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Do You Want to Know a Secret (Chivers Sound Library American Collections (Audio))

Do You Want to Know a Secret (Chivers Sound Library American Collections (Audio))

List Price: $79.95
Your Price: $79.95
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Another Mary Higgins Clark
Review: By now y'all know Mary Higgins Clark is the ex-mother-in-law of our author here, Mary Jane Clark. Many speak to the similarities of style -- a dashing (and gorgeous wholesome single mom, young widow, and accomplished professional) leading lady who overcomes all odds; enough violence and suspense to entertain and befuddle; and a nice clean ending we can all feel good about. Well hopefully that could be said about many a good book. The differences I see are more interesting. First the venue -- set mostly in the surrounds of a major news network, midst the tribulations of the early morning shows and anchor broadcasts at night, we certainly get (ala the movie "Network News") plenty of up close looks at the pressured lives on the news set. In the best tradition of write about what you know about, MJ speaks from personal experience as a producer and writer for CBS News. Indeed, Dan Rather gets a cameo mention in the story, as he does in the acknowledgments up front for his encouragement to the author. I just hope the romances reported among many co-workers aren't quite that prevalent, although as we know, propinquity is a powerful force (said Zelda to Dobie...).

Second, we get a pretty good story line. The first shocker is the apparent suicide of a famous anchor, followed thereafter (but paced well) by the murders of his doctor and his secretary. Even the most dense of us realize the connections, though the trained newshounds seemed to miss it. A big surprise at the end serves up a murderer I dare say few suspected more than a page or two before the unveiling, so high marks for suspense.

Third, and of course not as welcome, we do get an awful lot of characters, relationships, AIDS pleas, disease causes, snippets of events, changes in scenery, etc.; to me, all that clutter gets a little tiresome. Certain loose ends never do get wrapped up, and I'm not even sure that a major subplot, the campaign machinations of a presidential candidate, really advanced the basic story line that well. I also personally disliked chopping the book up into 141 (!) chapters - do the math, they span 302 pages, so that's like two pages each. And the last 35 span only 25 pages, so we're down to barely more than the "sound bites" so lovingly quoted throughout.

So - for her first outing (of four to date), not bad. Clean things up, simplify a little, give us a little longer reading stretch with out raising and lowering the curtain a hundred times, and we might have something here. I'll at least move on to number 2 - "Do you promise not to tell?". And you?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: ...
Review: Do You Want To Know a Secret is a well-written book that entertained me throughout the whole novel. It was about a few newscasters who all had secrets that could ruin their reputations. However, their secrets get out. Unfortunately, they don't know how or who told. There are characters in this book who aren't the people that everyone thought they all knew. This book has many twists and turns that keeps you on the edge. I enjoyed this book very much. If you are looking for an exciting and wonderful book then read this.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: GOOD SUSPENSEFUL BOOK
Review: Eliza Blake, tv anchorwoman , is grieving over the death of her husband when her news partner, Bill Kendall, is found dead, apparently a suicide..........or was it???? Everyone has secrets to hide in this book, and the author knows how to play with our emotions..........I found this to be a realistic and exciting read, packed with twists and surprises....reminiscent of her (ex) mother-in-law, the great Mary Higgins Clark! Enjoy yourself with this one....she's an author to watch for!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This was good
Review: I really enjoyed this novel. The author is very good at thickening a plot and drawing you into it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: All around good, easy read
Review: I started the book last night, and couldn't put it down until 4 am, but at least I finished it! It was a good storyline, I enjoyed getting a simple glimpse into the media world. It also gives you a good peek into the corruption behind campaigns and politics in general. I really liked the characters in this book, although each one, in my opinion, could have used some more depth. The only reason this book doesn't get 5 stars is because as you read it - you start to feel that the second half of the book <with extra emphasis on the last quarter of the book> was completely RUSHED. I really don't like a sudden closing to a book. However, it really does keep you guessing until the last couple of pages. I just feel that it could have had MORE of an impact, and MORE of that "UMPH" had the story been written at the same speed throughout. I do recommend this book for anyone who just wants a good book to read. If you're looking for something you will remember for life - this isn't going to be it. But if you're looking for a pleasant way to spend a nice afternoon - - - by all means, try reading Mary Jane Clark's "Do You...etc." Final word: I believe her mother-in-law, the OTHER Clark, would be quite proud of her ex-daughter in law. The woman can write. However, given her talents, I wish she would learn to write in her own style, instead of in the familiar style of the OTHER Clark.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Another Mary Higgins Clark
Review: I was at a book sale when I spotted Mary Jane's 3 first novels. I decided to buy them because I had read all of Mary Higgins Clark's novels and Mary Jane's books reminded me of Mary Higgins Clark. I decided, why not, the worst that can happen is that it is a boring book and the best that could happen is that I discover another great author like Mary Higgins Clark, James Patterson and Philip Margolin. Was I glad I did. This first novel was a bit slow at the beginning but it had enough suspense to keep me reading and the ending surprised me. I was happy to find out that Mary Jane has quick, snappy diaglogue with a mix of characters that keeps you guessing. Needless to say, her writing keeps getting better. Yep, the other two books were even better.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Tries hard but can't go full steam ahead
Review: If you like Mary H. Clark books, you'll love books by Mary J. Clark. "Do you want to know a secret" is full of suspense with a surprising twist ending. Eliza Blake is a popular co-anchor for KEY news. She has a 4 year old daughter and is starting to get over her husband's death. One day, the anchor, Bill Kendall, is found dead in his apartment. The autopsy shows suicide, but what made him do it? Read this book and find out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mary Jane Clark has performed a master-stroke!
Review: Mary Jane Clark has cooked up a wonderful blend of suspense and adrenaline in this, her first novel.. you'd think she was an old pro after the surprise ending!

Eliza Blake is a sympathetic, endearing heroine in a hectic world of broadcast news. Clark's hawk-eye attention to detail allows us all a peak into the sometimes ugly world of TV news. So, it's a double whammy...a good mystery (be prepared to stay up through the night to finish it!) and a great behind-the-scenes tell-all. READ THIS BOOK! You will NOT regret it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Media, politics & murder, the best Clark I've ever read!
Review: Mary Jane Clark's intelligent mystery novel gives the reader the inside scoop on the on the high stakes network news game. This was a book that I couldn't put down. Her heroes and villains alike are both believable and compelling. Certainly one of my best new mystery purchases, I couldn't stop reading until I had finished this book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: DID I MISS SOMETHING?
Review: The author writes well, but rarely have I read a book that left so many "untied" loose ends. There were many hints throughout the book as to who the bad guy/gal was, but most of these hints were never resolved one way or another. Unless I missed something? For example, what was the deal with "the mole"? They mentioned it several times and then . . . nothing! And what about Pete Carlson? Did he spill the beans about Joy and Bill at the convention? Did he remain as anchor or did Yelena finally get rid of him? And what about the homeless guy stealing the animal doorknockers?? Can someone please tell me how that fit in with the rest of the book? Or did it? Were all of these simply "red herrings," or did the whole plot just go right over my head? (I sincerely would like someone to explain this book to me - I'm not kidding.)


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