, hopes to escape from public attention by lecturing on a brand-new cruise ship, the Queen Charlotte. She meets Lady Emily Haywood, the owner of a priceless-- and cursed-- emerald necklace that she intends to leave to the Smithsonian after the cruise. Three days out to sea Lady Em is found dead-- and the necklace is missing. As the list of suspects grows Celia, with the help of her new friends Willy and Alvirah Meehan, sets out to find the killer.

A headline-making finance scandal and a breathtaking tale of deception collide in #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark’s finest thriller yet. As the sole assistant to a famous upscale interior designer, Lane Harmon is accustomed to visiting opulent homes. So her latest job at a modest New Jersey townhouse is unusual. Then she learns the home belongs to the wife of disgraced finance magnate Parker Bennett, who vanished two years earlier, along with the five billion dollar hedge fund he managed. The debate over whether Bennett was suicidal or staged his disappearance still continues. Both his clients and the federal government want to trace the money and find him. But Lane is surprisingly moved by Mrs. Bennett’s steadfast faith in her husband’s innocence. Gradually, Lane is also drawn to the Bennetts’ son, Mark, who is equally determined to prove his father is not guilty. What she doesn’t realize is the closer she gets to the notorious family, the more her life—and that of her five-year-old daughter—is in jeopardy.

A one-of-a-kind mystery collection that showcases the immense storytelling talent #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark has honed over her tremendous career—including a bone-chilling, previously unpublished short story forty years in the making. In 1974, master storyteller Mary Higgins Clark began writing a novella inspired by the dark side of the New York City fashion world. She then put the unfinished manuscript aside to write Where Are the Children?, the novel that would launch her career. Forty years later, Clark returned to that novella and wrote its ending. Now—for the first time ever—Death Wears a Beauty Mask is available for readers along with a stunning array of short fiction that spans her remarkable career. From Clark’s first-ever published story (1956’s “Stowaway”), to classic tales featuring some of her most memorable characters, Death Wears A Beauty Mask And Other Stories is a jewel of a collection brimming over with the chills and heart-pounding drama we’ve come to expect from the Queen of Suspense. Death Wears A Beauty Mask And Other Stories is a spine-tingling read and a special glimpse into the evolution of a world-class writing career.

Erin and Darcy, answering personal ads as research for a TV show, discover a whole new New York sub-culture - adulterers, con men, the shy and frankly weird, all looking for love. And one man looking for something darker . . . A serial killer who has just got away with murder for fifteen years, and has promised himself just two more . . .

In this "tantalizing" (Booklist) novel, Mary Higgins Clark, the #1 New York Times bestselling Queen of Suspense, exposes a dark secret from a family’s past that threatens the lives of two sisters. What was Kate Connelly—a tall, glamorous CPA—doing in her family’s antique furniture museum when it exploded into flames in the middle of the night? Why was Gus—a disgruntled retired employee—with her? Now Gus is dead, and Kate lies in a coma, unable to explain the tragedy’s mysterious link to a decades-old missing persons case. And unable to warn her sister what could happen next. In a novel of dazzling suspense and excitement, Mary Higgins Clark once again demonstrates the mastery of her craft that has made her books international bestsellers for years. She presents the reader with a perplexing mystery, a puzzling question of identity, and a fascinating cast of characters—one of whom may just be a ruthless killer.

At the heart of the novel are two of Mary Higgins Clark's most loved characters: Alvirah, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth, and her husband, Willy, who are caught up in a Christmas mystery that calls on all of their skills and experience. Willy has been looking forward to playing Santa at the after-school centre recently set up to care for the children of working parents on New York's Upper West Side, and Alvirah has been busy with rehearsals for the Christmas pageant. But suddenly a shadow falls upon the Christmas cheer. The centre is threatened with closure, a substitute promised for the play is mysteriously withdrawn, a valuable chalice is stolen from a neighborhood church, and a desperate young woman turns up, begging for Alvirah's help in finding the baby she abandoned seven years earlier. In a final blow, the young girl who is to play Mary in the Christmas pageant disappears... A missing child. A stolen chalice. A desperate mother. Can Alvirah reach the truth in time for Christmas?

Dr Gary Lasch is found dead at his desk. The murder stuns his elite Connecticut community - especially when his beautiful young wife, Molly, is arrested and charged with his murder. Six years later, on Molly's release from prison, she reasserts her innocence in front of reporters gathered at the prison gates. Among them is an old schoolfriend, Fran Simmons, who is currently working as an investigative reporter for a true crime television series. Determined to prove her innocence, Molly convinces Fran to research and produce a programme on Gary's death. Fran agrees, but in doing so, she has a second agenda - to learn the truth about her own father's suicide fourteen years earlier. Fran soon finds herself enmeshed in a tangled web of intrigue and menace - more deaths and more unanswered questions about Gary Lasch's death. As her investigation proceeds, there are those who know they must make a choice: face ruin, or eliminate Fran.

Always a lover of history, Mary Higgins Clark wrote this extensively researched biographical novel and titled it Aspire to the Heavens, after the motto of George Washington's mother. Published in 1969, the book was more recently discovered by a Washington family descendant and reissued as Mount Vernon Love Story. Dispelling the widespread belief that although George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, he reserved his true love for Sally Carey Fairfax, his best friend's wife, Mary Higgins Clark describes the Washington marriage as one full of tenderness and passion, as a bond between two people who shared their lives -- even the bitter hardship of a winter in Valley Forge -- in every way. In this author's skilled hands, the history, the love, and the man come fully and dramatically alive.

The brand new spine-tingling thriller from the world's favourite thriller writer. Dr. Jonathan Lyons, a well-respected academic, has a stroke of luck when a previously missing ancient artefact - a highly valuable parchment - falls into his hands. Stolen from the Vatican in the fifteenth century, it was assumed to be lost forever - until now. Unsure of his next move, Dr. Lyons shares his discovery with a select few but, with so much money at stake, can he trust the people he's told? Things take a turn for the worse when Jonathan is found brutally murdered in his own home. Then, as secrets in his personal life come to light, his wife, who suffers from Alzheimer's, is soon implicated. It now falls to the couple's 27-year-old daughter, Mariah, to uncover the true motive behind her father's death. But the tangled web of secrets has spread much further than she knows. With someone still hell-bent on getting hold of the priceless document, will Mariah succeed in finding justice for both her father and her mother without putting her own life in terrible danger? 'Clark plays out her story like the pro that she is . . . flawless' Daily Mirror 'Should come with a warning: start in the evening and you'll be reading late into the night' USA Today

When Kerry McGrath- a smart, relentless prosecutor- takes her daughter to see a plastic surgeon following a car accident, she sees a woman in the surgery with a beautiful, hauntingly familiar face. On a subsequent visit, she sees the same face again- on a different woman. . . Suddenly she remembers: both woman look startlingly like Suzanne Reardon, the "Sweetheart Murder" victim whose husband, Skip, is now serving a life sentence for that murder. When Kerry starts asking questions, she discovers that just about everyone wants the case kept closed. Still she persists- but what she doesn't know is that it is already too late. Her puzzled queries have triggered a response and she is in great, growing danger.

Ellie Cavanaugh was only seven years old when her fifteen-year-old sister, Andrea was murdered. Ellie's testimony was vital to the conviction of Rob Westerfield, son of a wealthy, prominent family. Twenty-two years later Ellie remains convinced of Westerfield's guilt. When he is released on parole and attempts to prove himself the victim of a miscarriage of justice, Ellie begins work on a book she believes will prove Westerfield's guilt beyond doubt. As she delves deeper into her research, she uncovers horrifying facts that shed new light on her sister's murder. And with each new discovery she comes closer to a confrontation with a desperate killer. . .

When Natalie Raines, famous Broadway star, is found in her home in Closter, New Jersey, dying from a gunshot wound, her former husband, Gregg Aldrich, whom she was in the process of divorcing, is the chief suspect. What no one knows is that, only days before she was murdered, Natalie accidentally came face to face with the man who killed her former roommate, Jamie Evans. Two years later, career criminal Jimmy Easton, comes forward to claim that Aldrich hired him to kill his wife, but he turned the job down. Based on Easton's testimony, Gregg is charged with the murder of his wife. Handling the case is Emily Wallace, an attractive thirty-two-year-old widowed assistant prosecutor. As Aldrich's trial is making headlines, Emily's boss, Ted Wesley, warns her that this high-profile case will reveal personal matters about her, such as the fact that she had a heart transplant. And, during the trial, Emily experiences sentiments which defy all reason and continue after Gregg Aldrich's fate is decided by the jury.

The disappearance of several apparently unrelated young women all over the country is the beginning of Mary Higgins Clark's chilling new novel, as one person begins to suspect that the young women may have all been murdered or abducted by the same man--and he may be somebody she knows.

What happens when a young woman is accidentally caught up in a dangerous murder investigation, having merely been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Lacey Farrell, a rising star on the Manhattan real estate scene, is witness to a murder - and to the final words of the victim. The dying woman is convinced her attacker was after her dead daughter's journal, which Lacey gives to the police, but not before making a copy for herself. It's an impulse that later proves nearly fatal. Placed in the witness protection programme and sent to live in Minneapolis, Lacey must assume a fake identity, at least until the killer can be brought to trial. There she meets Tom Lynch, a radio talk-show host whom she tentatively begins to date - until the strain of her deception makes her break it off. Then she discovers the killer has traced her whereabouts. Armed with nothing more than her own courage and clues from the journal, Lacey heads back to New York determined to uncover who is behind the deaths of the two women… before she is the next casualty.

"Suspense devotees will rejoice" (Library Journal Express) as Mary Higgins Clark, in top form with this spine-chilling new novel-- her thirtieth--tackles a most up-to-date crime: identity theft. Alexandra "Zan" Moreland, a gifted interior designer, is haunted by the disappearance of her son two years ago from Central Park. Now, on what would be Matthew's fifth birthday, she is terrified to discover that not only is somebody using her credit cards and manipulating her financial accounts but photos have surfaced that seem to implicate her in the kidnapping. Hounded by the press, under investigation by the police, attacked by both her angry exhusband and a vindictive business rival, Zan sets out to find the mastermind behind the cruel hoax. What she does not realize is that every step she takes toward the truth is putting her--and those she loves most--in mortal danger. Zan is beginning to doubt her own sanity when, in the kind of fast-paced explosive ending that is Mary Higgins Clark's trademark, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place with an unexpected and shocking revelation.

Nancy Harmon has a new home, a loving husband and two beautiful children. The thing is, she's had all this before . . . Seven years ago she escaped from a volatile marriage and the devastating deaths of her first two children. Now, she's trying to start afresh. The accusations. The newspaper stories. The blame. That's all behind her. Or so she thinks. For someone has not forgotten. Somebody who is determined to bring the terror and the pain hurtling back. One cold morning, Nancy leaves her children to play outside - but when she returns, they have disappeared. With growing terror, she realises it has begun again . . .

Divorcee Jenny MacPartland's struggle to support herself and her two small daughters is not helped by her irresponsible ex-husband. But suddenly a new man steps into her life. Rich, handsome Erich Krueger sweeps her off her feet and off to his mansion in the country.

Even as a young girl, growing up in the Bronx, Mary Higgins Clark knew she wanted to be a writer. The gift of storytelling was a part of her Irish ancestry, so it followed naturally that she would later use her sharp eye, keen intelligence, and inquisitive nature to create stories about the people and things she observed. When Mary's father died during the Depression, her mother decided to open the family home to boarders, and placed a discreet sign next to the front door that read, FURNISHED ROOMS. KITCHEN PRIVILEGES. The family's struggle to make ends meet; her employment as a hotel switchboard operator; the death of her beloved older brother in World War II; her brief career as a flight attendant for Pan Am; her marriage to Warren Clark; sitting at the kitchen table, writing stories, and finally selling the first one for one hundred dollars (after six years and some forty rejections!) - all these experiences figure into Kitchen Privileges.

This #1 "New York Times" bestseller by America's Queen of Suspense is a riveting thriller about a young woman whose wealthy, sleepwalking husband may have murdered his first wife--and could be planning to murder her.

In a riveting new thriller from America's Queen of Suspense, a young woman is ensnared into returning to a place she had wanted to leave behind forever -- her childhood home. There, at the age of ten, Liza Barton had shot her mother, trying desperately to protect her from her estranged step-father, Ted Cartwright. Despite his claim that the shooting was a deliberate act, the Juvenile Court ruled the death an accident. Many people, however, agreed with Cartwright, and the tabloids compared her to the infamous murderess Lizzie Borden, pointing even to the similarity of their names.To erase Liza's past, her adoptive parents change her name to Celia. At age twenty-eight, a successful interior designer in Manhattan, she marries a childless sixty-year-old widower, Laurence Foster, and they have a son. Before their marriage, she reveals to him her true identity. Two years later, on his deathbed, he makes her swear never to tell anyone so that their son, Jack, will not carry the stigma of her past. Two years later, Celia is happily remarried. Her peace of mind is shattered when her new husband, Alex Nolan, surprises her with a gift -- the house in Mendham, New Jersey, where she killed her mother. On the day they move in, they find the words little lizzie's place -- beware painted on the lawn, splotches of red paint all over the house, and a skull and crossbones carved into the door.More and more, there are signs that someone in the community knows Celia's true identity. When Georgette Grove, the real estate agent who sold the house to Alex, is brutally murdered and Celia is the first on the crime scene, she becomes a suspect. As Celia fights to prove her innocence, she is not aware that she and her son, Jack, are now the targets of a killer.

Bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark brings suspense and intrigue to this story of a family beginning to heal from a brutal murder, but the accused man in jail maintains his innocence...and the true killer is waiting for the perfect moment to strike again. Ronald Thompson knows he never killed Nina Peterson—yet in two days the state of Connecticut will take his life, having found him guilty via due process of law. But Thompson’s death will not stop the pain and anger of Nina’s husband, Steve. Thompson’s death will not still the fears of Nina’s six-year-old son, Neil, witness to his mother’s brutal slaying. Not even the love and friendship of Sharon Martin, a journalist who is slowly becoming a part of their world, will ever erase their bitter memories. Only time, perhaps, will heal their wounds. But in the shadows a stranger waits, a cunning psychopath who has killed before, who has unfinished business at the Peterson home...

New York Times bestselling author and Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark’s masterpiece is a “crackling tale of menace and love that holds your attention to the last page” (Andrew M. Greeley). Elizabeth Lange has arrived at Cypress Point Spa in Pebble Beach, California, weary of heart and soul. Still grieving for her beloved sister, a famous actress who plunged to her death from her Manhattan penthouse, Elizabeth is determined to unearth the truth about how Leila died. Dashing multimillionaire Ted Winters stands accused of her murder, but Elizabeth has doubts. Along the windswept cliffs of the Monterey coast, in luxurious bungalows, between gourmet meals and beachfront walks, uneasiness stalks Elizabeth while she begins opening doors to the past. As glimpses of the dark truth about Leila’s life and death—and about Elizabeth herself—start to crash against her mind, an ominous wave from an unexpected source threatens to engulf her entirely.

Mary Higgins Clark, the Queen of Suspense, crafts a terrifying story of murder and obsession with “a slambam finish” (Los Angeles Times Book Review). When Laurie Kenyon, a twenty-one-year-old student, is accused of murdering her English professor, she has no memory of the crime. Her fingerprints, however, are everywhere. When she asks her sister, attorney Sarah, to mount her defense, Sarah in turn brings in psychiatrist Justin Donnelly. Kidnapped at the age of four and victimized for two years, Laurie has developed astounding coping skills. Only when the unbearable memories of those lost years are released can the truth of the crime come out—and only then can the final sadistic plan of her abductor, whose obsession is stronger than ever, be revealed.

With a new foreword by Riley Sager, a thrilling mystery from the Queen of Suspense about a journalist who uncovers political schemes and revisits hidden secrets from the past. I told you not to come… Slipped under the door of her Georgetown home, the note was an ominous reminder of Pat Traymore’s past. The beautiful young television journalist had come to glamorous, high-powered Washington to produce a TV series. Her subject: Senator Abigail Jennings, slated for nomination as the first woman vice president of the United States. With the help of an old flame, Pat delves into Abigail’s life, only to turn up horrifying facts that threaten to destroy the senator’s reputation and her career. Worse still, sinister connections to Pat’s own childhood and the nightmare secrets hidden within are surfacing—secrets waiting to destroy her. The past and present collide in a battle for truth and survival with every revelation in this suspenseful, thrilling tale from the inimitable Mary Higgins Clark.