It's been a few years since I read a Mary Higgins Clark murder mystery. I have good memories of the past novels I've read by the "Queen of Suspense," but this one fell flat for me.
Archaeologist and biblical scholar Jonathan Lyons is murdered in his New Jersey home and a long-lost, priceless parchment -- thought to be a letter from Jesus Christ to Joseph of Arimathea -- is at the center of the novel. At first I thought this would be a kind of knock-off "Da Vinci Code," but it quickly dissolved into something far less exciting and suspenseful.
The suspects are quickly laid out for us -- Jon's Alzheimer's-patient wife and his four closest friends. Sadly, I guessed the identity of the murderer from the outset and wasn't even slightly fooled by the weak attempts at red herrings. The prose was bland, and I felt the plot wasn't developed to the level it could have been.
If you're a Mary Higgins Clark fan, you shouldn't discount this novel right off the bat. But if you're new to her, I wouldn't start off your MHC experience with this book. Happy reading!
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