Mary Higgins Clark was my first introduction to mystery novels back when I was in grade school. I even met her once when I was in my early 20s and she was so gracious. I was both excited and sad. The original novel Where Are the Children was my first MHC book so I was worried what Alfair Burke would bring to the story, but like their other collab books, it was a quick read and enjoyable. I did not re-read the original before I read this one but the summary brought everything back and now I am going to re-read the original.

As a decades long fan of Mary Higgins Clark, “Where Are the Children Now” exceeded my expectations of a years long awaited sequel for “Where Are the Children”. I must credit MHC for my love of thriller books. I started reading her books in middle school and have been a fan ever since. I’m grateful to have had a chance to read her last publication. She is dearly missed but will live on through her books.

Melissa, a lawyer and podcaster, is learning to be happy with life again following the death of her father while trying to cope with being traumatized from a kidnapping when she and her brother were younger. Melissa has fallen in love with Charlie and his adorable daughter, Riley. Things seem perfect but soon after returning home from their honeymoon Riley goes missing. With all fingers pointing to the “evil stepmother that never really wanted kids”, Melissa must set out to figure out the truth about what really led to little Riley’s disappearance and more importantly, whether she’s still alive.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this arc in exchange for a honest review.

Before I read this, I went back and read the first novel, "Where are the Children"? It was really not necessary to read that as this book "catches you up" several times throughout the book so you know what was going on with the characters.

I thought at first it was going to be a rerun of the first book, but it ended up being quite different. There were many twists and turns as I revisited Melissa, her brother, Mike, and their friend Neil.

Without any spoilers, let's just say many of the characters were not who I thought they were - it kept me guessing until the end! It was another great read from two of my favorite authors.

I love MHC books and was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately I had a hard time getting through this book. I found it slow at times and did not keep my interest. Sorry to say….

This was one of my MOST anticipated reads of the year !!! So to get this Arc was incredible ! 🙃
I knew it had to be my first read of the 2023 but then I thought why not read the OG first to refresh my memory & oh do I love a good Mary Higgins Clark book .. RIP Queen ❤️
Reading her books is so comforting. My grandmother passed on all her MHC books & insisted i start with Where Are the Children.. I was 12 ?? Still one of the best books I've read & this sequel was fabulous ! True MHC style. I love how she brings the new & old story together .. all the characters & that twist you didn't see coming ! Maybe some of it but never all of it . Her teaming up with Alafair Burke is genius.. I inhaled The Under Suspicion series & now this sequel. This was an easy 5 ⭐ read for me & a great way to start off my reading year but now I'm left sad because no more books by Mary Higgins Clark by herself or with Alafair Burke .
Truly an end of era . 🥺

I read this book in a day—once I started I could not put it down! I’ve read all of Mary Higgins Clark’s books and all of Alastair Burke’s books and loved them. “Where are the children now?” Contained all of the elements that made the series that they wrote together so page-turning: a focus on true crime and popular media, some unexpected twists, and memorable characters and settings. I love a good mystery and this one drew me in right from the start; I know that fans of these authors will love this book too. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book—highly recommended!

As with every Mary Higgins Clark novel, especially with Alafair Burke, I was intrigued the whole time. Suspenseful and when I thought I had it figured out, I didn’t !

My thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Shuster for granting me this arc to review after reading the original back when I was a kid. Very excited to get this.

This story follows Nancy Eldredge and her children now adults as history repeats itself again with another kidnapping. This time it's Missy s 3 year old stepdaughter Riley,who someone is framing Missy for the crime.

Quick and easy read. A bit predictable at points but sad this was the authors last book.

Thank you everyone for the opportunity to read this amazing book! I started reading this book and ended up rereading Where are the Children as I had previously read the first one over 40 years ago. This one does not disappoint. I have read all her books and found this one one of her best. I highly recommend this book!

Mary Higgins Clark cannot do wrong in my mind. Alafair Burke has been a great assets to her. Just sad we won’t be getting more books from MHC.

This book is a stand alone read. I had not read the first book and followed this just fine.

Melissa and her brother Mike were abducted as children. Their mother Nancy, had previously been accused of murdering her children from a previous marriage and suspicion again when Melissa and Mike were abducted.

Years later as adults, Melissa, Mike, and their mother piece their lives back or so they thought. Melissa, a well known attorney just gets mysteriously dumped by her long time boyfriend whom she thought was going to be her life partner. She then meets Charlie and his daughter, falls in love and gets married. She just wants to move forward in her new life.

All is not what it seems when her step daughter Riley, gets abducted. All the surpressed memories Melissa had flood back from the time she was abducted.

This was a very fast paced read for me that I throughly enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchang for my honest review.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book. After finishing the first book, I was so excited to read this one — especially because it’s a sequel written 50 years after the first, so I had a feeling the modern-day setting would make any story involving the Eldredges even better. I was definitely right! It was just so well done and so well-written. To be honest, I was a little nervous that a sequel with the same characters and *another* kidnapping case would be unnecessary and a mediocre attempt at a similar story to cash in on the success of the first book — but this story is completely its own, even though it often calls back to the first one and its main characters are the same (though this book’s premise mostly revolves around Melissa [Missy], as it’s her new stepdaughter who goes missing). The story keeps you guessing, page after page, and not a single one of those pages is filler. And all in less than 300 pages!! (Authors should take note: you can still have a great thriller without needing another 100+ pages to explain things that don’t need explaining. Just tell us the story!) The entire book is go, go, go, which I LOVE as a fan of good thrillers. And I legitimately had NO IDEA what the twist would be until I reached the last like 20% — and even then, when I had the WHO figured out, I was still shocked to learn there was more to the twist with the HOW and WHY (i.e. motive). The whole story was just very thought out and very smart, and not a single question was left unanswered (highly appreciated). All in all, a big yes from me!

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

True Mary Higgins Clark fans are going to absolutely love this novel - and will not be able to put the book down, until the very last page! Alafair Burke is outstanding - she brings Nancy, Michael, and Melissa back and weaves an emotional and involved story that stays true to the original characters that launched Ms. Clark's career. With a story that mirrors Michael and Melissa's kidnapping, Ms. Burke puts Melissa in Nancy's position of missing a child... and does so expertly. The story is fantastic - and there are many Easter Eggs for MHC fans to enjoy throughout the novel. It's a must read! Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader copy of this book - the opinions expressed are my own.

This book was amazing!! I honestly didn’t know this was a sequel to another book. I was able to read it and understood what I was reading. I wasn’t wondering what was going on in the book. Like some others. I’m definitely going to Recommend this book to other readers

Wow! This was such a throwback for me, as the original book was the first suspense, mystery book I had ever read… So every visit was definitely top of my list.

I don’t wanna give anything away if you have read the first one you’re going to love this and if you haven’t jumped right in.

Mary Higgins Clark does it again!!! I have read most of her books and let me tell you she is truly amazing writer. I always think about her books. They always leave me wanting more. I read the Where Are The Children years ago so when I saw this was coming out I knew I had to read dit and I wasn't disappointed. If you are a Mary Higgins Clark fan this is another must read!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this arc in advanced. I'm so grateful!

Wow!!! This was fantastic! Now most times when a sequel comes out you really should read the book before but not with this one. It wouls help but is not required and can be understood. There is enough information given to help you understand the story line.

Four decades after the orginal kidnapping of Melissa and Mike, Melissa is getting married to her dream husband. Not to mention helping raise his beautiful daughter and finally getting over the trauma she experienced as a child. Everything is going smooth until Riley her step daughter goes missing from the house. After hours or searching and suspicionwls new information is discovered and Melissa is now under a spotlight. In order to save herself and Riley she does anything she can to clear her name. Will it work??

This book was a perfect follow up to the first book and captured me. It was a quick pull in and helped me to keep my mind running. I truly didnt know how it would end until the last two chapters but some suprises were thrown in there!! I absolutely love Mary Higgins Clark and this was right up there with one her best. I recommend this to everyone and would love to read again!!

The last book by the Queen of Suspense! I was so excited to read this book. Mary Higgins-Clark is the author that got me into reading. And Alafair Burke is a new favorite of mine, who has a similar writing style to Mary Higgins Clark.

Where Are the Children was published originally published in 1975. It is not a prerequisite to read Where Are the Children before this, we’re brought up to speed, although it’s such a great book I would highly recommend it. (It is her highest selling book)

In this gripping sequel, danger has found this family again. This book features the children of Nancy Harmon, Melissa and Mike. Melissa, who is newly married and now a step-mother to Riley, is still not fully healed from the trauma of the past. Now she faces heart-break and threat once again when her step-daughter Riley goes missing. Nancy, Mike, and Melissa are once again under suspicion and fight to find Riley safe and sound.

This book is a harkening to classic Mary Higgins Clark mysteries, fast paced and real. It’s wonderful to have a continuation on this story.

My thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, Mary Higgins Clark, and Alafair Burke

I am a huge Mary Higgins Clark fan, Where Are The Children was my first Clark read and I absolutely loved it. This sequel did not disappoint. I re read Where Are The Children right before diving into Where Are The Children Now to refresh my memory and the two books flow so well together even though the sequel was written so many years later and with the help of Alafair Burke. This book had me guessing right down to the very end, I never expected the huge plot twists. Just when I thought I had things figured out, I was pleasantly proven wrong. I love how Mary’s legacy will live on through this stellar novel. Thank you for the opportunity to read it early!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this latest by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke prior to publication. This book is a continuation of a story written by MHC a lot of years ago and that book kind of set up the thriller genre. While this is a good book, it is not a page turner to me. Or simply, I turned the pages to see how it ended, with no real interest in the story. The story seemed to drag on as Melissa came up with idea after idea of who took Riley. The twists were unexpected and sometimes farfetched. I did not anticipate all of the ending twists, though. All in all, a good read but won't make my favorite list for the year.