Just Take My Heart

March 30, 2009
In this intense novel of suspense from bestseller Clark (Where Are You Now?
), the obvious suspect in the shooting murder of famous actress Natalie Raines at her Closter, N.J., home is her husband and theatrical agent, Gregg Aldrich, whom she was divorcing. Gregg never wavers from his innocent plea, but Bergen County assistant prosecutor Emily Wallace nails his conviction thanks to the evidence of an ex-con, who testifies Gregg tried to hire him to kill Natalie. Clark neatly details the courtroom proceedings, though of more dramatic interest is a subplot involving oddball serial killer Zach Lanning, who's been stalking Emily while pretending to be a good neighbor. Clark slowly reveals that Emily's recent heart transplant has given the attorney extra sensitivity to Natalie's past. As Emily's doubts about Gregg's guilt grow, the action hurtles to a surprising if abrupt resolution.

April 27, 2009
Perhaps overcompensating for her lethargic renderings of other Higgins Clark thrillers (e.g., Where Are You Now?
), Jan Maxwell picks up pace smartly. The narration is a shade frenetic in the beginning, as Maxwell breathlessly introduces the key players (the murdered actress, Natalie Raines; her husband—and chief suspect—Greg Aldrich; assistant prosecutor Emily Wallace; and her serial killer stalker, Zach Lanning) in an overly upbeat chirp. The quick tempo works better as the plot slogs through procedural matters. All of the men, however, sound too much alike and the women's voices also blur at key points. These flaws aside, this audio book proves entertaining summer listening. A Simon & Schuster hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 30).

March 15, 2009
An assistant prosecutor trying the biggest case of her life doesn't realize that the victim she's hoping to avenge isn't the only damsel in distress.

Fifteen years after her actress roommate Jamie Evans was strangled in Central Park, Broadway sensation Natalie Raines has the awful experience of meeting and recognizing her killer. Hours later, Natalie is shot to death herself. But Bergen County prosecutor Ted Wesley, who never called Jamie's murder anything but a robbery gone bad, fails to connect the two crimes. Instead, he indicts Gregg Aldrich, Natalie's estranged husband and former agent. The most damning (and virtually the only) testimony against Gregg comes from career burglar Jimmy Easton, who bargained down the sentence for his latest job in return for a story about Gregg offering to pay him $25,000 to kill Natalie. Jimmy should be a terrible witness, but he isn't. So even though Michael Gordon, the Courtside TV host who's kept an ominous distance from his old friend in the weeks leading to the trial, runs a series of informal polls that indicate that nearly half the TV audience thinks Gregg is innocent, things look a lot blacker for the defendant in the courtroom. Emily Wallace, the assistant prosecutor Wesley has assigned to the case, wonders if Gregg is guilty after all. Although she doesn't know it, Emily has much bigger problems to deal with. Her solicitous neighbor Zach Lanning is actually Charley Muir, who vanished after killing his wife's family in Iowa and now has his eye on Emily. The closer Emily gets to nailing Natalie's murderer, the closer a second, unrelated murderer is getting to nailing her.

Clark (Where Are You Now?, 2008, etc.) handles the courtroom scenes capably, and fans will be as excited as ever coming down the home stretch. It's a shame that the climax awaiting them is the most strained and silly the bestselling author has ever fobbed off on her devoted readers.

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April 13, 2009
Verdict: The legions of Clark fans will enjoy this blended mix of serial killer thriller and courtroom drama. Background: Assistant District Attorney Emily Wallace, recovering from losing her husband in Iraq, takes the lead in prosecuting the estranged husband of a Broadway star for her murder. Unbeknownst to her, her next-door neighbor is a serial killer, and Emily is in danger of becoming his next victim. Many readers may guess who the real villain is in the legal drama, and a plot point about Emily's heart transplant and the donor is perhaps stretching it a bit much. The hints throughout the novel that Emily reminds people of the murdered star also seem awkward. But this reviewer kept turning the pages, and many other readers are sure to follow suit. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/08.]-Beth Lindsay, Washington State Univ. Libs., Pullman

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