“The Lost Years” by Mary Higgins Clark – Murder Sanctified

With The Lost Years Mary Higgins Clark creates yet another addition to her vast repertoire of novels, and this time around she decided to try her hand at writing a serious historical crime fiction.

To give you a brief idea of what it’s all about, the story follows Mariah, the daughter of a biblical scholar, Jonathan Lyons. One day, Jonathan is found murdered in his study, with his Alzheimer’s-stricken wife hiding in the closet and holding the gun.

The police are quick and eager to close this case, but Mariah knows deep inside of her that something is wrong, and that there is a bigger game being played here. More specifically, she knows it has something to do with her father’s obsession: a letter written by Jesus Christ himself and stolen from the Vatican’s Library more than six hundred years ago.

What we have with The Lost Years is, in my opinion of course, a solid murder mystery with a historical and religious context to it, one that doesn’t seek to push any boundaries in favor of providing guaranteed entertainment.

The story itself is relatively straightforward and simple, for we follow Mariah linearly as she unravels the web of truth little by little. Guessing where the story will go is at times a bit too easy, and seasoned murder mystery readers will find this to be an easier challenge than other reads.

However, that is not to say the book isn’t worth reading at all. The religious atmosphere which permeates throughout the story certainly give this book a rather special feeling, not to mention that the events, characters and locations are described vividly and concisely. The only shame is that the four suspects were under-developed (or under-explored) for my taste, but once again, a small hole won’t sink a cruise ship like this one.

So once we get over the story, is there anything else to this book worth exploring? For those seeking a short answer, it is yes. Mainly, the effects of a devastating disease such as Alzheimer’s are explored through the main character and her relation to her mother, afflicted by it.

The whole hopeless aspect of it is captured rather well, showing how difficult it can be to see a loved one lose his or her mind, never to be recovered again. Even if you have (thankfully) never found yourself face-to-face with such a situation, I believe it’s still an interesting topic to reflect on.

All in all, The Lost Years isn’t exactly of the caliber of literature Mary Higgins Clark is used to putting out, but it nevertheless remains a solid and entertaining murder mystery, if not a bit mindless.

It’s perfect for those rainy Sundays when you just don’t want to move a muscle in your brain.

---

Mary Higgins Clark Personal site Born all the way back in 1929, Mary Higgins Clark has written a number of bestsellers throughout her decades as a professional writer… as a matter of fact, all of her 42 works were bestsellers in the United States and Europe, making her one of the most decorated authors out there. Some of her most famous works include Daddy’s Gone A Hunting and Remember Me.