I'll Walk Alone

A Novel

By: Mary Higgins Clark

Narrated by: Jan Maxwell

Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

The queen of suspense is back!

Mary Higgins Clark’s new novel - the 30th and most spine-chilling of her long career as America’s most beloved author of suspense fiction - is about the newest and most up-to-date of crimes: identity theft. Who has not read about - or experienced - with a sinking feeling the fear that someone else out there may be using your credit cards, accessing your bank account, even stealing your entire identity.

In I’ll Walk Alone, Alexandra “Zan” Moreland, a gifted, beautiful interior designer on the threshold of a successful Manhattan career, is terrified to discover that somebody is not only using her credit cards and manipulating her financial accounts to bankrupt her and destroy her reputation, but may also be impersonating her in a scheme that may involve the much more brutal crimes of kidnapping and murder. Zan is already haunted by the disappearance of her own son, Matthew, kidnapped in broad daylight two years ago in Central Park - a tragedy that has left her torn between hope and despair.

Now, on what would be Matthew’s fifth birthday, photos surface that seem to show Zan kidnapping her own child, followed by a chain of events that suggests somebody (but who, Zan asks herself desperately, and why?) has stolen her identity.

Hounded by the press, under investigation by the police, attacked by both her angry ex-husband and a vindictive business rival, Zan, wracked by fear and pain and sustained only by her belief, which nobody else shares, that Matthew is still alive, sets out to discover who is behind this cruel hoax.

What she does not realize is that with every step she takes toward the truth, she is putting herself - and those she loves most - in mortal danger from the person who has ingeniously plotted out her destruction.

©2011 Mary Higgins Clark. All rights reserved (P)2011 2011 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Another great Mary Higgins Clark!

Would you listen to I'll Walk Alone again? Why?

Yes, I would listen to this one again! It kept my attention.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lucy; her neice

What about Jan Maxwell’s performance did you like?

I thought she did a good job!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When I found out it was her husband. I was heartbroken.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommend!!

Do NOT read!,

There are sooooo many long-winded soliloquies, that I had to fast forward through most of this book, not to mention how terrible the voice actor is, I was cringing through most of this reading.

Discontent

Would you try another book from Mary Higgins Clark and/or Jan Maxwell?

Yes

Has I'll Walk Alone turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Not really, I thought women in their golden years should sound like women of that demographic.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

None that I could think of at this time.

Any additional comments?

The author has been a favorite of mine for approximately five years. It was no surprise that I would buy a newly (relatively) published book by her. I'm quite disappointed and wish I could've sampled the book before I purchased it at such an expensive price. Mrs. Clark has been writing suspense thrillers for more than three decades. Her literary craftsmanship is one of the best in this genre, hence her success. Unfortunately, that was not evident in this most recent book. I thought this was written by a freshman college student trying to fumble his/her way through and find what works best. I thought the story line was extremely lacking, and the protagonist was anything but.

There was no real defined hero; Zander (who is supposed to be the protagonist) does nothing to find her child, what parent would not move heaven and Earth to find his or her child? Then the dialogue was somewhat annoying to listen to. Who still uses the word “squirm”? I don’t think that word should be used by such established authors as Mary Higgins Clark. Despite this books shortcoming, I am still willing to purchase books by Mrs. Clark; I just hope they are better than this.

Just didn't care for this book

Would you try another book from Mary Higgins Clark and/or Jan Maxwell?

Yes. I'm normally a big fan of Mary Higgin Clark. I just don't care for Jan Maxwell's narrating. And this particular story just got on my nerves.

What was most disappointing about Mary Higgins Clark’s story?

I just didn't care that much about the main character. I wasn't intrigued by the story and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I also don't like the way they're always talking about what they characters are thinking. It's annoying.

What didn’t you like about Jan Maxwell’s performance?

She sounds like she's whining all the time. And when she's trying to do a different voice she sounds like she holding her breath. I don't feel like her intonations are appropriate for the story and she doesn't make me like the characters.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from I'll Walk Alone?

The first hour of the book was excruciating. I could have skipped it.

Any additional comments?

I feel like Mary Higgins Clark may be falling into the same trap as Danielle Steel. All her books feel the same to me. I was disappointed. It will be a while before I listen to another one.

fragile?

For most of the book I found the main character to be a little dim witted and fragile. Her credit card has huge charges that she neglects to investigate? ? hmmmm

Unlikeable

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I don't know.

Has I'll Walk Alone turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I am a long-time Mary Higgins Clark fan. I have read all of them and I will read new novels (not short story fan) as they come out.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jan Maxwell’s performances?

I like Jan Maxwell. She was not the problem.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from I'll Walk Alone?

I would have made major changes. I would have insisted that the so-called heroine be a likeable person. She was whiney and narcissistic. I would not have included so many "dectectives," I would have edited out several of the repeative scenes, and I would have changed the guilty person. Also, the person responsible for the crime didn't seem smart enough or crooked enough to plan all that he/she planned.

Any additional comments?

Yes, certain outcomes should be off limits. I found this one to be one of them. I'm surprised that the bad guy was "so" bad.

Good but....

I like Mary Higgins Clark - sometimes! But "Where Are The Children" is still the best of her books!!