Book Review and Giveaway: The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark

i've been reading MHC books for just about as long as I can remember- Mom was a huge fan, and I got to read them after she finished them! So I was quite happy to review this newest book by the master of romantic suspense!

Synopsis: Biblical scholar Jonathan Lyons believes he has found the rarest of parchments—a letter that may have been written by Jesus Christ. Stolen from the Vatican Library in the 1500s, the letter was assumed to be lost forever.

Now, under the promise of secrecy, Jonathan is able to confirm his findings with several other experts. But he also confides in a family friend his suspicion that someone he once trusted wants to sell the parchment and cash in.

Within days Jonathan is found shot to death in his study. At the same time, his wife, Kathleen, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, is found hiding in the study closet, incoherent and clutching the murder weapon. Even in her dementia, Kathleen has known that her husband was carrying on a long-term affair. Did Kathleen kill her husband in a jealous rage, as the police contend? Or is his death tied to the larger question: Who has possession of the priceless parchment that has now gone missing?

It is up to their daughter, twenty-eight-year-old Mariah, to clear her mother of murder charges and unravel the real mystery behind her father’s death. Mary Higgins Clark’s The Lost Years is at once a breathless murder mystery and a hunt for what may be the most precious religious and archaeological treasure of all time.

Review: This novel is a bit of a departure for MHC, and while sound with biblical and historical background, the premise it is based on is fiction. I usually tear thru MHC's books, but I found myself not doing it on this one. I'm not sure if it was because the story dragged in parts, if the characters were not as appealing as normal, or if I had figured it all out early on, and I was just looking for twists. I really couldn't pinpoint it, when I told Mom to pass on it, after I finished it. 


This is not to say it's a BAD book, just not the typical 5 star page turner we've come to expect from MHC. To me it felt like more of a rough draft- one that needed more pages to help me like the characters. When the character you like is the deceased one, you know there may be some issues...But then I'm used to reading 800 page historical fiction novels that take an idea like a Letter toJoseph of Arimathea, and work enough character and history into the tale to keep it moving at a brisk pace, and keep you turning the page. This is still a decent read for by the pool, especially if you like/love books by MHC. Just don't expect you're gonna finish it in one sitting!


About the Author: Mary Higgins Clark is the author of thirty suspense novels; three collections of short stories; a historical novel, Mount Vernon Love Story;and a memoir, Kitchen Privileges; she is the coauthor with Carol Higgins Clark of five suspense novels: Dashing through the Snow, Deck the Halls, He Sees You When You’re Sleeping, The Christmas Thief, and Santa Cruise. More than 100 million copies are in print in the United States alone, and her books are worldwide bestsellers. Check out her website for more!




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Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes, free of charge, from Mulholland Booksl! No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.