What a great mystery! Melissa and Riley became my favorites right from the start and my heart broke for both when Riley went missing. The story is written so well and all the twists and turns keep you guessing till the end. This is a fast, engaging story that I highly recommend.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

For all of you readers that grew up with Mary Higgins Clark....you won't be disappointed with this sequel. I admit that I was hesitant to read this one, as I was unsure if it would "feel" like Clark's work. After devouring this novel, I can say that Alafair Burke knocked it out of the park. The references to Clark's original work, the repeat characters, and most importantly....the shock factor had me flipping through the pages as quickly as I could. This book focused on Missy Eldredge. A grown woman who now goes by "Melissa", she resides in NYC and is a former attorney that currently heads up a hit true-crime podcast. Married later in life after a whirlwind romance to Charlie, she is thrilled to finally be settling down with Charlie and his little girl, Riley. However, the terror from 40 years ago returns when Riley vanishes from the home while Melissa is sleeping.

The past races into the present as the hunt for Riley begins, and Melissa, as the stepmother, is believed to be the primary suspect. Charlie soon secures an attorney based on Melissa's advice, and no longer appears to support Melissa. Melissa, with the help of her brother Mike and mother, Nancy, must try to clear her name. Most importantly though....Riley must be found.

As Melissa races against time to get her stepdaughter back, she begins to wonder who from her past could have possibly been involved in Riley's disappearance. More importantly....how well does she really know Charlie??

Highly recommend this spinoff. A quick read, a solid mystery, and also a satisfying conclusion and tribute to Mary Higgins Clark's original work. Well done! Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

Mary Higgins Clark is my most favorite author since I was very young. Her books are what hooked me to reading. I was truly devastated knowing of her passing that we would not have any more of her books to look forward to. I was ecstatic to see another one of her stories released. This one did not disappoint. It starts out decades later when the daughter, Melissa, who had been kidnapped previously is married to a widowed man with a little girl. When the little girl ends up missing the suspicion falls on Melissa of course and it is up to her and her brother to figure out what happened to her all while reliving their past trauma from all those years ago. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

If you read Where Are the Children, this is a must-read. Nancy, the mom from that book, now has two grown children from her second marriage. They were both taken as children, and you'd think that would be all one family would deal with. Not so, when her new step-grandaughter goes missing.

A good whodunnit mystery. The same children kidnapped in the earlier book are now grown. Melissa is getting married and adding a young stepdaughter to her family. Not long after the wedding her stepdaughter goes missing. Police naturally turn to her as a suspect once they find out about her past. It is a classic Mary Higgins Clark book with excellent characters and great dialogue. I loved how she threw in a few references to her Under Suspicion series.

Holy smokes this book was so good. I hadn't read a Mary Higgins Clark book in a while and had forgotten how good they were. This book was no different.

Melissa... Having been kidnapped as a kid has some mental trauma. She is wildly successful but plagued with nightmares and fatigue.

Charlie is a great guy. But his past has been difficult as well. He lost a wife in the past and his daughter needs a mom.

Riley... The sweet 3 yr old who will steel your heart.

These characters are all well developed. Read this book... You will not regret it.

This book leaves off where Mary Higgins Clark left off. She was a fabulous writer and I think she would be proud to read Where Are the Children Now? Melissa and Mike Harmon were kidnapped as children, a memory that never goes away. When Melissa married Charlie Miller shorty after his wife died, they had a three year old, Riley, that Melissa considered her own. When Riley was kidnapped everything was turned upside down. This mystery had lots of twists and turns with a very unexpected ending.

I absolutely loved this one!!!

I enjoyed the first one but I liked the second one better!!!

The twists and turns!!! The sick things just to get them back. I loved the way both their minds worked on this book!!!

Totally would recommend!!

Mary Higgins Clark was always my favorite mystery writer.. The very first one I read was Where are the Children? She has now written a sequel titled Where are the Children Now? with Alafair Burke. The original novel suspense of the disappearing of Melissa and Mike. Now as adults, Melissa who has never accepted the terrors faced with being as a child. Mike who is older and has dealt with his childhood demons. Melissa who wants to focus her life on happiness and recently married and has a stepchild, Riley. Does Melissa have to relive all the trauma again with the disappearance of Riley? You won't be able to stop reading until the truth is discovered.
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this sequel.

Wow! I LOVED this one! I listened to the audiobook from start to finish without a break. I did predict the ending but it was still enjoyable to listen to. The narrator was also great. I always hate when they make fake children voices but I guess it’s unavoidable when there’s a child character. But still a little creepy

I really enjoyed the first book so I was torn about reading a sequel set so many years later. Why mess with a good thing? My concerns were immediately removed as I was sucked in from the first page. My mind raced to figure out the clues before the end. I was thoroughly satisfied with the ride.

I really enjoyed this book. The original book I have never read, so that was not my reasoning for reading this one, although I love the authors involved. The book follows a family that keeps having the same problem; the kids keep getting hurt or end up going missing. The twists and turns were fantastic and kept me guessing all the way until the end. If you like a quick read with a tricky story this is a good choice for you.

Mary Higgins Clark has been a staple of my reading for years! I can’t believe it’s been almost 10 years since I read “Where Are The Children?” after grabbing a thrifted copy from turtle sanctuary’s book donation pile.

In the sequel, Melissa — now grown & married — is helping her mom relocate to the Hamptons when her stepdaughter Riley goes missing. Both Melissa and her brother Mike are reminded of their abduction from years earlier in the first novel, while everyone races to find Riley.

I was a huge fan of the original novel & this did not disappoint! It took me back to my middle school & high school age days of reading suspense novels on the beach during summer break 🥹

Another fantastic Mary Higgins Clark, which reminds me I have SO many more still sitting on my physical TBR that I need to make time for at some point 😅

4⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

Good thriller however I just don't think Burke is quite as good as Clark at keeping me on the edge of my seat. It was interesting to see what happened next in this sequel to a classic page turner.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

A great thriller - I would recommend it! Thanks to Alafair Burke for continuing to bring the late great Mary Higgins Clark books to us.

"The legacy of the “Queen of Suspense” continues with the highly anticipated follow-up to Mary Higgins Clark’s iconic novel Where Are the Children?, featuring the children of Nancy Harmon, facing peril once again as adults."

I loved the first book when I first read it years ago and this book was no different! The story built from page to page I was intrigued the entire time. The pacing was great and as each clue appeared I was kept guessing.

Mary Higgins Clark is one of my favorite authors so I couldn't wait to read this sequel to the story I read earlier. And this book did not disappoint. It was definitely a page turner and each new revelation kept you guessing what would happen next.

LOVED!!
I'm such a Mary Higgins Clark OG fangirl lol
I hate that she's no longer with us - but Alafair Burke has done a phenomenal job carrying on her work - so seamlessly too!!! I listened to this with my 17 year old daughter - after we listened to Where Are the Children (because she wasn't even born when it originally came out - I was barely a baby myself and I needed a refresher lol). This was the perfect continuation of Missy and Mike's story. I did NOT see the end coming at me - which I always appreciate!! Would so love another update in a few years!!! I was gifted this novel by Netgalley; all opinions are completely my own.

While the premise of the book seemed promising, I was disappointed that it lacked the "Mary Higgins Clark" writing appeal.

I cut my thriller reading teeth on Marry Higgins Clark. Seriously, my mother and I probably read all of her books when I was growing up. I reread , Where are the Children before reading this ARC and I have to say I'm glad I did. Not because Now didn't provide enough back information to understand the current story, but because things did not go down in the first book like I remembered. But that's neither here nor there.
I've read many of Alafair Burke's stand alone books as well and was pleased to read her contribution to continuing MHC's writing. This novel stayed true to the MHC vibe and I always like seeing where people are now. Sometimes I felt like she reminded us of what happened in the original a little bit too much, but then again, I just read it last week. I also think that this book could easily be read on it's own without the source material.
I definitely recommend this book, and look forward to seeing further Burke/Clark combinations.