WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
Mary Higgins Clark
Simon & Schuster
Thriller
ISBN: 9781416566380

• Read an Excerpt

Twenty-six-year-old law school graduate Carolyn MacKenzie is on the fast track to a successful legal career. But before she can pursue her own goals and move forward with her life, she is driven to solve a decade-old mystery that has tortured her family.

Ten years ago, her 21-year-old brother Mack walked out of his Manhattan apartment without a word of goodbye, leaving behind a promising future and a loving family. The disappearance of Mack and the loss of her father in the attack on the World Trade Center have taken their toll, not only on Carolyn, but even more so on her mother Olivia.

Once a year, on Mother’s Day, Mack calls Olivia to tell her he is okay, but he refuses to say where he is or what is keeping him from returning home. For the past decade Olivia has lived with false hope, believing Mack will one day return, and Carolyn has stood by --- helpless --- watching her mother suffer. But this year is different. When Mack calls, Carolyn interrupts the conversation and tells Mack she is going to track him down --- no matter what it takes.

Olivia is enraged that Carolyn has threatened Mack because she believes her son is either in grave danger or in serious trouble. Elliott Wallace, a trusted family friend who is enamored with Olivia, also advises Carolyn not to pursue the matter.

The next morning, during a Mass celebrated by Carolyn’s uncle Devon, someone folds a message inside a $20 bill and leaves it in the collection basket. The note asks the priest to warn Carolyn to back off.

Despite her mother’s angry reaction and the threatening message, Carolyn is more determined than ever to find her missing brother. She goes to the police, who initially brush her off, but she does not give up.

After visiting the building where Mack used to live, she becomes convinced that Gus and Lil Kramer, the superintendents, know something about her brother’s disappearance and have something to hide. Mack’s former roommates aren’t much help, either. Handsome and charming Nick DeMarco has his own problems, and Bruce Galbraith is downright hostile.

During her search, a college student goes missing not far from where Mack was last seen, and police get involved. The further the cops dig, the more they find clues tying the young woman’s disappearance to Mack. They begin to suspect that Mack could be missing for a reason. Over the years several young women have disappeared in the same area, and Mack quickly becomes their primary suspect. The closer Carolyn comes to finding her brother and proving his innocence, the more deadly the consequences.

Mary Higgins Clark has done it again. America’s “Queen of Suspense” has written a fast-paced thriller with an unexpected twist. WHERE ARE YOU NOW? is also a surprisingly touching story about living with heartache and the enriching power of love to overcome loss.

    --- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt (dvolkenannt@charter.net)

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