Where Are the Children?

Where have the Children Gone by Mary Higgins Clark is a 2023 Pocket Books publication. (Originally published in 1975 by Simon & Schuster)

If I have my information straight, this was MHC’s first novel of suspense, which was originally published in 1975. Of course, we all know she went on to earn the ‘Queen of Suspense’ moniker and had a very long, successful career.

I can’t tell you with complete honesty, if I ever read this book before, but if I did, it was too long ago for me to remember- so I'm happy to see the book has been reissued so I can read it before Alafair Burke's follow-up- which I am so excited about!!

(Burke co-authored a series with Clark before her death, so she is familiar with Clark’s style of writing, and I show more hope she will continue to keep her legacy going. It seems fitting that Burke would begin with a story featuring Nancy's adult children.)

But before I get ahead of myself- let's take a look at this classic:

Nancy was in her twenties when her two children were murdered, and she became the prime suspect. She was convicted of the crime, but was let go on a technicality. She started over, got remarried, had more children, and lived a quiet life off the Cape, hoping a key witness would stay hidden and that she would never be recognized or retried for murder.

Unfortunately, the absolute worse happens when Nancy’s children disappear- again!

For a book written back in the mid-seventies, this story featured some taboo topics, for its time, such a pedophilia, which publishers were apparently concerned about. Though there are some signs of age, this story stands the test of time very well. The suspense is indeed intense, and although I am a jaded reader, I was on the edge of my seat a few times.

Overall, I thought for a first-time suspense writer this book was well executed and fast-paced. I can see why Clark became so popular! This is a quick read and a real page turner, too. I can’t wait to see how Burke continues this story with Nancy’s adult children!

4 stars show less

I'm not much of a thriller reader, I prefer mysteries that I have to puzzle out. But this book is a makes me reexamine that bias. I was sure that Rob Legler was the person who killed Nancy's children then kidnapped her new kids but I was completely wrong and it was revealed until 80% into the book.
The book was very well written and had me turning the pages as fast as I could. This 45 year old book also made me realize I'm never going to be able to read all the great books before I shuffle off this mortal coil. I want to be reincarnated as a librarian.

Where Are The Children by Mary Higgins Clark was originally released in 1975. It is newly released as an audio book.

Clark has penned a new introduction to the book. She names Where Are the Children as the book that kick-started her incredible career.

Although I've read a number of Clark's books, I had never read Where Are the Children. More and more, I'm doing my 'reading' through audiobooks, so I was quite happy to listen to this title.

Nancy Harmon was a suspect in the deaths of her two young children. She was cleared in court, but not in the public eye. She changed her name, appearance and locale in an attempt to start over. She found love with Ray and they have two children together. And she is as happy as she can be. Until......yep, show more unbelievably these children go missing. How could this happen again to her? And as much as she knows knows she has nothing to do with their disappearance, the cops think she does......

Now, this book was written 44 years - and at the time it created some controversy. In the intro, Clark mentions this book was turned down by some publishers because of some of the content. It would have been boundary pushing in 1975. I kept this in mind as I listened. Clark also says that the inspiration for the story was the real life case of Alice Crimmins.

What happens to Nancy is unthinkable and she collapses. A friend of the family who happens to be a therapist believes that the past holds the clues to what is happening now. As she answers his questions we learn that Nancy's first marriage was more than a little creepy. The childsnatcher also has a voice. Creepier. His motive for taking the children is, well, deviant. And this is probably what scared off publishers in 1975.

The reader knows what is happening with the children as well as how the search for them is progressing. A back and forth narrative ramps up the tension. (And ensures the reader listens to just one more chapter) And kudos to Clark. Twists and turns in a novel are all the rage now. Where Are the Children includes some nice unexpected twists.There's a reason Mary Higgins Clark is called the Queen of Suspense.

This early novel was a treat to listen to. January LaVoy was the reader. She's a narrator I know and I quite enjoy her voice and readings. Her performance in Where Are the Children was excellent. She has a rich, smooth voice with a nice undertone. Her enunciation is crisp and clean. Her voice is clear and easy to understand. She has interpreted the book well and her voice telegraphs the tension and action well. She provided really believable and distinctive voices for the characters. Her children's voices were especially well done. show less

[Where Are the Children?] was the first "suspense" novel written by Mary Higgins Clark, who is, I gather, at the age of 88 the Queen of Suspense Novelists. (It's the first of her books I've read.) ...Children? was three years in the writing, earned Clark a $3,000 advance, and surged to the top of best seller lists when it was published in 1975. Her bibliography comprises more than 50 titles.

I was challenged to read this novel by a syllabus for a lit course, English 102--Literary Analysis I: Prose Fiction, taught by David Foster Wallace. The required reading included books by Thomas Harris, Larry McMurtry, James Ellroy, and Stephen King along with this Clark book.

The story: Nancy Eldredge is an attractive wife and mother (two young show more children, Michael, 5, and Missy, 3) living in Adams Port on Cape Cod. It is her birthday, and her husband Ray, a realtor, insists that the family celebrate it for the first time ever. Ray heads off to work, and Nancy bundles their kids in warm coats and mittens and sends them out to play in the back yard. Making coffee, she peruses the local newspaper. An article about a California murder case, in which a young mother was tried and convicted of murdering her two small children. Freed on appeal, the mother escaped retrial because the star witness vanished. The article speculates this woman is now living on the Cape. Photos show a woman with a striking resemblance to Mrs. Eldredge. Panic-stricken, Nancy races into the yard and finds only Missy's red mitten caught in the swing. Her children are…GONE!

Clark scatters a fair number of red herrings; suspension of disbelief is occasionally required. But the story keeps pouring out. Twists and turns and surprises, some of which are too pat As in all good suspensers, you know it's going to end well, but the edge-teetering drives you onward until the final...uh...fall.

Overall, I liked the book; I read it in a day. Kept my interest. But I do have major quibbles about some of the characters and their motivations. Can't say more without blowing up the plot, of course. show less

So well done, this could have been really uncomfortable and gut-wrenching, but the author handles us with care while giving us a propulsive kidnapping story.

I think that, back when it was written, it was well-received because it was ahead of its time with a lifetime movie type story that hooks people. Now it doesn't hold up for me. The writing is melodramatic after a solid start. The culprit is predictable and silly, and the reasoning behind the villainry is never really explained and just doesn't make proper sense. You can tell it was a book written long ago before so many storylines like this have been hashed and rehashed on screen and on page.

This storyline is very gripping and extremely bold considering the time period it was first written. I believe I read it first about 30 years ago. Nancy Harmon's two children are dead. She is accused and facing death but gets released on a technicality. She then changes her identity and flees to Cape Cod. She marrys and has two more children and basically begins to relive the nightmare again when they go missing - and she is again a suspect. The anxiety of missing children, the false imprisonment and the devastation of a suicide all lead to an emotionally turbulent read. I picked it up and was devoted to reading through it as quickly as posssible.