-
Seasonal Offer:
This title is part of our Seasonal Offers promotion.
The Shadow of Your Smile
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
To build up a reputation as one of the most solid and reliable of storytellers, it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel with each new book -- and Mary Higgins Clark knows perfectly well that her legion of admirers expect a certain standard narrative from her without any striking innovations or flourishes. And that dependability is fully on display in The Shadow of the Smile, which delivers precisely the kind of reader-pleasing plotting that the author has virtually taken out a patent on -- no more, no less.
Olivia Morrow is well aware that her life is drawing to a close. At 83, she is the last of her clan, and as death approaches, Olivia is faced with a daunting decision: should she reveal a closely-guarded family secret or allow it to die with her? She possesses letters from a dead cousin, Catherine, who was a nun -- and who is now being considered as a candidate for sainthood by the Catholic Church. But the clandestine letters contain a startling fact: in her teenage years, Catherine became a mother, although she subsequently gave up her son for adoption. This is, of course, is incendiary information about someone who is scheduled for beatification. The letters also name the father, now a celebrated doctor of science. In the present, Catherine's granddaughter, Dr Monica Farrell, is the heir to the family fortune, but should the dying Olivia reveal these facts to her? Soon, the act of murder is weaved into this dangerous scenario, and there are those who want a long-guarded secret to remain just that.
Clark's admirers -- and they are many -- will know exactly what to expect from this latest book; it will glean no literary prizes, but will give great pleasure to those who have followed the writer's career over many years. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Product Description
At age eighty-three and in failing health, Olivia Morrow knows she has little time left. The last of her line, she faces a momentous choice: expose a long-held family secret, or take it with her to her grave. Olivia has in her possession letters from her deceased cousin Catherine, a nun, now being considered for beatification by the Catholic Church. These letters reveal that, at the age of seventeen, Catherine gave birth to a son and gave him up for adoption and they identify the father as Alex Gannon, a world-famous doctor, scientist and inventor of medical patents. Now, two generations later, thirty-one year old paediatrician, Dr. Monica Farrell, Catherine's granddaughter, stands as the rightful heir to what remains of the Gannon family fortune. But in telling Monica who she really is and getting what is lawfully hers, Olivia would have to betray Catherine's wishes and reveal the story behind Monica's ancestry. As the pressure of Olivia's impending choice weighs down on her, little does she realize that Alex Gannon's grand-nephews - who are currently exploiting the Gannon inheritance to fund their profligate lifestyles - will stop at nothing to silence Olivia and prevent Monica from learning the secret, even murder.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Once again MHC has written a attention grabbing book. In fact it arrived at 08.00am and I had finished by 8.00pm the next day and then had nothing to look forward to only jobs I had put on hold. I like the fact that there is no excessive descriptions of violence, no bad language etc., but plenty of suspense and thrills. Even if you guess who the villian is, it still makes you go on reading it to see how it all comes together at the end. I read a lot of book but MHC is the only writer whose books I eagerly await coming out in print.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
What an absolulute treat reading a Mary Higgins Clark book is! I always know I'm in for a good read when I pick up the Queen of Suspenses books.
In this book, her latests (published last month), thirty-two year old Dr Monica Farrell is at the centre of a plot to keep her from what is rightfully hers. Although she doesn't know it (as her father was adopted as a baby and never knew his real family) she is heir to The Gannon Corporation, run by a quartet of greedy, cheating men who will stop at nothing to make sure Monica doesn't find out that the corporation belongs to her, including murder.
Monica, who is a Pediatrician at a Manhattan Hospital, recieves a tip that an elderly lady, Olivia Morrow, may have some information regarding her fathers birth family and agrees to meet her at her appartment. However, when she arrives the next day she is too late; Olivia is already dead. When several others also turn up dead, and Monica herself appears to be the next target, it's the old race against time to see who will triumph.
As with all her books, Higgins Clark, manages to entice you to keep turning those pages by way of short chapters and no uneccessary detail. There is, however, one thing that does bother me at the end which I can't really go into here as it may spoil the book for some people. It is something that is revealed in the letters at the end of the book and if anyone reads this and wants to discuss please do add a comment below as I would like to see if the same thing bothers you as it did me.
That said, this book still gets full marks from me!
In this book, her latests (published last month), thirty-two year old Dr Monica Farrell is at the centre of a plot to keep her from what is rightfully hers. Although she doesn't know it (as her father was adopted as a baby and never knew his real family) she is heir to The Gannon Corporation, run by a quartet of greedy, cheating men who will stop at nothing to make sure Monica doesn't find out that the corporation belongs to her, including murder.
Monica, who is a Pediatrician at a Manhattan Hospital, recieves a tip that an elderly lady, Olivia Morrow, may have some information regarding her fathers birth family and agrees to meet her at her appartment. However, when she arrives the next day she is too late; Olivia is already dead. When several others also turn up dead, and Monica herself appears to be the next target, it's the old race against time to see who will triumph.
As with all her books, Higgins Clark, manages to entice you to keep turning those pages by way of short chapters and no uneccessary detail. There is, however, one thing that does bother me at the end which I can't really go into here as it may spoil the book for some people. It is something that is revealed in the letters at the end of the book and if anyone reads this and wants to discuss please do add a comment below as I would like to see if the same thing bothers you as it did me.
That said, this book still gets full marks from me!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Mary Higgins Clark who has for years proved what an excellent storyteller she is, has once again produced a brilliant novel. Fast-paced, clever characterization and based on an extraordinary story.
Pediatrician Dr. Monica Farrell's father was adopted and has all through his life tried to find his real ancestors. That never happened, but now, two generations later, eighty three year old Olivia Morrow, failing in health and the last of her line, is faced with the choice of exposing a long-held family secret, or take it with her to her grave.
As always in matters of family and inheritance, it's all - or at least mostly - about money. People will go far in getting what they believe, or want to believe, is theirs, even murder.
The author keeps us on our toes to the very end. Short chapters. No unneccessary drawn out details cum explanations. To the point. Top entertainment to keep you awake all night.
Praise for Mary Higgins Clark!
Pediatrician Dr. Monica Farrell's father was adopted and has all through his life tried to find his real ancestors. That never happened, but now, two generations later, eighty three year old Olivia Morrow, failing in health and the last of her line, is faced with the choice of exposing a long-held family secret, or take it with her to her grave.
As always in matters of family and inheritance, it's all - or at least mostly - about money. People will go far in getting what they believe, or want to believe, is theirs, even murder.
The author keeps us on our toes to the very end. Short chapters. No unneccessary drawn out details cum explanations. To the point. Top entertainment to keep you awake all night.
Praise for Mary Higgins Clark!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent Read
As always, this author gives us a book that is un-put-downable! Keeping me guessing to virtually the end. Buy it, you'll not regret it.
Published 16 hours ago by Ecosse Girl
everything you need to know is in the synopsis!
This was an OK read but as my title suggests, there was nothing really left to know as all the key info is on the blurb! Also, I felt the ending was over-sickly. Read more
Published 6 days ago by anisaz
THE SHADDOW OF YOUR SMILE
This is the second bok I have read of Mary Higgins Clark. It was just as enjoyable as the first and left you hanging on as to who done it till virtually the end. Read more
Published 1 month ago by cookster
FAMILY SECRETS...
This is a suspenseful thriller by the doyenne of the genre. Though somewhat formulaic, it, nonetheless, will keep the reader turning the pages, even though much of it is fairly... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lawyeraau
Another great mystery from MHC
I don't know how she does it but MHC continually produces high quality, suspenseful mysteries which keep you turning the pages! Read more
Published 9 months ago by M. J. Docherty
Dynasty and St. Catherine
It's been sometime since I read a novel by MHC. I was always an avid fan of her thrilling plots. I had forgotten the number of characters she enmeshes in her novels and had to... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jane Baker
Very exciting book
This is a really excellent and exciting book. I read it in a day because I could not put it down until I finished!
Published 11 months ago by Mrs. Angela Amanatullah
Disappointing
Having enjoyed a number of this author's previous books, I found several of the main characters in this one bland and two-dimensional. The story never really engaged me.
Published 12 months ago by Rosie
First class yet again.
Gripping from the start. Mary Higgins Clark hooks you on the first page. Taut, faced paced and the only bad thing is you finish reading it!
Published 13 months ago by KathyW
Shadow of Your Smile
Enjoy Mary Higgins Clark books, but this one, although enjoyable, takes a long time to get into the characters and their backgrounds.
Very quick service.
Very quick service.
Published 15 months ago by MarianneG
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
