cover image Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry

Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry

Mary Higgins Clark. Simon & Shuster, $26.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-5011-7170-3

Early in this enjoyable standalone from MWA Grand Master Clark (You Don’t Own Me), New York City investigative reporter Gina Kane checks her email after being away for more than a week in a part of the world without internet service. One email that arrived the day Gina left on her trip is from fellow Boston College grad Cathy Ryan, who has had “a terrible experience” with one of the higher-ups at the headquarters of REL, the global news conglomerate where Cathy works. Cathy wants to meet with Gina to talk about the situation. Cathy doesn’t respond to Gina’s emails, and later Gina discovers that Cathy recently died in an accident while on vacation in Aruba. With the help of Cathy’s family, Gina starts to put together clues that lead her to Brad Matthews, REL’s top newscaster. Meanwhile, Gina’s boyfriend gets the chance to be a part of REL’s initial public offering through his bank, posing a potential conflict of interest, and Gina’s widowed father becomes the romantic target of a woman whose motives she doesn’t trust. No surprise, the good guys prevail, and the bad guys get their just desserts. Clark’s many fans will be more than satisfied. Agent: Bob Barnett, Williams & Connolly. (Nov.)