Home :: Books :: Audio CDs  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs

Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
Daddy's Little Girl

Daddy's Little Girl

List Price: $39.95
Your Price: $26.37
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Satisfied Reader
Review: Another one of Clark's famous stories. Suspenseful and fully of mystery --I could not decide which character was the real killer. A great book; I couldn't put it down until it was over!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Daddy's Little Girl
Review: Book Review
Clark, Mary C. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002. 352 pages.
Mary Higgins Clark's Daddy's Little Girl is a capturing story of a young woman trying to avenge her late, older, sister. Ellie Cavanaugh's older sister, Andrea, was murdered when Ellie was seven years old. "Ellie sank to her knees beside Andrea and pulled back the blanket covering her face. Andrea had a mask on, a terrible monster mask that looked all sticky and gummy." Rob Westerfield was the prime suspect, and then found guilty. Now, 22 years later, Rob is being let out of jail. His family is trying to get his name cleared so he can inherit his grandmother's money. Hearing of this, Ellie comes back to her hometown, from Atlanta, and begins an investigation to keep Rob in jail. She finds herself remembering things from the night her sister, who she was very close to, went missing, and the trial for Rob. This leads her on a dangerous adventure through recovering the past, and facing the days to come. I enjoyed this book because it kept me guessing throughout the time I was reading it. However, I recommend this book for mainly girls because the story is more from a girls' perspective.




Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good Story - lacking Mystrey
Review: Daddy's Little Girl is a story of Ellie Cavanaugh coming to terms with her sisters death, and the reconcillation with her father. The story predicatible and lacks mystrey. The killer is never really questionable. Paulie is offered as a very weak secondary villian. The reader never is really lead to believe that he is capable. The main character Ellie, is consumed with guilt about her sister's death and is out to bring Rob Westerfield to a justice. Yes, he has been in prison, but that is not enough. Ellie's character is one that strives for dimension and achieves it on many occasions, so if you want a story of a 30 year old woman coming to terms with the past, forgiving her father and building a relationship with a brother she never knew before, this is a great book. But if you are seeking a mystrey that will keep you thinking, guessing and on the edge of your seat, this is not it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Not Guilty, or Brutal Killer
Review: Daddy's Little Girl is an exraordinary book written by Mary Higgins Clark. Not knowing what kind of author she was, I decided to take a chance and read the book. After starting the book I knew that I would be very interested, the book had intreged me and grabbed my attention.
The story begins where Ellie Cavanaugh, and eight year old girl, finds her murderd sister, Andrea in lying in the garage of a wealthy woman by the name of Mrs. Westerfeild. Andrea is dating the grandson of Mrs. Westerfeild, and he is one of the first suspects. Ellie's father is a local county police officer, and as he tries to find the victim Ellie gets involved.
After suspenceful chapters not knowing who the murderer is, a trial takes place. Ellie's testimony led to the conviction of the man that she was sure was the killer. After denying his guilt he spent twenty-two years in prison.
When the man comes out for parole Ellie then decides to protest his release. Ellie is now an ivestigative reporter for an Atlanta newspaper. The convicted killer is still let free, and as Ellie is looking for the man, she is determined to "whitewash" his reputation. Ellie is also determined to write a book, and create a website that will prove this man's guilt.
As Ellie discovers more, she finds to know the truth of the horrifying, and unknown facts about her sister's murder. With each step she takes to dicover more, she gets closer, and closer to the killer.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MyShelf.com Review
Review: Ellie Cavanaugh is only seven years old when her sister, Andrea, is brutally murdered. A clandestine tryst with a boyfriend results in death, and Ellie is haunted by the knowledge that if she hadn't kept the meeting secret, her sister's life might have been saved. Her parents also seem to blame her, and she holds the guilt deep inside her soul. The boy Andrea was to meet that night, Rob Westerfield, is convicted of the murder and sent to prison, all the while professing his innocence.

Now, over twenty years later, Westerfield, is up for parole, and Ellie, an investigative reporter for a newspaper in Atlanta, finds out that he intends to seek a new trial. New evidence, supposedly found by an author who is writing a book about the case, is being touted by the wealthy Westerfield family as the key to finally exonerating their family name. Ellie is working on her own book, and maintains a website that she uses to prove Rob Westerfield was the person who murdered Andrea. She is determined to stop her sister's killer from walking away from his crime.

DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL is Mary Higgins Clark at her best. The story is engrossing and the plot holds the reader from beginning to end. Clark's first attempt at writing in the first person point-of-view is a success. A MHC novel isn't great literature - it is exactly what it is supposed to be. An easy to read, compelling story that gives the reader an enjoyable respite from reality. All in all, a pretty impressive achievement.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Keeps you reading to the end
Review: Ellie Cavanaugh was seven years old when her older sister Andrea was murdered one night. This event caused the Cavanaugh family to fall apart. Of the three suspects, Rob Westerfield was the one found guilty and put in prison for twenty-two years. When he got out of prison, Ellie was determined get him back in prison and therefore she investigated the murder very closely and wrote a book about it. She found out some things that people didn't want her to know. During that process, she risked her life because the house she was living in was broken into and set on fire.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read. I don't usually like reading books, but this book kept my interest until the very last word and made me want to keep reading more. Mary Higgins Clark does a nice job of making you question things throughout the whole book through her mystery and suspense. She gives the main character good qualities such as drive and motivation to do what is right and also insight on the mind of a killer. In my opinion, after reading this book, Mary Higgins Clark definitely fits the title of "Queen of Suspense."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Much better than her last two!
Review: Ellie Cavanaugh was seven years old when she found the body of Andrea, her fifteen year old sister, in the hideout. The hideout was in the garage behind old Mrs. Westerfield's house. It was little Ellie's testimony that put Andrea's boyfriend, Rob Westerfield, in prison for the murder. The stress and depression tore the family apart.

After twenty years Rob was coming up for parole. With his family's influence and money there was no doubt he would be released this time. The family also had an author writing Rob's life story to gain public sympathy.

Ellie had grown up and became an investigative reporter with the Atlanta News. She returned to her hometown to make sure Rob was not acquitted. Most believed Rob innocent of Andrea's death. As Ellie investigated and posted her findings on the web for the world to see, she became targeted for murder.

***** Mary Higgins Clark had not written this well in several years. I found it to be MUCH better than her last few novels! Clark seems to have found her muse once again! Highly recommended! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Page-turning Suspense
Review: Ever popular fiction writer Mary Higgins Clark has written yet another spine-tingling tale in this latest read. As a slight deviation, the victim's sister tells the story in the first person. Twenty-two years ago, fifteen-year-old Andrea Cavanaugh was brutally murdered near her home in suburban West Chester County, New York. Her sister, Ellie, seven-years-old at the time, has shouldered the blame for not telling her parents where her sister might have gone on that fateful night. With the subsequent breakup of her family and her mother's alcoholism, Ellie has grown up remembering her father's "why didn't you tell us?"

Now, Ellie is twenty-nine-years-old and an investigative reporter in Atlanta. She returns to her childhood home on the eve of the release of her sister's murderer. Determined to prevent the killer to be exonerated with a new trial, Ellie starts a web page and begins to uncover startling new facts concerning her sister's killer. Though she faces opposition from members of the town who believe in the man's innocence, Ellie continues in her quest. But Ms. Higgins Clark has created a character the reader wants to champion even as her life becomes endangered when she journeys too close to the truth.

As the clues mount in this non-stop adventure, Ellie's relationship with her estranged father and half-brother becomes a factor in their effort to protect her from becoming a victim. Clue by clue, the identity of the murderer becomes solidified, but the reader still wonders if Ellie is not being misled. A brilliant read, suspenseful until the very end.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Fast moving & entertaining
Review: Every spring for more years than I care to recall I pick up the latest Mary Higgins Clark book. They are usually good, fast page turners which don't require much thought. The same can be said about the latest book, Daddy's Little Girl. In a change of pace for Clark, the book is written in the first person, and I enjoyed this point of view, it made me feel more a part of the story.

The storyline has echoes of the current Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel trial. Rich playboy from well to do family is accused of murdering younger neighborhood girl. However in MHC's version, the young man goes to jail. We enter the story 23 years later, when the younger siter of the murder victim tries to prevent the murderer from getting his parole.

Ellie Cavanugh is a 30 year old investigative reporter, who is still coming to terms with the murder of her older sister. When Rob Westerfield is granted parole for the murder, he announces his intention to clear his name and get a new trial. Ellie is equally determined to prove him guilty beyond any doubt. Ellie is a nice change of pace character. Not written in the typical 'female in distress' mode, she had brains and enough sense not to go into dark rooms in the middle of the night, while we silently say don't go, don't do it. She is not written as a complete idiot, who needs to be rescued by a man.

Mild spoiler ahead if you haven't read the book stop now.

My biggest problem with the book, is that there were no real surprises. Everything was well plotted but there were no major twists and turns, no big surprises. The 'red herring' clues never amounted to much, and so the ending, while very fast moving, didn't have much punch to it. The final chapter, one year later, wraps up all the loose ends in on nice package, and almost felt added on. I also would have enjoyed a more romantic storyline than the one we got with Ellie & Peter.

I still like my yearly vist with MHC, and will buy her book next spring, and probably as long as she writes them, I'll be reading them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of my favorites by MHC
Review: I absolutely loved this book! After reading the first chapter I never wanted to put it down! The story is so entertaining about a little girl whose sister is killed when she is little and when she grows up she tries to keep the man that got sent to jail for the murder off probation. I got so involved because the book makes you wonder who the murderer really is. If you want to find out for yourself read this book today.


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates