Fantastic sequel to Where are the Children? I did not expect the twists in the last part of the book. Great collaboration between the two authors.

The question Mary Higgins Clark penned more than 40 years ago is now answered. Nancy Harmon's children have escaped the horrors they faced while abducted. While Melissa focuses on the future, Mike regularly brings up the taboo subject in order to deal with his demons.

By all appearances, Melissa has the perfect life. Recently married with an adorable stepdaughter and a thriving career, she's the picture of happiness. That's until nightmares begin to haunt her days as while she's sleeping.

When Riley goes missing, Nancy's family is thrust again in the spotlight. Has history repeated itself or is a copycat kidnapper playing a cat and mouse game with the Harmon's? Readers will find themselves unable to sleep, instead paging through the novel to discover the truth.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of #WhereAreTheChildrenNow in exchange for an honest review. It was bittersweet reading the novel after losing the Queen of Suspense. While living in NYC, I would travel to New Jersey for her book signings as she was an award-wining person as well as author. Each year she greeted my mother and I fondly and made each reader feel special. Always the most elegant woman in the room, her spirit shined brighter than her jewelry.

Moving on from her death, revisiting her 1975 novel, felt like coming home. My mom introduced me to Mary Higgins Clark's books and it's a fitting end of the chapter. Fans of the author's novels will find snippets of past books in the text as well as reliving her affiliations.

It's been so many years since I read the original novel that it took me awhile to get into the story. I struggled to remember what happened. to Nancy as well as Melissa and Mike. Once readers catch up, get ready for a wild ride of emotions. Even when you think you've discovered the truth, proceed with caution as there's danger ahead.

I read the original Where Are the Children? But Where Are the Children Now is much more sinister, nerve wracking and brilliant!
Mary Higgins Clark is one of my all time favorite authors and the addition of Alafair Burke to her splendor is just incredible.
I stayed up all night reading reading; Where Are the Children Now?
#WhereAretheChildrenNow

I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept me thinking the entire way through! I rate it 4 out of 5 stars!

WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN NOW?
BY: MARY HIGGINS CLARK & ALAFAIR BURKE

Having read right before reading this suspense-mystery-fiction called "Where Are the Children Now?," by Mary Higgins Clark, and Alafair Burke, I had mistakenly read the first best selling title called, "Where Are the Children?," by this same Author, thinking that was my Net Galley commitment. That happened to be the book that put suspense fiction on the map. It sold millions of copies in all formats, and was the prequel to this new collaboration with Alafair Burke that had the bones of the prequel interwoven with this new contemporary mystery that had me on the edge of my seat, as it was so good I read it in one sitting. The bestselling prequel was so successful that David Foster Wallace included it in his college syllabus. However, this joint work can be read as a standalone. That being said, having read the phenomenally previous ground breaking first one, enhanced my reading experience of this sequel to which I had insight to these characters backstories, and their childhood traumas of the protagonists.

Melissa is grown up and has just gotten married to Charlie, whom she had only just met ten months before in a grief therapy group. Melissa's brother thinks that she got married much too quickly. The brother and sister remained close after having been abducted as children with their mother Nancy Harmon as the main suspect. They were rescued and history sort of repeats itself only this time it is Melissa's step-daughter three-year old Riley who disappears. Thus begins a masterfully written stunning new suspense fiction, which is also a psychological thriller with a returning cast and some new characters that keep the reader entranced because it is timely and has several different threads giving this new novel a nod to the cult classic that was written decades ago, but is still widely read.

There are several red herrings magically and masterfully weaved throughout the plot development to keep the reader's attention and I was unable to guess who the culprit was. The plot has an interesting amount of complex deviations in Melissa's professional life to keep me intrigued and I was pleasantly surprised who took Riley. Mother and daughter in this case Nancy and Melissa both find themselves as suspects. Melissa joined the grief therapy group over the loss of her father Ray. She and Charlie both have exciting careers that add to the richness of this thrilling story. They are just newly married when tragedy strikes. Melissa is a likable character so it is mind boggling why Charlie's sister Rachel refuses to attend Melissa's and Charlie's wedding, and keeps her visits with her niece Riley separate from this new happy family of three. Nancy is moving from the house her children grew up in at Cape Cod where their family after undergoing a similar heart ache thrived with the loving Ray as the family patriarch. He has passed away since the first book was exploring their early childhood and now Melissa and her supportive brother are adults. Melissa was an attorney and her brother splits his time living the Island life and home locally. By the conclusion of the book I realized just how all of the pieces of the puzzle come together with various other characters.

This is my first time reading one of Alafair Burke's novels and I was so impressed by this duo of two Author's skilled narrative and brilliance in keeping me breathless, that I am happy to have discovered that each Author has several prior novels for me to enjoy. I hope that they are as wonderfully written as this was. It is always fun to discover talented Authors so I can look forward to reading their previous work when looking for great writing to curl up with a book especially in the cold Winter season that is upon me as was permeated in both of the above titles atmospheric setting.

Publication Date: April 18, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Mary Higgins Clark, Alafair Burke and Simon & Schuster for generously sharing with me this outstanding ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#WhereAretheChildrenNow? #MaryHigginsClark #AlafairBurke #Simon&Schuster #NetGalley

This new book from Mary Higgens Clark and Alafair Burke kept me turning page after page guessing who had done it until the very end! Picking up with some familiar characters from Where Are the Children, the author rebirths the story by focusing on the children of the infamous Nancy Harmon, Mike, and Melissa.

Melissa is grown, and she is finally getting the ending she deserves. After her traumatic childhood, she met and married a man with his own trauma, and they're preparing for their own happily ever after. Excited to step into the role of wife and stepmother, while helping her mother Nancy relocate to the Hamptons, Melissa's new stepdaughter goes missing, and Melissa and her brother must work together to find and save the little girl. Together they'll do anything to keep her alive. Will they find her? Where is Riley? Who has taken her? You'll be on the edge of your seat trying to figure it out.

Where Are the Children Now? by Mary Higgins Clark; Alafair Burke Have missed books by MHC, the Queen of Suspense, and this sequel written with Alafair Burke is a noteworthy addition to her legacy. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book

Where Are the Children Now
Publishing Date - 04/18/23
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this arc digital copy! I was so excited when I saw Netgalley had approved my request. I have been a big fan of Mary Higgins Clark for a long time!

Where Are The Children Now is the sequel to Mary Higgins Clark’s first novel , Where Are the Children. In this sequel , Nancy’s children , Mike and Melissa are all grown up , and Melissa has just married a widower. When Melissa’s stepdaughter goes missing , it’s like history is repeating itself.

I really enjoyed this sequel. MHC fans will not want to miss this one!

As a fan of Alafair Burke, I understood coming into this read that I wouldn’t be having a typical read from her. Growing up, I remember reading Mary Higgins Clark and finding her mysteries interesting but lacking the edginess and suspense that I craved. That’s the same with this sequel to Ms. Clark’s seminal debut. It’s a nice mystery. There are definitely some good twists. But, sitting on a shelf with any of the other thrillers out there right now, this one just doesn’t do it for me.

I feel like you can tell that this wasn’t actually written my MHC. Maybe she oversaw this book but I don’t see her writing in this book. It was an okay story if I wasn’t expecting my normal MHC signatures like the cliffhangers at the end of all the chapters and the very short chapters(which I LOVE) it was just okay for me

The last book by author Mary Higgins Clark did not disappoint. Revisiting one of her best selling books piqued my interest but the iconic storytelling held my interest. Another kidnapping and another accused mother made for a page-turner. Melissa, the adult child of Nancy Harmon, follows in her mother's footsteps in a tragic way with the kidnapping of her stepdaughter. As the story unfolds, almost every character could be guilty, which leads to the age old question, whodunnit?

My mother has always been a strong influence in my life . She had me reading as soon as I could talk. She tells stories on how when she took me to DisneyWorld as a child, all I wanted as a souvenir was the phone book that came in our hotel room. Mind you I was 3.

She would tell her friends I was a storyteller (a gentle way of saying I was a fibber) I lived out my books in real life… I had pet unicorns, my name was Cinderella, my dad could fly and my brother was delivered via stork.

As I got older, I read what my mom read. So when all the kids were bringing in Dr Seuss to read aloud, I was bringing in Mary Higgins Clark .

This week, while spending time at the beach house, I wanted to feel that once homey feel of a good book and warm cup of coffee, so I began reading Where Are The Children Now.

Boy of boy was I in for a wild ride..

Mary Higgins Clark set the bar for all thriller writers to come. Where Are The Children, is and always will be, one of my favorite books. The story continues with Where Are The Children Now.

Although I do recommend reading Where Are The Children, first, you can read this one as a standalone and still be able to easily follow along. The pace is set, the details bring the story to life, the character development is executed with precision and the twist is WILD and will leave you begging for your next breath.

I also have to add that this was co-written by Alafair Burke and I could have not have asked for a better collaboration. Talent, is one thing Burke does not lack.

Where Are The Children Now, releases Tuesday April 18, 2023 and I highly recommend you pre-ordering yourself a copy.

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.

Just like the original, Where Are the Children Now? keeps readers guessing and holding their breath until the very last page.

Mary Higgins Clark feels like home. Where Are the Children? was the first of many Mary Higgins Clark books I read; in fact, I've read them all. When I was approved for Where Are the Children Now?, I was not suprised to see Alafair Burke, a collaborator of Mary Higgins Clark in Clark's latter years, was carrying the torch.

We revisit the children kidnapped in Where Are the Children?, Melissa and Mike, forty years after their abduction. Melissa now has a stepdaughter of her own who is - you guessed it - abducted while under Melissa's watch. Burke stays true to much of Clark's formula - well-heeled professionals conducting themselves with the utmost decorum until we learn who is living under a mask. There are a few red herrings and suprises as well as a couple of cameos from past characters to delight a loyal audience.

If I'm being honest, this is a 3-star read with a 4th for nostalgia. But books are about how they make you feel and where they can take you - this one takes you back to the beginning.

Thank you Netgalley for this preview!

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN NOW ? .
I going to miss Mary Higgins Clark so much , Alafaire Burke does a wonderful job capturing a very similar style as Mary Higgins Clark.

Where are the Children was the very first book I ever read from Mary Higgins Clark and it was the book that made me fall in love with her writing. Therefore, when I got the opportunity to read this new release that is a sequel to the original, I was so excited!! So thank you Net Galley, Marry Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke and Simon&Schuster for a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book will grab you from the very start and keep you turning the pages until the very end. While you do not have to read the original story of "Where are the Children", I do recommend it just to get a better sense of the characters and what they went through. But this book will provide a synopsis of first book to give some details on what happened in the first book.

This story is mainly told in Melissa's point of view. She just got married to a man that she met just a few short months ago and she now has a step daughter, Riley, that goes missing.

The books moves fast through the storyline and how the police are trying to find out who took Riley. In true Mary Higgins Clark fashion, this book has chapters that will provide different people that appear to be random but then have a tie in to the story line in their own way. I love how she always make you see how anyone could be involved with the story.

I thought I had the book figured out and knew who took Riley, when BAM huge plot twist. Such a great ending to this story!

I cannot recommend this book enough and it needs to be added to all reading lists in 2023. The duo of Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke is just a phenomenal duo, you cannot miss this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Where Are the Children Now?

My first Mary Higgins Clark book was Where Are the Children? and I remember being blown away, by the story, by the characters, by the suspense.

Of course, I was a spring chicken at the time but that book made me a fan of Mary Higgins Clark and I devoured most of her books for years after that.

Naturally, I was excited to see a sequel and doubly excited when my request was approved.

Sadly, I'm in the minority on this since this didn't wow me.

It might be because I've read so many books like this since I started reading mysteries and suspense novels; a duplicitous husband, a clueless spouse (almost always a woman), a character who arrives to help who becomes a new love interest (very classic Mary Higgins Clark, I almost forgot).

I thought Melissa was a silly, unlikable protagonist. I had to remind myself she was a lawyer because despite her apparent intelligence, she's still a fool.

She's book smart, but not street smart.

Her family, friends, and con man husband repeatedly reference her dopey mantra: choose to be happy. That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

Choose to be happy sounds like ignoring the rest of your feelings, feelings you're entitled to feel and deal with.

I can't believe any woman would marry a man without knowing the circumstances and details behind his first wife's death or not knowing anything about his company or what he does for a living.

Like so many typical cliches in these types of books, Melissa and her fiance marry after just 10 months of knowing each other.

A dead giveaway this marriage isn't going to work.

I even guessed the identity of one of the accomplices, but like I said, I've read a lot of these books since my first Mary Higgins Clark book. It takes a lot to trick me and throw me off my game.

Consistent with a Mary Higgins Clark book (it's been awhile since I've read one so I've forgotten this is a trademark of hers), there are nearly a dozen POVs from supporting and minor characters, the police, neighbors, people that only show up in a sentence or two from five chapters ago.

I did like Nancy and Mike, I always love reading about supportive family and sibs, though the narrative did lean heavily on how much Melissa missed her father after his death, which I understand.

But it was mentioned often enough that I wondered if the authors wanted the readers to realize Melissa's grief made her fall for a con man, and that should excuse her poor choices.

This didn't wow me like the original but I'll always hold Mary Higgins Clark in high regard for being one of my favorite suspense authors when I was young.

A great sequel of sorts to one of my favorite Mary Higgins Clark books!

The author does an amazing job recalling the past and bringing the reader into the present of Mike and Melissa’s lives.

The story drew me in right away and kept me turning pages. Engaging mystery with twists, turns and a surprise ending.

Thank you to Alafair Burke, Simon & Schuster, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced digital copy in exchange for a honest review

As a huge fan of the original, I was blown away by this super-suspenseful sequel. This is a must read for those that love twists, turns, and WTH just happened moments!

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.

Just like the original, Where Are the Children Now? keeps readers guessing and holding their breath until the very last page. Highly recommended for all fans of Mary Higgins Clark. #WhereAreTheChildrenNow? #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

What a great way to honor Mary Higgins Clark loved the first story this was just as good and it connected so easily to the first storyline.