In the original story Where are the Children?, a young California mother named Nancy Harmon was convicted of murdering her two children. Though released on a technicality, she was abandoned by her husband and became such a pariah in the media that she was forced to move across the country to Cape Cod, change her identity and appearance, and start a new life. Years later her two children from a second marriage, Mike and Melissa, would go missing, and Nancy yet again became the prime suspect—but this time, Nancy was able to confront the secrets buried in her past and rescue her kids from a dangerous predator.

Now, more than four decades later, a lawyer turned successful podcaster, Melissa has recently married a man whose first wife died tragically, leaving him and their young daughter, Riley, behind. While Melissa and her brother, Mike, help their mom, Nancy, relocate from Cape Cod to the Hamptons, Melissa’s new stepdaughter goes missing. Melissa and Mike race to find Riley to save her from the trauma they still struggle with.

I remember reading "Where Are the Children" when I was younger and falling in love with thrillers after that. So...when I saw that there was a sequel to one of my all time favorite books, I knew that I needed to drop everything to ready it, and I am so glad I did. The nostalgia I felt reading this book was unmatched. I loved how even though this story followed many of the same patterns as the first book, it was still its own story. I was not expecting that ending! Great story.

In 1976 I was 11 years old and already a voracious reader. When I found a copy of Where Are The Children sitting on a shelf in Brookline Booksmith. It was my first adult read and it was the book that began my love of psychological thrillers. In Where Are The Children Michael And Missy go missing from their backyard late one morning.. suspicion quickly falls on their mother Nancy after it was discovered that she'd been convicted of murdering her first two children. She was later released on a technicality.
In Where Are The Children Now we meet back up with Nancy and Michael and Missy ( Now Melissa ) Melissa is lawyer and a popular podcaster. Newly married to Charlie and a stepmother. to his 3 year old daughter Riley. Riley goes missing from her pack n play while under Melissa's care Suspicion quickly falls on Melissa as the clues get more and more terrifying. Soon Melissa's fighting for both her marriage and her life I thought I had guessed correctly who the villain was and I was wrong. Twice. The twists come heavy and fast. There's more than one villain here. And the final reveal is a whopper. I waited for this book for over a year and was not disappointed. It is a more than worthy sequel and a thrilling and evocative read all on it's own. Though I do recommend reading the first book it's not a necessity. It will just give you lovely nostalgic vibes and make you wish you lived on the cape. Though the second book takes place in Long Island. Five enthusiastic stars. Thank You Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an Arc of this book

Wow, this is a really great read! Where Are the Children Now? by authors Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke is the sequel to her earlier famous novel titled Where Are the Children?. This story is about the same characters, Nancy Harmon and her two children Mike and Melissa, but it takes place about 40 years later. Melissa is now a lawyer and a very popular podcaster. She marries and becomes a stepmother to a beautiful 3 year old girl named Riley. And that’s where all the trouble starts! Riley turns up missing and the hunt for where she is and who has taken her begins. This is a story that’s filled with suspense and it keeps you guessing the entire way through. There are so many twists and turns in the storyline that I wasn’t sure who to trust or who to believe. It just goes to show that sometimes the people you think you are the closest to might just be deceiving you for their own personal gain. This was a very exciting story and I’d like to thank Simon & Schuster for accepting my request and NetGalley for the arc to read and review. I really enjoyed reading this, the suspense had me feeling like I was on the edge of my seat and it’s a book I’m recommending to all my reader friends. Although it’s a sequel, I do believe it can be read as a standalone. I’m rating this with a well-deserved 5 stars and look forward to reading more by these authors very soon!

For those readers unfamiliar with Mary Higgins Clark, a little history. …Clark, who died in 2020, has been attributed with creating the modern suspense novel. Of her 50+ bestsellers, her first, “Where are the Children?” (1975) sold the most and is still in print, it’s 75th edition.

Clark was one of my mother’s favorite authors. I have read all her books and, out of sentimentality, continue to do so as a matter of routine, and also because I like them.

In the first Where are the Children? a mother in California was convicted of killing her two children and then released on a technicality. Abandoned by her husband, she changed her identity, moved to Cape Cod, and remarried. Her two children from this second marriage then went missing. Suspicion again fell on the mother, but eventually the children were rescued and the true perpetrator identified.

In this sequel, decades later, the daughter, Melissa, who had been kidnapped is married to a widower with a young daughter. When that child goes missing, suspicion falls on Melissa and it is up to her and her brother to solve the case, while also confronting their unresolved issues related to their early experience.

There are twists and turns and the suspense of wanting to find the truth kept me glued to the book that I finished in a day, eschewing all outside interruptions including a beautiful day outside! MHC books do have a bit of a fairy tailish quality to them. With some very likable characters, they all seem to end with something positive coming out of something terrible.

It has been so many years (and so many books!) since I read the first book, I remembered no details from it; that did not interfere with being able to pick up the past history as it related to this story.

I was SO EXCITED to read this book. Come to find out, I completely forgot what happened in the first book. The authors did a great job of providing the back story but I would have enjoyed this book more if I had re read the first one.
Otherwise great story, great characters and I didn't know who "did it" until the very end.

This is the long-awaited, eagerly anticipated follow-up to Mary Higgins Clark’s, Where are the Children? That book sold millions of copies which contributed to the “Queen of Suspense.” title bestowed upon Mary Higgins Clark..

The first book was the poignant, heartbreaking story of Nancy Harmon, whose children were kidnapped and killed. Nancy was wrongly convicted of the crime but through a technicality was later released. Upon being exonerated of the crime, which was committed by her husband, she was persecuted by the media and moved from California to the east coast where she reinvented herself with a new identity. She even got married again and had two more children. At the same young age, Nancy’s current children, Mike, and Melissa, were also kidnapped and were nearly killed, however, Nancy was able to rescue them.

Fast forward forty years and Nancy’s daughter, Melissa who is an attorney and a successful podcaster is married to Charlie, whose wife died in a tragic accident, leaving him with a three-year-old daughter, Riley. Melissa and her brother Mike are helping their mother move to a smaller house on Long Island from Cape Cod where, upon the death of her husband, she has sold their family home. While busy with the move, Riley mysteriously goes missing after a nap. Reliving their own childhood trauma of when they were taken, Melissa and Mike are frantic to discover any clues that will lead them to Riley.

This is a riveting, intriguing, fast-paced story that captured my full attention right from the start. Long ago secrets are revealed, and several relationships prove to be not as they seem. Just as the original Where Are The Children, I was not able to put this book down until the last page was turned and, I could not turn the pages fast enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Simon & Schuster for a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions and comments are my own.

I started reading the book but felt that I really needed to read the first book before reading this one.. I felt it was
not a smooth entree into the background

This one had me guessing to the end with lots of plot twists. This is the sequel to Where Are the Children written 40 years ago looking at the lives of two children who went through a horrific event, now grown. Full of suspense and that great Mary Higgins Clark character paranoia!

I have always loved Mary Higgins Clark's books and this one is no exception. I somehow missed Where Are the Children but was able to pick up quickly with this one and not be lost.

This book focuses on Melissa and her new life now. Melissa meet a guy when she was going to counseling named Charlie. Melissa and Charlie end up getting married and Melissa gains a 5 year old step-daughter that she adores. Melissa has taken her training as a lawyer and now does a podcast and has many followers. They discuss crime cases and Melissa gives her opinion as an educated lawyer on many situations,

Melissa takes her step-daughter to the park one day and then they head back home for a nap when tragedy strikes. Melissa is immediately throw back into her past when she and her brother were taken and did not know if they were going to be found before they died. Charlie is out of town but when he gets home, he is told to stay away from Melissa until they can find his daughter.

Things begin to be strange and not add up for Melissa with Charlie. Does she really even know who she married? This book is full of suspense and will keep you turning the pages until the very end. I thought that this book was well written and kept your attention until the very end.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

Really great novel to read! Full of twists and turns. You can't guess until the very end. The end was weak but the of the book was good.

The next chapter of this story about 2 kidnapped children who are now grown up. The woman marries a man with a child who is then kidnapped. Brother and sister grown ups help figure out what happened.

I was a bit nervous to Read this one after the success of the original decades ago. Melissa and Mike are adults and Melissa’s worlds collide in coincidental ways when she finds herself wrapped up and the prime suspect in a kidnapping. All the characters except Ray are back and I enjoyed closing out their story. Alafair Burke did a great job bringing it all back to life!

Where are the Children Now?
Mary Higgins Clark ; alafair Burke
Pub date April 18
Simon Schuster
Thanks to the authors, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This one is the sequel to Where Are the Children? Clarks first novel.
It kept me guessing until the end with some shocking surprises.
Nancy’s children are all grown up. Five year old Riley goes missing and the nightmare begins.
4 stars

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this sequel to one of the books that defined an entire genre.

Following up success can be difficult. Sometimes you can't go home again as Thomas Wolfe once wrote. A sequel might remind people how great something was how much what follows pales in comparison. However when done right, with skill and love of the source a sequel or even a reboot can rise and be considered, as good or if not better, an The Empire Strikes Back to Star Wars, or a The Godfather II to The Godfather. A sequel can broaden the story, show changes in characters, be it older, wiser, changed by life and the legacy of their experiences. Where Are the Children Now? by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke is a sequel to a book that everyone loved about the original, ratchets up the tension, the fear, the uncertainty and makes for a great sequel and an even better story.

Years after the events of the first book, Nancy and her two children Melissa and Mike, are still dealing with what happened to them. Nancy is moving from Cape Cod to the Hamptons and the children are assisting as much as they can. Melissa is happily married to a man that she met in therapy, whose wife died, and is stepmother to their daughter Riley. The worst happens when Riley somehow disappears from their locked house, while Melissa's husband is traveling for business. Mike and Melissa join to find Riley before the events get out of control, and another child is missing, possibly forever.

The original book was a big bestseller, pretty much creating a genre and dubbing Mary Higgins Clark the Queen of Suspense. Alafair Burke does a very good job of keeping this tradition alive with strong women characters, cliffhangers, plot twists, and just good writing. The story takes it time in the beginning bringing readers up to date with the characters and explaining thing for new readers, and to refresh old ones. From there is zips along, without any real stops, or slow sections and readers will be happy flipping along. Clark had a style, and Burke is very good at following it and making it her own.

As a bookseller I know the tradition of having a Mary Higgins Clark book come out before Mother's Day. I always bought a copy for my mom who was a big fan, and still has all her hardcovers, I think quite a few of them signed. Fans will really enjoy this, and this is a perfect starting point for new readers, as it helps to have read the first book, enough is explained so no one will be lost. Can't wait to buy this for my mom.

5 stars! Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke have done it again! Everything they have written together is great! This book should be on your to be read pile!

I read Mary Higgins Clark's first novel "Where Are The Children?" when I was a teenager and was very excited to see there was a sequel. I actually re-read the first book right before I read this one to refresh my memory. This book can definitely be read as a standalone but I strongly recommend reading the original first.

Missy, now known as Melissa, is an attorney turned true crime podcast host who marries a widower with a three year old daughter. We are also reunited with her brother Michael and her mother Nancy. Sadly, her father Ray, who was one of my favorite characters in the original story, died about a year before this story takes place. Melissa's step-daughter Riley is kidnapped early on in the story much like Melissa and her brother were as young children. The story is fast paced and keeps the reader guessing who the kidnapper is from beginning to end.

However, I did have some issues with the book. I had a really hard time keeping track of all of the side characters and felt that there were way too many of them. I also felt that Melissa was incredibly naive and trusting to be a prosecutor and then a defense attorney. Unlike her mother Nancy in the first story, she just wasn't a likeable character. And, without giving anything away, I'll have to say the ending was really confusing and somewhat far-fetched. It's a shame because the story had a lot of potential, but I just wasn't able to suspend my disbelief enough to truly say this one of my favorites from these co-authors.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review. The publication date is set for April 18, 2023.

A close comparison to Clark's original Where Are the Children?. Burke worked closely with Clark for several years before Clark died. Though Burke's style is a close, she isn't Clark. Overall I enjoyed this book and will purchase a copy for our library.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It has been a few years since the Queen of Suspense passed away and it has been a few years since her final novel was published. This new tale, a sequel, to her legendary Where Are The Children? is written as though it is from Mary’s hand. Alafair Burke based on her working with Mary and from outlines that she and Mary worked on has completed this wonderful book. There are so many wonderful nods to the original (which I finished in a single night). But the story is wholly it’s own and stands on its own. Suppose that similar events happened to Nancy’s children well over 30 years later. Where Are The Children Now? provides chills and thrills just like the original did and will make you want to hold your child or pet or any loved one just a bit closer after finishing.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and chose to write and honest review.

Where Are the Children, Now? By Mary Higgins Clark is the intriguing follow-up of heartbreaking events that afflicted Nancy, Mike & Melissa in now a recurrent calamity.

After almost 50 years since the original best-selling novel Where Are the Children? came out, the sequel is here to enrapture fans with a family update. Mike & Melissa, the children missing from the first book, are now adults with lives of their own. Unfortunately, Melissa life & more specifically her now husband & stepdaughter’s lives will never be the same as her stepdaughter Riley goes missing. Who took her? Why did they do it? & does it have any relation to the horror that happened to Mile & Melissa?! Read this one to find out!

At under 300 pages, this is a quick & fascinating mystery to get lost in. I enjoyed being able to see what happened to the family after all this time. I loved that it had short chapters! In true Mary Higgins Clark fashion, I was surprised at the twist & turns of the ending, which made for an interesting read.


I’ve read & enjoyed Mary Higgins Clark’s books since I was a teenager. She always had the ability to simultaneously terrify me with her mysteries & captivate me with her storytelling abilities in her writing. The first book, Where Are the Children?, was one of my first adult section books I read as a teen. The fact that I now get to review the sequel all these years later is such a neat moment that I’m very grateful for.


For mystery fans & especially fans that enjoyed Where Are the Children?, this is a great read!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for the free arc, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.


Trigger Warnings: This book mentions &/or contains missing child, kidnapping, grief, loss of loved one & violence.