Saturday, November 21, 2020

November 21, 2020 - Staff Reviews


Pretend You Don't See Her

By Mary Higgins Clark
Release Date: April 28, 1997
Audiobook available from WV Reads!


3 Stars - A fast-moving, sinister novel about an everyday woman becoming a target and trying to unearth herself from the depths of a murder trial. This wasn't particularly original by the queen of suspense but definitely held my interest from the first page to the last. Lacey's struggle to walk the line between two lives and stay out of the killer's crosshairs was chillingly vivid.

The further I read (listened) the more Lacey seemed destined to end up in trouble. She's particularly bullheaded with a tendenacy to do what she thinks is best. Being that the villian(s) was part of her circle, she was pretty much doomed to hit on something eventually. This was almost more of an amateur sleuth murder mystery. What troubled me about Lacey for real though was that she had a whiney side. Her lies to protect herself seemed to come easily when she wanted to lie. And her treatment of Tom who is the gentleman trying to start a relationship with her was cold at times.

Some people witness a crime and have to start over with spouses, kids, or pets to worry about. She was a single woman who didn't actually see the killer so she might be more grateful for law enforcement's help. The narrator sounded too old to voice Lacey and perhaps made her seem distant (she also mispronounced a word here and there). I did enjoy returning to this author's work after a long spell. She always manages to tell the story in a way that puts in the reader in the scene but keeps the scenes flowing. The violence is somehow scary but not written in a brutal way. And even if I can guess what happens next, I'm excited or anxious still. While this didn't have the fascinating twists of All Around the Town or the crazy climax of Moonlight Becomes You, I enjoyed it overall. The story was written in a simpler time before cell phones and social media. So researching clues and hiding in plain sight was so different but no less fascinating. This is a perfectly paced read for any dark and chilly Fall day.

(NS)

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