The Second Time Around

Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful Thrill-Ride
Review: As the author of twenty plus novels, Mary Higgins Clark tirelessly invents new plotlines amidst the theme of murder and suspense. In her latest, Nicholas Spencer, the charismatic leader of the medical research company, Gen-stone, is presumed dead when his plane crashes into the ocean.

On assignment with WALL STREET WEEKLY, reporter Carley DeCarlo is trying to discover why Nick apparently embezzled funds from his own company and misrepresented to investors the apparent success of Gen-stone's cancer vaccination. In a unique twist to this story, Carley tries to be empathetic to Lynn Spencer, Nick's widow and Carley's estranged stepsister. Add in a sub-plot where Lynn's mansion is burned, and she barely escapes, and you have a novel where no one is above suspicion. Did Nick fake his own death knowing his company was going belly up, or was his demise carefully orchestrated by moles wishing to take over his company?

Intensely gripping, Ms. Higgins Clark's latest leads the reader on a roller-coaster ride of thrills as Carly uncovers clues in Nick's disappearance using her gently probing investigative skills. And as she realizes that her discoveries might have put herself and others in harms way, her rekindled romance with an old high school crush might quite possibly save her life. ...

Rating:
Summary: Um...boring.
Review: Mary Higgins Clark absolutely should stick to writing in the third person. It just works for her. Narrating in the first person only makes this uninteresting, insipid recent novel from her all the more worse. The main character, Carley DeCarlo, is so lame and lacking in personality despite Clark's attempts to make her seem believable through the story of how she lost her child. She is so frustratingly one-dimensional. The other characters are just as intolerable. You are left wishing Nick Spencer would be so good as to make an appearance so you can take a break from the boring storyline. And folks it is boring...it feels as if Clark is trying her darndest to make this whole Gemstone fiasco seem intriguing. Bottom line, it's not. "The Second Time Around" is so flat and predictable.

Rating:
Summary: A well-plotted tale chock full of colorful characters
Review: Mary Higgins Clark is known worldwide for her suspenseful thrillers and she is considered one of the most popular and prolific writers in the genre. Her latest book, titled THE SECOND TIME AROUND, is a well-plotted tale about the discovery of a cure for cancer and the balance between the good and the evil that motivates the players with a stake in its development.

The novel begins with a stockholder's meeting that takes place "... two weeks [after] Nicholas Spencer, president and chief operating officer of Gen-stone had been killed in the crash of his private plane while flying to San Juan ... his company expected to receive the blessing of the Food and Drug Administration for a vaccine that would both eliminate the possibility of the growth of cancer cells and bring to a halt the progression of the disease in those already afflicted-a preventive and a cure that he ... was responsible for bringing to the world".

Unfortunately, soon after this celebratory event, "the headline proclaiming Spencer's disappearance was followed ... by the announcement from the chairman of the board of Gen-stone that there ha[d] been numerous setbacks in the experiments with the vaccine and that it could not be submitted to the FDA for approval in the foreseeable future". This chilling news story "further said that tens of millions of dollars had been looted from the company, apparently by Nicholas Spencer."

Stockholders, both the rich and the ordinary who had invested their life savings in Gen-stone, lost everything. And since Spencer's body was not recovered, many believed he orchestrated his own "death" and that he was cavorting on a beach in some country with no extradition laws. Others, who may have believed that he really was dead, were at a loss to understand how this shining hero turned out to be a consummate con man and the miracle drug a fraud.

Marcia "Carley" DeCarlo, a financial writer, tells the story in the first person; later, her voice is joined by that of a madman who tells his side of the story in the third person. He is a murderer who seeks to avenge all the wrongs life has imposed upon him, especially the death of his beloved wife. She died in an accident while fleeing from their home, after an argument over the money he lost in Spencer's scheme. In a race to save lives and uncover the truth, Carley joins a team of writers who are assigned to write "The Nicholas Spencer Story" in a way no other publication has ever printed it.

THE SECOND TIME AROUND is chock full of colorful characters from all walks of life and whose only real connection to each other is Gen-stone. They are left with the sad bond that marks the wreckage of their lives in the aftermath of the drug companies' devalued stock.

We meet Spencer's wife, Lynn, a rich, self-absorbed, selfish and cold woman, who happens to be Carley's stepsister. We are introduced to Dr. Broderick, who participated in the very early experiments conducted by Nicholas's father, ones that comprise the primary work on the new drug. We meet people in the town where Nicholas Spencer grew up who are shocked by the accusations against him and outraged by what seems to be his betrayal. We are introduced to Vivian Powers, Spencer's personal assistant whose involvement with him exceeds her job description. We meet Marty Bikorsky, a man broken by his losses who finds himself the main suspect in a near fatal fire that burned the Spencer mansion to the ground. The CEO of Gen-stone, Charles Wallingford, and Adrian Garner, the head of the pharmaceutical firm, ready to market the cancer cure, hover like dark shadows over the narrative.

Throughout, Carley follows her instincts and uses her common sense as she put the bits and pieces of the puzzle together. She carefully investigates Nicholas Spencer's disappearance; who, if anyone else, could have stolen the money; the probability (or not) that the drug will really work; who is being framed and whom is doing the framing. Each step she takes not only brings her another clue but also puts her in danger. Nevertheless, this determined writer ... sleuth manages to maintain her integrity and vows she will explore every twisted path along her journey to discover the truth of the matter.

THE SECOND TIME AROUND is Mary Higgins Clark's twenty-seventh novel. Readers will find this book fresh and new whether they are reading her for the first time or have read all twenty-six others. Enjoy!

--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum

Rating:
Summary: A mysterious vaccine may be a breakthrough or a hoax.
Review: Mary Higgins Clark's new suspense novel, "The Second Time Around," is about the mysterious disappearance of Nicholas Spencer, the head a medical research company named Gen-Stone. Before his disappearance, Spencer had been touting a new vaccine that could be a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer. However, the vaccine that held so much promise now appears to have been a failure, and Spencer, who may have died when his private plane crashed, could actually have faked his own death. Rumors soon circulate that Spencer is off somewhere living the high life with his mistress, using funds that he looted from his own company and its shareholders.

Carley DeCarlo is a spunky and ambitious reporter who is determined to find out the truth about Spencer. Was he a saint who risked his personal fortune and his reputation to help humanity? Or was he really a selfish and manipulative coward? Carly has personal and professional reasons for pursuing this story, and even after she receives death threats, she refuses to give up her investigation.

Clark is a competent writer and "The Second Time Around" is a workmanlike but lightweight mystery. Although the scientific aspects of this book do not bear too much scrutiny, Clark keeps the story moving along at a fast pace, and she inserts enough action to hold the reader's interest. As always, Clark uses no foul language and the violence is sanitized for squeamish readers. I recommend this novel for those who enjoy an unchallenging and mildly entertaining novel.

Rating:
Summary: Second to none!
Review: True to Mary Higgins Clark's distinctive writing style, The Second Time Around radiates with breezy, natural dialogue, sparkling descriptive text and an intriguing plot. Being a devoted fan, I've read practically all MHC's books and this one is another winner. At first, I was somewhat disappointed she had used first person point of view for the female protagonist, Carly DeCarlo. However, as I dug into the story, I immediately changed my mind. She did a splendid job typifying the likeable, down to earth Carly's persona intermingling her first person between chapters with the menacing Ned Cooper's third person narrative. Excellent! Carly is an investigative reporter for Wall Street Weekly, assigned to report the mysterious death of Nick Spencer, founder of Gen-Stone--a corporation claiming to have discovered a vaccine to cure cancer. Conspirators, co-conspirators, angry stockholders, a cold devious stepsister, and a psychopath killer all figure in her latest riveting, unpredictable plot filled with twists and turns. Definitely one of Clark's best!

Rating:
Summary: A great new Clark: suspenseful but realistic thriller
Review: We can't really remember Clark's first dozen or so books that well, but her novels from this latest decade invariably feature high-achieving leading ladies who prevail above all to solve the mystery at hand. If we have a peeve, it's that these "wonder women" do so while looking glamorous at all times, while outsmarting every other character in the book (including almost always the police), by outrunning or outgunning everybody intent on doing them harm, etc. You get the drift -- interesting fiction but hardly real life.

So it was good to read a story, featuring leading lady Carley De Carlo, a financial free-lance writer and new employee of "Wall Street Weekly", where the plot and main premise are not overshadowed so totally by the star woman at hand. Our interest was captured at the outset in learning that Nicholas Spencer, CEO of a firm close to a cancer vaccine solution, has died in a small aircraft crash, after absconding with what millions were left in the company, having discovered that the vaccine is a failure. But then he is spotted in Switzerland?

The book alternates between searching for Spencer (or at least the truth) and a series of serial killings (done with little explicit action, mostly away from the narrative) by one of the numerous investors, large and small, who were stung by the company financially as well as disappointed by the lack of the promising vaccine, often the only hope of their loved ones. The killer eventually sets his sights on Carley, and it remains til near the end to see who comes out with the real story about everything.

Clark has served up exactly that for which she is well-known: a well-crafted tale, complete with heroes and villains and more than enough suspense to hold our interest; intriguing characters we care about -- it's even a little tough not to empathize with the killer; and a mystery that moves along smartly enough to entertain without divulging too much too soon. We commend the author on one of her better recent works, and suspect that most readers will thoroughly enjoy this novel, finding it an appealing contribution to the genre.