Just Take My Heart

Title                : Just Take My Heart

Author            : Mary Higgins Clark

Genre             : Fiction/ Thriller/ Suspense

Mary Higgins Clark, the queen of suspense, has written another great book, called Just Take My Heart. Written by an Internationally Bestselling Author, Just Take My Heart is a 2009 novel, published by Simon & Schuster and is number two on the New York Times Bestseller Hardcover Fiction list. This time around she has written about a woman (works as a prosecutor) who tries to convict a man for his crime of murdering his wife. If you are looking for a book full of suspense and crimes, this will be an ideal choice for you.

Mary Higgins Clark Biography

Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins Clark Conheeney (née Higgins; born December 24, 1927) known professionally as Mary Higgins Clark, is an American author of suspense novels. Each of her 42 books has been a bestseller in the United States and various European countries, and all of her novels remained in print as of 2007, with her debut suspense novel, Where Are The Children, in its seventy-fifth printing.

Higgins Clark began writing at an early age. After several years working as a secretary and copy editor, she spent a year as a stewardess for Pan-American Airlines before leaving her job to marry and start a family. She supplemented the family's income by writing short stories. After her husband died in 1964, Higgins Clark worked for many years writing four-minute radio scripts, until her agent convinced her to try writing novels. Her debut novel, a fictionalized account of the life of George Washington, did not sell well, and she decided to leverage her love of mystery/suspense novels. Her suspense novels became very popular, and as of 2007 her books had sold more than 80 million copies in the United States alone. Her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark, and former daughter-in-law Mary Jane Clark are also suspense writers.

Success Story

1.     Twenty-four suspense novels have been sold over 80 million copies in the United States

2.     Honored in France with the Grand Prix de Littérature Policier (1980) & the Deauville Film Festival Literary Award (1999)

3.     Served as the Chairman of the International Crime Congress in 1988 and was the 1987 president of the Mystery Writers of America.

4.     Awards:

·       Gold Medal of Honor in (1993)

·  Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University Spirit of Achievement Award (1994)

·       National Arts Club's Gold Medal in Education (1994)

·       Horatio Alger Award (1997)

·       Bronx Legend (1999)

·       Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2001)

·       Passionists' Ethics in Literature Award (2002)

What is this story about? 

Emily Wallace, a 32 years old assistant prosecutor, has been given a tough case that was never solved for two years – which is the murder case of Natalie Raines (a famous actress). Apparently, the main suspect is Natalie’s soon to be ex-husband, Gregg Aldrich. However, this case is full of doubts because the only witness for this case is a hardcore criminal, whose name is Jimmy Easton. Due to the fact that he wants to reduce his jail sentence, he has confessed that Gregg had hired him to kill Natalie. In order to confirm Easton’s testimony, Emily does some intense investigating and discovers that Gregg is indeed a possible suspect. Nevertheless, Natalie’s mother and Gregg’s daughter have strong belief that he is innocent.

As the case unravels, Natalie’s gruesome death seems to be connected to a case which happened many years before. Natalie’s roommate was also killed and her death remains as a mystery until now. Natalie believes that the killer is her roommate’s mysterious boyfriend and she got a feeling that she will be killed as well. She ran away and tries to forget this incident but in the end, she was being killed too. The mysterious relationship between these two cases adds up the spice in this novel.

Emily begins to feel that there is more to the case than what has been presented. Although all the evidences are enough to convict Gregg, Emily has the feeling that he is innocent. Even though the plot of this novel is a bit common and predictable, but the ending is good (for me though). It is no doubt that Mary Higgins Clark is the best suspense writer because the way that she writes the story interests the reader to keep on reading.

What makes it interesting?

• Is Gregg Aldrich, Natalie’s husband, responsible for the murder? 

• Is Jimmy Easton’s testimony believable since he is a criminal himself? Don’t judge the book by its cover? 

• Can Emily Wallace convicts Gregg Aldrich for the murder although she feels that he is innocent? 

• Can Natalie’s death be avenged?

• Who is Zach (Emily’s neighbour) and what makes him so fascinated by Emily? 

• If Gregg is innocent, who is the real killer? 

These are the questions that pop into my mind while I was reading this book. Mary Higgins Clark did a very good job in writing this novel because the truths will only be revealed at the end of the story. No wonder Mary Higgins Clark is coined as the suspense writer because every chapter in this novel is embedded with mystery. If you are hunger for truth and justice, I suggest you to grab this book at the nearest bookstore and start reading. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. Until next time, goodbye and see you soon.  

What other people have to say about this book? 

•  "Knows what she's doing... This savvy author always comes up with something unexpected." - The New York Times Book Review 

• "Gets better with every book." - Pioneer Press (St. Paul) 

• "A master of plot and suspense." - Cincinnati Post 

• "Tantalizes readers from the first sentence to the final paragraph... Mary Higgins Clark rarely misses the mark." - Bookreporter.com 

Source:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Higgins_Clark

http://voices.yahoo.com/book-review-just-take-heart-mary-higgins-clark-3155110.html?cat=38

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Just-Take-My-Heart/Mary-Higgins-Clark/9781416570875/reading_group_guide