You Belong to Me

Mary Higgins Clark

Language: English

Published: Mar 31, 1999

Description:

Amazon.com Review

Much like the real-life Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Dr. Susan Chandler, the star of You Belong to Me, is a clinical psychologist who hosts a call-in radio show. She's bright, sharp-tongued, and even has "shoulder-length dark blonde hair." Fortunately for Dr. Laura, the similarities end there. During an episode of Ask Dr. Susan, Chandler unwittingly gets herself tangled in the web of a dangerous serial killer. It begins innocently enough when Chandler invites Dr. Donald Richards, a criminologist/psychiatrist/author to talk about his book, Vanishing Women and the plight of lonely women who are preyed upon by calculating killers. Chandler is particularly interested in the disappearance of woman named Regina Clausen, a high-profile investment advisor who vanished on a luxury cruise. Chandler feels indebted to Clausen--an investing tip she offered on CNBC turned a modest birthday check into a "bonanza"--so the good doctor uses her radio forum to help crack the case. Sure enough, during the last moments of the show, a nervous, married woman who goes by the name "Karen" calls in with invaluable clues. Apparently, she was almost a victim and can identify the murderer, but is frightened to come forward because of an insanely jealous husband. As Dr. Susan pursues her timid witness and digs deeper into the case, she realizes a hair too late that she is also one of the hunted. The fast-moving story line and easily digestible plot of You Belong to Me is vintage Mary Higgins Clark. --Rebekah Warren

From Library Journal

Jayne Atkinson reads this suspenseful work with increasing credibility. Psychologist Susan Chandler, host of a call-in radio show, runs a segment on missing women. These women left behind only the suspicion of foul play. Susan had no way of knowing that the wrong people would be listening that day or that her program would set off another chain of murders with herself poised as the penultimate victim. Atkinson gives the myriad characters unique inflections. She is also effective at tracking the fast-paced point-of-view leaps that mark the abridgment; minor characters are thoroughly introduced and killed off all in a single paragraph. However, the red herrings are particularly well done. Unfortunately, when the killer is finally unmasked, his/her motivations aren't really defensible not even in the madness of a killer's mind. Nevertheless, Clark's popularity and Atkinson's skill make this a must-buy for public libraries.AJodi Israel, Norwood, MA
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