Saturday, October 22, 2022

My Gal Sunday – Book Review


By Mary Higgins Clark

Image of a couple walking down a path in a park


Recently I have been reading my way through books by the Queen of Suspense, Mary Higgins Clark. Although I seldom read short stories, preferring full-length novels, I came across My Gal Sunday, a collection of four stories about an irresistible sleuthing duo. The stories were delightful and I was left wishing Ms. Clark had written more novels featuring this duo. 


The Characters in My Gal Sunday


The book contains four short stories, each starring the same characters and continuing one to the next in order. By that, I mean that some of the other characters and situations in one story are mentioned in the next.... and the next.


The main characters are a dashing ex-president (Henry Parker Britland IV ~  wealthy, worldly and popular ~ and his new wife Sandra (Sandy) O'Brian ~ clever and lovely ~ a newly elected congresswoman from New Jersey. Sandy is the daughter of a motorman on the New Jersey railway and worked her way through school. The media loved it.  When they married, a newspaper ran the headline LORD HENRY BRINTHWHIP MARRIES OUR GAL SUNDAY, a reference to the once popular radio soap opera that for years, 5 days a week, asked the question:


Can a girl from a mining town in the West find happiness as the wife of England's richest and most handsome Lord Henry Brinthwhip.


Because of this, Sandra, new wife of Henry, became known to all as 'Sunday'


My Gal Sunday book cover


The Stories


The premise of stories in this book is that Henry & Sunday somehow become involved in solving baffling high-society crimes and make a formidable team. 


In A Crime of Passion, Henry's former Secretary-of-State, a close friend and political alley, is accused of murdering his lover Arabella Young.


In They All Ran After the President's Wife, Sunday is kidnapped and a frantic Henry works with the Secret Service and his friend and former Vice-President (who is the current U.S. President) to locate Sunday and bring her home safely.


In Hail Columbia! Sunday & Henry reconstruct a long-unsolved case aboard the presidential yacht.


And in Merry Christmas/Joyeau Noel, we find Henry & Sunday getting ready for Christmas at home when a 6-year-old boy turns up on their doorstep. They take him in and work with the police, but the boy never speaks or answers any questions, so finding out who he is and where he belongs becomes a difficult problem. A sweet tale about a Christmas Miracle.


Summary


Mary Higgins Clark tells us in the book acknowledgments that as a child she was a big fan of the radio show “My Gal Sunday” and had a huge crush on Lord Henry and thought he and Sunday made a perfect couple.  That's why, when she wanted to create a new husband-and-wife suspense team, she thought about Lord Henry & Sunday and asked herself “suppose Henry is a former American President, smart, nice, rich and handsome, and suppose Sunday is a stunning, savvy young congresswoman?” The stories in her book of short stories, My Gal Sunday are the  result!


This really is a delightful, lighthearted and fun series of stories. I hope you enjoy the short stories in My Gal Sunday as much as I did. 


Related Reviews:


*My Gal Sunday Book Review written by Wednesday Elf




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


14 comments:

  1. Thank you Pat Austin fort this book review. I love Mary Higgins Clark as a writer and look forward to reading this set of short stories as well. Again, Thanks, my reading list is growing.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed my book review, Olivia. I really enjoyed this book of short stories by Mary Higgins Clark. The characters are such fun to get to know and have some interesting adventures.

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  2. When it comes to romantic fiction, like you I prefer a lengthy novel. However, for a mystery or suspense thriller, I do prefer short stories or novellas. This series of stories sounds perfect to me! Thanks for the review and recommendation.

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    1. You're welcome, Mouse. I think you'd like this collection of short stories. The characters are really fun to follow. And the whole book is an easy read - more like a Cozy Mystery.

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  3. This set of Mary Higgins Clark short stories seems to lean more toward the suspense than the thriller genre, and I think I might really enjoy them! I love the backstory about how the author came to write them. Thanks so much for your review and recommendation!

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    1. I think you'd like these short stories in 'My Gal Sunday', Margaret. They read like a Cozy Mystery; more light-hearted and quick and easy to read.

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  4. I think I would enjoy these books - I'm not a reader of fiction, but with all these terrific book reviews on reviewthisreviews I may have to start - I do love political stories a great deal

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    1. If you like political stories, Barbara, this is a fun peek (fictionally-wish) into the lives of a former president. Besides the main characters, you also get to know their main Secret Service agent and the protection surrounding ex-presidents.

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  5. These sound like stories I would love. Thanks for the review.

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    1. I know you would enjoy this book of short stories, Mary Beth. You & I have similar tastes in fiction. :)

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  6. These short stories sound a very enjoyable read. I imagine you would really get to know the characters across the books. It is interesting how the author came to write them. Thank you for your review and recommendation.

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    1. Yes, it IS fun to follow the characters from story to story. You feel as if you know them well by the time you reach the last story. You also wish they had more stories to tell. :) Thanks for your visit.

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  7. I haven't read a story by Mary Higgins Clark in a long time. Thanks for the review and a reminder of an author who I used to really enjoy.

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    1. Glad my review was a good reminder to search out books you haven't read by Mary Higgins Clark, Brenda.

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