Review : Mary Higgins Clark Presents Malice Domestic (Malice Domestic #2)

This anthology consisting of 17 short stories is put together by the Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark . Below are the teasers to some of the stories –

Goodbye, Sue Ellen – Ellsworth Hummer married Sue Ellen for her money and he has finally come to realize the truth of the old adage . With no say in the matters of the family business , Ellsworth finally sees that he would never be family and that his plans of gaining control of his wife ‘ s family business would not come to pass if his wife continued to be around . So begins a string of perfectly good attempts at murdering his wife but it seems like Sue Ellen has nine lives . . . While I was expecting something along the lines of The Murder of My Aunt ending , I was amused to see that the author had provided a brilliant spin on TMMA ending . . . ( Now that might be something of a spoiler but trust me , there is more . . . )

Even Steven – When one of four musketeers wins a trip to Las Vegas , she decides to take the other three along with her for a ladies – only trip . However , one muskeeter ‘ s husband insists on tagging along with them . This husband ends up murdered in the Las Vegas hotel room . The Audible narrator of this one deserves a special mention – her perky narration had me smiling the entire time . . .

Kim’s Game – The narrator is a young girl who has been sent to a summer camp to keep her out of her parents ‘ divorce drama . She knows that only one of the parents will be at home when she gets back . Coming from such a home , she has developed an uncanny sense of reading her surroundings . She also has enough sense to not to flaunt her gift . . . Soon , one of the camp counsellors is murdered . The police want to speak to our narrator as she was the first one at the crime scene . A second sweeping glance at the crime scene and she knows that she can identify the murderer by one of the items which (s)he has taken care to remove from the crime scene . . .

Cold and Deep – The sons are visiting their father who now lives in the family home with his daughter in law who is also his caretaker and his aging dog . While this story is primarily about a dysfunctional family ( with no mystery ) , there ‘ s a lot packed into this story . It ‘ s atmospheric & brilliant story – telling hints that there ‘ s something happening behind the doors of that crumbling family home ( while offering the reader nothing too concrete to base their ideas on except for dropping a word here and there . . . )

Now for some bad news – for some reason , Audible decided to cut out 5 or so stories from it ‘ s audiobook production ( including Clark ‘s As It Was in the Beginning ) . I have purchased both Malice Domestic #1 and Malice Domestic #3 also ( reviews will shortly follow but I expect that they too will have some stories missing . . . I feel so cheated , thanks Audible ) . So it would be better if you pick up the paperback . . . Who Shot Mrs. Byron Boyd , the first story is the weakest IMHO . There are several stories that are simply brilliant – it ‘s simply amazing how the authors manage to pack a lot into a few pages – great character development , atmospheric & innovative POV narratives , jaw dropping twists ( to name a few ) . I ‘ ve given the teasers of some of my favorites among them . . . Hopefully they can convince you to pick up this one . . .

P . S : I never realized that short story format could work brilliantly for suspense genre until I discovered Peter Lovesey ‘ s stories . The introduction to the Malice Domestic anthology has only whetted my appetite for the short story format in the crime fiction genre . So the readers can expect to see more reviews on short story anthologies ( primarily in the crime fiction genre ) in the future . . .

Rating : 4 / 5

If you have already read Malice Domestic #2 , let me know in the comments section about your thoughts on the book  . If you have any interesting recommendations , please do share them . Until the next review then . . .

Review : The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown and Other Stories by Peter Lovesey

The first review for 2022 and I am happy that it is not going to be a rant . My first read for the year is Peter Lovesey ‘ s anthology The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown and Other Stories consisting of 18 superb short stories . The author notes in the introduction that “the unexpected is what you are entitled to expect from a short story ” . I was a bit wary about getting my hopes high with an introductory passage but I was delighted when the man actually delivered . While anthologies generally tend to be mixed bags where few stories do the heavy lifting while the other more conventional ones quietly line up to make up a good number , that is not the case here . Every story is an absolute delight – each with its own narrative style , plot structure ( to say nothing of the humor ) . Below are the teasers to three short stories from this anthology . Hopefully they can convince you to pick up this one . . .

In The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown , Oyster Brown ‘ s twin sister Pearl Brown has not been seen by the anyone in the village recently . Although long time residents of the village , their neighbors and friends know nothing of what goes on behind the closed doors of their mock Tudor style mansion . When Oyster turns up at a local chemist ‘ s with three severely scalded fingers from an accident with the kettle ( or so she says ) and a neighbor remarks that Oyster had been drawing the curtains in her sister ‘ s bedroom to give the impression that Pearl is at home , the chemist decides to investigate . . . This one has the ending which even the most imaginative crime fiction reader will not guess . . .

In The Model Con , a young woman who has enrolled with a modelling agency gets roped in for a seemingly standard assignment until she discovers it is definitely not one . While the handsome compensation definitely quelled some of the misgivings she has about the latest assignment from the same woman , she did not foresee that she would soon become a suspect in a murder investigation . . .

In Pass The Parcel , a family gathered for Christmas decide to have a game of Pass The Parcel ( obviously ! ) which has become something of a family tradition while waiting for a family member . When the parcel is finally unwrapped and it ‘ s contents revealed , things quickly take a turn from a possible cozy Christmassy suspense to something possibly sinister . . .

I am not putting out too many teasers here because with short stories it takes only a few extra plot points for the astute overly – imaginative reader to work out the trajectory of the story . With few like A case of Butterflies , Being Of Sound Mind & You May See A Strangler , while there were some plot elements which I could spot , there were still some surprises which made for a thoroughly satisfying read . And of course , a special mention to the ones with highly inventive narratives – Curl Up & Dye ( a monologue from a hairdresser who is attending to a client ) , The Pomeranian Poisoning which is entirely told in letters & Youdunnit where you , the reader , will become the murderer . . .

This one is highly recommended from me . If you have an Audible Premium membership , you are in luck – this one is included in the membership ( you can get it for free ) . . .

Rating : 4.5 / 5

If you have already read The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown and Other Stories , let me know in the comments section about your thoughts on the book  . If you have any interesting recommendations , please do share them . Until the next review then . . .

Review : Willy & Alvirah by Mary Higgins Clark

Plot summary ( from Audible )

Follow the adventures of lottery winning couple Willy and Alvirah Meehan through these best selling short stories . The couple is targeted and pursued by ex-cons after winning the lottery in ” Plumbing for Willy ” , they discover the body of actress Fiona Winter in their New York apartment in ” The Body in the Closet ” , and they help Cynthia Lathem solve the murder of her stepfather in ” Death in the Cape ” . As a special bonus , author Mary Higgins Clark pushes the aura of suspense sky – high in ” Stowaway ” and ” Milk Run ” , a pair of stories set aboard jetliners . . .

My thoughts on the book :

A quick note before getting started with the review – I have given the star rating for individual stories also ( just count the stars next to the title ) . . .

In Death in the Cape *** , Cynthia Lathem has served twelve years for a crime she did not commit – the murder of her step – father . She is back in town looking for answers to the questions which continue to haunt her about the night her step – father was murdered . Luckily for Cynthia , Alvirah is holidaying in town and she is not the one to miss out on a case like hers . . .This one suffers from too much of classic Clark – isms and a very predictable plot – a damsel – in – distress who is determined not to lean on anybody and is on a mission , her Prince Charming standing on the sidelines hoping that she would let him help her and looking only for a cue from her so that he can swoop in and help her in her mission ( obviously that cue is not going to come from our heroine – so Prince Charming should finally put his foot down and make an appearance even if our heroine thinks she can handle it all on her own . . . ) and Alvirah ‘s sunburst pin . . . Still , Clark ‘ s average outputs are superior to some of the much – hyped recent releases which are riddled with plot holes . . .

The Body in the Closet **** has Alvirah trying to hunt down the murderer of an up – and – coming actress Fiona Winter when her favorite playwright nephew becomes the prime suspect . While this is a clever one , Alvirah trying to play the Cupid in every story involving young people is highly exasperating . Also , several of the elements mentioned above have almost become constants with every MHC offering and it does not need a Kirkus to call them out . Still , it would have been a welcome surprise to have at least regulars like Willy & Alvirah evolve with every new anthology – I am expecting Alvirah to go all teary eyed ( and Willy to pragmatically observe that Alvirah should leave the lovebirds alone ) when two young people finally decide to get together after their life – altering ordeal and both never disappoint me . ( Duh ! )

I would suggest that you start with Stowaway ***** & Milk Run ***** – both definitely have some of the elements which I have mentioned earlier but the brilliant plotting makes them fantastic reads ( especially with Stowaway ) . Oh , you can also expect some mid – air drama in the style of movies involving plane hijacking . . . In a nutshell , Stowaway has a flight attendant helping a young boy from the underground evade capture by the Soviet police . In the Milk Run , a flight attendant is entrusted with some secret papers only to find that they have been stolen mid – flight . . . Can she retrieve them before touchdown ?

Alvirah ‘ s long suffering husband Willy gets kidnapped in Plumbing For Willy *** after a bunch of ex – cons watch an episode of the Donahue show in which Alvirah and her husband make an appearance . The ex – cons are sharp as marbles and with Alvirah roping in her sister – in – law Sister Caroline & friends in the rescue mission , you are guaranteed a romp . . .

Rating : 4 / 5

If you have already read Willy & Alvirah , let me know in the comments section about your thoughts on the book  . If you have any interesting recommendations , please do share them . Until the next review then . . .