One of the first authors that I remember reading as a young teen was Mary Higgins Clark. As a young adult I purchased every book of hers that I could get my hands on. When I first joined NetGalley last fall, I was so excited to see Where Are The Children Now? and I was shocked that I was granted approval with the minuscule percentage rating and zero reviews under my belt.
Where Are The Children Now? is written by Alafair Burke whom coauthored several books with Mary Higgins Clark before she passed away. Burke’s writing is reminiscent of MHC’s enough to satisfy any long-time MHC fan.
I did not reread Where Are The Children? prior to reading this book. I feel that new fans could read this book as a stand-alone. I think you may be more invested in the characters if you read both books consecutively but I don’t think you lose anything by not doing so.
There is an almost constant sense of mystery and intrigue throughout the book. There are tiny cliffhangers and clues throughout with lots of red herrings. Like every good thriller, you don’t know who to trust and what information is accurate. I was shocked by the ending and I loved the twists.

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Goodreads

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And Amazon.

This was a wonderful follow up to Where Are the Children? and picks up 40 years after the main character was kidnapped. There is a brief summary at the beginning, so you get a glimpse of the past. I reread the first book because it was always a favorite of mine and then went right into this sequel. The main character is reliving her past when she was kidnapped as a child and her nightmares are becoming more and more frequent. What follows will keep you turning the pages. If you like a mystery with twists and turns, pick this one up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 stars

Where Are the Children Now? is a fitting homage to Mark Higgins Clark’s debut novel, and Alafair Burke maintains the voice and pacing of the original in a seamless fashion.

Picking up 40 years after the events of Where Are the Children?, this novel gives readers an insight into the lives of Melissa and Mike and the ways in which they’ve processed their abduction. When Melissa’s stepdaughter goes missing, it seems like the events of the past are repeating themselves. And it’s a race against time to find little Riley.

This book brought me back to the classic MHC books I read as a child, capturing the same evocative storytelling and satisfying twists and turns. It was a joy to step back into that nostalgic place, while still feeling like I was reading a modern story. It was a wonderful way to feel like a piece of the Queen of Suspense lives on, and for that I am truly grateful.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for generously providing an ARC.

What a fantastic book to be able to binge in one sitting! A great way to honor Mary Higgins Clark and give the fans a new twist on an old favorite. This book moves quickly and gives an unexpected twist at the end.

Losing Mary Higgins Clark over three years ago was a blow for all mystery/crime readers. I enjoyed her collaborations with Alafair Burke so when I was approved for this book I waited and waited to read it.
While it’s a sequel to MHC’s first mega hit book, the voice is almost all Burke, which is how it should be.
I have read the first book but it was eons ago, so I looked up a synopsis.
Burke kept me guessing with every turning I’d the page. Late in the game I made a major realization, but the ultimate betrayal hit me broadside.
It’s an excellent read and I wonder if there’s still meat on the bone for another book about these characters.

Where are the children now? Is a fast-paced sequel to a genre bending novel where are the children by Mary Higgins Clark. Although she has passed, alafair Burke does an excellent job at capturing the tone and atmosphere of Clark. The sequel picks up forty years after the events of where are the children? Missy and Mike have grown up and moved on from the events of their childhood with their mother Nancy. Missy is soon to be married to Charlie and will soon be a stepdaughter to his young daughter. However, her stepdaughter soon turns up missing and missy soon falls under suspicion. Missy is determined to find the girl and the real culprit while working on putting the traumas of the past behind her.

The plot moves at breakneck speed, which does cause the characters to feel slightly underdeveloped. I am not sure the sequel adds another new or exciting, other than nostalgia, but the read is an enjoyable time! Sure to please Clark’s legions of fans and earn Burke even new ones!. .

Thanks to the publisher for providing an arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent sequel to the original Mary Higgins Clark book Where are the Children? I wasn't sure what to think before reading the book but I was pleasantly surprised.

Melissa was one of the children that was kidnapped in the original book. She has moved on and recently got married and became a stepmother. One evening her stepdaughter, Riley, goes missing. There are a few twists and turns in the book that I didn't predict. Overall, well written and left me wanting to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Simon and Schuster for the ARC for my honest review.

Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke have given us many superb novels. Their latest endeavor, Where Are the Children Now, is no exception. We are again introduced to Nancy Eldridge (formerly Harmon) and her surviving children, Mike and Missy. Missy has found happiness in her marriage to Charlie and the addition of a three-year-old stepdaughter. Mike is a successful boat captain in the Caribbean. And again, we are faced with a kidnapping. As is the previous book, we are introduced to many different characters. We learn of the circumstances of each one’s involvement with the Eldridge family. A few of them appear to may have reasons to be involved in this crime. Some are Missy and Mike’s old friends and neighbors. The reader is left to examine the possibilities and try to piece the crime together and decide who is responsible. The reader becomes totally immersed in solving the kidnapping and learning the reasons and people behind it. As usual the authors never disappoint. While sometimes sequels do not live up to the previous novel, this one does. It does not disappoint. This is a good and enjoyable novel. I would recommend fans of Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke put this book on their “must read” list.

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and publisher for the digital ARC of ”Where Are The Children Now?” in exchange for my honest opinion. When I first requested this book, I didn’t realize that it was a follow up novel. I decided to read “Where Are The Children?”, which was intense and quick, immediately followed by this book. I am not sure if that has had an influence in my rating. In the first novel, I was able to figure out who did it pretty quickly. The sequel however had me guessing up until the reveal. I feel like the authors did a nice job of providing details from the first book so that it could easily be read as a standalone novel. It was nice to see how Mike and Melissa had fared so many years later, there was strong character development and suspense throughout. This was a solid 4 stars!

You Will Not Be Disappointed

Well, you may need a scorecard to keep track of the large cast of characters, but the book is an old-time page turner with a solid mystery holding it together.

Mary Higgins Clark died in 2020 but, undoubtedly, her most famous book was, “Where Are the Children?” Alafair Burke writes a sequel which is a bit more complicated and filled with psychological suspense.
The main character is Melissa Eldredge, daughter of Nancy Harmon who had once been convicted of killing her two children. She was released on a technicality but her husband abandoned her. She changed her identity, married again and had two children, Mike and Melissa, who also went missing.

This book starts four decades later. Melissa is a successful attorney and podcaster with a large audience. She is marrying a widower with a young daughter, Riley. History begins to repeat itself when Riley goes missing. The plot more than thickens. There are many bad people, some surprises for the reader and trauma, of course.

There is a twist at the end. The most gratifying technique is the intelligence of Melissa. She is intelligent and creative. She is a credit to attorneys and smart girls everywhere.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this pre-published books. All opinions expressed are my own.

As a MHC fan from the start, I’m pleasantly surprised that this lives up to the original. I used to devour her novels and this one had twists and connections to the original that MHC would be proud of. We pick up the story 40 years after the original children had been kidnapped and are still struggling with their trauma, only to become embroiled in another tragic missing child case. If you are a MHC fan, this one is a must read…. But make sure you read the original first!! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I have never been disappointed in a book by Mary Higgins Clark, and I am so glad that Alafair Burke knew her writing style so thoroughly to make this last book just as great as all of the rest! Burke did a phenomenal job of weaving the characters and necessary details of the first “Where Are the Children” into the storyline of this manuscript. Don’t miss this beautiful swan song for Mary Higgins Clark—and I hope Burke keeps the legacy going!

I enjoyed this sequel to Mary Higgins Clark’s first novel, “Where Are the Children?”. The characters were well written and I enjoyed that the setting was varied. For the original novel, the reader knew who the kidnapper was while the other characters in the story were kept in the dark. For the sequel, the reader was left in the dark about who the kidnapper was until the end.

I was able to figure out part of the story fairly early, but did not put all of the intricate pieces of the puzzle together until they were revealed. I enjoyed the suspense and it made the book a fast read.

The one thing I didn’t like was that this book made the abuse that Mike and Missy experienced in the first book much more extensive. The first novel alluded to things that were planned, but made it seem as if nothing like that was executed. I don’t think it was necessary to expand on the abuse as it was enough as written in the first novel and didn’t add to this one in any way.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Simon&Schuster for an eARC of #WhereAretheChildrenNow? by #MaryHigginsClark #AlafairBurke - 4 stars

I just reviewed Where Are the Children Now? by Mary Higgins Clark; Alafair Burke. #WhereAreTheChildrenNow #NetGalley
From someone who has been reading Mary Higgins Clark since I was a teenager borrowing books from my Moms bookshelves, her death was a great loss to me. And the books she wrote with Alafair Burke were just as good. I will greatly miss their series.
Before reading this book, I made sure I reread Where Are the Children so I would get the full impact of this book. This book was a great ending to her writing career. It was just as good as any other work she wrote. It’s hard to compare her books because they are all great!
Where Are the Children Now brings back the original family from Where Are the Children, Nancy, Mike and Melissa. After her father Ray passes away, Melissa starts going to grief counciling meetings. While there, she meets Charlie who lost his wife recently and left him raising his young daughter Riley. Melissa and Charlie hit it off quickly and were soon engaged and married quickly. Mike felt like it was too quickly and felt she was running from the past which she refuses to acknowledge happened. She blocked it out of her memory. One week while Charlie was out of town, his daughter Riley went missing. Is the past coming back to haunt them? It’s making Melissa deal with the past and the dreams she has been having. Is she going to repeat history and become accused of kidnapping and killing her stepdaughter?
This book will keep you guessing and wanting more.

This was such a good read! I couldn’t put it down!
There were a lot of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. However, I thought some of them were a bit far fetched which ultimately prevented me from giving the book a 5 star rating. I’d put it at a 4.5/5 for me, but rounded down to 4 stars on here.

Mary Higgins Clark has been a favorite author of mine since I was a pre-teen that decided to graduate from my Nancy Drew novels to my mother’s Mary Higgins Clark collection. I have enjoyed every book of hers that I’ve read and this one was no exception.
I read Where are the Children Now close to 20 years ago now and I was worried that would make this book harder to read if i hadn’t read Where are the Children recently but this book could easily be read as a stand-alone. It provided enough of the background from the prequel that the story still flowed well and worked even if you hadn’t read the prequel.

I will definitely be looking to delve more into Alafair Burke’s as well.

I highly recommend this book to thriller fans and Mary Higgins Clark fans. It’s also a great read for readers looking for a thriller that deals with dark subjects without feeling dark/grisly. It’s by no means a “cozy” read, but it’s not dark which can be a nice change of pace in thrillers that involve themes where children are hurt/in danger.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the copy of this eARC!

Where Are the Children Now by Mary Higgens Clark Alafair Burke

I've read most if not all of Mary Higgens Clark's books and loved all of them and was excited to read this book. Absolutely wanted to keep reading this book until little Riley was found! Good twists and fleshed out characters. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher and authors for allowing me to read this and leave my opinion.

I was not sure I was going to like this, it started so slow in my opinion. Then Riley disappeared! Man did it pick up with lots of twists and turns! This was really good and the ending was a big surprise. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my opinion.

This last book by Clark is as memorable as her first. It is also a tribute to Burke’s contributions which presage what should be an illustrious writing career. The novel quickly grabs the reader by the seat of their pants and rushes them into a taut mystery about the kidnap of a child. Nothing and no one is as they seem. Police are convinced that the girl’s new stepmother murdered the child in an attempt to rid herself of an unwanted child in her new marriage by recreating her own kidnap when she was about the child’s age. What do you do when everyone seems to assume guilt you do not share? This is a well-crafted novel, with intriguing characters and a sense of urgency that drives the reader forward. It is not to be missed with two authors at the top of their game.

Where are the Children Now?

By: Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke

Publish Date: 18 April 2023

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

General Fiction (Adult)

#WhereAreTheChildrenNow#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to first thank both NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

Of the fifty-six bestsellers the “Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark published in her lifetime, Where Are the Children? was her biggest, selling millions of copies and forever transforming the genre of suspense fiction. In that story, a young California mother named Nancy Harmon was convicted of murdering her two children. Though released on a technicality, she was abandoned by her husband and became such a pariah in the media that she was forced to move across the country to Cape Cod, change her identity and appearance, and start a new life. Years later her two children from a second marriage, Mike and Melissa, would go missing, and Nancy yet again became the prime suspect—but this time, Nancy was able to confront the secrets buried in her past and rescue her kids from a dangerous predator.

Now, more than four decades since readers first met Nancy and her children, comes the thrilling sequel to the groundbreaking book that set the stage for future generations of psychological suspense novels. A lawyer turned successful podcaster, Melissa has recently married a man whose first wife died tragically, leaving him and their young daughter, Riley, behind. While Melissa and her brother, Mike, help their mom, Nancy, relocate from Cape Cod to the equally idyllic Hamptons, Melissa’s new stepdaughter goes missing. Drawing on the experience of their own abduction, Melissa and Mike race to find Riley to save her from the trauma they still struggle with—or worse.

Book Review:

I loved this book and gave it 5 stars. Mary Higgins Clar does it again. I know she passed away a little over a year ago and I will miss her writing. I am glad she was working on this novel so we could get a follow up on this story.

The good reads synopsis does a really good job on telling you what the story line is about so i won’t go into too much detail. I love how the family work together to help each other even though Melissa doesn’t want to talk about what happened to them forty years ago. I also love the friendship in the story. They become friends with the next doors neighbor who helped find them forty years and now they are there for them with Riley missing. Not everything seems to fit the picture that Melissa was given by her husband, and she is trying to figure what is going on and who took her stepdaughter and why. Melissa thinks it has something to do with a case she was on several years ago before she started her podcast. She also isn’t telling most people about the troll that is on her social media that is calling her a fraud and lair. Are the two connect or is it something else? You will have to read the book to find out. I would also suggest that you reread the first book to get the full picture. You don’t have to because there is enough information given in the book.

Where Are the Children was originally published in 1975 is a story about a young mother, Nancy Harmon, who is accused of killing her children. She is released on a technicality and eventually remarries and has two children, who both disappear. Where are the Children Now? by Alafair Burke is a well-written sequel and focuses on Nancy's daughter, Melissa. Melissa has recently married and is happy to be stepmom to her new husband's daughter, Riley. History seems to be repeating itself when Riley disappears.

Burke does such a great job of sharing the important background information from the original book, you don't need to read it to enjoy this sequel. Being introduced to all of the various characters does give the book a slow start. However, it soon became so engrossing that I didn't want to put it down. Burke does Mary Higgins Clark and the original book proud with this entertaining and suspenseful book. I recommend it to fans of Mary Higgins Clark, Alafair Burke, or anyone looking for an entertaining domestic thriller. (4.5 stars)

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster. My review is voluntary and unbiased.