Death Wears a Beauty Mask and other stories by Mary Higgins Clark

I was once asked to make a list of all my favorite authors.  At that time the list encompassed over 50 authors and I'd have to say that I am still adding favorites.  Many of those authors on the original list have recently released new novels.  Some of these new entries are not reflective of their best work. Since this entry is really a compilation of stories written in the early years, they do not represent the intensity of some of her later works.

While the title story had an interesting plot, the other stories did not do it for me.  I found them boring and predictable.  The author states that she began writing the title novella in 1972, then put it aside to write Where Are The Children? which gave Ms. Clark a jumping-off place to a career filled with very suspenseful books.  There is some indication as to when each of the other stories were written which was helpful because, as written, they would not have been plausible in current times.

Although the inside flap indicates that this collection of stories "is a spine-tingling read and glimpse into the evolution of her world-class writing career", I would suggest that the second part of that quote is more true than the first part.

Mary Higgins Clark is a consumate mystery writer.  I always liked the titles of her books which were often taken from the lyrics of popular songs.  The familiarity of those titles often drew me into "the rest of the story".  After reading her first novel all those years ago, I could not wait for a new entry and she never disappointed me.

If you read this collection, please do not relegate your reading of this author to this book.  Rather, use it as a starting point toward reading the rest of her collection.

Ladybookbug!