Annotated reading one... Suspense

What book to choose? That was a very difficult decision for me. I like suspense and wanted to try a book from an author I had not read. I already like James Patterson and Harlan Coben is one of my favorites; I did not want to read a book that was in a series and it had to sound interesting. So, I decided on a book from Mary Higgins Clark who is touted as "The Queen of Suspense". After reading through the backs of several, I decided on a book that our book club had read a few years back that was a popular selection, "Two Little Girls in Blue".

Author: Mary Higgins Clark
Title: “Two little girls in blue”

Genre: Gentle suspense

Publication Date: 2006

Number of Pages: 416 pages

Geographical Setting: New York City and suburb city of Ridgefield

Time Period: Present day

This book is not part of a series.

Synopsis: The twin daughters of Margaret and Steve Frawley are abducted on the evening of their third birthday. The family had just moved into the area for a corporate position that Steve had been hired for. A ransom is being demanded in the amount of eight million dollars for the girls’ safe return. With the Frawley's family not having access to the ransom funds, his company's board votes not unanimously to fund the demand. Things go awry when only one twin, Kelly is returned and Kathy is presumed dead. The question lies when Kelly insists that Kathy is talking to her and Margaret knows that as crazy as it seems it's true. She enlists a team to find out all they can about the kidnappers after a suicide note is found from one of the involved parties. The mastermind “Pied Piper” must be found in order to locate Kathy, who is becoming deathly ill, with her sister’s telepathic help. Will they find Kathy before it's too late?

This book is a classic example of suspense. There is tension building from wrongdoings of the human element. The kidnapping takes place within the first two pages of the book and and concludes in a narrow time frame of less than two weeks in a contemporary setting. The chapters are short, fast-paced and keep the reader wondering what the next twist and turn might be. Both the protagonist and antagonist are women. There were several suspects as to who the "Pied-Piper" actually was that left the reader guessing up until the end. 

There is definitely cross-over appeal to thrillers and suspense as well as mystery in general. My library has many of these authors designated simply as mystery. Examples of the read-alikes are from NoveList. They include suspenseful and creepy tones and plot-driven titles.   

Titles that are similar include: “Deadline” by Sandra Brown, “The husband” by Dean R. Koontz and "Chasing the night" by Iris Johansen. 
Similar authors include: Mary Jane Clark, Lisa Gardner and J.A. Jance.