I have been reading Mary Higgins Clark books continuously for about two months and thought would write a review only when I think I should write one. Then I read “ No place like Home”'. And it's time to write something. What I am writing will not be a typical review.
Before explaining further, I would just write a few words on “ No place like home”- First off all, I loved it. A husband buys a plot for his newly wedded wife ( Celia Nolan). He keeps it, a secret until she is brought to the house as he wants to surprise her. And the house shocks her. It is her house where she had killed her mother years ago. She was a little girl, then. But did she kill her mother deliberately ? For that you will have to read the whole story. She was Liza Barton then and now her new identity is Celia Nolan. Then there comes a twist in the tale - The real estate agent who gets them the house is killed.
I am not going any further. Because, any more information would kill the real joy of reading it.
As I said above, it was an interesting read. But right from the beginning of this story, a name popped up in my mind – the name of 'who dunnit'. There was no hint strewn in any part of the story. But sometimes after reading years of thrillers and who dunnits, you somehow garner that trait where you could tell who is the culprit. Many times, your guess would go wrong too. But that trait gets rooted, eventually.
Another logic also works behind it. If you want to have the real impact, the villian should be somebody whom you might not have thought about in your wildest imagination . And a reader like me, then start looking for someone who seems quite unattached with the murder.
It gives a sense of satisfaction and thrill when you could identify him/her from a great writer's book. And this time, I was right with this book. But there is another point to ponder : When you get a cue on the culprit, the culmination of final thrill is lost somewhere. I was mesmarised by the ending of ' The Murder in the Orient Express” by Agatha Christie. Could anybody have guessed that ending?
Long and short, If you want to be a good reader, stop guessing, And if you want to be an excellent writer, delve, delve and delve.
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