I Heard That Song Before

Actually this was pretty good..the only reason I gave it four stars was because I had to read it in fits and starts and really may not be doing it justice. The characters seemed to get a bit jumbled at the end as to what who was doing but really it's one of her better books.

JM, Fairmont, WV :)

I throughly enjoy all of Mary Higgins Clarks books and I find that I can not guess the villian until the very last of the book. Most of the time it is a surprise and that was the case with this book.

I've read several Mary Higgins Clark novels, and have never been disappointed. While I don't consider this one the best, it would definitely be very high on the list. Although I sometimes manage to guess the villain about 3/4 of the way through the book, in this one I was as shocked as the heroine by the reveal!

I listened to "I heard That Song Before" on audio CD. For me it was "Classic Clark" and kept me guessing until the very end. She kept true to her style with very detailed characters and a plot with lots of twist and turns.

There is nothing innovative or remotely interesting about this novel. It reads like a soap opera, though the characters aren't nearly as likeable as in any soap I've seen. The ending is not surprising or thought-provoking. Steer clear!

Their love story was actually started as a whirlwind romance. Who would ever think they would end up together? I wasn't really cool with Kay marrying Peter. I wasn't really convinced of him being innocent. A lot of evidence was pointing to him. And one reason of it was him sleep walking.

Clark's style of who done it is really annoying but it was indeed challenging. I didn't even expect the revelation of the bad guy. I honestly didn't see it coming. And as expected, happy ending was my favorite part. This story is one of my favorites from Mary Higgins Clark. It’s a very good story and would drag you to read until its last chapter.

This is another suspense/thriller book that a mystery lover like me would enjoy. Mystery, crime, suspense, thriller, romance in just one book. A book that I couldn't ask for more.

As always, MHC delivers another real page turner and the end was not what I expected. Could someone commit murder while sleepwalking? That's one of the premises of Clark's story which is set in the suburbs of Manhattan. Kay Lansing, is the daughter of the former landscaper of the Carrington estate, and Peter Carrington, one of the wealthiest men in America. They find themselves in court accused of murder while sleepwalking. This fast-paced suspense novel has cliff-hangers at the end of every very short chapter that makes you want to turn the page! Most of the action takes place at the Carrington family home in New Jersey. Kay Lansing holds a fund-raiser for her literacy program at Mr. Carrington's estate. After they meet, a whirlwind courtship ensues, Kay finds herself married the the much older Carrington. He has been living under a cloud of suspicion for two decades after the disappearance of his neighbor,Susan Althorp, as well as the drowning death of his first wife. What I love about MHC books is the face-paced short chapters, and the dialogue driven storyline. But this one isn't as strong as many of the other Clark novels. While I appreciate dialogue driven stories, this dialogue is beyond weird because NO ONE talks like that! I also noted that the writing style changes throughout. The story begins in first person (Kay) and switches to third person (everyone else), which makes it a bit difficult to follow. MHC books are famous for having many characters, and this one stays true to that recipe. This is the first time I found myself a little lost with just TOO MANY people. The mystery is satisfying, but the romance is disappointing.

She is usually one of my favorite authors, however I feel this book is slow going and and would have been better with some editing because its 384 pages. I knew who the killer was about half way through the book and I rarely know until its revealed even though she tries to get you to believe its a couple of other characters.

If you are a fan then you will read this but if not then start with another one of her books.

I have always enjoyed Mary Higgins Clark's work and "I Heard That Song Before" is no exception. Ms Clark has an easy to read, laid-back style which makes absolutely sure that the reader understands exactly what is happening in the plot, something which many current writers make confusing.

Peter Carrington is accused of the 22 year-old assumed disappearance and murder of a neighbour's daughter. Kay Lansing, whose father worked as the family landscaper when she was six years old, overhears a conversation in the family chapel in the grounds of the Carrington mansion which, in later years, she understands to have been blackmail attempt.

Beset on every side by the assumption of her now husband's guilt, Kay battles to retain her equilibrium when even her grandmother declares Peter guilty of murdering Susan Althorpe all those years ago. The fact that not one person or legal department would appear to have any motive or evidence against Peter does not prevent his being arrested and charged with murder and subsequently being tried by media.

Well-written, beautifully paced, a good fast read for a lazy afternoon.

*****

I must first confess that this is the first novel I have read by famed author Mary Higgins Clark. While I thought this book was very good in the suspense department, the overall quality of writing was significantly lacking in my opinion (and to my surprise). Clark introduces an incredible number of "main characters" along the way in her tale of love, betrayal, and suspense. The number of characters is a bit unwieldy at times, mainly because her character development is quite poor. Dare I say, her character development is virtually nonexistent. While she took time to carefully describe the front steps of a house in one instance, she took far less care introducing new characters -- I found this odd. There is no emotional investment in the two truly primary characters, Kay and Peter Carrington. The romance factor here is also nonexistent. We are simply told in a matter-of-fact manner that the two main characters got married after a whirlwind 5-week romance. I am not saying there needs to be graphic scenes, but a little more development of the romance/courtship would help flesh out these characters. This book is truly about suspense buildup, and it is excellent at this task. As I read this book, I found myself guessing and second guessing the "whodunnit" throughout. I also found the ending to be relatively surprising, and forunately, satisfying of all the questions created in my mind along the way. Although my review thus far has been rather critical, I did find this book to be a real page-turner strictly for the whodunnit nature of it. It is difficult to give a synopsis of this book without giving anything away but here goes ... Kay works in a library and is dedicated to fundraising for literacy. In this pursuit, she decides to approach reclusive millionaire Peter Carrington about using his mansion for an upcoming fundraiser. He agrees to allow the event to be hosted at his home and the two also hit it off romantically. Five weeks later, Kay becomes Mrs. Peter Carrington. Unfortunately, she also becomes involved in a murder investigation that keeps growing. Her husband ultimately becomes a "person of interest" in three murders. Many characters including a business associate, housekeepers, an ambassador's family, Kay's grandmother, a step-mother and step-brother, and a private investigator weave in and out of the story with each short chapter, all lending bits of information, a motive, or a new angle to the three homicides. Each and every chapter is a new turn in the story that will keep you guessing. Throw into the mix that Peter is a sleepwalker and he conceivably could have committed the crimes while sleepwalking, and the story gets quite complex. Kay takes it upon herself to try to prove her husband's innocence to everyone, including herself, as the evidence stacks up against him.

The fired gardener's daughter marries the billionaire owner of the estate in I Heard That Song Before. It's like taking up the story of Cinderella after the Prince and Cinderella have married.

Unlike Cinderella, this story has some dark elements that overhang the marriage. At age six, Kay Lansing, our Cinderella, overhears a mysterious argument over money between a man and woman at the Carrington estate where her father works. That argument comes to have even greater significance in Kay's future. Kay's husband, Peter Carrington, has also been the prime suspect in the disappearance of neighbor Susan Althorp, a disappearance that happened the same day Kay overheard the argument. Further, Peter's pregnant first wife died mysteriously in the swimming pool.

So is Peter really Prince Charming? That's the primary mystery that the book explores. It's a fun mystery.

What makes this book rise above the average thriller is that Mary Higgins Clark does a masterful job of speeding up developments, events, and pressures on all of the characters just as soon as Kay and Peter return from their honeymoon. The result is peril that radiates out like the ripples from a boulder dropped into a billionaire's pool.

The book is light on character development or I would have rated it higher. But for premise and story development, this is a superb book.

Have fun!

I normally love MHC's books. This one, though, annoyed me thoroughly. The entire premise of the book is that Peter Carrington acted out his dreams while sleepwalking. Sleepwalking occurs during the deepest stage of our sleep cycle; dreaming during our lightest stage of sleep. They don't occur at the same time. At the end of the book, MHC's author's note describes her research into sleepwalking. She must have known this basic fact. If she had admitted, either at the beginning or the ending of the novel, that she had taken liberties with the facts for fictional purposes, I might have forgiven her. She did not.

The other piece that annoyed me was the idea that Kay Carrington would hire a private investigator who had previously been in the employ of someone hostile to her husband, and who had given evidence to the prosecutor's office. It seems beyond belief that Kay would want to hire someone bent on proving her husband's guilt (despite his protestations that he only wanted to learn the truth). Even if she was intent on hiring the investigator, it seems like an ethical investigator would have to turn her down as a client. If he were an attorney, it would be considered a clear conflict of interest. I don't know if investigators have the same ethical standards regarding conflicts of interest as attorneys do, but it certainly feels unethical to me that an investigator could be in the prosecutor's office in the morning and allow himself to be hired for the defense in the afternoon. (NOTE: A handbook for professional investigators I saw advertised on the web lists "conflicts of interest" and "confidentiality" as two of the ethical standards it outlines for the reader. My guess is that this situation would be barred).

Although MHC normally writes fine mystery stories, I had to give this particular book only one star because of its glaring scientific error and its apparent standards-of-ethical-conduct error. I couldn't enjoy it because my brain kept screaming "That can't happen! That can't happen!"

I have always enjoyed Mary Higgins Clark's work and "I Heard That Song Before" is no exception. Ms Clark has an easy to read, laid-back style which makes absolutely sure that the reader understands exactly what is happening in the plot, something which many current writers make confusing.

Peter Carrington is accused of the 22 year-old assumed disappearance and murder of a neighbour's daughter. Kay Lansing, whose father worked as the family landscaper when she was six years old, overhears a conversation in the family chapel in the grounds of the Carrington mansion which, in later years, she understands to have been blackmail attempt.

Beset on every side by the assumption of her now husband's guilt, Kay battles to retain her equilibrium when even her grandmother declares Peter guilty of murdering Susan Althorpe all those years ago. The fact that not one person or legal department would appear to have any motive or evidence against Peter does not prevent his being arrested and charged with murder and subsequently being tried by media.

Well-written, beautifully paced, a good fast read for a lazy afternoon.

*****

I must first confess that this is the first novel I have read by famed author Mary Higgins Clark. While I thought this book was very good in the suspense department, the overall quality of writing was significantly lacking in my opinion (and to my surprise). Clark introduces an incredible number of "main characters" along the way in her tale of love, betrayal, and suspense. The number of characters is a bit unwieldy at times, mainly because her character development is quite poor. Dare I say, her character development is virtually nonexistent. While she took time to carefully describe the front steps of a house in one instance, she took far less care introducing new characters -- I found this odd. There is no emotional investment in the two truly primary characters, Kay and Peter Carrington. The romance factor here is also nonexistent. We are simply told in a matter-of-fact manner that the two main characters got married after a whirlwind 5-week romance. I am not saying there needs to be graphic scenes, but a little more development of the romance/courtship would help flesh out these characters. This book is truly about suspense buildup, and it is excellent at this task. As I read this book, I found myself guessing and second guessing the "whodunnit" throughout. I also found the ending to be relatively surprising, and forunately, satisfying of all the questions created in my mind along the way. Although my review thus far has been rather critical, I did find this book to be a real page-turner strictly for the whodunnit nature of it. It is difficult to give a synopsis of this book without giving anything away but here goes ... Kay works in a library and is dedicated to fundraising for literacy. In this pursuit, she decides to approach reclusive millionaire Peter Carrington about using his mansion for an upcoming fundraiser. He agrees to allow the event to be hosted at his home and the two also hit it off romantically. Five weeks later, Kay becomes Mrs. Peter Carrington. Unfortunately, she also becomes involved in a murder investigation that keeps growing. Her husband ultimately becomes a "person of interest" in three murders. Many characters including a business associate, housekeepers, an ambassador's family, Kay's grandmother, a step-mother and step-brother, and a private investigator weave in and out of the story with each short chapter, all lending bits of information, a motive, or a new angle to the three homicides. Each and every chapter is a new turn in the story that will keep you guessing. Throw into the mix that Peter is a sleepwalker and he conceivably could have committed the crimes while sleepwalking, and the story gets quite complex. Kay takes it upon herself to try to prove her husband's innocence to everyone, including herself, as the evidence stacks up against him.

The fired gardener's daughter marries the billionaire owner of the estate in I Heard That Song Before. It's like taking up the story of Cinderella after the Prince and Cinderella have married.

Unlike Cinderella, this story has some dark elements that overhang the marriage. At age six, Kay Lansing, our Cinderella, overhears a mysterious argument over money between a man and woman at the Carrington estate where her father works. That argument comes to have even greater significance in Kay's future. Kay's husband, Peter Carrington, has also been the prime suspect in the disappearance of neighbor Susan Althorp, a disappearance that happened the same day Kay overheard the argument. Further, Peter's pregnant first wife died mysteriously in the swimming pool.

So is Peter really Prince Charming? That's the primary mystery that the book explores. It's a fun mystery.

What makes this book rise above the average thriller is that Mary Higgins Clark does a masterful job of speeding up developments, events, and pressures on all of the characters just as soon as Kay and Peter return from their honeymoon. The result is peril that radiates out like the ripples from a boulder dropped into a billionaire's pool.

The book is light on character development or I would have rated it higher. But for premise and story development, this is a superb book.

Have fun!

I normally love MHC's books. This one, though, annoyed me thoroughly. The entire premise of the book is that Peter Carrington acted out his dreams while sleepwalking. Sleepwalking occurs during the deepest stage of our sleep cycle; dreaming during our lightest stage of sleep. They don't occur at the same time. At the end of the book, MHC's author's note describes her research into sleepwalking. She must have known this basic fact. If she had admitted, either at the beginning or the ending of the novel, that she had taken liberties with the facts for fictional purposes, I might have forgiven her. She did not.

The other piece that annoyed me was the idea that Kay Carrington would hire a private investigator who had previously been in the employ of someone hostile to her husband, and who had given evidence to the prosecutor's office. It seems beyond belief that Kay would want to hire someone bent on proving her husband's guilt (despite his protestations that he only wanted to learn the truth). Even if she was intent on hiring the investigator, it seems like an ethical investigator would have to turn her down as a client. If he were an attorney, it would be considered a clear conflict of interest. I don't know if investigators have the same ethical standards regarding conflicts of interest as attorneys do, but it certainly feels unethical to me that an investigator could be in the prosecutor's office in the morning and allow himself to be hired for the defense in the afternoon. (NOTE: A handbook for professional investigators I saw advertised on the web lists "conflicts of interest" and "confidentiality" as two of the ethical standards it outlines for the reader. My guess is that this situation would be barred).

Although MHC normally writes fine mystery stories, I had to give this particular book only one star because of its glaring scientific error and its apparent standards-of-ethical-conduct error. I couldn't enjoy it because my brain kept screaming "That can't happen! That can't happen!"

At age six, Kay Lansing accompanied her father Jonathan to work at the Carrington estate. While there, she snuck into the house and overheard two people arguing in the chapel. A few weeks later, Jonathan Lansing disappears.

Fast-forward twenty-two years. After meeting with Peter Carrington to set up a fundraiser, Kay falls in love with and marries the millionaire. But shortly after their honeymoon, Peter is arrested for the murder of Susan Althorp, a neighbor who had disappeared twenty-two years earlier, the same night Kay overheard the conversation in the house. Peter maintains his innocence, despite the police finding Susan and Jonathan's bodies on the property, but when Kay catches him sleepwalking, she begins to wonder if he is as innocent as he claims.

Did Peter kill Susan Althorp and Kay's father? Or is he being framed? And what about the conversation Kay overheard as a child? With a suspicious step-brother, two workers who seem to be nervous around the police, and an angry ambassador, there are plenty of suspects to choose from.

I've often lamented the fact that many of Mary Higgins Clark's books are similar in plot and characters. This novel, I must say, is a departure from her usual storyline. While the title may be "I Heard That Song Before", I can say that this is one plot I have not read before!

Kay Lansing works at the local Engelwood Library. After visiting Peter Carrington to ask his permission to host a fundraiser at his home, Kay and Peter fall in love during a whirlwind romance. People are surprised by their sudden marriage especially because of the "cloud of suspicion" hanging over Peter Carrington after the disapearance of his girlfriend Susan Althrop 22 years ago and the death of his first wife, who was 7 months pregnant, 4 years ago. Not long after their marriage a chain of events unfold that put Peter in jail and on trial for murder and Kay has to prove his innocence....the key to the puzzle...a conversation Kay overheard when she was 6 years old visiting the Carrington mansion with her father, who was the landscaper on the property!

This MHC book was much better than her 2006 book. She returned to her "formula", which continues to work for her! I Heard that Song Before, kept me turning the pages to find out what had really happened on the Carrington property all those years ago. This was another good one by MHC - those who love her will enjoy it.

Librarian Kay Lansing marries Peter Carrington, head of the wealthy Carrington family.

Peter Carrington has long been under suspicion for murdering his childhood sweetheart, and as after 22 years her body is discovered on the Carrington estate in Englewood, New Jersey, Peter is charged with her murder.

The fact that Peter Carrington is a sleepwalker, adds an interesting twist to the story, and I got urged to read more about sleepwalking by reading this book.

I'll not reveal more details about the murder investigation - in fact, the investigation of several connected murders - but leave it to the readers.

"The queen of suspense" has a unique talent for intricate plots as well as phsycological insight into the human mind.

As all her books, "I Heard That Song Before" is a real page-turner. I brought it with me on holiday. Thought it would last me a few days but finished it overnight!

Mary Higgins Clark's books come with a quality guarantee. Her fans can always trust her to deliver the best.

Enjoy!

Mary Higgins Clark hits the charts with a new novel titled I HEARD THAT SONG BEFORE. This, her 31st book, tells the bizarre tale of Kathryn "Kay" Lansing, a librarian who is deeply committed to community literacy and fundraising. She lives in New York and commutes to New Jersey where she grew up. The action begins when she writes to Peter Carrington, the scion of his family's fortune and huge estate, to ask him to meet with her. Kay would like to persuade him to allow her to have the next literacy project event on the estate grounds.

A rather reclusive fellow, Peter has retreated to his mansion because years before he was the last person to see Susan Althorp alive. Susan was the daughter of a neighbor and Peter's friend. Kay is delighted that (contrary to his reputation) he agrees to see her, and both are immediately attracted to each other. The event is a success, and after a whirlwind romance of only a few weeks, the two marry. Everyone who knows them, especially Kay's grandmother, thinks Kay has walked into the arms of a murderer.

In the meantime, readers learn that this visit is not the first Kay has taken to the estate. When she was six years old, her father, a widower, was the landscaper and groundskeeper for the Carringtons. He needed to make an emergency trip to the grounds to make sure the lighting was perfectly set up for a dinner dance to be held that evening --- the one from which Althorp disappeared. His only option was to take Kay with him. He sat her on a bench and pleaded with her to stay there until he came back. Of course this order had the opposite effect, and she decided to explore the "castle" to find the chapel she had heard stories about. A "conveniently" open door, "empty passages" and a nose for snooping led her to her destination. She was awed, until she heard a man and woman arguing inside the small room. Frozen with fear of being discovered, she hid between the pews.

"The woman was demanding money, and the man was saying that he already paid her enough. Then she said, 'This will be the last time, I swear,' and he said, 'I heard that song before.' Following the man's remark, [Kay] could not hear the rest of what was said except for [the woman whispering] 'Don't forget,' as she exited the chapel. The man [stayed for a few moments more]: [Kay]...then heard him...softly [begin] to whistle the [familiar tune: 'I Heard That Song Before.']" When he left, she hurried from her hiding place because she was afraid that, if found, she would be roundly punished and her father would lose his job.

But soon after the Althorp girl disappeared, Kay's father was thought to have committed suicide. Did he have something to do with Susan's disappearance? How about Peter Carrington? Who else in their closed circle could have done her harm? Her mother never gave up hope, but whatever happened to her daughter, she blamed young Carrington, who had been found on the Althorp lawn that night so long ago.

The past quickly raises its ugly face when a team of workers begins to dig up the ground just outside the fence bordering the Carrington land. They find the remains of a woman that of course turns out to be Susan Althorp. And since Kay's father's body was never recovered, the authorities start digging up the whole property. And, yes, Mr. Lansing's bones also are found. Mayhem, chaos, heartbreak, grief and the arrest of Peter Carrington come next. The state has a case --- and some dubious witnesses who will sell Kay's husband down the river in a flash. They had only kept quiet all these years because they were able to finagle funds from him.

But Kay never loses her faith in Peter and is by his side at every opportunity. After Peter is jailed, humiliated, forced to wear an electronic bracelet and has to post millions of dollars of bail money, he's allowed to be released on his own recognizance. Effectively he is under house arrest with permission to visit his New York attorneys from time to time. Not until Kay hires a very savvy private detective does her loyalty seem to have a chance of being well placed.

I HEARD THAT SONG BEFORE is not as strong as Mary Higgins Clark's previous works, which have made her "The Queen of Suspense," though it may appeal to readers seeking a beach book or airplane entertainment.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum

The landscaper's daughter on the Carrington estate in Englewood, New Jersey, Kay Lansing snuck onto the second floor of the mansion to see the hidden chapel. While she was there she heard two people arguing and the woman was threatening to blackmail the man. Twenty-two years later, Kay visits the estate once more to ask the owner Peter Carrington if she could use the place for a charity function. He reluctantly agrees and the event is a success.

Kay and Peter have a courtship and five weeks later they get married. Kay knows that he is a "person of interest" in the disappearance two decades ago of Susan Althrob who most believe is dead. Many people think he killed his wife after he found her drunk when she was over seven months pregnant. Kay knows all this but believes Peter is innocent even when new evidence surfaces and Peter is charged with murdering Susan. Using cadaver dogs, the police find the body of Kay's father who everyone believed committed suicide a few years ago. Although Kay begins to wonder who is behind the killings, she is determined to believe her husband is innocent and hires the private investigation who got enough evidence for the police to arrest Peter to find evidence that will exonerate him not knowing that someone is watching her patiently for her to make a wrong move.

Mary Higgins Cark is the recognized grandmistress of the suspense genre and her latest work I HEARD THAT SONG BEFORE is full of apprehension, but feels more gothic in tone than her other novels because of the location, the accused, and the believing strong willed heroine. The suspense levels are so stratospheric with all the unexpected twists and turns pointing to different characters with motives to commit murder that the audience will wonder who really has the will to kill.

Harriet Klausner

... written another very entertaining novel that is.

I Heard That Song Before, by Mary Higgins Clark, is a mystery book about a series of deaths that may or may not be related, and that may or may not be murders. The characters here are very interesting and well-rounded. I am not going to go into great detail about the story itself, as that would be repeating what many of the other reviewers have written. I thought this novel was better than Two Little Girls in Blue: A Novel [her last novel] . This book was fast paced with enough twists and turns to satisfy any reader of mystery and thriller books. This book had me very confused trying to figure out who the real culprit was. There are several interesting elements to this story, especially the fascinating sleepwalking storyline.

The volume of solid work that MHC continues to produce is amazing. This is a 4 star novel that I would highly recommend to mystery readers.

I don't normally write reviews, but after reading this book (or rather, plowing through it), I had to go online to see if it was just me, or if this book really was as bad as it seemed. I used to love MHC books - now I feel as if I have to go back and re-read some of her earlier books - maybe go back to Where Are the Children - to see if they were always bad and my tastes have just changed. I don't think so - even though some recent ones have been not-so-good, especially where MHC tries to get caught up with this whole "internet" fad but tries a bit too hard at it.

Some of the things that bugged me as others have mentioned: the title! Yes, the bad grammar of it bothered me from the beginning. Then, the total lack of character developmenet. Kay and her husband had the personality of, well, tea towels. She seemed to spend all her time gazing at him adoringly, yet we didn't really know or care why since he didn't come across as a real person. Then, the eventual murderer was pretty obvious from the beginning.

Overall, I found myself trying to get through the book quickly just to finish it, and getting exasperated at simple things that seemed incorrect. Like, if Kay's husband's bail is set at $10M, wouldn't they just have to put up $1M, or 10%? Things like this make the writer, MHC, seem, well, a bit dim. I also think that if this had been her first book, no publisher in his right mind would have taken it on. This latest effort by MHC reminds me of later Steele (who I haven't bothered to read in years), later Koontz (latest books have been terrible), and later Sidney Sheldon (very formulaic). These authors need to stop cranking out so many books just to have something to publish every year.

"The Queen of Suspense" does it again with this thriller set in a posh mansion in New Jersey. When Kay Lansing requests the use of millionaire, Peter Carrington's mansion to host a charity benefit, she gets much more than she bargained for. A marriage and three killings later, she searches for the truth in the presence of so many illusions.

Did Kay's father commit suicide, or did her loving husband kill him? Did her husband also kill his ex-wife and bury her body on his estate? These questions and others cloud Kay's mind until the truth is revealed, artfully.

If you ever encounter a sleepwalker, don't wake him. The result could leave you scarred for life. You'll have to read the book to get that one.

What a disappointment! I can't help wanting to read each new book by MHC, but continue to be let down. For those of us who have read EVERYTHING by this author, perhaps we know her writing too well, or perhaps she is just pushing herself, or being pushed, to crank out a book a year, ideas or not.

This book seemed strained, formulaic and SO predictable. If you can't figure out the "bad guy" by the first 1/3 of the book, you just aren't paying attention. And who was really buying into the sleepwalking story line? I mean, really, "maybe I did it because I am a sleepwalker?" Please...

MHC's heroines have also become routine. Each and every one, a late 20's, thin, camelhair-pants-wearing, silk-shirted smart woman who gets stressed, becomes gaunt and nibbles toast while sipping tea and fretting. This heroine was especially lame, as she stared adoringly at her "may have murdered (some person)" husband.

I would have given one star, but must pay homage to the author for her earliest works.

...like a previous reviewer stated, but I nevertheless enjoyed this book, too.

MHC has written some really thrilling books and they have not yet been filmed like "All through the Night", "On the Street where you live", "Daddy's little Girl", "The second Time around", ""Night Time is my Time", "No Place like Home", "Two little Girls in Blue", "I heard that Song before", "Where are you now?" and "Just take my Heart".
Except of her boring Willy & Alvirah stories I love all her books and look forward to each new one.

My favorite MHC movies are "Stillwatch" (Angie Dickinson), "A Cry in the Night" (Perry King and famous French actress Annie Girardot), "Remember me" (Kelly McGillis), "Moonlight becomes you" (Donna Mills), "We'll meet again", "A Crime of Passion", "Before I say Goodbye", "Haven't we met before?" (Nicolette Sherdian) and especially "I'll be seeing you" (Alison Eastwood) and "Try to remember" with Gabrielle Anwar and Diego Wallraff which I all can recommend as very good TV movies.

Just what one expects from a Mary Higgins Clark formula: a few possible suspects from the outset, some twists and turns, and a fairly predictable ending. This is her formula. I always enjoy trying to predict the killer within the first twenty pages. Occasionally, I begin to doubt myself as I turn the pages, but I am usually right with my initial prediction. But this is what makes these books such fun to read!

Almost two days of my reading time on the beach were taken up with this one, and I don't regret that. I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to any MHC or crime fiction fan.

MHC writes what I call light mysteries that one takes on vacation or reads a bit before bed. She is not Joyce Carol Oats nor does not claim to be so perhaps that is why some readers were disappointed.I am more than half through with this book and am having a hard time putting it down. It had been a while since I have had the time to read for pleasure so I was delighted when I started reading MHC "I Heard That Song Before". I think this one is as good if not better than some of her earlier books. I love the way she has weaved all of the characters in this book to keep one guessing. I can't wait to finish this mystery

This is typical Mary Higgins Clark, full of devious characters motivated to murder someone. The heroine, Kay, is married to the multi-millionaire suspected of murdering an ambassador's daughter years ago and later drowning his first wife.

Although a newlywed, Kay feels she knows her husband well enough to know he wouldn't hurt anyone. Still evidence keeps pointing to him and he's in jail waiting for trial. As Kay searches for bits of clues, hoping to uncover another suspect, the danger increases for her.

The author spices it up with enough hints to make the reader suspect everyone. Additional mysteries form subplots to keep readers intrigued. Did Kay's father commit suicide years ago or ??? What secret do the faithful servants hide? Did her husband marry Kay to prevent her from testifying to a childhood memory that might incriminate him? What was the meaning of the song she heard before the first murder?

I enjoyed this book. It is intelligently written. The book reminds me of the quality of Clark's earlier novels. I won't rehash the plot, but for readers like myself, who have not liked her recent books, I bet you'll like this one. She really lets you get to know the characters. The story flows nicely. The book is not as suspenseful as "WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN" or "WHILE MY PRETTY ONE SLEEPS", but there is enough suspense that you definitely want to keep reading. While reading, you do care enough, not to peek at the ending. I found myself really trying to figure out whodunit.

I Heard that Song Before is again another recommendable book written by Mary Higgins Clark. It is about the Carrington Family - one of the US's richest families. There are three murder cases and all characters try to figure out who the murderer is. In the beginning everything seems to point to Peter Carrington who was in a relationship with two of the victims. But is this notorious sleepwalker really capable to murder three people. And if yes, did he do it conscious or during one of his sleepwalks?

All these questions will be answered in the end but not before the almost last chapter! Mary Higgins Clark has a talent to introduce lots of different characters in a relatively short time in the beginning. Even though this makes it a little difficult and confusing to get into the story, the reader quickly gets to know all these different characters. Like all her other books, this one is written in relatively short chapters switching to different perspectives of different people. Every chapter provides a small bit to the overall story. In the last chapters suspense curve reaches its peak and explains the whole story to the reader. I always think "I should have seen this coming". Most of the time I am relatively sure that I figured out the murder only to be surprised in the end that it was someone completely different and someone I would have never expected it to be!

If you like fascinating and exciting thrillers, then I Heard that Song Before is your book! Especially the topic of sleep walking is presented in a really interesting way. I never thought of sleep walking to be something really dangerous except of for the sleepwalker. You can see that Mary Higgins Clark researched a lot about the topic which makes the novel even more interesting to read!

Read more of my book reviews on my blog: [...]

I just recently started reading novels by Mary Higgins Clark. I get hooked the minute I start reading and have a hard time putting it down. I heard that song before is another good story with lots of twists and intrigue.

This book brought back the old fashioned tension found in most MHC books. It kept me on the edge of my seat and for two days I did NOTHING but read this book. The ironic thing is that I knew from the beginning who the killer was, but it kept me second guessing myself the whole way through. I was almost disappointed at the end that I was right. This book reminds me so much of my favorite MHC book, "Remember Me", where the undoing of the killer is just basic human error that is in your face the entire book. Anyone who thought this was just a romance book has never read a MHC book before, there is always a girl who meets the guy and falls in love, sometimes he's a murderer, sometimes he's not.

Mary Higgens Clark, please keep the books coming quicker...I read them as soon as they come out and then have to wait a year for the next one.