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the_true_monroe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I did not expect to be giving this book such a high star review when I saw it was about a character with Multiple Personality Disorder (Now correctly referred to as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)) accused of a fatal attraction murder. It ended up being a favorite of mine from Mary Higgins Clark though and honestly, although I cannot speak from lived experience with the disorder, the depiction of DID is better than so much in the media today, even having been written 3 decades (wow, I wanted to say 2 but nope… 3!) earlier. There were many characters to follow but each had their personality and connection to the story very well constructed, as if they were each major characters (which they were but often in books you don’t get as much character development amongst such a range of characters, often the ones most central to a plot). Only thing I would have enjoyed was a smoother transition to the end from the epic finale- it ended only a couple of pages after such an intense, wonderful scene with kind of a very unsatisfying conclusion in terms of where we leave the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Mental illness, Car accident, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Grief, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Rape, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Suicide attempt
kateivy's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Growing up, I read MHC all the time, and this was one I remembered vividly.
Here's the thing: this isn't great. The characters are quite flat; they are simply archetypes: the hardboiled detective, the compassionate therapist, the young lawyer. There is no development, nor is there any real mystery. A reader can very easily figure everything out, and the climax is literally on the last page.
But, I couldn't stop reading. I blew through it. It wasn't nearly as problematic as I thought it would be. I get why my 10 year old self was so intrigued, but now that I've read many other mysteries and thrillers, I'm not sure MHC will do it for me anymore.
Here's the thing: this isn't great. The characters are quite flat; they are simply archetypes: the hardboiled detective, the compassionate therapist, the young lawyer. There is no development, nor is there any real mystery. A reader can very easily figure everything out, and the climax is literally on the last page.
But, I couldn't stop reading. I blew through it. It wasn't nearly as problematic as I thought it would be. I get why my 10 year old self was so intrigued, but now that I've read many other mysteries and thrillers, I'm not sure MHC will do it for me anymore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, and Rape
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