Before I Say Good-Bye

Before I Say Good-bye by Mary Higgins Clark was not a favorite of mine. It is a mystery/suspense book, but the characters did not feel developed. The main character, Nell, is portrayed to be serious, driven and very intelligent, but throughout the story seems to do things totally out of character. There are several secondary characters who tend to take away from the story itself. I understand the need for secondary characters to add to the intrigue, but they took away from the story. The climax and resolution seemed so unbelievable that it was a letdown.

I remember looking forward to reading every new book that MHC came out with, but this had me wondering if see even wrote it. It just did not have the suspense element that I had expected from her.

typical her — but good

When Nell MacDermott learns that her husband, architect Adam Cauliff, and three of his business associates have died in an explosion of his new cabin cruiser, she is not only devastated but wracked with guilt. The last time she saw Adam, they had a bitter quarrel over her plan to run for the congressional seat long held by her grandfather; she had told him not to come home.

As the investigation into the boat's explosion proceeds, Nell learns that it was not an accident but a bomb. Despite her skepticism, Nell is swayed by her great-aunt Gert, a believer in psychic powers, to see a medium claiming to be Adam's channel.

While trying to unravel the threads of Adam's past and his violent end, Nell consults the medium, show more who transmits messages to her with instructions from Adam. The story reaches a powerful climax in Nell's final encounter with the medium, in which she learns the truth about the explosion--a truth she can't be allowed to live to tell. show less

Nell MacDermott is devastated when her husband, Adam Cauliff, dies in a boat explosion. Her grief is made worse because she had quarreled with Adam the day before he died about her desire to follow in her grandfather's footsteps and run for political office. When people start questioning whether Adam was involved with shady real estate deals, Nell struggles to clear his name before it ruins her political chances. She reluctantly uses the help of a psychic who claims that Adam is speaking to her from another world. But the digger she deeps, Nell finds out much more about Adam than she expected in her search for the truth.

This was a disappointing thriller. The characters are bland. Nell's running for political office seems to be simply a show more plot device, as there's little talk of politics in the novel. Adam appears only briefly before he disappears and is so obnoxious that it's hard to believe Nell would marry him. Dan Minor, a doctor looking for his long lost mother, is the most interesting character in the novel and I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been about him and not Nell.

This book could have used a good editor. Parts of the plot make no sense. Nell has show signs of psychic ability, including seeing her dead parents and auras around people, yet when her aunt pressures her to go see a psychic, Nell says she doesn't believe in psychic ability! Early on Lisa Ryan calls Nell; several chapters later Lisa has to call Nell's grandfather because she doesn't have Nell's phone number! And Nell twice has the same conversation with two cops about a safety deposit box key. This was so annoying that it ruined the flow of the book and the story lost all credibility for me. Finally, I figured out the twist early on, but it was never fully explained how it was carried out and several plot threads were left hanging.

For devoted Mary Higgins Clark fans only. show less

I really enjoyed this book and have read it several times, it stills turns out to be the same ending though. When Nell's husband dies in a boat explosion, her life changes in moments and is convinced to go see a psychic. When given instructions from her husband through the psychic, things start to heat up, but can she follow the instructions and stay alive?

Loved this book by Marry Higgins Clark, it had a slight tinge of the occult which i loved!!!! You follow Nell as she deals with on tragedy after the next, at the age of ten Nell lost her mother in father in a horrible plane crash. Raised by her grandfather who was a political new york giant she developed a hunger for the political limelight. After meeting Adam Nell's life changed, and after three years of marriage she faces her worst fear, Adam is killed in a boating accident along with his secretary, and two other members of the currant building project he was working on. However an eyewitness saw someone get off the boat before the explosion, and Nell has yet to get a visit from Adam like she did her parents after their death. She is show more desperate to hear from him especially with all the new allegations that he was the head of something illegal. Was Adam the cause of the explosion did he escape? Why!!!! Follow Nell as she goes on this journey. show less

I remember looking forward to reading every new book that MHC came out with, but this had me wondering if see even wrote it. It just did not have the suspense element that I had expected from her.