Shadow of Your Smile, Mary Higgins Clark
Shadow of Your Smile, Mary Higgins Clark
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Shadow of Your Smile

Author: Mary Higgins Clark

Narrator: Jan Maxwell

Abridged: 5 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/13/2010


Synopsis

Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark brings us another New York Times bestselling novel that she “prepares so carefully and executes with such relish” (The New York Times Book Review) about the search for identity by the daughter of a man adopted at birth, who may be the inheritor of his large fortune.

At age eighty-two and in failing health, Olivia Morrow knows she has little time left. The last of her line, she faces a momentous choice: expose a long-held family secret, or take it with her to her grave.

Olivia has in her possession letters from her deceased cousin Catherine, a nun, now being considered for beatification by the Catholic Church—the final step before sainthood. In her lifetime, Sister Catherine had founded seven hospitals for disabled children. Now the cure of a four-year-old boy dying of brain cancer is being attributed to her. After his case was pronounced medically hopeless, the boy’s desperate mother had organized a prayer crusade to Sister Catherine, leading to his miraculous recovery.

The letters Olivia holds are the evidence that Catherine gave birth at age seventeen to a child, a son, and gave him up for adoption. Olivia knows the identity of the young man who fathered Catherine’s child: Alex Gannon, who went on to become a world-famous doctor, scientist, and inventor holding medical patents.

Now, two generations later, thirty-one-year-old pediatrician Dr. Monica Farrell, Catherine’s granddaughter, stands as the rightful heir to what remains of the family fortune. But in telling Monica who she really is, Olivia would have to betray Catherine’s wishes and reveal the story behind Monica’s ancestry.

The only people aware of Olivia’s impending choice are those exploiting the Gannon inheritance. To silence Olivia and prevent Monica from learning the secret, some of them will stop at nothing—even murder.

Clark’s riveting novel explores the juxtaposition of medical science and religious faith, and the search for identity by the daughter of a man adopted at birth.

About Mary Higgins Clark

Suspense author, Mary Higgins Clark has had 51 novels that have been bestsellers in the United States and many other countries, all of which remain in print through 2015. It was through necessity that her career blossomed, but she had always had writing talent and aspirations.

Clark followed a dream in her early career and took time out to be a(at that time) stewardess for PanAm so she could see the world. Just before beginning her exciting new job.....being paid $5 less per week than her secretarial job.......she met William Clark who was so smitten with her that he proposed that she stay in the job for one year, then marry him at the end of that year. And they did just that. The Clarks had five children, and sadly her husband passed away from an extended bout of heart problems in 1964. Also, very sadly, his mother was at his bedside when he died, and she too passed away that very same night.

So, as stated before, out of necessity, Higgins Clark seriously launched her career of writing 51suspense novels with some being adapted to film. She is known as the "Queen of Suspense", she has the ability to serve as a master plotter to slowly create tension for the reader, while giving the appearance that everyone is guilty. Her books feature strong, independent women characters who are the heroines, who are noted for making sensible decisions. Readers tend to identify with these characters as more ordinary people than most novel heroines. Higgins Carter's novels are for adult readers, but because she does not include explicit sex or violence in them, they are also popular with children as young as twelve. Simon & Schuster have published all of Higgins Clark's novels, signed her to a $64 million , four book contract in 1990, and have funded the Mary Higgins Clark Award given to new authors of suspense novels.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jay on August 06, 2010

Formulaic. In the case of the vast majority of frothy mystery writers (think Janet Evanovich or Sandra Brown), “formulaic” not only describes the plot but also comments on the nutritional value. Mary Higgins Clark, very much like Agatha Christie before her, takes formulaic and makes it comforting (n......more

Goodreads review by Jerry on August 16, 2020

Definitely not the best by this author; in fact, I'd say it's the worst Mary Higgins Clark book I've read. Fans of suspense can do much better.......more

Goodreads review by Alex is The Romance Fox on November 12, 2011

Mary Higgins Clark is not one of the authors I consciously think “I CAN’T WAIT FOR HER NEXT BOOK”. However saying this I must admit I have read all her books and have become familiar with her work. Her books are filled with light suspense, no bad language, violence and graphic sex scenes and her fem......more

Goodreads review by Aya on February 20, 2019

There’s always an acceptable amount of coincidental use in any book. But in this case it just entwines between ALL the characters that it just doesn’t make sense. The ending was far too predictable. The evidence giveaways are too dumb to be made by people in the story, in this case are *surprise sur......more

Goodreads review by Jana on March 22, 2011

The Shadow of Your Smile is not the best book of Mary Higgins Clark. I have read a lot better ones. But still it kept me fascinated and I did not want to stop reading. As with all novels by Mary Higgins Clark, this one as well is written in many small chapters switching perspective between the chara......more