I see most people gave this novel a 3 for "liked it". I can't say that I "liked it", so it had to be a 2 for "it was ok" because it was nothing but ok, actually it was pretty disappointed. It's been awhile since I've read a MHC, maybe I've moved on or maybe this was one of her weakest ones? The story line was good, but the writing and the characters just didn't do it. When MHC was describing people who had money, I noticed they were all beautiful, but when she was describing people who didn't, none were beautiful or even pretty. I didn't like that. The characters seemed older than they were. As the story went on and we find out just how old these people are, I was surprised. They should had been more youth like, not like fuddy duddys and rather boring. For a journalist, the main character, Pat, is pretty slow. Gosh, when she was trying to figure things out that were just plain obvious, I was rolling my eyes. I liked how it takes place in Washington, DC, and Virginia (McLean, Alexander) as I am quite familiar with these places since the last 5 years I've lived in Northern Virginia and DC is only 45 minutes from me. So it's always fun when a story takes place with places I know of.This novel was written in 1984 and I see some things haven't change, politics, it's still ugly, probably even more so today. It's shocking that the speech Senator Abigail gives can still be applied to today's USA government: "But now it is time to examine what we have done. I maintain that the surgery was too radical, the cuts too drastic. I maintain that this is the time for restoration of many necesary programs. Entitlement by definition means "to have a claim to." Surely no one in this August chamber will dispute that every human being in this country has a rightful claim to shelter and food...." Oh how true!!!!
Not quite bad but not quite good either. Sure, it was a fun read, at least the last third of it, but it just lacked something. Come to think of it - that's pretty much how all Clark's books are.The characters lack some quirks and some spirit. They're not really that unique and they're certainly not gonna stay with me for a very long time, as is the case with all her books. I'm pretty certain I'm gonna forget what the book was all about in a while. Also, calling Clark's 'The Queen of Suspense' seems wrong to me - suspense is when I don't know and I really want to know.Well, I didn't want to know.The language is also quite boring, not brilliant but not very bad either. I really hated how almost every paragraph had to start with boring 'he/she did this and that all day, then changed into a black, expensive jacket which made him/her look even more serious and cool'. Stop it, Clark, please. Every character either has something special in their air or they're really beautiful or both and it's annoying to have to read basically the same thing about every single person. It's boring and it's not very original.Most of the time the pace was really slow and I didn't feel like reading it (which explains the gap between starting in... April and ending now in February) but it picked up the pace nice enough and at some point I could barely put it down. The story is quite interesting, even if it is a tad predictable for crime story fans. Basically, Clark is the written word's answer to Céline Dion - it's nice enough when you don't feel like thinking, but you're not in for a great surprise and the story is easily forgotten.
Do You like book Stillwatch (2015)?
4 Stars - Stillwatch is the 5th mystery/thriller written by Mary Higgins Clark, the "Queen of Suspense". A "master plotter" with the ability to slowly draw out the tension while making readers think everyone is guilty.
—Phe☽♃
My wife and a friend, Janice, from our third-Monday book club (we meet at Barnes and Noble) went to see Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter, Carol, speak at the high school recently. Subsequently, my wife bought this to read on her Kindle, so I decided to read it, too. I don't think I had ever read Mary Higgins Clark before. I probably won't read her again. Pat Traymore is the protagonist, a newswoman with a new job in Washington D.C. Her parents had died violent deaths there when she was a child--ostensibly, a murder-suicide. Well, right off, as a reader of a mystery writer you are suspicious of that notion of loving parents involved in something so horrendous, right? Well, the plot moves with a steady pace as Pat is assigned to make a documentary on one Senator Abigail Jennings, a prospect to fill a vacancy as Vice President of the U.S. Several convenient coincidences in the story show that at this early stage of her writing career, Clark, as a writer, hadn't learned to avoid obvious and manipulative deus ex machina. Furthermore, I saw several grammatical errors in the book that were distracting and put me off.
—Walt
This is my favorite of Mary Higgins Clark's books, possible tied with A CRY IN THE NIGHT, but where STILLWATCH shines is the politics of Washington, DC and all of the small town deals and double-crosses. Where most of Clark's characters are not all that memorable, Pat Traymore is the exception. I loved Pat's panache and grace, her vulnerability and strength. She's an interesting character because she has so much stake in the intrigue, even when she doesn't know it. The first time I read this one, I had no idea who did what and I was surprised by the resolutions several times over. On this read, I knew what was going to happen so I enjoyed the "scenery" more and it was just as fun. For those looking for an MHC novel to start with, I definitely recommend STILLWATCH. It works perfectly as a historical novel (firmly situated in 1979/1980 politics), mystery, suspense with just a tiny touch of romance.
—Maerhys
