Where are You Now?

Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark

Reviewed by Gerti

I generally like Mary Higgins Clark books, and “Where Are You Now?” is no exception. The plot is wonderful, as it involves the disappearance of a college student named Charles MacKenzie, Jr., called “Mack”. He has been gone for 10 years without a trace, but calls his family every year on Mother’s Day to assure his mother he’s fine. However this year, his sister Carolyn grabs the phone to tell him she’s had enough. She swears to him on the phone that she is tired of this abuse, because he is torturing his family by his absence. And she swears to him that she will track him down this time, which sets a whole lot of dominoes tumbling.

Carolyn decides to go back to the Private Investigator that her now dead father initially hired to find Mack. She also tries to go back through and interview all her brother’s friends and associates from the time he disappeared. Among the most suspicious are his old apartment superintendent and his wife, Gus and Lil Kramer. Lil used to clean the apartment Mack shared with 2 roommates, and is very nervous when Carolyn starts asking questions about him again. Turns out, she was convicted of stealing jewelry from an old ladies apartment before, and suspicion rises that maybe she had stolen something from Mack, which lead to a fight and… more? Gus is definitely a hot head. Could he have killed Mack?

Also on the list of suspects is the “Lone Stranger” roommate, who married a girl Mack used to date once he disappears. He spirits his wife out of town before Carolyn can get to her, and her interview with him is mighty cold. Carolyn had a crush on the third roommate, playboy Nick DeMarco, whom the cops think is responsible for kidnapping another college student recently. So is he good for the older crime, too?

The plot thickens when the missing girl’s cell phone is used, and she claims that “Mack” has kidnapped her. So is that why he disappeared? He had some kind of mental breakdown, and is now some kind of kidnapper/rapist? Carolyn’s head spins with the possibilities. But in the end, she sticks to her guns that Mack is innocent of the crime, which puts her in even more jeopardy from the real kidnap/killer.

I realized early on that one of the people the family knew well had to be responsible for the recent kidnapping, and it turned out that was true. But who it was a pretty neat twist and I found it very satisfying that I had correctly pegged one of the good guys as a baddie, as well as guessed his motivation for the crimes. “Where” is a satisfying suspense novel that will keep you glued to your seat until you finish the last word.