Pretend You Don't See Her

Lacey Farrell, one of New York City's top-selling real estate agents, has witnessed a murder and is placed into the Federal Witness Protection program after an attempt on her life. The plot progressed slowly as she settled down into her temporary, new life in Minnesota while keeping a watchful eye over her shoulder. Lacey made the mistake of telling her Mom, who she knew could not keep a secret of her location, and the ball began to roll downhill. There are several 'red herrings' effectively thrown in to mislead the reader in identifying the real drug king pin and murder. Ms. Higgins Clark's editing, and character development were passable, but the flat, monochromatic, writing style did not draw the reader into the plot. One did not 'bond' with any of the characters, so whether Lacey lived through this ordeal was neither here nor there. Overall, the novel was mediocre. This was my first novel by this author, and my last.

I received this book as part of a mystery package from my library. I enjoy a good British mystery, and I certainly abhor the gore so prolific in American ones. I thought I'd give this American author a try, taking a guess that as her audience is most likely female, she wouldn't resort to gore to entertain. The story itself isn't a bad one, but oh my, this woman doesn't even know how to follow some basic rules, e.g. Do not use clichés in a novel, and at least try to make your dialogue sound like something someone would actually say to someone else. The whole interaction between very fictional characters is obvious and contrived, leaving me not at all capable of being drawn into or caring about the story or its people. Suffice it to say that it makes me sad that what should be considered only pot-boiler, mass market drivel is actually perceived by our culture as, well, all you need do is read the hundreds of other gushing reviews.

Lacey Farrell, one of New York City's top-selling real estate agents, has witnessed a murder and is placed into the Federal Witness Protection program after an attempt on her life. The plot progressed slowly as she settled down into her temporary, new life in Minnesota while keeping a watchful eye over her shoulder. Lacey made the mistake of telling her Mom, who she knew could not keep a secret of her location, and the ball began to roll downhill. There are several 'red herrings' effectively thrown in to mislead the reader in identifying the real drug king pin and murder. Ms. Higgins Clark's editing, and character development were passable, but the flat, monochromatic, writing style did not draw the reader into the plot. One did not 'bond' with any of the characters, so whether Lacey lived through this ordeal was neither here nor there. Overall, the novel was mediocre. This was my first novel by this author, and my last.

I received this book as part of a mystery package from my library. I enjoy a good British mystery, and I certainly abhor the gore so prolific in American ones. I thought I'd give this American author a try, taking a guess that as her audience is most likely female, she wouldn't resort to gore to entertain. The story itself isn't a bad one, but oh my, this woman doesn't even know how to follow some basic rules, e.g. Do not use clichés in a novel, and at least try to make your dialogue sound like something someone would actually say to someone else. The whole interaction between very fictional characters is obvious and contrived, leaving me not at all capable of being drawn into or caring about the story or its people. Suffice it to say that it makes me sad that what should be considered only pot-boiler, mass market drivel is actually perceived by our culture as, well, all you need do is read the hundreds of other gushing reviews.

Lacey Farrell is a real estate agent working in New York City. She starts working with a client who is selling her deceased daughters apartment. Her client is convinced something sinister has happened to her daughter and has started her own investigation. The investigation leads to the client's murder, one Lacey happens to witness.

The majority of the novel takes place with Lacey being put into witness protection. While in witness protection Lacey continues her own investigation into her Clients murder and the suspicious death of her daughter. Lacey hopes if she can solve the case then she will be allowed to return home again and see her family and return to New York City.

The mystery was a little more difficult to solve then some of MHC's other novels, but Lacey drove me nuts. How hard is it to follow certain rules in witness protection? If you don't follow them chances are the person they are hiding you from will track you down and kill you. I don't know about you, but that would give me plenty of incentive to follow all the rules as closely as possible. Pretend You Don't See Her is a classic MHC novel so it all depends on what kind of mysteries you enjoy.

I love Mary Higgins Clark! She knows how to build suspense and keep you on the edge of your seat. This one is about a girl who sees the murderer leaving the scene of the crime. Unfortunately, he sees her, too. She is forced into Witness Protection. There are lots of interesting details about that. I never realized how hard that would be. And how easy it is to trip up. It is an exciting book from beginning to end. I highly recommend it.

Lacey Farrel is a real-estate agent in New York. She witnesses the murder of one of her customers named Isabelle Warning. The killer sees Lacey while running out the door. Lacey saves a copy of the journal Isabelle gives her that is her daughter Heather's who was also murdered. Lacey is shot at while she is visiting her family so she is placed in the witness protection program in Minneappolis. She slips and tells her mother where she is staying and somehow the stalker also finds out. She realizes he knows where she is so she takes a plane back to New York where she goes to visit a woman who's husband had been killed and was mentioned in Heather's journal. The murderer was also in the house. Lacey saw and heard him on the stairs and threw a paperweight at him. He was arrested and they found out Heather's dad's partner was behind all the murders. Lacey started her life over again by calling a man she had fell in love with in Minneappolis and telling him who she really was and her whole story. One of Lacey's most interesting aspects was her courage. In the beginning she carries out Isabelle Warning's dying wish by concealing evidence from the police. Lacey is sent to a new place but still tries to start a new life and help the police find Isabelle's killer. Lacey is to determined to save her own life so she visits a woman she belives can help her. She realizes the killer is also there but still gets his gun away. Lacey's courage increased the suspense and made it more exciting. I would definitely recomend this book. It always had me on he ede of my seat and i never wanted to put it down. At times it was scary because the situation seemed so real and seemed it could happen to anybody. This book would be great for anyone who enjoys thrillers and suspense.

Isabelle Waring hires real estate broker Lacey Farrell to sell her
deceased daughter's New York apartment. Lacey takes her client, Curtis
Caldwell to see the apartment. Instead of selling the man a place to
live, Lacey observes Curtis kill Isabelle. Lacey describes the hit man
to the police, whom quickly identify him as a professional, Sandy
Savarano, whose new orders are to silent Lacey.
...... To protect her family, Lacey joins the federal witness protection
program, becoming Alice Carroll (no comments from those in the looking
glass, please). However, Lacey had to leave all her loved ones behind
when she joined the program. Eventually, she slips up to her mother's
pleading blandishments and tells the woman that she lives in
Minneapolis. That is the lead that the mob needs to track down and
silence Alice forever.
....... PRETEND YOU DON'T SEE HER is a typical Mary Higgins Clark novel,
filled with suspense. Lacey is a fabulous working class heroine who
seems to always rise to the occasion. The witness protection program
is brilliantly spelled out within the context of the tale. Though the
killer is not up to the usual quality of depth readers expect from Ms.
Clark, the novel is so well written that does not take away from the
overall story line. Fans of Ms. Clark and suspense in general will
enjoy this thriller.

......Harriet Klausner

Mary Higgins Clark has done it again, and produced a novel with the perfect blend of drama, action, murder and suspense.

Lacey Farrell (Manhattan Real Estate Agent) is an attractive young woman with a fairly simple life. This all changes when she witnesses the murder of Isabelle Waring - mother of recently deceased Heather Waring, is placed in the witness protection program, and forced to give up her identity to become Alice Carroll of Minneapolis. In an effort to piece together the clues derived from Isabelle's dying wish, and the journal bequested to her, Lacey struggles to solve the Waring murders despite the danger to her own life.

There are many ways an author can tackle a murder/mystery novel - some prefer a complex approach, while Higgins Clark uses a style which is more simplistic. Despite the intense themes and actions within 'Pretend you don't see her', Higgins Clark has approached the novel in a way that still makes it a light easy read. The plot flows along nicely, and keeps you guessing right up to the very end.

Overall a great read, on par with the author's many other novels. Recommended to any Mary Higgins Clark fans, and others who love books filled with suspense, drama and a happy ending.

There's something infinitely satisfying about turning the last page of a good mystery novel and sighing in satisfaction. Mary Higgins Clark's PRETEND YOU DON'T SEE HER offers exactly this kind of contentment.
Lacey Farrell has a job she enjoys, selling real estate in her beloved New York City. When the apartment of a singer who had died in a car accident is put on the market, Lacey is glad for the opportunity to sell it. After all, it's in a great part of Manhattan, the asking price is six hundred thousand dollars, and it's sure to earn her a decent commission. She becomes friends with the late singer's mother, and one night as she goes to pay her a visit, she also unwillingly becomes a witness to her murder. Unfortunately, the killer sees Lacey as well, and she's then forced to join the witness protection program, where she struggles to make a new life for herself, constantly watching over her shoulder on the off-chance that the murderer may have finally caught up with her.
PRETEND YOU DON'T SEE HER kept me turning pages well into the night. I finished it quickly, as I found the fast paced writing style enjoyable. The characterization was intriguing. I genuinely liked Lacey, who came across as courageous, caring and altogether realistic. Her genuine feelings for her family and her attraction and unwillingness to lie to a man she met while in the witness protection program made her even more endearing. I found myself wishing that the relationship between her and Tom had been more detailed, but that's what I get for reading a mystery novel rather than a romance!
This was my first experience with one of Mary Higgins Clark's books, and it certainly won't be the last. She's indeed just as talented as her reputation led me to believe, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

This exciting novel is about a woman named Lacey Farrell, who lives in Manhattan and is a real estate agent. One day she is witness to the murder of Isabelle Waring, whose daughter, Heather, was killed in a car accident. Lacey is placed in the witness protection program, and sent to live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Before Isabelle died, she made Lacey promise to give her daughter's journal to her father, and asked her to read it too. Isabelle was convinced that Heather's death was not an accident. So Lacey takes the journal, gives the original copy to the police, gives a copy to Heather's father, and makes a copy for herself. But then she gets into trouble with the police, because they say that she could be charged with removal of evidence from a crime scene. While Lacey is in Minneapolis, somehow the murderer of Isabelle Waring has managed to track her down. I enjoyed reading this novel, because I liked being kept in suspense and not knowing what would happen next. I recommend this book to people who like to read suspenseful books with unpredictable plots. This novel is so unpredictable, it will keep readers guessing throughout the entire book.

Plot Summary: The book starts off with Lacey Farrell, a famous New York real estate agent, gets a call from Isabelle Waring. Ms. Waring asks if Lacey can help sell her dead daughter�s apartment. Heather, her daughter, was killed in a car accident in Vermont who was killed the year before. Isabelle wants to get rid of the apartment so she can move on with her life. Isabelle told Lacey that she had found Heather�s journal that went back to when she was living up until the last few days of her life. Isabelle thought that there was something in that journal that proved Heather�s death was not an accident. A few days after, Lacey goes to show the apartment to a client with the name �Curtis Caldwell� with Isabelle. When they arrive, Isabelle is lying on her bed reading the journal and seems emotionally and physically disturbed. Lacey starts showing the apartment to the client when all of a sudden he takes out a gun and shoots Isabelle. He runs out but was unsuccessful in retrieving the journal. Now that Isabelle is dying, she hands Lacey the journal and tells her to give it to Jimmy, Heather�s father. Lacey quickly took the bloody journal from the crime scene and made a copy for her and Jimmy Landi. She was taken to the police office to tell them what she saw. Lacey handed over the original copy of the journal but didn�t tell them she had made a copy for herself. Because of the conditions, and for her safety, she was sent to the Witness Protection Program. Alice Carroll was her new name, and she was sent to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Quickly turn the pages of this wonderful thriller and find out what will become of all the characters. GREAT!

Mary Higgins Clark is the kind of author that, without arguments that could explain, are a phenomenon and with every new book, sell millions and millions of copies. Mary is obviously copycating the genre Agatha Christie became imortal: the detective books. The difference is addressed in the fact that, since it couldn't be different, Mary's books are written in a modern age, when things can't be explained just by showing evidences...
In this just good book, Mary Higgins Clark tell us a story where a woman witnessess a murder... and from day to night becomes the killer's next prey. Then, she has to be 24 hours a day under police eye, in order not to be killed. Mary Higgins Clark's books follow a formula, and it could be different: the reader pretend the plot is original, pretend the story haven't being told yet, pretend it's a very wonderful thing and everyone goes home happy.
As in all her books from the past, we see losts o confusing characters, a plot that is not well specified since the beginning, and so many characters that sometimes makes it confusing even to the reader, with scenes of suspense that everyone who likes the genre could write.
Of course, people wouln't agree with that much. A reader saying bad things about the master Mary Higgins Clark! What a 'master' we've found... Anyway, the book in overall is not that bad. It has good characters and the plot satisfies the reader at the end. As for a modern disciple of Agatha Christie, Mary H. Clark is not doing that bad.
Marco Aurelio.