Book Review: I'll Walk Alone - Mary Higgins Clark

I have just realize i missed the release date for this book :(
It's out sometime ago, last April if i'm not wrong..
And yet, i just know it today! What a awful fan..

Storyline

Alexandra Moreland, known as Zan to her close friends, was already separated with her husband Edward "Ted" Carpenter when she noticed that she's pregnant. When her husband offered her to take a responsibility of the kid, Zan refuses him, as she though he wasn't expecting it. But Ted has been nice and accepted her refusal. So they lived separatedly, and Ted was in a state where he had to pretend to love an artist under his management, Melissa Knight.  Melissa was a huge and famous artist, she was irreplaceable in his company, and he needed the money he get from taking care her. All three of them lived quite peacefully, until one day, when Zan was in a hurry for a meeting with a potential client, she let their son, Matthew, to be taken care by Tiffany. Tiffany was a girl Zan trusted, she's been babysitting Matthew several times. But that day Tiffany was a bit sick, so Zan gave her a drink, and a flu medicine.
Later that afternoon, Matthew was sleeping at the baby carriage, and Tiff take him to the park. Tiff fallen asleep as well, and wake up two hours later, finding that Matthew is gone! It put her into a very stressful condition, and she just didn't know how she's going to tell Zan.

Two years later, Matthew is still gone. No one heard anything about him.
On the other side, Matthew was save with Gloria. All Matthew knew was they're hiding from bad people. And Glory was there to help him hide. They have been moving around several times, and Matthew missed her mother so much. He's been putting soap under his pillow, because it smells just like mommy.

Gloria was an make-up artist, so she could do imposter very well. This task started to iritate her, because it was longer than it intended to do. She also started to like this little boy, as he's so smart. But at the same time, she wanted it all to be done, and went on with her career as an actress. The man who plan all of this said it's going to be done soon. And it will end with a death!

As a catholic, Gloria went to church, she felt guilty. When she saw the Father, Father Aiden O'Brien, at the Reconciliation Room, she was just able to say "I know a murder that someone is planning to commit and I can't stop it." And feeling guily, she didn't tell him the rest. Father Aiden was left in shocked.

It was on Matthew's 5th birthday, that Ted called Zan up for a dinner. And so they had it. In the middle of the dinner, Josh, Zan's dear assistant, rushed in. He showed them a picture taken by a tourist when the day Matthew gone. It seems that the woman taking Matthew from the baby carriage was Zan! Ted can't believe it, and he just went mad at her.

Since then, Zan's life was shaken. It seems that all evidence shown that it was indeed her, kindapping Matthew. Even the baby sitter, Tiff, started to say bad about her, how it is possible that Zan put a sleeping pills into the pepsi she drank. Tiff was a bit irritated because these years, people has been accusing her for being careless. Ted didn't believe her as well. Zan's also getting her bank account drawn by unknown hacker, and some strange purchases appeared on her credit card. The key witness who Zan was talking with during Matthew's kidnap suddenly said Zan was late on their meeting. Her ex-bos, Barthley Longe, has did his best to beat her in every project she's going. Even the new potential customer, Kevin, who first thought he'll give the project to Zan, decided to choose Longe because of these matter. The world seems to be against her.

After dreadful details, Zan was put into jail, but Willy Meehan bailed him out. Willy and Alvirah were a good friend of Zan, since Zan wrote to Alvirah on how she loves Alvirah's article on kidnap. Alvirah liked Zan, and ordered her to re-do their apartment. Since then they're good friends.

Then Zan realized someone has set this trap for her. It was in her mind that the one to blame was her ex-bos, Longe. However, no one believed her, not even the detectives.
With Kevin, Willy, and Alvirah's help, and also the lawyer, Charles, they started to seek for the truth..

For sure, it wasn't Zan. If she said it wasn't her, so it can't be her, they trusted her.
And at the end, it was proved that some one did imposter her. It started with an ex-cop saying that there was 2 woman looked like Zan.. Which is ofcourse Gloria and Zan..
And Kevin found out that Ted was the one behind this all, since he found a spy-camera in Zan's rooms.

But there is only small time left, will the police able to reach Gloria's house and safe Matthew before Ted's man come and kill them? Will Zan ever saw her son again?


My review
It's been quite sometime since the last time i read Mary Higgins Clark's book. I recall last time, I could guessed easily who is the bad guy. But this time, i think i lose that ability :p
I fall miserably by believing that it was Barthley Longe who set up all these plots against Zan.
But I do like how Mrs. Clark put all the small details, like how Tiff notice the sandals that Zan's imposter looked different. Or how Father O'Brien notice the woman's hand is smaller than Zan's hand..
And she use Alvirah again! Alvirah is still one of my favourite character.. And it's good to imagine how she did good again..
But after finishing the book, and thinking for several seconds, it seems that Mrs. Clark was back at her usual plots after all. She hasn't changed! She put the small details that made us guessed the wrong person, and the bad guy was actually the guy we thought was kind, and how the police was wrong but able to resolve the problems at the end..
Anyway, this book is definetly shouldn't be missed if you're a Mary Higgins Clark's fan
:)

Book Review: Two Little Girls in Blue ~ Mary Higgins Clark

Do you believe in TWIN'S POWER?
I always dreamed of having a twin sister..  Starting from the movie i watched long time ago, where there is 2 twin girls, having the ability to teleport to their sister's place, or knew exactly what her sister think..
I also wanted to have a twin daughter.. Which I thought must be lovely.. :)
Anyway.. This book, Two Little Girls in Blue, basically tells a story about twin girls..

The story..
Steve and Margaret Frawley has 2 daughter, Kathy and Kelly. That day was the twin's birthday. After celebrating their kids' birthday, Steve and Margaret went to a dinner in New York. They went home eventually, and their kids are gone! Kidnapped.. The worst nightmare that a parent have..
Eight million dollar. That's the amount asked by the kidnapper.. Steve's company, which is in a bad condition, thought that it's the time to increase their reputation, by helping Steve to pay the sum.
The day came, and Steve manage to give the money. He expect to see both his kids in exchange, however, all he found was a car, a dead-driver, and his daughter Kelly. There's also a note, saying that the driver is sorry, he had killed Kathy and dumped her body.
On the other side, the kidnapper's group was helped by a lady (Angie), who wanted to have a child. Kidnapping both girls have made her dreams came through, and as Kathy is sick, Angie loves her more than Kelly. And when Kelly is returned, Angie held Kathy and threat her as her own daughter.
Steve and Margaret, being broken hearted by the death of Kathy, held a private memorial. However, during the service, Kelly constantly said that Kathy wanted to be home. Margaret heard this, and eventually became anxious.. If Kathy is alive, she should be found as soon as possible.
Lead by Kelly's warning, Margaret found the strength to force the FBI agents, and also her husband, who didn't believe that Kathy is still alive.
Kathy is in a very sick conditions, and Angie started to be mad at her. As Kathy getting weaker, her conditions became more in danger. The FBI agent tried to found her, depending on Kelly's institution. However, as Kathy getting weaker, so does Kelly..
At the end, there are a surprise on who the plan maker for the whole kidnap scenario.. Read it!! :)

My comment:
I actually read this book 3x.. First was around 5/6 years ago, and the last was somewhere around last November. It was great to read about twin's telephaty, and their interaction.
In my humble opinion, in this type of writing Mary Higgins Clark is the best. She manage to involved me on Kelly's feeling, and also Margaret's stress. I felt that, a mother should be loving her kids, and I am really pleased in how MHC express Margaret's feeling and frustration when no one believed her and Kelly.
I enjoyed reading each and every pages.
I really hated Angie, for being so selfish and so ignorance. And also I found the clerk's role a bit weird, why she didn't contact police, but go and check the kidnapper.. And there are a lot of people who actually suspect the kidnapper, but they didn't say a word to the police.. weird..
Anyway, I truly recommend this book.