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ginamas02's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rusereviews's review against another edition
4.0
Loves Music, Loves to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark is a suspenseful mystery featuring a serial killer who hunts his victims with personal ads.
Mary Higgins Clark is just so good at writing clever plots and potato-chip chapters. I enjoyed this one.
There are so many suspects! I had it narrowed down to two and correctly guessed the culprit but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.
I received a copy of this book to review. Thank you to Simon Books for the complimentary paperback edition. All opinions contained herein are my own.
If you want to see more from me, check out my blog, Bookstagram, TheStoryGraph, or Twitter.
Mary Higgins Clark is just so good at writing clever plots and potato-chip chapters. I enjoyed this one.
There are so many suspects! I had it narrowed down to two and correctly guessed the culprit but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.
I received a copy of this book to review. Thank you to Simon Books for the complimentary paperback edition. All opinions contained herein are my own.
If you want to see more from me, check out my blog, Bookstagram, TheStoryGraph, or Twitter.
bookjunkie1282's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
topdragon's review against another edition
3.0
Catching up once again on a book I inherited from my mom. This one is a suspense thriller in the mold of most of what Mary Higgins Clark has written and was first published in 1991, making it one of the earlier of her suspense novels.
The plot surrounds Darcy and Erin, a couple of 20-something ladies who decide to add more fun to their dating lives by answering personal ads from eligible men. However, Erin goes missing and her body is later found dead, wearing one of her regular shoes and one very nice high-heeled dancing slipper. The incident fits the profile of a serial killer case. While Darcy, of course, is devastated, she is unwilling to let the cops and FBI work the case. She decides to arrange dates with all the same guys that Erin had dated in a crazy attempt to identify the killer. What she doesn’t realize is that the killer has marked her for his next victim.
I realize I’m not the target market for most Mary Higgins Clark books, but I do appreciate a well-written novel and can even enjoy stories that lean toward the chick-lit style. While the plot was fairly straight-forward, the very idea of Darcy choosing to date potential killers was just ludicrous. Numerous characters were thrown into the mix, with quite a few being various types of creeps for Darcy to date and for us readers to consider as potential serial killers. While many of them were truly creepy, it wasn’t hard to pick out the real killer quite early on and I found myself spending most of the novel waiting for everybody else to catch on.
The author does a very good job of setting the scene and writing in the suspense, but I found the characters to be flat and the plot simply too predictable. It was like watching an episode of a typical TV cop show. Overall I am awarding 3 stars because despite the negatives, it was a nice (if tame) escape.
The plot surrounds Darcy and Erin, a couple of 20-something ladies who decide to add more fun to their dating lives by answering personal ads from eligible men. However, Erin goes missing and her body is later found dead, wearing one of her regular shoes and one very nice high-heeled dancing slipper. The incident fits the profile of a serial killer case. While Darcy, of course, is devastated, she is unwilling to let the cops and FBI work the case. She decides to arrange dates with all the same guys that Erin had dated in a crazy attempt to identify the killer. What she doesn’t realize is that the killer has marked her for his next victim.
I realize I’m not the target market for most Mary Higgins Clark books, but I do appreciate a well-written novel and can even enjoy stories that lean toward the chick-lit style. While the plot was fairly straight-forward, the very idea of Darcy choosing to date potential killers was just ludicrous. Numerous characters were thrown into the mix, with quite a few being various types of creeps for Darcy to date and for us readers to consider as potential serial killers. While many of them were truly creepy, it wasn’t hard to pick out the real killer quite early on and I found myself spending most of the novel waiting for everybody else to catch on.
The author does a very good job of setting the scene and writing in the suspense, but I found the characters to be flat and the plot simply too predictable. It was like watching an episode of a typical TV cop show. Overall I am awarding 3 stars because despite the negatives, it was a nice (if tame) escape.
bookishwonderlandco's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book and it was easy to follow and kept me guessing. Very suspenseful and it held my attention! I loved this book it was very very good.
thebooknook13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Stalking, and Murder
thenightowlnook's review against another edition
4.0
A big thank you to @Simonbooks for this free copy 💖.
✨What it is about:
A serial killer leaves one dancing shoe on a foot of the victims who answer his personal ads. When Erin dies, her best friend places ads to entice the villain already targeting her next.✨
💭My thoughts:
This story was fun! It was so interesting to see a time where personal ads were a thing, and how crazy that whole experience could be. Yes, before dating apps, personal ads were very popular, and though different, they can both get you in some deep trouble if you come in contact with the wrong person. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time, trying to figure out who the murderer was, and had a blast, as there were so many suspects. It moved fast, and if you are a seasoned thriller reader, I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out who the one to blame is, but it will still be a fun, quick read for you. This is my third book by Mary Higgins Clack, and I enjoy the simplicity and style of her writing. So far, I feel her books are perfect for someone trying to get into the mystery/thriller genre, as they are easy to read and understand, they don’t get too complex, and are very entertaining. This was a fun, old school murder mystery.
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read if you like:
🥿 90s nostalgia
🥿 Being transported into a different era
🥿 Serial killers
🥿 Suspenseful plots
🥿 Music and dancing
⚠️CW: Stalking, sexism, violence, murder.
cross_a16's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This was my first book by this author and I just have a feeling she’s not for me.
This isn’t an inherently bad story. However, I do not enjoy convoluted plots. And this is the definition of a convoluted plot. There were SO many characters, and many of them were simply introduced as red herrings and were mostly completely irrelevant to the story.
The characters had no depth at all in my opinion. Character development was thrown out the window for an overly complicated plot.
I had a really hard time paying attention to this book, and honestly when the murderer was revealed, I didn’t even know who they were. There were so many characters that I couldn’t keep any of them straight at all.
Also, honorable mention that the title of this book was said WAY too many times in inorganic ways.
Overall, this is just not my kind of mystery.
This isn’t an inherently bad story. However, I do not enjoy convoluted plots. And this is the definition of a convoluted plot. There were SO many characters, and many of them were simply introduced as red herrings and were mostly completely irrelevant to the story.
The characters had no depth at all in my opinion. Character development was thrown out the window for an overly complicated plot.
I had a really hard time paying attention to this book, and honestly when the murderer was revealed, I didn’t even know who they were. There were so many characters that I couldn’t keep any of them straight at all.
Also, honorable mention that the title of this book was said WAY too many times in inorganic ways.
Overall, this is just not my kind of mystery.
carwin_53's review against another edition
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Easy simplistic read. Character background sparse. Good fluffy thriller.
bookish_aly_cat's review against another edition
mysterious
4.0
This was such an enjoyable mystery read! I’ve recently learned I like this author and I think this is one of my favorites I’ve read so far. This book kept me guessing until the very end and I really liked the over all plot surrounding the “dancing shoe murderer”. I recommend this one.
Thank you Simon Books for sending me a gifted copy.