"THE MELODY LINGERS ON," by Mary Higgins Clark, Simon and Schuster, $26.99, 262 pages (f)
Everyone in the affluent New York City scene knows about the terrible Bennett scandal that happened just two years before the beginning of "The Melody Lingers On" by Mary Higgins Clark. Parker Bennett was last seen cruising away on his sailboat in the Caribbean, and the money he managed at his $5 billion investment fund disappeared along with him. These actions cheated hundreds of his clients out of their life savings.
Lane Harmon is an assistant at a prestigious interior design firm in Manhattan. Her superior’s clientele are a slew of rich, affluent members of the New York community, one of those being Parker Bennett before the scandal came out.
Now her boss has decided to take on the condominium of Parker’s wife, Anne, who was forced to leave her old home by the government in an attempt to get back all the money it can from the Bennett affair.
The Bennetts' son, Eric, facilitates this transaction and oversees development on his mother's home. Suddenly, Lane finds herself drawn to the man who some claim still knows where his father is and, even more, the missing money.
As Lane gets to know the family better, she questions the allegations against Eric. Throughout, he continues to insist his father's innocence, as well as his own, and sets out to prove his family is innocent of the crimes attributed to them.
Meanwhile, victims of the crime are suffering the consequences of the Bennett scandal. Many put their life savings in the fund, and many are experiencing total financial ruin. Some even want to take revenge.
Clark weaves a tale of mystery and suspense as Lane gets to know more about the Bennett family and as victims start to take matters into their own hands.
This book contains mature elements, including mentions of infidelity, murder and violence. None of these elements are detailed, except for a murder scene.
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