“The Melody Lingers On” by Mary Higgins Clark – Scars of Betrayal
The missteps of one family member often cast a shadow over the entire name, one that is often extremely difficult to clear... especially when the culprit him/herself in question is nowhere to be found, leaving only the other members to pay for transgressions they did not commit. This is the sort of situation Mary Higgins Clark puts the Bennet family in The Melody Lingers On.
In this relatively short novel, we are first presented with Lane Harmon, the assistant of a famous interior designer Glady. They are both called upon to help decorate a townhouse condo for Anne Bennett, wife (or perhaps the widow?) of Parker Bennett, a man suspected of stealing millions of dollars from a fund he managed. The only problem is that Parker has been missing for over two years, leaving his wife and son Eric to bear the burden of blame.
Though Eric is suspected of being involved in his father's plot, he vehemently professes his innocence and Lane ends up on the path to helping him clear his name, and in the process looks to unravel the whole story and bring the culprit(s) to justice, whoever they might be.
To make matters a little more complicated, one of Parker's elderly victims, Ranger, blames the man and his family for stealing his money and making him unable to provide proper care for his wife who, as a result, passed away. Vengeance is his sole remaining drive, and he swears it upon the Bennett family.
As is commonly the case with Clark, she populates her short and fast-paced story with a large cast of unique characters that never blend with each other, rather standing out in the reader's memory for their distinguishable particularities.
Though she never delves too deep into the minds of the characters, she does dedicate a fair amount of her pages to becoming better-acquainted with them, learning who they are outside of their work and how they lead their lives.
It ought to be mentioned though that the shortness of the book does hurt the character development a bit, especially seeing as how a good amount of focus is placed on the people themselves rather than the progression of the story.
Speaking of which, the plot was rather interesting to follow, and even though it falls into some of the cliches and known pathways we've come to expect, the author still puts her own fair share of twists and turns to make the story feel fresh and interesting enough.
As was mentioned above, events go by rather quickly making the experience an intense one, right up until the abrupt ending. Without spoiling too much, don't come in expecting a climax that is way out of the ordinary; the usual pattern of the battle of good vs evil is followed and it's all over before you even know it.
As long as you're not expecting a groundbreaking masterpiece, this is certainly a novel that delivers enjoyment and one that I recommend for thriller fans.
 | Mary Higgins ClarkPersonal 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. |
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