Mary Higgins Clark is known as the “Queen of Suspense.” Her novels are quite good, and this one is no exception. If you ever listen to Clark’s novels on audiobook, you will find that all of them are read by the same narrator, Jan Maxwell. Jan Maxwell is excellent at what she does, but if you don’t like her, then you should pick up the hard copies of Ms. Clark’s books instead of the audiobooks. 

The Melody Lingers On has some twists and surprises, although nothing too mind-blowing. It is an entertaining book that is worth the read, especially if you are a suspense fan. The story follows several different characters, all woven into the same plot of stolen money. Keep track of the characters names, using a little notepad if necessary, because otherwise you might get mixed up. 

While this book might not be a great American novel, it is the type of fluff you don’t regret reading. This would be the case for anything written by Mary Higgins Clark. 

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  A character’s spouse is described as killed by a drunk driver in a terrible accident; a story is told about a character committing suicide; a character considers murdering other characters a few times throughout the book; a character tells about how she was drugged and raped without her knowledge, not detailed; a scene where characters are shot and wounded, and one character is killed (nongraphic).

Sex/Nudity:  Adults flirt; adults hold hands; adults kiss; reported sexual activity.

Mature Subject Matter:

Suicide, embezzlement, adultery, miscarriage, murder, rape (mention), death of spouse.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adults drink alcohol.