The cover caught my attention first. And then the summary. But after reading the thriller I have no clue what the red leaves and the black and white butterfly on the cover of the German edition mean. Anyway. I had my pleasure reading Kiss The Girls And Make Them Cry and can only recommend it to every Mary Higgins Clark fan or thriller fan in general.
So Schweige Denn Still*
by Mary Higgins ClarkTranslation Karl-Heinz Ebnet
Original Title Kiss The Girls And Make Them Cry
Publisher Heyne on November 2, 2020
Genre Thriller
Pages 430
Format Hardcover
Source Heyne
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶
Investigative journalist Gina Kane receives disturbing news: A person named CRyan reveals that she had “terrible experiences” working for a major news channel. And she is not the only one. But every attempt by Gina to contact CRyan fails. After endless research, Gina discovers the tragic background: CRyan is dead. She recently died in a jet ski accident. But the background to her death is very strange. So Gina continues to research vigorously – and comes across a terrible lead. (personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary).
Story
Gina receives an email from an unknown woman while she is on vacation with her father. The email tells her that something terrible had happened to that woman and that she wants Gina´s help. But then Gina hears that the young woman was killed in an accident and for the journalist is clear, something is wrong. She starts to do her research and is surprised when she discovers the terrible truth behind the first email.
Style
The thriller begins at a fast-reading pace and shows the reader how the investigative journalist Gina is made aware of a story and begins her research. Unfortunately, the book becomes a bit boring and lengthy after halfway through, when the author sends the reader on a journey into the past that was about three years ago. Only in the last third of the book does it get exciting again and the plot picks up speed again.
In her usual gentle style and with a psychological refinement, Mary Higgins Clark also put this thriller on paper. Like the journalist Gina herself, the reader is unclear from the start as to what exactly is in the story and who is the bad guy. And I have to admit, I only had a suspicion in the last third, which was then confirmed in the end.
Characters
As usual, the main character Gina is a young woman in her early thirties. Sie is financially independent, professionally successful and her heart is in the right place. Her mind works razor sharp and she combines things logically and asks the right questions. I was then even more surprised when, towards the end of the story, she suddenly displayed a naivete and did something that she had always avoided before. That wasn´t entirely logical for me, but it was probably necessary for the further course of action. Otherwise, I was very enthusiastic about the individual figure, A real cross-section of society was presented.
Conclusion
Not exactly a masterpiece, but very entertaining. The story is varied, builds up a certain tension, and shows the exciting hunt for a culprit who is not that easy to catch. Anyone who likes Mary Higgins Clark will also like this thriller.
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by Heyne in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.
Deutsche Rezension
Stil
Der Thriller fängt im schnellen Lesetempo an und zeigt dem Leser, wie die Investigativjournalistin Gina auf eine Story aufmerksam gemacht wird und mit ihrer Recherche beginnt. Leider wird das Buch dann etwa ab der Hälfte etwas langweilig und langatmig, als die Autorin den Leser auf eine Reise in die Vergangenheit schickt, die etwa 3 Jahre zurückliegt. Erst im letzten Drittel des Buches wird es wieder spannend und die Handlung nimmt wieder Fahrt auf.
In ihrem gewohnten sanften Stil und mit einer psychologischen Raffinesse hat Mary Higgins Clark auch diesen Thriller zu Papier gebracht. Der Leser ist von Anfang wie die Journalistin Gina selbst auch im Unklaren, was genau in der Story steckt und wer der Böse ist. Und ich muss gestehen, ich habe erst im letzten Drittel einen Verdacht gehabt, der am Ende dann auch bestätigt wurde.
Charaktere
Wie gewohnt, ist die Hauptfigur Gina, eine junge Frau Anfang dreißig. Sie ist finanziell unabhängig, beruflich erfolgreich und hat das Herz auf dem rechten Fleck. Ihr Verstand arbeitet messerscharf und sie kombiniert die Dinge logisch und stellt die richtigen Fragen. Umso mehr hat es mich dann verwundert, als sie gegen Ende der Geschichte plötzlich eine Naivität an den Tag legte und etwas tat, was sie zuvor stets vermieden hat. Das war für mich nicht ganz logisch, aber für den weiteren Handlungsverlauf wohl nötig gewesen. Ansonsten bin ich von den einzelnen Figuren sehr begeistert gewesen. Da wurde ein regelrechter Querschnitt durch die Gesellschaft präsentiert.
Resultat
Nicht unbedingt ein Meisterwerk, aber sehr unterhaltsam. Die Geschichte ist abwechslungsreich, baut eine gewisse Spannung auf und zeigt die aufregende Jagd nach einem Übeltäter, der nicht so einfach zu schnappen ist. Wer Mary Higgins Clark mag, der wird auch diesen Thriller mögen.
*This book was originally published Kiss The Girls And Make Them Cry by Simon & Schuster on November 5, 2019
Mary Higgins Clark
Mary Higgins Clark, born 1928 in New York, lived and worked in Saddle River, New Jersey. She sold her first story in 1956 for $100 to a magazine. After the sudden death of her husband in 1964 she wrote her first book, a biographical novel about George Washington. Her first suspense novel Where are the Children from 1975 meant a turning point in her life and career: He became a bestseller. She is the #1 international and New York Times bestselling author, has written thirty-four suspense novels; three collections of short stories; a historical novel; two children´s books; and a memoir, Kitchen Privileges. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels. Her books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. She is the most successful thriller author worldwide.
Follow
No comments:
Note: By submitting your commentar, you accept that the comment you write, and the personal information associated with it (e.g. username, email address, linked profile on Google/Wordpress) will be transmitted to Google servers. You can find more information in my privacy policy and in Google´s Privacy Policy.
Hinweis: Mit dem Abschicken deines Kommentars akzeptierst du, dass der von dir geschriebene Kommentar und die personenbezogenen Daten, die damit verbunden sind (z.B. Username, E-Mail-Adresse, verknüpftes Profil auf Google/Wordpress) an Google-Server übermittelt werden. Weitere Informationen dazu findest du in meiner Datenschutzerklärung und in der Datenschutzerklärung von Google.